Amaranthine
So this took a lot longer than I planned to get out and sadly that's because when I saved my files, they somehow became corrupted, so I lost all the chapters for this case AND all the notes for it. When I finished my notes (AGAIN!) I then couldn't get the chapters the way I wanted again. So hopefully you still enjoy what I have here! Thank you to Lady Angel Sanada Doji Date for providing this case. I hope I wrote it to what you envisioned.
English is in bold
Thoughts / Dreams / emphasis are Italic
Chapter 4: Himeji Castle: Okiku's Well Part 3
Friday – April – Early Morning
Mai blinked, staring into the darkness of her astral plane, her sight abandoning her even as she felt the familiar brush of flora against her skin in the wind of the field. She couldn't help but sigh as the comforting smell surrounded her, settling her nerves with ease before she started forward. The darkness shifted as she went, giving way to a soft glow, until shapes started forming.
The familiar shape of the well formed in front of her and Mai blinked, feeling the pressure build in the air. Her arms were twisted roughly behind her back, hair being pulled harshly before she was shoved forward, her stomach pressing into one of the shortest pillars built around the well. She glanced down to take in her simple white yukata, long black strands of hair obscuring her vision as she was hit from behind.
Spots danced in front of her eyes, shoulders aching while her attacked laughed before he turned her around, bending her awkwardly over the pillar.
'It's not real. This isn't my memory.' Mai tried to breath, to fend off her growing panic as hurried hands tore at her yukata. Dread pooled in her stomach and she told herself to fight back, not realising that her arm had reached up, nails racking across her attackers' face. The only warning she had was his shout before she was thrown to the ground, her head cracking against another column.
Her head swam, pain radiating through her body as hands grabbed her, tearing the lower half of her yukata. A burn spread from her hips and graduated encompassed her entirely, making it impossible to focus or fight back. It was only by a small miracle that the numbness set in quickly as she was lifted from the ground minutes later.
Mai looked up, catching the silhouette of her attacker and noticing the familiar shape of an eboshi* on his head. The moon allowed nothing else to be seen and she flinched as she was hoisted up further by her neck, something warm ran down her leg as she was jostled.
"Know that the truth will never be known. You could have had a better life. But you couldn't leave it be." Before she knew it, she was plunging through the cold night air, her throat tightening as she tried to scream. Her neck collided with something, a sickening crack ringing out around her before she hit the ground, water filling her mouth. She couldn't move, pain radiating throughout her body. She couldn't even blink as her body chocked on what minimal water she lay in.
"You can keep the damn plate too Okiku." The man snickered, something sharp falling onto her prone body moments before everything went dark, her chest burning with the need for air.
"Mai?" A voice called to her as she blinked awake, her body aching as she moved. She tried to focus on the person leaning over her as she came to full consciousness.
"Well, that was shit…" Mai groaned, trying her best to sit up despite her protesting body. Arms slid behind her, helping her rest against the back of the couch, blanket pooling in her lap. Her eyes were screwed shut, flinching at the pain that seemed to centre on her stomach. She only opened them when the familiar scent of earl grey invaded her senses as she squinted to see a tea cup being held out to her. Gingerly, she took the offered drink, allowing herself to take a snip before she sighed, rolling her next neck to take stock of the room.
It was still dark out, she could only assume that it was the early morning. Lin was only just reclaiming his seat by the monitors, his shoulders tense in a way that told her that he was listening, patiently waiting for the information he knew she would provide. What shocked her was the person sitting next to her. His face was grim, eyes hard as he watched her, silently encouraging her to finish her tea before she spoke. It was the most emotion she'd seen him display since he left her in Japan and she was sure it would be the least she'd see either.
She took her time, allowing the liquid to sooth her mind and while she collected her thoughts before she placed the cup on the table in front of her, refusing to look at the dark-haired male beside her as she spoke, "We're most definitely dealing with the spirit of Okiku. The stories about her haunting involving a plate are, as far as I can tell, true. As to why she's so active now… I won't be able to tell you until I either I dream again or we have some kind of activity throughout the day."
