Hi everyone! So I am publishing this for a reason, even though I'm not comppletely sure you guys deserve it. But I have some news. A week from today I will be going on vacation in FL so I won't be updating anytime soon. So, rather than start this as a story and make you wait forever for updates, I published this as an EXTREMELY long oneshot. Please be nice as this is my first attempt at a crossover and also my first attempt at something in the wonderful world that is Tim Burton's immagination. I watched Corpse Bride for the first time on thursday and though I loved most of the movie I hated the ending. At any rate, this I started at about 9:30 am yesterday and finished about 3:30 today with a sufficent 8 hrs rest.
WARNING: this contains spoilers from the Corpse Bride so if you've never seen it please go and watch it as soon as you can!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or Corpse Bride; they belong to their respective owners though I do take credit for being the first to publish a crossover involving these two forms of entertainment.
It's funny how things can spiral out of control so fast. And yet; it's only when they do that people start to see things they'd have never thought possible. Like how sometimes the most fragile looking can also be the strongest in times of need. Or how the strength of true love can last far beyond the grave.
"England?" nineteen year old Mai Taniyama asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Why do we need to go to England?"
"I already told you," her boss, recently turned twenty-one year old Oliver Davis aka Kazuya Shibuya aka Naru replied. "my parents want us to do an investigation of a small village because there have been multiple reports of paranormal phenomena for the past three months. And, all their other teams are busy with more prioritized cases at the moment."
"Don't you find it a little odd though?" Mai asked. "I mean; the three months you were actually in the country there wasn't a single report of activity and yet you get a call from your mother three months later that practically the day after you left for japan all these reports start coming in. Not to mention all their other research teams are busy with more important cases. Just sounds like a conspiracy to me."
"Knowing my mother," Naru said in reply. "the part where all the other teams are busy is fabricated because she just wants to meet all of you. However, she already sent me some of the reports so I know for a fact the investigation itself is no ruse Mai." As he replied, he never once looked up from the file he held in his hands. "Make sure everybody knows; we'll be leaving in three days."
Mai sighed. "Yes boss." She replied picking up the phone.
When everybody got the message and came over to discuss it they found Mai asleep on her desk.
"Typical Mai." Monk said chuckling. "Falls asleep even before we're anywhere near the airport."
"Well, we should wake her up before Kazuya comes out and yells at her again." John told everyone.
"Please," Ayako scoffed. "Naru doesn't yell at people, he just gets this creepy calm thing going that freaks people out even more."
"Yes," Masako agreed. "I'm glad I've never done anything to deserve that."
"Well, better wake her up." Monk said going over and nudging her. It took a few minutes but the minute Mai opened her eyes she shot up from her position and started rummaging through her bag. "Whoa Mai, slow down there. What are you looking for?" Monk asked.
"My sketchbook." Mai replied, though her voice was slightly muffled since it was directed to the floor. "Come on where is it? I know I packed it."
"Why do you need your sketchbook?" Masako asked.
"Yeah, what? Did you have a dream or something?" Ayako added.
"Not exactly," Mai replied, still looking. "I just woke up with this incredible muse and I want to draw it before it goes- oh here it is!" she said triumphantly as she pulled a slightly battered book full of blank pages out and along with it a pack full of colored pencils.
"You sure it has nothing to do with whatever it is you called us here for?" Ayako asked. During Naru's absence in England, Mai decided to start finding ways to find other outlets for her emotions besides just moping around and being depressed.
She started writing poetry, and when she ran out of creativity for that she turned to drawing. Turns out she was an exceptional artist and it was a way she could help on the cases. Rather than having to try and describe what she saw Mai could just pull out her sketch pad and start recreating it. Though she was no camera she could always capture enough distinctive features to create a rendition of whom or what she saw. In this way time spent solving the cases was cut down immensely and the number of cases they could take in a month rose; meaning a bigger paycheck for everyone.
"Not sure," Mai replied, not looking up from the sketch she was working on. "I don't remember dreaming about these figures but I just have this impulsive urge to draw them."
"Figures?" Ayako asked. "As in, more than one?"
"Yep." Mai replied. "And this is really weird; I mean normally it takes a few tries before I can really get the shape I want but right now it feels like I'm capturing them perfectly." She was working with monochromes and different shades of blue. Everyone else settled themselves in the living area while Mai finished. When she did, she closed the cover and went to make tea.
"Well? Can we see?" monk jibbed as Mai brought the drinks over.
"No!" she snapped, though not in anger. "I mean, I can't explain it but I don't want anyone to see them just yet." She explained nervously.
"And may I remind you all that this is not an exhibition gallery for young artists." Naru said coming out from his office. He looked at Mai for a moment, and glanced down at the floor before retreating to her desk. She took a light blue colored pencil and opened up her sketchbook, she scribbled something up at the top with a dramatic flourish and closed it once more; bringing it with her as she came back. Naru turned his attention back to the others in front of him. "Now, we have been asked by my parents to investigate a small village in England. Apparently there have been some dangerous phenomena occurring for the past three months. There are multiple victims of injury, but thankfully no fatalities. We'll depart for England in three days' time; I expect you to use that as necessary preparation time. Cancel any appointments you may have and reschedule them. I doubt this will be a short case." He turned back to Mai. "Is what you've drawn significant to the case?"
Mai blushed, "I don't know." She replied truthfully. "The only thing I think might have some importance would be the flourish I put at the top. I know I wrote it but I can't read what it says. I don't even think it's in kanji." She handed over the book and waited.
Naru flipped through the pages to his assistant's latest creation. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the figures on the page but focused in on the title at the top. Mai was right, the flourish wasn't kanji. He was almost sure it was English but the way it was written was so dramatic and more for artistic flair that he couldn't make out what it said.
"Well, you might have a point, but the way this is written I don't believe we'll be able to understand it." Naru said finally. "As for the rest of you, go home and start packing."
The flight to England was not uncomfortable. Nearly everyone fell asleep in order to make the flight go faster. Periodically Mai would wake up and start sketching before falling back asleep; pencil in hand. When they got there Luella and Martin were waiting for them. Luella was positively ecstatic about meeting Mai and was already planning to have her as part of the family. All she could talk about in the beginning was how pretty Mai was.
And it was true, the years had been kind to her and she decided to let her hair grow out as a more mature sort of style. Right now it was pulled back into an elegantly simplistic ponytail with a single section wrapped around as to hide the elastic. Her bangs had grown to the point where they were artfully swept to the left side of her face yet still covered the forehead beneath. Unfortunately, a few weeks after Naru's departure to England Mai had found out there were a few complications with her visions and so was prescribed a pair of glasses to help correct them. They were really only needed when Mai was to read or use something with a screen, but Mai liked wearing the black oval-shaped wire frames all the time so she didn't lose them. Her style had matured too. For the flight she had decided to wear something comfortable yet still stylish; a black scoop-neck shirt with ruffles going down the front paired with a pair of dark blue jeans and black and white high-tops. All Luella could think about was what kind of wedding dress Mai should wear on her special day.
Mai blushed but couldn't protest the older woman's fantasies. Naru was thankfully out of hearing and so was saved from his mother's musings. The older couple transported SPR to the village which for safety purposes had been evacuated. It was completely deserted; and looked as though it had been untouched since the 1800's.
