A/N: For previous readers, YES!! The scene in the garden was changed!!! Sorry for the random modifications, but it just helps the little fan service bit, and it'll keep people from getting confused. No more OCxNaru. It's lame XD

Together We Exist

Chapter 2: Interview

Quickly, all five beings in the room stood and dashed towards the door, Jonathan coming last. Fumbling with the doorknob, John apologized clumsily as Naru pushed him away to open the door.

"Mai!" Hara-san called as they rushed into the library, seeing the girl standing still, staring at the back of a couch with her jaw dropped. Still holding heavy equipment in her arms, she could barely move.

"What is it, Mai?!" a breathless Housho rushed through the other door.

"S-s-s-something is—"Mai could not speak straight, taking a step back from the couch, "I-I heard breathing or something!!"

Jonathan tried to speak, holding a hand out to the young girl, "That's just-"

Housho ran to the couch, quickly dropping the equipment he was holding and holding his hands together, "Naumaku san-"

"…my daughter," Jonathan finished weakly.

As Housho began his chant, a very real person's head appeared as a very real girl sat up from the couch, black, curly hair unruly on one side from her deep slumber and tired orange eyes half-lidded. Awkwardly, Housho stopped mid-chant and stared confusedly. She looked at each of the surprised faces and spotted her irritated father. She blinked a couple of times.

"Did I…fall asleep…?"

"So you tried to run away from your home?"

Taken aback, the girl known as Aiw Witl shook her head, running her fingers through her now neat, ebony locks, "No…well…yes…but I had no intention of nearly…" her eyes retreated to her folded hands on her lap; a familial habit, "…dying…"

Without any remorse or true comfort, Naru nodded and said, "It is a relief that you were returned to safety."

Aiw's shining eyes wandered around the room then, as if seeing things that they did not, "If you call this safety…"

Ignoring that statement, Naru looked down at his notes and began his endless list of questions, "Other than what has been reported, what else have you seen in this house?"

Aiw thought for a few seconds, "There is a woman…fully-body apparition I suppose… her portrait is in the dining room… I see her in my room often…" she counted off on her fingers silently, as if trying to remember what was 'reported,' "There are voices…from the floors above… many voices…screaming."

"Anything else?"

Aiw's tiny grin was nearly invisible, "There are so many things to say… perhaps you should wait to see them yourself…"

The awkward silence following the statement was only interrupted by Mai who came in and set tea in front of Aiw and her father. She bowed slightly and left the room again.

Naru changed his focus and looked into her father's eyes, "And Witl-san, what have you seen personally?"

"I already told you," he spoke stiffly, "I have not seen or heard anything that my daughter has experienced. I called you merely on her behalf." The young woman beside him looked down at her lap again and said nothing.

"I see," Naru muttered and wrote something else down. It made Aiw feel like she was being interrogated rather than interviewed.

Watching Mai as she set tea down for the others, Aiw spoke again, "I apologize for…" she glanced at her father, "…on my own behalf…"

"Witl-san, daijobu desu ka?" Mai Taniyama inquired.

After a sip of tea, Aiw looked up at her, "Eh…?"

Mai's gaze retreated from Aiw's bright orange stare, "You just seem out of breath."

Trying to smile, Aiw set her tea down, "It is fine…I am always like this…"

"Why?!" Matsuzaki-san asked before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth quickly with a hand and fake fingernails, "I mean-"she tried to say.

"It's just an illness," Aiw's father hurriedly interjected, "It's nothing to worry about."

Aiw once again looked to the floor, fingers clenched tightly together, "Well…it has gotten worse…"

Quickly, Naru acted upon her honesty, "When was that?"

"I would say…three years ago…" Aiw exchanged glances with her father and sighed silently.

"How long ago did you move here?" Naru continued, writing as he spoke and as she spoke.

Aiw did not look at her father that time, "…three years ago…"

"I see."

Angrily, her father interrupted, "Are you implying that this house has something to do with her sickness?!"

Naru met his glare with nothing but a cold expression, "I am implying nothing of the sort, Witl-san. Please understand that we are trying to thoroughly investigate every angle before we reveal ourselves to whatever is your home." This silenced the poor girl's father and the only sound was Lin's typing.

"Have you ever been tested for psychic abilities?" Naru continued as if the tension between him and her father was nonexistent.

"You mean…to see if I am psychically sensitive…?" Aiw glanced at the doorway fearfully as if something was there. Perhaps she did not know why she could be so afraid, "No, I have not…why do you ask…?" she forced herself to look at Naru again.