Naru grunted beside her, his eyes sharp as he watched her take her hair out and wince. What she wasn't prepared for was the way he seemed to shoot up, his hand delving into her hair to run his fingers along her scalp. Mai fought the blush that wanted to rise on her cheeks while he pulled his hand back, eyes widening as he took in the red on his fingers before they shot up to meet her own stunned gaze. Her own hand hesitantly lifted, gingerly brushing over the area that hurt the most only to hiss.
"Mai. What exactly happened in your dream?" He tried to keep his voice low, an undercurrent of something she almost pinned as panic working its way through his words. She huffed, crossing her arms in a bid to stop them from feeling for more injuries.
"I told you Oliver. It's definitely Ok-" Her whole body jerked as his hands landed on her shoulders, tightening more and more until she finally looked at him.
"Don't do that Mai. Tell me what happened in your dream? How did you get your injury?" No matter how long they had been apart, she buckled under his gaze, refusing to look at him while a shudder stole down her spine.
"I was at the well. I relived Okiku's last moments. She was attacked, tortured… raped… she hit her head before she was thrown down the well alive and hit her neck. But the break wasn't clean… and she was still alive when she hit the bottom. It wasn't full, so she drowned in the shallow water when she couldn't move her head. Right before she drowned, her attacker threw down something. It was sharp, and there were a lot of pieces. He said something about a plate, so I'd guess it was linked to the stories of Okiku and her well." She shivered, wincing as the movement pulled on her other injuries.
She chanced a glance up at the men in the room, only to see them both staring at her with expressions of horror. Mai wasn't one to appreciate glances like that, preferring to keep her dreams to the point and without details. She repressed another shudder as she thought of one of the first dreams she'd had without her guide and how Ayako had coddled her for days afterwards in the hospital.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to have a shower and change." She stood gingerly, not waiting for an answer as she left, doing her best to ignore the sharp inhale Naru took as she slid the door closed.
xXx Amaranthine xXx
Oliver stared at the door Mai had retreated through, his bloody hand held aloft. He couldn't think, his mind caught on the expression of pain she had made as she left the room.
"Noll…" Lin's voice cut through the chaos of his thoughts and he jolted, turning to face his long time friend, "We should clean this up." A towel entered his field of vision and he blinked, the only show of surprise before he turned his head, mechanically moving the blanket he had thrown over Mai only to flinch. The smallest puddle of blood sat where she had been, the stain smeared as though she had subtly tried to wipe as much up as she could before she left. He felt sick, stomach churning at the implications.
"I… Lin?" Not for the first time in his life, Mai had left him speechless, but this time it was for something he wished he didn't have to think about, "Just how powerful have her abilities become Lin?"
The Chinese man just shook his head, a grim expression on his face.
xXx Amaranthine xXx
The sun was just cresting the horizon when Mai left the Donjon after her shower, the warm water having eased any residual aches from her dream. She didn't want to linger indoors, she didn't want to run the risk of running into either Naru or Lin in case they chose to press her for more information. She knew they'd be worried, despite they way they had separated years prior, she knew it wasn't in them to not worry about those they worked with, but she also knew they loved to learn more about things they didn't understand. And her dreams fell well within the category of unknown.
The mid-spring morning was crisp as she took a deep, soothing breath while gazing over the lower bailey, watching as the sun seemed to make the palace come alive. The birds sang, the trees swayed in the wind and everything seemed at peace. Except it wasn't.
There was a heaviness in the air, something that weighed heavily only on her as she spread out her senses. She could hear everyone inside, shifting and waking, preparing for the day ahead while staff started showing up for their shift. Some caretakers were already making their rounds through the courtyards, making sure everything was immaculate for when the gates were opened.
Something oppressive lingered behind her, waiting on the stairs that led up to the Bizenmaru, the central square right before the palaces' main entrance. It watched and waited, and Mai could see all the staff in the area avoided the central set of stairs as though they knew something was waiting for them.
"Mai?" Ayako's voice called out to her from the doorway to the Donjon. There were so many emotions in the older woman's voice, regret and fear to guilt, though for the life of her, Mai couldn't figure out why.
