DISCLAIMER:I do not own, nor ever will own, the plot of Ghost Hunt or the characters.
WARNING: There will be a yaoi relationship (M/M) but that won't happen until the end of the story. So if you don't like then don't read, you've been warned.
GENRES: Romance, Supernatural, Humor, Horror, Drama, Suspense, and some fluffy goodness later on
PAIRINGS: Naru/Mai, Monk/Ayako, Gene/Lin, and some others
Also since this story begins a year after the Forgotten children arc, I highly recommend you at least read til there before you start.
PROLOGUE
Sweat drenched her body as she struggled, attempting to emerge from the dream holding her captive. For the past six months, exactly at midnight, Mai Taniyama would be dragged into this nightmare. There was no escaping it, no avoiding it. So she was forced to witness a gruesome stream of murders, each with the victim's face concealed by shadows. Despite that fact, she knew they were exactly like her. An individual who possessed a unique psychic ability.
In the beginning, when Gene had first guided her to this place, she would try to scream out in warning, try to prevent the senseless deaths. But...It was futile. Her entire body was frozen. Her feet rooted to the ground. Her voice gone. Helpless, she watched as their lives were extinguished leaving behind only empty husks.
Why?
This wasn't just some random dream. Her psychic ability, which had been dormant for most of her life, had manifested into something so horrid that when she awoke her throat would be raw, aching from silent screams. Within seconds after, she would become violently ill. Ending up in the bathroom on her knees, embracing the porcelain toilet tightly for what felt like hours.
Then one day, she couldn't speak. Unable to make even the slightest sound, the helplessness that plagued her through the night had transferred to the day.
Despondent barely skimmed the surface of what she was feeling. Especially when, about a month after the visions started, she received her answer to the why?
Mai, standing in a corner next to Gene, had witnessed a pale, emaciated body being carted hurriedly through the room by four white-clad figures. Morbid curiosity gripped her. There was a body lying lifelessly on that bed, needles embedded into a arm supplying an IV. A couple seconds later, right as the bed made it to the exit of this prison, her mind came to a stand still, frozen in disbelief.
Naru!
No that can't be.
That wasn't Naru. The statement resonated through her soul, alleviating some of the hysteria clouding her mind. But then who was it? Who possessed a face that was identical to Naru's.
Then a shocking insight struck her. Glancing out of the corner of her eyes, she stared at Gene. Disbelief. Dread. Hope. Fear. Those emotions were jumbled together so intensely that it was almost too much to bare.
Realizing that he had her attention, Gene then turned her world upside down with a simple gesture. He had silently pointed at his chest while nodding at her unasked question. Confirming the outrageous idea.
It had been Gene on that bed. Impossible. The medical examiners declared that Naru's twin, whose body had been tossed into lake wrapped up in only a yellow sheet, was dead. But her intuition was pounding at her, conveying the truth to that message.
What the hell was going on?
Why was Gene in this place, in that bed, with his spirit right beside her? She thought that nothing could be worse than the visions of torture sessions, starring a sociopathic killer. How wrong she was.
For two months after that terrifying realization, she had desperately sought to break the invisible force holding her motionless. Despite all that effort. Despite the fact her vibrant soul lay in tatters at her feet. The only movement she'd accomplished was the ability to curl her fingers into tight fists while contorting her lips into silent pleas.
So she stood, almost three months after she had all but given up, with her fingernails boring into her skin forming bloody crescent indentions. Her lips shaping into a distinct word over and over again. No. Tears leaked out of her eyes, trailing endlessly down her face.
This had begun as any other vision. The same sterile room. That warped chair the captives were strapped into while they were subjected to mental and physical torment. Even the person, whose sole responsibility was the use of these excruciating tactics to manifest psychic abilities, was the same. But that was where the similarities ended.
First and foremost, Gene was absent. Which was unexpected and distressing. No matter how long or how short these visions where he was always right beside her, offering silent support. She would even feel his compassionate presence surrounding her, comforting her.
There was also the fact that everything in the room was amplified. Her vulnerability. The screams. The bright lights. The soft laughter. The thinly veiled threats. The smell of blood. She could even distinguish the sound of her blood landing next to her bare feet, forming a small puddle as it dripped slowly down her hand.
Her body was so tightly coiled, her heart beating so rapidly, that she was afraid she would blackout at any moment due to the anxiety choking her.
Suddenly everything stilled, as if this was a movie that had been instantly paused. Then somehow, someway the force paralyzing her body was lifted.