He narrowed his eyes once more as he checked something off on his notes, "No reason," then he turned from both her and her father and faced the investigators that had been watching, "Matsuzaki-san, accompany Hara-san and survey the premises. Never separate and observe each room thoroughly. Brown-san, Mai, and Takigawa-san, finish unloading the equipment and set cameras where Hara-san recommends. I want temperature and EMF readings of each room by tonight.

"Lin, start up all technical equipment. Also, I want you to have your shiki guard Witl-san, since she is the most at threat," he was straightforward with all orders.

But the last command made everyone freeze, "Ehh?" Housho started, "How will Lin protect himself?"

"I am quite skilled with defensive spells, Takigawa-san," he reassured the other man, "I will be fine."

Still not convinced, Housho opened his mouth to speak again, but the Australian beside him set a hand on his shoulder, and he shook his head. Sighing, Housho left the room with the rest.

"That said and done, I will continue a confidential interview with Witl-san," he nodded to Jonathan, "It will only take a few minutes."

As if he wanted to end the subject quickly, Aiw's father nodded curtly, and left through another door. Feeling lonely and confused, Aiw just stood there.

Noticing her discomfort, Naru tried his best to say something not so forward but not so cold, "Might we continue outside? My assistant, Lin, shall accompany you. Please continue your cooperation with us."

Aiw accepted the gesture with gratitude.

The garden was like their private, porcelain and glass world. There was glazed ice upon the statues, and glittering drops upon the leaves of plants. It was like they were frozen before winter to preserve them from the cold and keep them safe. If only such a thing could happen to Aiw. Without revealing her wish, Aiw started down the winding trail with the stoic Lin in silence, trailing slightly behind him.

He did not wait for her to catch up to speak, "Are you knowledgeable of the history in this house?"

Aiw glanced back at the looming mansion- the home of those demons, "A little bit…I quit my research…at my father's wishes…"

"I see," Lin tugged at the collar of his trench coat, keeping his stare down at his feet. Another long silence consumed them as they went around a curve in the trail. Passed these lifeless trees were stone ruins of what seemed to be an old part of the house that was demolished. A few heavy stone pillars lay in disarray and the bottom of stone staircases leading into the rubble remained standing. Aiw approached one of these series of stone steps and brushed off the snow from the top step and hopped up, sitting down. She waved her legs over the edge, dainty body slightly trembling from the cold. It was snowing again.

In turn Lin patiently started at the base of the stairs and followed her. He sat down beside Aiw, facing the opposite direction, "We will eradicate these spirits as quickly as possible," he glanced at her to see her reaction. She was staring up at the sky. He proceeded with his testimony, "Though an exorcism is not guaranteed, I am sure there will be significant results at the end of our stay."

Aiw giggled softly into a gloved hand, "Do you recite that at every investigation…?"

Lin turned his face away, his expression hidden by his ebony hair, then said, "As a client not knowing your home's history…we are obligated to release any information to wish to see, unless your father—"

Aiw's extreme curiosity was revealed as she gripped his shoulder and peeked over him at a sheet of paper he pulled out of his pocket, "Would you really…?"

Lin stiffened up, obviously uncomfortable by their close proximity. Aiw backed away and sighed, "Gomen…"

With his own sigh, Lin unfolded the sheet of paper, and moved a bit to the left to give her room to turn around. Aiw took the invitation and turned so they were sitting in the same direction, both decorated with drops of ivory. He leaned towards her and held the page to her, which was a copy of the research his boss, Naru, must have conducted. Copies of old newspaper clippings and Naru's sloppy and quick penmanship were scattered on the copy. Aiw did not understand why Naru had not revealed the information to her himself, but realized that he probably had to find her father to persuade him. Sighing silently to herself, Aiw realized that it was the most likely case.

Lin pointed to a bit of the information, the motion bringing Aiw's concentration back to him and said, "This house was built in the year 1802 by a man named Nobuyuki Hiraga. A surgeon and supervisor of mentally ill patients, he often brought his patients here to observe them. Hiraga-san was only twenty-seven at the time.

"Thirty-two years later, at the age of fifty-nine, he was discovered to be storing healthy organs for sale after the 'mysterious' deaths of many of his patients. He was found of guilty of locking his mental patients in a room by themselves until they die of thirst, starvation, or insanity."