"Wow!" Mai said; amazed at how different everything looked from back home in Tokyo. "I've never seen anything like this back home."
Luella smiled. "Well, different cultures have different styles even at the same time period. It's just how civilization works Mai."
"I'm really thankful you speak Japanese." Mai replied. "English is still difficult for me to speak. I just can't seem to get rid of my accent."
"Mai, if having an accent is the only problem you have I'd say you're in pretty good shape." Luella told her. "But you probably should start speaking English since most people here in England speak it. It'll help you transition to speaking flawlessly."
Mai nodded. "Alright." She said in English, though her accent made it sound like "arlight". (A/N: from here on; all spoken words will be in English)
"Mai!" Naru called. "Come here and set up the equipment."
"Yes boss!" Mai called back, running to the car as she did so."
Hours later, a base was set up in one of the old buildings. Everyone was waiting for orders to set up cameras and thermometers.
"Ms. Hara, do you sense any spiritual presence?" Naru asked.
Masako brought her sleeve up to her mouth in thought. "I do not sense any here at the moment, but there is most certainly something here. There is a residue of unearthly power surrounding this town."
Naru nodded. "Father brown, Monk, and Ms. Matsuzaki; take some cameras and thermometers and set them up around the town square. This is a relatively small area so there's not much space for anyone to hide without being noticed sooner or later."
"What about me Naru?" Mai asked. "What can I do?"
"You will stay here and make tea. That is the sole obligation you have for this case Mai." Naru replied.
"What?" Mai said in disbelief. "What do you mean I have to stay here?"
"I meant what I said Mai, now instead of wasting time arguing with your superior make yourself useful and get some tea made." Naru wouldn't even look at her as he said those words.
"Excuse me!?" Mai nearly screamed. She took a moment to compose herself. "What do you mean 'make yourself useful'? Am I really good for nothing else than making your tea?" she started out in an eerily calm voice that rose in pitch and volume because the poor girl couldn't keep her emotions in check as she finished speaking. "Is that all I'm good for around here?" she asked everyone in the room. "Simply carting around equipment and making tea for the people who do all the real work?" everyone visibly flinched at the raw hurt evident in her voice. They could give no response that would be enough to soothe her. However, Mai took their silence and inability to meet her gaze as a sign that they really believed what she said was truth. She cast her gaze downwards to the floor. "I… see…" she said to no one in particular. There was, if possible, more pain and anguish in her voice than anyone thought possible of the girl. Even Naru turned to look at her. She raised her head and all saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, cinnamon eyes dark and glassy with hurt and betrayal magnified by the vision improving glasses on her face. "I-I'm going for a walk." She said finally grabbing her black inspector's coat off the rack and accidentally slamming the door behind her.
She pulled it on outside as it seemed a chill had set in with a coming bout of fog around the town. It was gloomy and dreary and echoed Mai's feeling just perfectly at the moment. Since none of the cameras had been set up Mai wandered the town freely staring at the ground and sighing. She reached near one of the edges of the town and noticed it had not been the way they had come in, it was the outskirts with a stone church and a bridge leading somewhere Mai could not make out. Mai sighed again and started walking to it, beginning to sing a song from one of her favorite foreign films. She'd first seen it after Naru had left and though the lyrics did not echo what she felt exactly she still loved the meaning of them and the melancholy melody. She took in a shaky breath, and then in a lilting soprano began.
"I sense there's something in the wind,
That tells me tragedy's at hand.
And though I'd like to stand by him,
Can't shake this feeling that I have.
The worst is just around the bend.
And does he notice; my feelings for him?
And will he see, how much he means to me?
I think it's not to be…
What will become of my dear friend?
Where will his actions lead us then?
Although I'd like to join the crowd,
In their enthusiastic cloud.
Try as I may it doesn't last.
And will we ever, end up together?
No I think not, it's never to become,
For I am not, the one…"
She kept humming the tune as though it was the only solace that could be offered to her. As she kept humming her gaze stayed locked to the ground or up into the sky so she didn't even realize she had walked past the little church and over the stone bridge into the foggy forest that lay ahead. On and on she kept humming softly, until she heard the whisper of words echo around her. It was only then she realized her surroundings.
"Hello?" she called, hoping someone would answer her.
"With this hand…" a voice like a whisper came out, sound very timid; though at this moment it was strong. "I will lift your sorrows…"
Mai let out a small gasp of awe. "So poetic." She said to herself, looking around to see where the voice was coming from. She thought she saw a silhouette to her left, but dismissed it and walked on.
"Your cup will never empty... for I will be your wine..." the voice whispered again.
Mai listened carefully, but the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere. The words, though poetic, sounded familiar. Though not the exact words themselves, but more the format they were being spoken in. "Hello?" she called again.
"With this candle… I will light your way in darkness…" the voice continued. And that's when it hit her.
"Wedding vows." Mai whispered to herself, not quite believing she was hearing the words supposed to be spoken to your most beloved.
"With this ring… I ask you to be mine…" the voice whispered, and suddenly Mai saw him. Well, she saw the back of him. He was running through the trees as though trying to get away from something.
"Wait!" Mai called, chasing after him. "Please wait! I want to talk to you!"
He kept running and Mai kept chasing. This went on for around ten minutes before Mai finally caught his attention.
"Please sir, stop!" she cried. The man she'd been chasing stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her.
"Are, are you talking to me, young miss?" he enquired with a slight accent. She took a good look at him as he faced her.
He wore clothing reminiscent of the Victorian era. Monochrome colors blending well with his facial features. Tall and skinny, with a pale face, just sly of being the deathly pallor she knew spirits to possess. His face was sharp-featured, his eyes were fairly large and shadowed, and his ebony hair was pushed back with some sort of gel, except for this slight cowlick which made a few sections of his locks fall slightly into the left side of his face. He wore a pure white shirt with a high collar, a tan vest with a dark brown suit coat and a large silver tie, more a tucked in ascot than a tie really. He wore pinstriped pants of two different shades of brown, or was it brown and black? Mai couldn't tell to be honest. And he wore shoes that reminded her of the ones that would go with a tuxedo; black and white, with pointed toes. He seemed eerily familiar to Mai, but she just couldn't place how or why it was so.
"Miss? I a-asked if you were t-talking to me." He repeated with a slight stutter in his voice. He did sound rather timid, oddly befitting his appearance.
Mai shook her head. "Ah, yes; I did. Um, were you the one reciting those vows?"
The young man's eyes widened. "Um, y-yes. I w-was. Y-you heard them?"
"Yes," Mai replied. "I-"
"Um, I-I don't mean to i-interrupt miss, b-but where is y-your c-chaperone?"
"Chaperone?" Mai asked, not knowing what he meant.
"Pardon?" the young man asked in reply, no understanding what Mai saying now that they had moved past simple English. "I-I'm sorry miss but I can't understand what you're saying, and I-I know it's kind of r-rude to ask y-you this, but m-might you t-tell me y-your name? Y-you don't h-have to, b-but I f-figured i-it would b-be better if w-we could h-have this c-conversation while k-knowing each o-other's names."
