Chapter 1
She crumpled on the floor, clutching at her head. Her breathing shallow and ragged. Ayako caught her, panic in her voice as she called her name.
"Is she shot?" Bou-san demanded from where he pinned Kagami-san.
"No!" Ayako answered, confused. "I don't know what's wrong with her!"
"Mai? Mai, what's wrong?" She couldn't answer, the throbbing in her head wouldn't let her.
Naru approached approached them as Lin secured the gun. H e leaned down beside Mai, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Mai." His voice was firm, cold yet gentle. His voice was the last she heard before anything turned black.
Her eyes opened to meet the eyes of a child, a boy. They were wide with-
Mai's heart constricted, pain in her chest and a lump in her throa as she found no one there. She stared at the vacant orbs and knew that they would have been beautiful in life And, it devastated her to see them dead. She reached for him, but his hand never came into contact with the boy's face. It was then that she realized, she couldn't move, couldn't feel her legs.
She felt everything else, though. The cold bite of the asphalt on her cheek... wait! She was on the ground! She hadn't noticed. There was also something on her back, a stinging numbness. Her stomach felt sticky as well, Sticky, wet, and... warm.
She focused on the child again. She couldn't feel him breath. Their faces were inches apart. She should be able to feel his breath! She looked at his chest, hoping. No movement. Her eyes skittered lower, trying to see past her shoulder. She didn't want to see, but see she did. Blood pooled from his side. Too much blood.
The floor vibrated beneath her. Footsteps. He's coming! But who? She didn't know. But, she was afraid, terrified. She looked at the child, willing him to wake up, even knowing that he wouldn't. She had to get him away from there! The footsteps came closer Clop, clop, clop. Closer. The scratched surface of leather boots obscured Mai's view on the boy. She looked up to see the man's face, but it was the barrel of a gun that met her gaze. He was going to shoot! It was the end, and she knew it.
Again, her eyes opened. Ayako's face hovered over her. "Mai?" turning to the left, she said, "She's awake!"
"Ayako?" she croaked, trying to get up.
"Just lie down, Are you alright?" Ayako halted her.
Mai shook her head. "I'm fine. What happened?"
"You tell us!" Bou-san said. "We'd thought he'd shot you!"
That alarmed her as she remembered all that transpired before... before... she couldn't remember.
"Mai?" Bou-san's voice held worry. "Are you listening?"
"I'm sorry!" she said, trying to focus on others looked at her with unmasked worry.
"What did you see, Mai?" Naru asked.
She stared up at him. How did he know? Of course he knew... he always knew.
"I don't remember," she admitted, weakly. "I know I dreamed something, but... I can't remember." Nor could she remember the cause of the pain in her chest.
"I see," was all he said. He didn't push any further like what Bou-san would do. She saw his mouth open but he closed it immediately as he met Naru's glare.
"Did he hurt anyone?" Mai asked, looking around the room and finding everybody there. She sighed in relief.
"The bullet grazed Naru's arm, but nothing major," John answered.
Naru! She hadn't noticed at all.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes," he answered simply, and that was enough. "And, Kagami-san?"
"We've locked him in the master's bedroom for the meantime." Bou-san sat beside her. "He's a bit lucid now."
Mai was going to ask if the police hadn't heard the gunshot but Ayako beat her to it. "The walls in that room was sound proof. Thank Kami! The police would only add to the trouble."
"The spirit was influencing his thoughts and was vying for a full possession, but the charms prevented it from doing so," Masako explained.
"Brown-san, Osamu-san, retrieve and replace the tapes on the 1st and 2nd guestrooms. After that everyone can retreat for the night," Naru instructed.
Bou-san offered to give Mai a lift home. Since it was already quite late, she went with him. All throughout the ride the 2, including Ayako, exchanged banters and stories. Every now and then, though, Bou-san would bombard her with questions about her collapse earlier. It had annoyed Mai, but she understood that they were worried about her.
"I really can't remember anything," she said for the final time that night as she slid out to the sidewalk "Okay. But tell any of us immediately if you do remember anything at all. I'll pick you u at 7am tomorrow?"
Mai shook her head. "I'll be fine. It's not that far. I'll commute."
"Alright. Don't be late. You've already used up Naru's patience for the week."
Mai laughed, guilty of the crime. "Yeah... I'll try. Matta ne!"
"Ja!"