"Insanity…?" Aiw gasped, leaning closer to get a better view of the recorded history. She wondered if she was making Lin as uncomfortable as she was making herself; she was hot in the face far too much for her own good.

"Yes," he responded, "Some would find ways to suicide. Just as selling organs was unusual in his time, so were the suicides in their nature. Not that it's important," he flipped the paper over.

Aiw began to shiver again from the cold. Lin did not seem to notice and continued his story, "He died at the age of eight-eight in 1890 and was buried in the middle of the part of his mansion that was destroyed in the fire of 1879. Somewhere around here…" he paused and allowed Aiw to turn and look around the garden, "These black market activities continued through his offspring and further generations until 1989."

Out of pure habit, Aiw gripped his sleeve to steady herself. If Lin noticed, he did nothing to show it besides stiffen up just a bit more. Aiw sounded nervous, "S-so…if he needed the rooms to keep them…" she looked away, "I know which part of the house…where he did those terrible things…"

"Do they have activity?"

"W-well-" Aiw jumped when she heard voices a bit away from their position.

Lin listened for a second then reassured her, "It is just one of our investigators," he looked her in the eyes, "Perhaps they already exorcised the ghost."

Staring at him blankly, Aiw was almost ashamed when it took her so long to realize that it was a joke. She opened her pink lips to smile, and then speak, but suddenly coughed, and her body jolted. Lin held a hand out quickly to protect her from falling off the edge of the top step. He caught her in time, and she remained in place.

But then she sneezed. It all seemed to happen at once. Lin reached out to grab Aiw as she fell back over the ledge. For a moment-no, a split second- they were safe, but Aiw underwent another convulsion. This made both young woman and man lose balance, and they toppled backwards into the snow.

The landing was soft, but not soft enough. Aiw landed on her back and coughed aloud again, her breath knocked out of her. She covered her mouth tried to breathe with the little breath she hand, unaware of the warm shadow above her.

Inhaling sharply, Aiw's eyes widened when she found a certain Koujo Lin on top of her, wincing. Her face went steaming hot, embarrassment increasing.

Just at the most inopportune moment, Takigawa-san, Mai and Matsuzaki-san turned the corner and spotted their shameful position. Aiw had just stopped coughing and was looking up at Lin, mouth open for her to ask if he was all right. Apparently, Lin was going to say something of the sort as well…so open mouths and an awkward position did not soothe the observers' minds.

"LIN-SAN?!" Ayako and Mai both shouted, faces beet red.

This frustrated and somewhat embarrassed Lin. When the shock settled in Housho, the blonde man started laughing hysterically. This only made things worse.

Aiw looked into Lin's black, black eyes, "I am so sorry…I wasn't expecting that-"

Lin got up without a word, turning away without even helping her up. Brushing himself off, he didn't look down at her again.

"Neh, Lin-san-"Housho snickered, "You're not going to help your sweetheart up-"

A loud slam cough. Aiw couldn't see him, but from the flinches of the psychics, Lin had sent them a deathly glare, "The client, Takigawa-san."

Aiw found herself flinching as well when Lin practically took her hand without consent and pulling her up without an effort.

Then in a quiet and professional voice Lin asked, "Are you all right?"

Aiw was surprised. He was being quite polite, despite the mocking looks from his colleagues, "Yes…I just had the wind knocked out of me…" she clutched her chest.

"And tonight," Lin sighed, "Would you show us these rooms?"

Aiw gasped, "M-me…?"

"Around midnight," Lin knew Naru wanted the research accurate and fast, "Is there a set of keys to the rooms?"

The other three came closer; the conversation was serious again, "Well…there's a metal door that leads to the hallways…then it branches off…to nearly twenty rooms…" she let go her chest, "The fifth floor…"

"Ah, that's why we couldn't get in," Ayako meant her and Masako.

Lin spoke over her, never looking away from Aiw, "The key?"

"Well…um…" Aiw twiddled her fingertips and looked down.

"Yes?" Housho coaxed her to continue.

Aiw took in a deep yet feeble breath, "No matter what, I'm the only one that can get it open…something stops anyone from opening the door…even with the key."

Housho, Ayako, and Mai glanced at each other, and Lin narrowed his eyes. This was only the beginning of an agonizingly complex case.

A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love Lin and Naru. There not that different from each other, so editing this scene was sooooo easy. It made me happy XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! PLEASE REVIEW! I need to know what my readers think!

And please come back for Chapter 3!!!!!!!!

Luv!!!!!!!!!

ChiyakoChan