A/N:

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost hunt and any of the characters from Ghost Hunt ^^

First of all, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read my fanfiction and for leaving comments too! ^__^ I really appreciate it and it inspires me.. ^^

Second, I would like to apologize for the very late update. I had this chapter ready about a week ago and just wanted to add a little more something to it, but work had prevented me from doing so.. ^^

Third, I really hope you would enjoy this next chapter…^__^ nothing much happens, but I intend to power up the story as I update the chapters, no worries though, I have an idea as to how things would unfold one after another, so please be patient with me hehe ^^ Please read and review everyone! No Flames please? Just constructive criticisms.. ^^ and thank you all!

Mai's breath caught in her throat. It was a horrible scene and she knew she should do something about it and yet she was frozen in place just like Mori was. The girl was still screaming "Help Me!" and no was close enough to save her.

Thankfully, the people from their rooms must have heard her then, because they were now pulling her to safety. But instead of feeling relieved, the girl's eyes widened as she felt something cold wrapped around her ankles and yanked her forcefully from the two teenage men who were helping her.

Out of reflex, Mai screamed "Hold On!" as she ran towards the girl, standing just a few inches from directly below her and held out her hand as if trying to catch her. The girl was still being pulled so hard that she was now floating parallel the ground- her hands were held by the two men, and her feet by something invisible.

It was then that she heard it, it sounded like a screeching sound, like someone running their nails on glass-that ear splitting sound, then footsteps and then… and then she heard Lin whistle, throwing his Shiki towards the invisible thing that was pulling the girl.

Mai turned towards him, feeling like her strength has been drained from her but she felt so relieved. She finally collapsed on the ground, when the two men finally hurled the girl to safety. She was still crying but at least she was safe.

Mai gave out a sigh of relief, but then she felt a presence next to her. At first she thought it was Mori or Naru, but when she heard a grunt of dissatisfaction, she knew it wasn't one of them. It felt like the presence next to her was disappointed that the girl was safe. She looked up abruptly and blinked in confusion. There was no one standing next to her. She stood up, looking around but no one was close enough for her to hear them grunt.

"Taniyama-san?" Mori asked worriedly as he slowly approached her. Mai gazed at him, her eyes still unfocused.

"You look disoriented." Mori observed.

"Did you hear anything?" Mai asked all of a sudden. Mori looked around as if trying to find some help.

"We all heard something." Mori replied slowly, not sure what was wrong with her.

"No, I didn't mean that. But…something else." Mai trailed off. She wasn't quite sure if she really heard anything or her mind was just playing tricks on her.

"Mai" came Naru's cool voice.

"Y-Yes!" Mai snapped to attention at that. Naru would surely scold her if her she was dazing off again.

"Mai, you should probably help Lin, and call Ayako and the rest, tell them to come here as fast as they could." Naru ordered in his authoritative voice.

"Okay, I'll go help Lin first." Naru nodded at that then turned to Mori,

"Mori-san, I'd like to speak with the students as soon as possible. Send them by group according to their room numbers. At least in that way, we could have a clear group to focus on."

"Yes, I'll send a word to every room. What else can I do?"

"If you could take the girl-"

"Matsumoto-san?"

"Yes, if you could take Matsumoto-san to our office first, I would like to ask her some questions." Naru's voice was void with any emotion.

"Naru! The girl had just been through a lot!" Mai protested with more vigor than she intended, she clasped her hand on her mouth realizing too late that she must have said something wrong. Naru was staring at her thoughtfully with those unfathomable blue eyes.

Then after a while, Naru nodded then turned to Mori and said, "I guess I can ask Matsumoto-san much later."

Mai stared at Naru in awe. It was really something to behold when Naru takes into consideration what she says. A small smile crept up her face. Maybe Naru really is a good guy underneath it all.

"Mai."

"Mai."

Mai blinked.

"I believe that I sent you to Lin to assist him at the base."

"H-hai!" Mai said smiling sheepishly before she hurried towards the direction of the base.

"Here you go…" Mai murmured as she positioned the final set of equipments into place. Lin had been preparing his laptop for, what Mai thinks would be, a very long interview with the students. Lin had helped her with the heavier equipments earlier, and when she said that she can manage, Lin had nodded and excused himself.

Mai had already called the rest of the gang. Ayako said she was waiting for Bou-san to pick her up and they would be on their way. Masako said-after asking about Naru, that she will arrive shortly. John-san on the other hand was about to arrive since he was visiting a church near the province.

A knock on the door stopped Mai from configuring the mic, she looked up and saw a man in his late teens peek inside the room.