"Good morning Ayako." The brunette tried her best to give the red head her best smile, turning so that she could fully look at her friend and pseudo mother.
"Mai…" Tears welled in the red heads eyes as she rushed forward, engulfing the shorter girl in her arms, "I'm so sorry. I should have been there. I should have-" Ayako hiccupped, cupping the back of Mai's head gingerly, "Naru told us… you had a dream and you…"
The brunette cringed, closing her eyes while she inhaled the sharp smell of saffron the seemed to linger around Ayako at all times. It soothed her and kept her own tears at bay while she soothed the doctor. She swallowed her emotions as best she could, refusing to recall her first death dream without her spirit guide present.
"Ayako. You're going to suffocate her." Monks' voice broke through the moment the women were having and he gently pried them apart before taking the brunette by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eye, "You doing okay Jou-chan?"
He only received a nod before the brunette turned away from them to continue watching the sunrise, both adults on either side of her as they stood in silent vigil. It was Monk that broke it, placed one hand on Mai's shoulder while the other grabbed hold of Ayako's hand, giving them both a reassuring squeeze, "Naru said to give him a few minutes to fill the others in. He didn't think you'd want to be there when he told them what you saw in your dream."
Again, she only nodded, taking comfort in the two behind her. It wasn't long before Charlotte collected them, complaining about being a gopher the whole time. Upon reaching base, Mai almost instinctually started on tea, filling the electric kettle silently before preparing various cups. It was like the team had never been separated as she filled two cups with coffee for Lin and Monk, while she prepared a hot chocolate for Charlotte and tea for all the others. The younger brunette could only stare quizzically at her mug before Mai moved on, handing out the drinks before they got down to business for the day.
She wasn't comfortable working with the SPR men again, not after the way everything had gone down. But she also couldn't deny the utter sense of contentment she got from sitting with the whole team again. As much as she hated to admit it, she had to thank Naru for his hand in her life at present. If it hadn't been for him, and regrettably, Lin's injury, she never would have met her present family. It was something that made her heart warm.
"-We'll be spreading out for the day. Half of us will be going around with tourists. We'll take turns coming back to base and switching out. The donjon has been closed to public access, so please carry your pass at all times." Mai zoned in just in time to collect the lanyard Charlotte was handing out, staring at the security pass in her hand, "Security knows we're here. But they wanted to be sure."
Naru took a breath, closing his notebook with a sharp snap, "The Takigawa's will go with the first tour group of the day with John and Hara-san." He turned to look at the others, "Lin, Charlotte, Mai and myself will go with the afternoon group. That way, we have two sensitive people in each group as well as those that can protect them. In the mean time, we should get some food. The first tour is in three hours."
Everyone gathered their things, making idle chatter as they moved to leave. Mai collected the drinks, handling the fine china with care as she worked through the room, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm.
"Mai." Naru's voice cut through the dull thrum of noise and everyone waited with baited breath to see what he would say. He sent them all a cold glare, forcing them to move on so that it was only Mai and Lin in base with him, "How are you feeling Mai?"
Her face fell, mouth open in shock as she looked at the once cold and stoic man. Not that he wasn't stoic to others, but he seemed to have opened up since the last time she had dealt with him first hand. No sound left her throat as she tried to come up with an answer until Lin gently took the cups from her hands, leaving them alone as he went to finish cleaning up.
"Mai?" A flash of worry crossed his face as he helped her sit in Lin's now vacant seat, releasing his hold on her in hopes of breaking her out of her stupor. He barely stopped himself from smirking when he noticed the faint pink tint to her cheeks as she tried to formulate her sentence.
"I… I'm fine." She mentally yelled at herself, irritated at her inability to communicate with the man she had loved… "I've been through worse."
Her words made a chill shoot down his spine, chilling him to the core, "Worse? Mai... what-"
"Nothing! I mean… just. Without Gene… I had no one to hold back the worst of my visions. My dreams started transferring their affects to my physical body. One time, I nearly bled out. But Ayako found me in time. So that was fine. And I mean, Monk took me to Mt Kouya to train with his dad. So I can control everything just fine now. I'm able to disconnect for the most part. Like last night. Sure my head was hit but I'm still a vir-" Mai staled, her face going bright red at the words she was about to say. Despite her own embarrassment she was pleased to see his own cheeks go slightly pink as he figured out what she was going to say.