"Oh," Mai said. "It's Mai."
"My?" the young man asked, confused. "Your what miss?"
"No, no." Mai shook her head and hands. "My name is Mai." She repeated gesturing to herself.
"Mai?" the young man asked. "It's a l-little difficult t-to say that w-without thinking y-you mean t-that something b-belongs to y-you. M-may I c-call you m-Mia?"
Mia? Why not?
Mai shrugged. "Sure I-" she stopped; she could now speak perfect English without an accent. "I can speak English. I can speak perfect English. And without an accent!"
"T-there was s-something wrong w-with the way y-you spoke before?" the young man asked.
"Yes, well you see; English isn't my first language so I don't speak it well normally. And when I do I speak it with a heavy Japanese accent. But now I can speak it perfectly. It's a little odd, but helpful. Let me formally introduce myself; I'm Mai Taniyama, but I already said you can call me Mia. By the way, what's your name?" she asked.
"I a-am Victor, Miss T-Taniyama. V-Victor van Dort." The young man replied.
"Mia please Victor. I hate being so formal. By the way, what was it you were asking me about a chaperone?"
"U-um, perhaps it would be b-better to go and sit r-rather than s-standing out here in the c-cold." Victor said.
"Right," Mai replied. "Do you know somewhere we could sit and talk awhile?"
"Y-yes. I believe I know just the spot. Well, i-if you don't m-mind a spot that's s-slightly m-morbid." Victor told her taking her by the hand and leading her back through the forest.
"Is it a cemetery?" Mai asked.
"Y-yes, Miss Mia." Victor replied. "d-does that b-bother you?" he said not slowing.
"No, it's perfectly fine." Mai answered.
They continued until they were out of the forest and in a cemetery near the entrance. Victor led Mai to a tombstone and patted it, indicating Mai to take a seat on it. She did, and he took a seat on the headstone next to her.
"Now, what I m-meant by a chaperone w-was that-" he stopped, looking at Mai curiously. "m-miss Mia," he began. "W-where are your corsets?"
"My corsets?" Mai asked in confusion. "Why would I be wearing corsets? More importantly, how would I be able to wear my clothes if I was wearing one?"
She noticed Victor blush as he thought about what to say next. "Well, it's proper for a lady to wear a corset under her dress, or so I'm told…" he replied. "But back to the point, a l-lady unmarried should have a c-chaperone to make sure nothing s-scandalous happens."
"But I'm not wearing a dress." Mai told him. "And even if I was corsets haven't been worn since the eighteen-hundreds. And that's about the same time chaperones for young ladies dies out I-" She looked at Victor as though something just dawned on her. The old fashioned clothing, the formal way of speaking, the reference to how a lady should have a chaperone. "Victor, are you a ghost?" she asked him.
Victor shied away at the question, refusing to meet her gaze. He slumped as he sat on top of the tombstone, his arms resting on his thighs. "I don't know what you're t-talking about." He said quietly.
"Victor, you can tell me." Mai coaxed. "I don't mind, as long as you tell me the truth. Please answer me. Are you a ghost?"
Victor sighed, and took a moment to compose himself. "Y-yes miss Mia. I-I am a g-ghost." He said, still refusing to look her in the eyes. "I understand if you're frightened of me and never want to see me again." He added, eyes firmly focused on the ground. He waited for the young woman beside him to recover from the shock and hightail it out of there screaming her head off. When the moment never came, he looked up at her in surprise. "W-why aren't you running?" he asked, not expecting this as one of the outcomes.
"Considering my job?" Mai replied, looking at him with a gentle smile. "Talking with a ghost is one of the most normal things I've done in about four years."
"What do you mean by that?" Victor asked.
"I work as a paranormal investigator, a ghost hunter to the average person." Mai explained. "My boss and I work with others who specialize in things like exorcisms and cleansings. We help stuck spirits move on and exorcize the bad ones. Which reminds me, what are you doing stuck here? Shouldn't you have moved on by now?"
"What do you mean?" Victor inquired.
"Well, considering you lived in the eighteen-hundreds. I won't go in to exactly how long it's been but I want to say it's been at least two-hundred years Victor. But I am amazed that you've been stuck in limbo for so long without becoming twisted, that happens to a lot of spirits who get stuck in the mortal world. But I still don't get why you haven't moved on, I mean; everyone you could have had ties to is already dead and moved one right?"
"Well, I suppose that's not entirely true." Victor replied. "I might have some business here still."
"I might be able to help, can you tell me what you remember that might give us a clue as to why you're here?" Mai asked.
"Are you sure you want to hear it?" Victor asked. "I mean, it's a long story that's a bit unbelievable to say the least."
Mai smiled. "I can be a good listener when I want to be. And I want to hear this story."
"Alright," Victor sighed. "I suppose I should start at the beginning…"
A young man wandered through the forest on the outskirts of town, utterly mortified at what had just transpired. As he was wondering how this could get any worse the town crier started crying about what had just happened at his own wedding rehearsal, along with the rumor that he might not be getting married after all. He contemplated what went wrong in the rehearsal; he was nervous and jittery by nature but something about this whole arranged marriage that really put him off the scale for his nerves.
"It really shouldn't be all that difficult," he said to himself. "It's just a few simple vows…"
He mused and mulled over his vows, nothing sounding right and one of them sounding like an innuendo. Getting more and more saddened by each attempt he did not realize how deep into the forest he was wandering. He sat down in despair, and reached into his jacket for the ring and found the sprig from where he'd first met his betrothed. It gave him some confidence and he stood up, ready to try again. He recited the vows perfectly and placed his ring on an odd-looking branch sticking out of the ground. A raven crowed and he looked around.
There were tons of ravens all settled on the branches in the trees surrounding him. A wind blew and crackling caught his attention. The branch with his ring on it grabbed his arm and tried to pull him under the snow-covered soil. He pulled and pulled against whatever it was that held him and eventually broke free. However, his right arm felt a little heavy. He turned and looked at his arm only to see a skeletal arm gripping his own tightly. A sound came from under snow where he just was. A figure rose out of the ground, adorned in a ripped-up wedding dress with a veil covering its face. The arm still attached to it brushed the front of the veil away to reveal a woman that might have been very beautiful had she not been dead. Her entire body was a pale baby blue; the long and scraggled hair a very much darker shade of it, and though her limbs were long her torso was very petite; naturally unlike most girls who wore corsets under any type of gown. Her mouth started moving, whispering the words "I do" as she moved towards him, arm outstretched.
Victor panicked, he got up from where he landed and started running. The corpse followed him, picking up her fallen arm as she did so. He ran and ran, and ran into a tree. When he turned around, clutching an eye; he saw the corpse in duplicate walking towards him; both arms (now on properly) outstretched as though to embrace him. He turned to run once more and ran into the tree again before managing to get past it. He (eventually) made it over a frozen stream and ran back to the bridge on the outskirts of town.
When he got to the center of the crossing structure he stopped to catch his breath. He looked around; nothing near the church, nothing coming out of the woods. He let out a sigh of relief and turned around only to come face to face with his pursuer. She cornered him at the side of the bridge, a breathy whisper escaping her lips. "You may kiss the bride…" She leaned in, and everything went black.