"Good Morning!" John-san greeted as he helped himself inside the rather large room. Mai beamed at him and greeted him "Good Morning" in return.

"Tea?" she asked as soon as John has settled in.

"Yes, thank you Taniyama-san. I'd say I was meaning to drop by the SPR office but I was held up at the church for the past week."

"It's okay John-san, it has been a slow week until yesterday." Mai said handing him his tea.

"Where is Shibuya-san?" John asked looking around.

Just then the door busted open, revealing a collected Naru with his passive midnight blue eyes.

"Speak of the devil…" Mai mumbled softly. Naru focused his attention on her throwing her a hard glare but a smirk was threatening to cross his face.

"I heard that Mai."

"Ehehehe…" Mai laughed awkwardly as she chimed in, "Tea?"

"Yes." Naru replied, then turned to John, "I didn't expect that you could be here today in such short notice."

"Ah, I was visiting a church nearby when Taniyama-san called, so I came as soon as I was finished there."

"It's good that you're here. After we have the chance to interview the students, there might be places where exorcism is necessary."

"Is the situation here that bad?" John inquired. Naru has already taken his seat behind the large center table. Mai handed Naru his tea and hugged the tray she carried with her.

"You could say that…" Mai whispered. John turned to her.

"I mean, we have just seen a girl dangling from the second floor, fighting to keep her grip only to be dragged forcefully. It was a good thing that Lin and Naru had come in the nick of time. Or else…" Mai recounted the events earlier that day and shivered.

Naru was focusing more intently at his black notebook as he listened to Mai, gripping the notebook hard enough to turn his knuckles to white.

"We should probably start letting the students in. The sooner we gather facts and information about all the strange events that had happened, the sooner we will be able to prevent another incident like that from happening." John-san suggested, as he observed Mai's terrified recollection and Naru's "worried" look.

Naru nodded at that then told Mai to locate Mori-san and send him and the students by group inside the base.

An hour had passed since they started interviewing students. They all had stories to tell that ranged from minor disturbances to downright creepy. Mai had to stop herself from shivering on several occasions, it was a good thing that John was there by her side to offer her some sympathetic smile.

"And what was it you want to tell us, Kuruma-san?" Naru inquired when another set of girls entered and had settled on the chairs prepared for them.

"Ano…you see, we all have shared a bathroom at the third floor, since we were in the same room. And well, I thought that I was the only one who experienced such incident that's why I thought my mind must have played a trick on me, or maybe it was because I wasn't getting enough sleep…" the girl named Kuruma explained.

"But when you guys came in just now and wanted to talk to students by room assignments, we started talking to each other about our share of strange experiences, and well…we all experienced the same thing on that bathroom." Another girl with long braided hair whose name was Miyami, filled in, as she put a reassuring hand on Kuruma's shoulder.

"Tell us, what happened, and when does these incidents usually occur?" Naru asked.

"It usually happens during the night, when we were done with dinner and such," Kuruma paused, looking at the other girl for support then continued, "I was taking a shower then, when I hear wet footsteps outside, so of course I call out to Miyami or Suzuki but no response except for the footprints getting louder, and then I would hear someone sigh behind me, and when I turn around…." Kuruma was now shivering, half past terrified as she recounted the event.

"But when you turn around, you would see a bloody palm print on the wall…" Suzuki finished, speaking for the first time since she entered the room with the other two girls.

Mai jerked and grabbed on to John's arms. She would never know what to do if that were to happen to her. Her heart was palpitating faster than normal, and she could feel cold sweat break from her back and palms.

"John-san, could you do an exorcism on the said bathroom later tonight? Let's see if it has any effects." Naru suggested, but then he turned to Mai who was now as white as paper.

"Mai, you could go outside and check if Matsuzaki-san, Bou-san, or Hara-san has arrived. John-san, you could go with her." He suggested.

Mai could only nod at that, it seems as though all her strength has been drained from her. But the moment they stepped outside the base, she was taken back by the stench of something rotten, that she dropped down on her knees, coughing up.

"Taniyama-san!" John cried out worriedly, as he supported her to her feet. Mai covered her nose and mouth to prevent her from smelling that awful stench.

"Don't you smell that?" Mai asked,

"Smell what?"

"It smells like, rotten flesh and…. Oh my God! It smells like blood!" Mai's eyes widened, as John only looked at her worriedly.

"Taniyama-san, I really don't-"

"Shh! Someone's here…Someone's saying something…" Mai said, clutching John's arm tightly.

Stay away! Stay away and never come back!

And then her surroundings were swallowed by darkness. Mai blacked out.