Oliver resisted the urge to pat his chest, to sooth the pain that resided there, "I was the one that took Eugene from you…" Knowing that his original goal had been met, finding his brother, should have made it easier to face his present reality, but the guilt was still eating away at him.
"You needed to find him. You needed that closure for yourself and your family. I get that Davis-san. I-" She couldn't continue because he held a hand up to her, giving her a stern look.
"Don't call me that." His voice was hard, his emotions making it difficult for him to get his point across.
"Oliver-san."
"Not that either." He held himself in place as he watched her, pain flitted over her features and he shook his head as she spoke.
"Shibuya-san? Kazuya-san? Noll? What do you want?" She stood from her seat, distressed at his request. It was something he shouldn't have asked of her, not so soon. Not when she wasn't sure if she could forgive him.
"Mai. You know what I want you to call me." His voice strained as he too stood up, towering over her. His eyes silently pleaded her her to give him what he wanted, even as he noticed the way her face pinched.
"I don't… I don't think I can." She winced, taking a step back only to be stopped by the chair she had used, "I can't-"
"Can't or won't? It doesn't have to be this way Mai. We need to get through this case and you only make it that much harder by being stubborn." He wished he could take the words back, but his own worry and agitation won out. A fierce look overtook her and she stood up straight, a few stray tears falling as she looked up at him. All signs of nervousness or anxiety had fled, replaced with her pain and betrayal.
"Me? So typical, you narcissistic asshole! You are the reason this case is going to be difficult. I shouldn't be surprised, after all, you can't see anything beyond your own nose!" She poked his chest, the simple act causing him to grunt, "You stupid, idiot scientist! If you had just given me a chance we wouldn't have… we…"
She shook her head, arms folding around her middle as she stepped to the side, creating as much distance between them as she could, the fight leaving her, "Mai…"
"It was always you, you stupid Narcissist. I wish I could say it wasn't, but it is you Naru." She choked, squeezing her eyes shut. The papers behind her started lifting, catching his eye and he took a step back, bumping into the desk behind him, "I wished and prayed but it never worked. It was always your stupid face and the stupid way you treated me when I needed you the most!" It hadn't occurred to her that she had let his nickname slip and she turned on her heels, racing out of the room for the second time in only a handful of hours and again, Naru could only watch as she retreated.
Moments later, Lin entered, a grim look no his face before he let out an exasperated sigh, "Honestly Noll. You go on and on about her and the second you get a chance to speak with her you rile her up." The older male retook his seat, waiting for his charge to sit down before he continued, "You hurt her Oliver. That's not something you can just speak about and expect to fix instantly."
Lin didn't flinch at the glare he received, "You knew she liked me Lin. Why didn't you say anything back then? Maybe-"
"Maybe nothing Oliver. You were too blinded by your objective of finding Eugene. You wouldn't have cared regardless. My speaking up would have meant nothing. When we were leaving I quite clearly recall you saying 'everyone likes me at some point.' So, saying something at the time would have been pointless." Lin spoke the words he had held in for a long time, feeling a weight being lifted when he noticed Oliver's eyes widen.
"You're such an idiot scientist."
The words echoed through his head and Naru snapped his head up, glaring into his reflection only to see an all too familiar figure staring back at him.
"Eugene…"
xXx Amaranthine xXx
This chapter felt so much more rushed than the original. Ugh! Stupid USB. Anyway, I hope you like it. For those that thought Mai forgave Monk and Ayako too easily, she was never someone to really hold a grudge and she understands their thinking. So she didn't stay mad for long, though she is wary. And with Naru, emotions as strong as what she has for him don't go away, so she loves him, but the struggle is real!
Regardless of that, a big thank you to the following for reviewing the last chapter:
blondiee1396
CaitHawke4Ever
Joys
anime-addict-fan
darkgenius2003
The next chapter is half done! So stay tuned!