When he woke up again he was staring at the corpse who'd been chasing him and in impeccably yet casually dressed skeleton with a pipe in his jaw looking back at him.
"A new arrival!" the skeleton said sloshing the pint in his hand.
"He must have fainted." The woman -he decided it would be easier to call her that rather than focus on the fact that she was the living dead- said in reply, reaching out her skeletal hand to support him around the back of his neck. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"Uh," Victor groaned a little. "what happened?" he asked in reply.
The skeleton leaned in. "by Jove man, looks like we got ourselves a breather." A female cook pushed the skeleton out of the way.
"Oooohhh, does he have a dead brother?" she asked. A little skeleton boy pushed her out of the way.
"He's still soft." The boy whined, poking Victor in the chest with a stick.
Socked, and possibly beyond frightened, Victor scrabbled back from the boy and against the bar counter to get to his feet. "Oh, uoh," he whimpered.
A short skeleton with a sword run through his chest raised his glass. "A toast then," He clinked mugs with another uniformed skeletal soldier who had a cannonball sized hole in his chest before downing whatever it was he had to drink. The other soldier then pulled out the sword to release the downed liquid before drinking it himself. "to the newlyweds." The French skeleton finished as the other soldier stuck the sword back in his chest.
"Newlyweds?" Victor asked shaking his head in disbelief. He looked over to find the bride inches away from his own face.
"Oh, in the woods you said your vows so perfectly." She explained walking around him before wiggling the fingers of her skeletal hand, on the ring finger sat Victor's gold wedding band.
"I did?" Victor asked, turning to the bar as realization hit him. "I did." He repeated as he let his head slam down on the bar counter. "Wake up!" he told himself slamming his head on the counter once more. "Wake up!" he repeated both the words and actions once more. "Wake up!" he said a third time, not bothering to pick his head up for another whack.
"Bonjour!" he heard another French voice call out. "Excuse me. Coming through!" Victor looked to the side to see a severed head on a serving platter be set down on the counter. He scuttled off the platter with insect like legs, which were more than likely sinews and tendons from his long gone body, attended by several beetles; two others of which formed a bow tie sitting just above the cut line. "My name is Paul I am the head waiter." He chuckled at his own pun. Victor gasped and pulled back. "I will be creating your wedding feast."
The bride's right eye popped out, the cause was a green worm. "Wedding feast?" he asked aloud. "I'm salivating!" Victor gasped once more.
The bride covered her eye socket with her hand. "Maggots." She said by way of explanation before giggling nervously.
"Oh!" was all Victor could say as he backed up, into another corpse. This one a man who merely said "Hey!" as Victor backed away from him as well. Victor backed away from the bar, saying "Keep away!" as he toppled over the two skeleton soldiers. The two moved in time but as human reflex Victor grabbed onto something, that something being the hilt of another sword stuck in the Frenchman's back.
He stood up as the others watched in amusement. Victor looked around as well before grabbing the hilt of the sword and trying to pull it out. He managed to lift the skeleton off his feet, and Victor brandished him around as well as the sword. "I've got a…" he looked at the skeleton who looked back at him sardonically before rolling his eyes. "I've got a" he paused. "dwarf . And I'm not afraid to use him. I want some questions, now." He commanded.
"Answers." The skeleton being used as a weapon corrected. "I think you mean answers."
"Thank you yes, answers." Victor replied turning to look towards the bar. "I need answers. What's going on here? Where am I? Who are you?" he asked the corpse woman, who thankfully had placed her eye back in its socket.
"Well," the woman began looking down at her hands and shrugging her shoulders. "that's kind of a long story…"
"What a story it is." A new, gravelly voice broke in. Everyone, including the spotlight, looked over to see a skeleton leaning against the wall on a stage with a black bowler hat covering the front part of his skull and one eye peeking out from the left socket. "A tragic tale of romance, passion, and a murder most foul." He said while voice dipped and his bony hands made gestures to emphasize the point.
"This is gonna be good." The skeleton whose chest-lodged sword was in Victor's hands whispered to him. Startled, Victor dropped the weapon, and the skeleton.
The skeleton with the bowler hat leaned his head to the side, the eyeball rolled to the right socket. "Hit it boys." He ordered three others on the stage. They began to play a melody on their bones, accompanied by one more skeleton on the piano.
The skeleton, who victor later found out was names Bonejangles, began his musical rendition of the tale Victor's "bride" had endured through life.
Hey! Gimme a listen, you corpses of cheer,
Least those of you, who still got an ear
I'll tell you a story make a skeleton cry
Of our own jubiliciously lovely corpse bride!
The refrain came on:
Die, die, we all pass away
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
You might try 'n' run and you might try 'n' pray
But we all end up the remains of the day!
(yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahyeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahyeah!)
Bonejangles continued:
Well our girl was a beauty, known for miles around
When a mysterious stranger came into town
He was plenty good-looking, but down on his cash
And our poor little baby, she fell hard and fast
When her daddy said no, she just couldn't cope
So our lovers came up with a plan to elope
Die, die, we all pass away
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
You might try 'n' run and you might try 'n' pray
But we all end up the remains of the day
(yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahyeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeahyeah!)
So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night
They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight
Now her mother's wedding dress fit like a glove
You don't need much when you're really in love
Except for a few things, or so I'm told
Like the family jewels and a satchel of gold
The next to the graveyard by the old oak tree
On a dark foggy night at a quarter to three
She was ready to go, but where was he?
And then?
She waited
And then?
There in the shadows, was it the man?
And then?
Her little heart beat sooo loud!
And then?
And then baby, everything went black
Now when she opened her eyes she was dead as dust
Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust
So she made a vow lying under that tree
That she'd, wait for her true love to come set her free
Always waiting for someone to ask for her hand
When out of the blue comes this groovy young man
Who vows forever to be by her side
And that's the story of our corpse bride!
The story's entirety was told in about two hours; in which Victor told Mai everything he'd gone through. How they'd gone back to the living world so Victor could "tell his parents the good news" and ended up going to Victoria, the woman he was "engaged to" to tell her what had happened. He ended up betraying his bride's trust, and she took him back to the land of the dead as a result. He'd hurt her feelings, even after all she'd done for him. Not only did she take him to the man who could help him back to the land of the living, but she'd reunited him with his childhood friend, a dog named Scraps.
He tried to apologize, but he wasn't the best with words. However, there was one way he could speak without using words, and she could also understand that way of speaking; the piano. Together they played a duet which told of his request to be forgiven and her answer to forgive him the misdeed. There was still a lot to think about however, and Victor was still a bit reserved about the land of the dead. Then one of the Van Dort's servants kicked the bucket and brought the news that on the cause of Victor's disappearance; Victoria was wed to another man. Seeing as such Victor thought things couldn't get worse.
They could. Turns out that since Victor's bride had already been dead when Victor said his vows to her; the marriage was null and void. The bride was deeply hurt, believing that if he knew; he would surely take the chance to leave. And the thought did go through Victor's head at first, but there was more to this story. The elder told the corpse bride that the only way the marriage would be legal was if Victor would repeat his vows in the land of the living, and drink from the wine of ages; a poison that would kill him. It would only be if his heart stopped, that he would be able to give it to his bride. At this news the bride fell to her knees and nearly cried.