She was no longer hopeless. Her body was mobile for the first time in months. Even though she was giddy with relief, Mai knew instinctively that drawing attention to herself would be stupid. Despite Naru constantly expressing his opinion on that particular subject, she wasn't an idiot.
Mai was quite aware that these people were powerful, dangerously so, and that acting impulsively could get her killed. Especially since there was a high probability, that even though this was a vision, the sociopaths that were running this place were capable of harming her in the physical world. So she held herself motionless.
"Well what do we have here?"
Her eyes widened as the killer slowly turned around, holding a wickedly sharp, unnatural obsidian knife. The knife, which was leveled with his face, highlighted the fact that it wasn't a face. At least not a human one. There were no eyes, just a wide gaping mouth. And it wore white, pure pristine white. As if that shade would hide the terrifying aura emanating from it.
It could see her.
Her body was instantly trapped again, almost as quickly as she had been freed. Run. It was the only thought she had. But she couldn't move. Couldn't even lift a finger. Her heart thundered in her chest. Then the thing started to glide towards her. So casually, so gracefully.
Move. But her body was numb.
It didn't matter that her mind was screaming at her to run, to flee from this room. The power emitting from the figure was so immense that it imprisoned her body.
A clank resounded from a metal object falling onto the tile. That abrupt sound broke the invisible spell and as soon as her mind registered that she was free, she spun around and made a mad dash towards, what she hoped, was the exit. But right before she was out of earshot, she heard something that made her blood run cold.
"… It appears that you have been hiding something. That just won't do." That statement was followed by a tortured scream that faded as the distance grew between her and that room. She wanted to go back, to help. But...What could she do? How would she be able to stop it? All it took was one look and she was as powerless as a newborn child.
Caught up in her self-loathing, she was unaware that she was being stalked by a completely different entity.
"Would you calm down sweetheart?" A shrill scream blasted from her vocal cords, echoing through the hall as an abrasive voice brushed against her ear.
Terror spurned her on. Her panic overwhelming any other thought in her mind as her feet pounded on the ground and jagged gasps tore through her throat.
That was the beginning of a twisted version of cat and mouse. And guess which one she was? The mouse.
Looking around frantically while still running, Mai desperately searched for the source of that voice. Nothing. Just another empty hallway. Right as she was about to dash through the last corridor leading to the entrance, a bony hand suddenly shoot out. Wrapping tightly around her throat. Choking her. Forcibly slamming her against the wall. Lifting her up until her feet were no longer touching the ground.
Naru! Help me! Calling for Naru was pointless but she couldn't stop herself.
She was in love with that cold bastard. Utterly and madly in love with him. And at that moment, it felt as if he were nearby. The only problem, to this otherwise reassuring sensation, was that Naru had left for England over a year ago and had yet to return.
Mai…
Naru? Mai could have sworn that she heard Naru's voice.
Black spots were starting to appear in front of Mai's eyes and her fingers, which had been attempting to pry away her assailant's hand, had gone lax, falling lifelessly to her side. The continuous oxygen deprivation would soon send her into a black void if she didn't do something and do it quickly. Suddenly another creepy face was shoved into her line of sight with its mouth wide displaying teeth as sharp as needles. The haze of fear that clouded Mai's mind expanded shoving out everything except desperation and terror, including the imaginary Naru-like voice.
Please! Someone! Anyone! Please! Save Me!
It was like a mantra, repeating over and over again through her fear-stricken mind. She was trapped as eyeless sockets gazed straight into hers, while tilting its head in what could only be described as puzzlement.
Mai.
Naru...?
"Sweetheart, I told you to calm down." It made a sound of disapproval, as the grip around her throat tightened. "Now I have a question for you and if you answer truthfully I might even spare your life."
It was that voice. A voice whose tone mimicked the sound of nails screeching along a chalkboard, making her want to cringe and rip off her ears. "How were you able to enter this place?"
Her mind and body were slowly shutting down, so even if she wanted to answer, there was no way that she could gather the energy necessary to form the words. In fact, if the hand around her throat didn't loosen up in the next few seconds, she would be out cold or worse...Dead.
That face drew closer to her in a fluid motion. "Answer me sweetheart."
Those were the last words she heard before the darkness completely consumed her.
I hope you guys somewhat enjoyed this chapter. I am aware that it ended at a horrible cliff hanger but I just wanted to see what it felt like to be on the other side of them. But my cousin/editor, yelled at me when I made her read this so I might not write them as often as I would like.
Please review!