"I could never ask him to do that." She said.
Victor had decided to make his presence known. "You don't have to. I'll do it."
The elder asked if he was sure, once the decision was made; there was no turning back and Victor could never return to the land of the living alive. Victor had said he understood, and would do it. truthfully, what did he have to lose besides his life? A life that would be given up for a wife who was kind and gentle and caring and much more alive than the girl he was to be wed to. And under the circumstances; it was more a business arrangement than a marriage of love when he looked back on it. his family would provide the wealth of nobility, and Victoria's would provide the blood of nobility.
So the dead walked the streets of the living, and the inhabitants of both worlds had a reunion as they made their way to the church. However, the wedding was interrupted. As the bride said her vows she stopped, unable to complete them. And when Victor went to drink the wine, his corpse bride stopped him; saying he shouldn't do it. He couldn't understand, but she explained. She told him that though she loved him, he was not hers; and gestured to Victoria who was standing behind him. Unfortunately, the ceremony was interrupted by Victoria's "husband"; a cruel charlatan rather than a lord. The unlikely trio stared at the man, Barkis Bittern was his name. And as he grabbed Victoria back to his side the corpse bride gasped; she couldn't believe it. The man who'd been given Victor's bride was the same man who led his corpse bride to her fateful end many years before.
The man stunned when he recognized the woman he'd brutally murdered and robbed. Shock evident on his face he said, "But, I left you." as Victoria struggled in his grasp.
"For dead." The corpse bride finished in a breathless whisper. The congregation gasped.
There was a fight, and the end of it was: the land of the dead did get a new arrival thanks to the wine of ages; though it had not been Victor as they had all expected. Victor's corpse bride handed over her ring to her "husband" and started for the door. Victor ran after her.
"But what about my promise?" he'd asked her.
She smiled, "You've kept your promise. You set me free, and now I can do the same for you." She replied. And starting for the door again, she left.
"What happened after that?" Mai asked, on the edge of her seat after such a story.
"Well," Victor replied. "Victoria and I were to marry a month later, in the same church since it was the only one for miles around. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about Victoria anymore; though I knew how I felt about the bride I'd already married. But she was gone, so I figured the least I could do was give the whole thing a shot after all that had happened. And I was going to too but…"
"But?" Mai prompted.
"I didn't want to waste the life my first bride had given up her second chance at happiness, one she definitely deserved mind you, for. But nevertheless, I felt like I wanted to die. I felt like I belonged down there; in the colorful land of the dead, rather than up here in the land of the living with a woman I barely knew and only had speculations about what she was really like. Reflecting back on it all this time, I feel like I thought I was in love with her since she'd been the first female who ever thought nicely of me. My own mother never did. She was shy, and I was too, but it feels like that was the only thing that really connected us. But my corpse bride; well you heard the story, I think you could understand what she's really like and why I fell in love with her. Despite the fact she was already dead."
Mai smiled. "Yes, I think I know what you're talking about. By the way, what was your corpse bride's name? I don't think you ever mentioned it."
Victor sighed. "You might think it heartless and somewhat cruel, but I can't remember."
"You can remember your bride-to-be's name, and the name of the man who killed your corpse bride, but not her own name?" Mai asked dubiously.
"Well, there was only a two letter difference between my name and Victoria's. And I don't believe that anyone who was there that day; living or dead at the time, would have forgotten that devil of a man Miss Mia." Victor replied.
"Right." Mai agreed. "Hey Victor, you never told me how you ended up dying. And there aren't any tell-tale marks that could give me a clue. Or is that something you don't want to talk about?" she asked seeing Victor shift uncomfortably at the mention of how he died.
"Well, I did end up dying the way I thought I would." Victor admitted.
"The wine of ages?" Mai asked.
"Yes, it appeared that the elder forgot to take it back when they all departed for the land of the dead once more. The pastor who was to marry Victoria and I poured it instead of the regular wine and; being the groom. I got to take the first sip. Only this time, it was much faster in fulfilling its purpose. I fell instantly; Victoria looked on in horror at what was happening. The last thing I remember doing while alive was smiling. I thought I would return to my corpse bride and be with her. Only, I found I couldn't go to the land of the dead. Something was keeping me here on earth. As it turns out; Victoria had fallen in love with me and she was so inconsolable that her anguish prevented me from leaving the land of the living." Victor explained.
"Oh you poor thing!" Mai exclaimed, reaching over to grab his hand to show some semblance of comfort. She found she was able to without much difficulty, though his body was cold. "But if Victoria's dead, and long so, what's keeping you here?"
"I am afraid I do not know." Victor replied.
"Well, could you answer one more question for me?" Mai asked.
"Besides the one asking if I could answer one more question?" Victor asked in reply, a small smile breaking across his and his companion's face at the joke. "Yes, I don't see any harm in that."
"Where exactly do you…" Mai paused looking for the right word. "Haunt?"
"What do you mean by that?" Victor asked.
"Where can you physically put yourself and cause things to happen?" Mai tried to clarify.
"I can make things happen?" Victor asked as though it were a revelation to him. He quickly refocused on the other part of the criteria. "Well, aside from the forest, where I spend most of my eternity reciting the vows I made to my corpse bride, the only other places I can physically appear, where someone like you could see me would be here in the cemetery; where I am buried, or in the church; where I died. Though because of its purity; I am losing the ability to go near there so I suppose the only places I can show up are in the woods or the cemetery. Speaking of which; how are you able to see me?"
Mai shrugged, "Guess I formed a close connection with the spiritual world after all these years." She replied. "Oh Victor, I really want to help you find your bride, but I don't know if I'll be able to. The reason I'm actually here in this village in the first place is because there has been malicious spiritual activity which has injured living residents of the village. We're here to find, and if necessary; which I think it might be, destroy the spirit responsible. And I just don't know what they'll think if I tell them about you. My boss especially."
"It's quite alright Miss Mia." Victor assured her. "Why don't we settle things this way; you work on getting rid of whatever is causing the people of my town harm, and come and help me when you are done. Does that sound alright?"
"We'll be leaving immediately after the case is finished; I won't get the chance to help you." Mai replied, tears starting to run down her face once more.
"Well then; come and help me when you can, but focus on getting rid of what's hurting innocent people. Sound alright with you?" Victor adjusted his previous offer.
Mai smiled through her tears. "I'd like that very much. I have to get back now, but I'll come when I can. Goodbye Victor."
"Good day, Miss Mia."
"I think you really went too far this time Naru." Ayako scolded him for what must have been the thousandth time since Mai left two hours before.
"Yeah," Monk agreed. "you should have let her do a little more than make tea the entire time. What caused you to say something like that? You've never been concerned with it before."
Naru refused to look at either of them. How could he? He had been particularly cruel this time around, but it wasn't because he really wanted to be. His mother had approached them just before she and his father left and had warned him to make sure nothing happened to Mai. Apparently she had taken a real liking to his assistant and wanted her alive and well by the time this case was over. Knowing Mai, that was impossible unless the was either making tea or sorting through research; where the most dangerous things that could happen to her were burning herself with the hot water or suffering a paper-cut.
The door opened, and there stood Mai. She walked in shutting the door behind her and shrugged off her coat; leaving it on the coatrack.
"Mai? How are you feeling?" Ayako asked.
"I'm better, now that I had a chance to clear my head." She turned to Naru. "I'm sorry I overreacted like that. You were right; I think it's better for me to just stay where it's safe this time around. I can sort through the research since Yasu couldn't make it."
Masako gasped. "Mai, I see… Why were you with a-" everyone turned to look at her and Mai took advantage of the moment to bring her hand across her throat in the classic 'not now' gesture. Masako calmed down and shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, I must have imagined it. You were walking about town all day, of course you would have some spiritual residue on you." Satisfied with this everyone went back to their business and Masako covered her mouth with her sleeve; the look she shot at Mai clearly saying 'you-owe-me-one'.
Mai nodded her assent and stretched, faking a yawn. "I'm beat; I think I'll go to bed now. Good night everyone." And with that she walked away. Everyone looked at each other in confusion for a moment, but then shrugged; better Mai fell asleep now than when everyone was working and it was more important for her to stay up. None of them noticed one kimono-clad medium gracefully make her way up the stairs to the bedrooms behind Mai.
"Alright," Masako said closing the door behind her. "I threw them off for now. Tell me what's going on Mai." She demanded, bracing her weight against the only door leading out of the room.
Mai looked at Masako from where she'd been sitting on the bed. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play the innocent.
Masako scoffed. "Really Mai? First you completely blow up at Naru for him telling you to stay where it's safe, something I'll talk to him about later. Then you just walk out the door without a way of any of us getting ahold of you if something goes wrong; Mai you essentially disappeared for two hours. And then you come back near sunset completely smothered in spectral energy and when I go to say something about it you tell me you don't want anyone to know. We might be rivals for Naru's affection but I will not be so cold as to completely rat you out when there's something else that could be a danger to you. Affection from one human to another, and don't go mistaking it. But seriously; what's going on?"
Mai looked at the other girl for a moment or two, and sighed. "You have to promise not to tell anyone; especially Naru." She said pointedly.
Masako blinked. "Alright, now what kept you out there so long?"
"I was wandering through the town and didn't pay attention to where I was going. I ended up in the woods on the outskirts of town and I heard this voice speaking. I tried following it, but it seemed to come from everywhere and it just kept speaking. And, well, to make a long story short I found a spirit wandering through the woods repeating his wedding vows to his long dead bride." Mai explained.
"But if his bride's long dead, shouldn't he be with her?" Masako asked.
"That's a bit more of a story…" Mai admitted sheepishly. "You see, he was married twice. And the first time he accidentally married himself to a…" her voice went quiet at the end.
"What? He married himself to a what Mai?" Masako pressed.
"You really aren't gonna believe this, but he married himself to a corpse." Mai replied.
Masako stilled. "You're. Kidding. Right?" she managed to say.
"I wish I was." Mai said. "I think you better take a seat here." She patted a spot next to her on the bed. "Let me tell you the whole story, I think you'll understand better that way…"
A few hours later (thanks to the interruptions of disbelief the medium couldn't stop herself from voicing)
"And that's what happened." Mai finished. "Can't you see; he deserves to be with the one he loves. That's why I have to help him and why you can't tell anyone about this."
"Mai, I'll give you my word that I won't tell a living soul; but don't you think the others have a right to know?" Masako asked.
"A right to know what?" Ayako asked walking into the room to prepare for bed.
"That-" Mai and Masako looked frantically at each other for an idea. "That I'm terribly afraid of nighttime thunderstorms!" Mai lied quickly.
Ayako looked at the two. "Is that anything to be ashamed of Mai? Really, lots of people are afraid of silly things. Why, when I was little I was afraid of spiders."
"But still, I mean a nineteen year old girl still afraid of thunderstorms?" Mai replied. "It's so stupid compared to everything else I've faced. And I was having a nightmare about them when Masako told me to wake up and tell her about it. She just thought you guys should know in case it happens here and I'm too afraid to do anything."
"Tell you what," Ayako said, sitting down on the bed across from the one Mai and Masako were seated on. "Masako and I will cover for you if it does happen and this whole little thing is a secret between us girls. Okay?" she winked while placing a finger to her lips.
"Right." Mai and Masako said in unison. They all agreed they were tired and went to bed without another word.
The nice thing about being made to stay in the base was that Mai could find information on her own case while she worked on the team's case as well. At night; when she was sure the others were asleep, Mai would sneak out to the graveyard and call for Victor. The first time it had been a little weird since Mai wasn't sure it would work, but after that they came up with a plan that when she called he would come.
By the light of the moon Mai would share her discoveries for the day with her ghostly friend and asked if anything in particular sounded familiar to him. His answer was always the same; no nothing did. But Mai was determined not to give up. Together they would pour over anything Victor could remember about his corpse bride, trying to see if there was something around here that could give them even a clue to who his bride was in life. They'd stay up talking until the moon was nearly across the sky, just starting to descend as the sun rose. Mai would dash back, careful to avoid the cameras' locations and slip back in to get a few hours' sleep before having to wake up and repeat the process all over again.
Naru himself was getting frustrated. It had already been two weeks and there was no sign of any activity from anywhere. If he hadn't already read the reports he would have concluded that the whole thing was poltergeist activity. However, while they were investigating; all inhabitants were tested and hypnotized; nothing happened then so it was a sure thing that the town was haunted. Already the long case was starting to take its toll on his team. Though they had supplies enough to last them a few months, everybody was starting to show signs of being worn down. After the first few days Mai always came down from her shared room looking like she hadn't slept at all. And when she sorted through the research, she'd sort things into three piles. One, she said, was irrelevant information, the second; relevant, and the third. Well, she said it was information that could be relevant, but when asked to show them to get rid of the gray area she'd hold them close to her chest and would tell them to wait until she was done with all the research. An enormous pile collected by his parents.
Masako simply started looking out the windows warily, not sure what was going to happen next. Every day he would ask her if she felt something. Every day she would reply no without even looking at him. And the rest of the team seemed to be getting a bad case of cabin fever. The monk and the priestess would fight constantly, and poor Father Brown; always the peacekeeper, would try and separate them on they for them to turn their irritability at each other on him.
Naru couldn't figure out why the spirit wouldn't make a move. Then it hit him, the townspeople. During the three months of reports, all the inhabitants who weren't injured went on with their daily lives rather than holing themselves up like caged animals. The reason the spirit wasn't attacking anyone was because it probably thought there was no one left to attack. Naru only let the members of his team out to check the thermometers and once that was done they had to come straight back. They were more of workers with a short shift and no real fun to torment.
Masako didn't know what to do. Every day it was a struggle to open her eyes with her in control. The other spirit whispered that this could all be over if she just told the secret she promised Mai she'd keep. Masako wouldn't do that though, one thing she'd learned over the years is that one someone tells you a secret, it means they trust you enough not to tell the secret. Just because Mai was Masako's rival for Naru's affections did not mean that they did not trust one another. Masako would not betray Mai's trust. But it was getting harder and harder not to give in. and Masako couldn't tell anyone about the spirit trying to possess her; they would try to exorcize it and the spirit already assured her that it had more than enough power to fix it so the wrong spirit was exorcized from the medium's body. The spirit also told her that telling everyone would only give it total control over her body that much faster. So Masako endured a silent struggle with the evil that had wreaked havoc on the town over her own body.
One day, she broke. She woke up in a dark void with no control over her own actions. She screamed, but no one could hear her. Unfortunately, this void did provide her with an outside window. And she could see what the spirit did and said.
"I know where the spirit is." Masako had said to the general room of the base when Mai had gone to get tea for everyone.
"What?" they had all asked in surprise.
"Yes," Masako nodded. "and I know that one of us is a traitor. They're helping the spirit, trying to convince them to draw back their power and hide so they don't get destroyed."
"Wait," Monk said. "None of us here look guilty. Are you insinuating that Mai is helping she spirit responsible for all those injuries Masako?"
"I won't say yes, and I won't say no. but consider this; why is it, you think, she always comes down every morning looking as though she hasn't slept at all when she retires to bed so early in the evening? And why is it, that there is a pile of research she says could be relevant, yet she won't allow anyone else to see them and when she does retire for the night she takes them with her?"
"So how do you suppose we confront her about this?" Naru asked.
Masako brought her sleeve up to cover her mouth, though this time she was hiding a psychotically sadistic smile. "Wait until nightfall, when she thinks you're all asleep. You'll know the truth then."
When nightfall came, Mai made sure everyone was asleep before making her nightly return to the graveyard where her friend was buried. What she didn't know though, was that none of her coworkers were actually asleep. And as soon as she slipped down the stairs and out the door, the others were following close behind.
"Victor!" she called when she got to the graveyard. He appeared just as always.
"Good evening miss Mia." He greeted. "Have you any news for me?"
"I think so." Mai replied. "I found a report about this woman, a young lady Everglot, committed suicide two weeks after your 'murder'. And I was wondering, since the rest of the story on that matched up with your own account; was Victoria's last name Everglot?"
"Yes, it was. Why are you asking?" Victor asked in reply.
"I was thinking; if her pain was so great it kept you here. When she died you would have been free so, what if she never left?"
"You mean to say that the reason I'm still here is because Victoria's still here?" Victor asked her.
"Not only that, I was able to get my hands on the injury reports; they all occurred at weddings in the town." Mai replied softly.
"You think Victoria is the one responsible for all this?" Victor asked. "I'm sorry if I sound disbelieving, but the Victoria I met all those years ago could never even conceive of causing such harm."
Unbeknownst to the pair in the cemetery, Masako was telling John to get ready and exorcize Victor. She had made sure they were all far enough back so they could not hear the conversation between Mai and Victor.
"Now," she urged. "they're off their guard, it'll be quick, easy, and virtually painless; well except for the spirit of course."
"Alright." John conceded, walking through the graveyard to his coworker and the spirit with the others close behind.
The crunching and crackling of leaves and twigs being stepped on was not heard until they were less than ten feet away.
"Miss Mia," Victor said gently interrupting Mai. "I thought you said no one else knew about me."
"I did, why?" Mai asked.
Instead of replying verbally Victor merely pointed behind her. Mai turned around to see all her coworkers, her family standing behind John; who had his bible and holy water in hand.
"Guys?" Mai squeaked. "What are you doing here?"
"Doing what needs to be done Mai." John replied. "Now please step aside so we can finish this."
It hit her, and hit her hard. "You're going to exorcize him?" she asked, eyes wide.
"Mai we have no choice, he needs to go so this town can be safe." Monk told her.
"How did you even find out about him? Nobody knew except…" Mai trailed off and looked through the small crowd. "Masako!" she cried upon seeing the medium eagerly awaiting the spirit killing to begin. "I thought you promised you wouldn't tell anyone." Masako merely cocked her head to the side as a smug smirk formed on her face. "No," Mai said not moving from her spot in front of Victor. "no. the only way you'll exorcize him will be over my dead body!" she stood blocking the path to her ghostly friend, arms out to the side, unafraid at what her friends might do to her.
"Mai," Naru said. "Get out of the way. We need to exorcize this spirit; he's caused too many people harm."
"No!" Mai shouted. "You don't know him! Victor's not like that! He's kind and gentle and he only wants to find his bride! I won't let you do this to him!"
"Miss Mia," Victor said. "you don't really have to protect me like this. I'll be alright."
The tears started trailing down Mai's cheeks. "How would you feel if this was Gene who was going to be exorcized?" she asked.
Naru stiffened, but quickly recovered. "That has nothing to do with this Mai. Now get out of the way."
"Answer the question Naru!" Mai demanded. "How would you feel if this was Gene they were trying to exorcize?"
"The two are unrelated." Naru dismissed the question. "Monk, Lin, get her away from him."
"It's exactly the same!" Mai shouted. "Victor's never done anything to the people of his town; he can't even go any farther than the graveyard! Victor, run!" she cried as the two men grabbed her arms.
Victor refused to move. "I'll not abandon my friend miss Mia." He explained. "Even at the cost of my own eternity. Do what you wish, but please do not hurt my friend." he stood, ready and waiting for John to begin the painful process.
Masako couldn't stop herself; she let out a bout of demented, insane, evil laughter. "At last!" she cried, her sides still shaking with sick glee. "You'll finally be gone!" everyone stilled, that didn't sound like the Masako they knew. The voice and annotation was completely different, this voice sounded distinctly English and softer spoken, as though in the past they had been extremely shy and not sued to talking much. Even Victor's eyes widened.
"Victoria?" he asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Masako smiled; a despotic 'sod-off' smile that did not sit well with her features. "Hello my love." She responded.
"Victoria?" Victor repeated. "What happened?"
"Couldn't figure that out yourself darling?" Victoria asked, shedding Masako's body as she did so. "Well, you never were the brightest candle in the box were you? And you did miss so much after you died on my wedding day!"
"Victoria, that was an unprecedented accident." Victor replied.
"That may have been true, but I know the circumstances. You wanted to die. You wanted to return to that little undead tart you had been married to before me. You didn't even notice how much I cared for you, how much I loved you. You didn't care, all you could think about was that corpse bride of yours." There were tears in Victoria's eyes now. "Why couldn't you have stayed in love with me? We would have been so happy together; I would have even considered naming a daughter after that corpse who relinquished her hold on you to me. But you wouldn't even give 'us' a chance!"
"So it was you who was causing all the harm to the townspeople?" Naru clarified.
Victoria whirled on him. "Even your dimwitted assistant figured that out before you did." She replied. "But to make sure you all understand, yes; I was the one who injured all those people. But can you really blame me? I had my wedding stolen from me twice; once to a corpse and once to death. And then those foolish people have the gall to think they can celebrate while I spend eternity in anguish? I had to teach them they were completely and utterly wrong. And then you fools came along, trying to get rid of me, well; I decided it was the perfect chance to get rid of the very reason I was unable to move on all these years. So I simply possessed that pretty little medium of yours and I would have gotten Victor exorcized. Then I would have been free!"
"That, makes, no sense whatsoever." Mai finally said. "I mean if you love him, why couldn't you just be happy for him? Why try to destroy him forever?"
"You little prick, don't you understand?" Victoria asked. "If I can't have him, then nobody, dead or alive, can either. Least of all that undead whore Emily."
While Victoria went on her little rants, she hadn't noticed John performing the exorcism on her, Mai and Naru were merely trying to keep her talking so she wouldn't realize what was going on until it was too late. They succeeded. As John finished off the job, Victoria started writhing in pain. Victor was safe behind Mai, but Victoria no longer had the shelter of a body the purity of the lord proved too much, she slowly fell into the ground, seeping through and melting until there was nothing left but a pile of ectoplasmic goo.
Mai turned to look at Victor; he had his mouth open in shock. "victor? What is it?"
"Emily." He replied. Mai realized it too.
"Your love's name is Emily?" she asked just to make sure.
"Yes, it's Emily." Victor replied. "And, I remember where I first met her; that must be where she is. Come on!" he said taking off into the forest.
Mai giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, come on everyone. You might as well see what I've been trying to do for two weeks now." She said to the others before following Victor's lead. Aside from John who stopped to pick up Masako, the others all trailed closely behind.
Deep in the forest they came upon and old gnarled oak tree. In the trees surrounding them ravens sat on the branches, snow still covered this part of the ground though it was only fall. Victor fell to his knees in happiness.
"Emily, I found you at last." He said, tears running down his pale cheeks.
"I'm glad I could help you find her Victor." Mai said, placing a hand on his ghostly shoulder.
Suddenly, there was a fluttering sound coming from one of the boughs of the tree. A blue white butterfly came from some hidden knothole, flying the same height as Mai's head. It was soon joined by another, and another and another until there must have been hundreds of them; all flying around the first butterfly. Faster, faster, more rapidly they flew until there ceased to be any distinction between them at all. There was a flash of light; and there stood a woman.
With a baby blue pallor, dark blue hair, and lips as pink as a cherry tree blossom. She was clothed in an antique Victorian era wedding dress, tattered yet beautiful in its own morbid right. Her entire left arm and most of her right leg were all bones, milky white and glossy in the moonlight. She lifted the front part of the veil from her face and looked down at her feet. In a sweet voice, far more alive than dead, she whispered.
"Hello Victor."
Victor stumbled to his feet. "Emily?" he asked, unsure if it was real.
Emily smiled. "Yes Victor, it's me. I've missed you so much."
"I missed you too Emily. And, now that my heart has stopped; would it be alright if I gave it to you?"
Emily's eyes widened, tears threatened to leak out. "Oh Victor, yes! Yes!" she leaped into his arms.
The rest of SPR wisely turned away as the undead couple shared a loving kiss. When they were done, Victor turned to Mai.
"Miss Mia, I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. Now I can marry the woman I love. I never would have been able to even dream of this day were it not for you and your friends."
Mai blushed. "Anything for a friend Victor. Anything for a friend." She looked at the couple; Emily secure in Victor's arms, something clicked. "I knew Victor looked familiar! I drew him, you and him in that very pose!"
Emily smiled. "Yes dear, I sent that dream to you so you could help my Victor."
"But how did you know I would be the one to help him?" Mai asked.
"A kind heart would help a friend in need." Emily replied.
"That kind of quality is hard to come by these days." Victor said. "You'll make a wonderful wife; whomever you marry."
"Speaking of marriage," Emily cut in. "how would you like to come with us. I still need a few bridesmaids for my wedding you know."
"You mean, come to the land of the dead?" Mai asked. "I'd love to! Can my friends come too?"
"I did say I'd need more than one bridesmaid; though naturally you'll be the maid of honor my dear." Emily replied.
"And I do need a few groomsmen myself." Victor added.
Mai looked at Naru pleadingly. "Well since you worked so hard for this, and the case is solved. I suppose we could lend our assistance one more time." Naru answered after some deliberation.
Emily clapped her hands. "Alright everyone, gather round and form a circle with your hands." They did as she asked when they were all secure she took in a breath. "Hopscotch." The ravens turned the scenery around them black.
Victor had been right; the land of the dead was much more colorful than the land of the living. The ceremony was beautiful, even with the men in tattered tuxes and the women in tattered gowns. It was a sweet thing to watch, even though the two souls getting married were dead.
Mai was so happy for her friend, even more so that the lonely corpse bride was finally getting her wish. And this time, there was no death to part them. All the females present gathered round as Emily prepared to throw the bouquet. Mai stood in the back of the group near where all the men stood. It was in the air, and then in Mai's hands. She looked down at the flowers, then up at the crowd, and then around. She didn't get very far when her eyes met Naru's and she felt a very large blush sweep over her body. She looked away quickly, missing Naru's smirk of satisfaction.
They were all sad to leave, but the elder reminded them all that it was only a matter of time before they returned, and that time would be permanent. A laugh was shared and then they departed. Returning to the original SPR to turn in the case file they left a few days later.
"Ah! It's good to be back home!" Monk said once inside the SPR building in Tokyo.
"Definitely," Mai agreed.
"Though I really do appreciate your help on this recent case, must I already remind you this is not a lounge? Go home." Naru said heading straight for his office.
"Well, he does have a point." Monk agreed. "Mai, wanna go catch a movie with the rest of us?"
"I'd love to monk, but I have school work to catch up on. Maybe some other time." Mai replied.
"Suit yourself." Monk shrugged before walking out the door.
Mai made a pot of tea, bringing it to her boss' door.
"Come in." he replied in answer to her knock.
"Thought I'd bring you some tea before I go home." Mai said taking in his questioning look.
He had nothing to say to that, and so said nothing. Mai set down his tea on the desk and was turning to leave when his voice stopped her.
"I would have done exactly what you did." He told her.
"What?" Mai asked, a little startled at what he said.
"You asked me what I would have done if it were my brother who was going to have an exorcism attempted on him. I would have done exactly what you did." Naru replied.
Mai looked at him for a moment, and then smiled. She walked around the side of the desk and stopped. He looked at her.
"Is there something you needed?" he asked.
Mai just kept her smile. "You're a good man." Was all she said before she leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek. It lasted less than a second, and when she was done she pulled back and walked away; throwing a "See you tomorrow!" over her shoulder.
For a long time, Naru sat staring blankly into space. Then he reached up a hand to the cheek Mai had kissed, shaking his head as he pulled it away.
"And so the bridesmaid will soon become the bride." He said under his breath before resuming his work.
If you've made it this far congrats are in order. You just made it through just over 26 pages of microsoft word pages and roughly 12,530 words worth of plot, not including the intro you read at the beginning. I would also like to address that though the song Mai sings is from The Nightmare Before Christmas, it was fitting since I was already playing around in Burton's world. Also, I don't particularly care about those of you who like Victor and Victoria better as a couple. I personally feel that Emily deserved a shot at happiness after all she went through and that Victor and Victoria are just too alike to really be happy together (their names have a 2 letter difference!) and I feel like a lot of VxV fans only like the couple because they don't want to see Victor as a necrophiliac. I would like to clarify though; in order for Victor and Emily to truely be married, Victor had to die. And technically; for necrophilia one of the two in the "couple" has to be alive so therefore; Victor would not be a necrophiliac. Alright, enough of my ranting. REVIEW!