Behind Closed Doors
File 1: The Truth of the Past
Mai felt like her skull was splitting.
Those hands…those were the last thing she could remember before everything faded into blackness. Whatever happened, Naru must be beyond pissed at her. And Ayako, Bou-san, and John were probably worried sick about her.
No! This was not the time to worry about how everyone else was reacting.
What had happened to her, anyway? Had she been knocked unconscious? It couldn't be a dream; Naru wasn't present, after all. But then again, she's had dreams without Naru in them. Or she could be astral projecting…though all she could really see was endless darkness.
Or maybe she had she fallen over the railing? Did that mean she was dead?
Mai's heart plummeted.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." The voice had a familiar ring as it echoed in the abyss.
The brunette glanced around, looking for the source of the voice. That's when she found Toru several feet away from her. The blackness surrounding him seemed overwhelming to his small boyish figure. Mai ran over, kneeling before him.
"Toru, it's you! You're okay!" Mai's heart leapt into her throat as she hugged the ghostly apparition. If Toru was here, that meant that they hadn't exorcized him yet!
Wait…if she's here it must mean she's dead…Did that mean she was going to haunt the hotel? But…it's not like she held any malice towards Toru, even though he was probably what caused her death. She should be like the other two girls who died in the hotel.
Mai wished she could understand what was going on. Naru would be able to explain it to her if he were there...
If the SPR team exorcized Toru, Mai would be stuck here all alone, possibly forever. The brunette suddenly felt the most unbearable pain in her heart. This is what spirits must feel: eternal loneliness.
Maybe that's why they made so much commotion sometimes. That way, they could get someone to come and exorcize or cleanse them: to end the pain of being invisible and alone.
Her eyes became moist as she hugged the small boy tighter. "It's okay, Toru. It's okay, I'm here now."
The boy pushed her away. "But I–I hurt you! All of your friends are mad at me! They want me to go away!" He sniffed, rubbing his eyes even before the tears could fall down his red cheeks.
Mai bit her lip. "I'm not mad at you, Toru. I know you didn't mean to. I know you're sorry. You just want someone to love you like your mother should've. Besides, what's done is done."
Toru looked up at her with wide, brown orbs.
"Now I want you to confront your mother."
Before he'd even realized it, Naru was leaning over the metal railing holding an unconscious Mai by the ankle.
He could guess about how much she weighed – probably somewhere around 54 kg. After all, he's carried her multiple times in the past. She wasn't too heavy for him; just right, actually. And 54 kg was supposedly the perfect weight for healthy teenage females.
But now, the weight of her life was being added to that of her unconscious body, making her seem all the more heavy. His hand became clammy and Mai slipped a bit.
Bou-san rushed to his side, grabbing the teenager's calf in a tight hold. The monk began to haul her over the railing, and suddenly Naru felt useless.
Once they had pulled the brunette up for the most part was when he saw it. The tips of Mai's hair were dyed red with what Naru assumed was blood. The back of her head had probably connected with the bottom edge of the balcony when he caught her by the ankle.
"Lin," he called into the room, trying to obtain his assistant's attention. He kept his voice low as if to conceal his nervousness. "I need you to call 1-1-9 immediately."
No more than a second later was the onmyoji talking in hushed tones on his cell phone.
Once Mai was up and over the railing , Bou-san carried her inside and laid the teenager on the couch, making sure she was in a position in which Ayako could tend to her wounds. John came back after a minute with the first-aid kit. And so the work began.
Naru whipped his phone out of his pocket and decided to contact the hotel owner, seeing as how Lin was still giving directions over the phone. He might want to know that an ambulance was going to be arriving at his hotel and causing a commotion among his occupants.
Meanwhile, the indigo-eyed man kept his eyes focused on Mai the whole time.
How could he let this happen?
"W-What?" Toru inquired with wide eyes.
Mai smiled sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder. "I think you know that you need to talk to your mother in order for you to pass on. And since you can't really get in touch with her, just pretend I'm your mother!"
This suggestion only seemed to bring more tears to Toru's eyes. Mai choked on her own spit. She hadn't anticipated a reaction like this.
"But you're so nice! How can I do that to you?"
Well, I'm already dead, Mai thought regretfully. "I'm doing this because I want to. I want to help you. But I need your cooperation, okay? It'll be easy, I promise," she said reassuringly, readjusting herself in front of him.
"I want you to close your eyes and take deep breaths in and out, okay?" she instructed. "Now just believe that I'm your mother and say exactly to me what you would to her."
Toru sat for a moment, unmoving. He opened his eyes and sighed, looking away. He was giving up. "I-I can't do it. No matter what, I just…I can't think of you as her."
The brunette teenager rested her hands on his shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze. "Believing is a very powerful thing. I need you to believe for me, okay?" she reassured with a smile. She knew he'd be able to do it. It might take a couple of tries, but she knew he could.
Toru seemed to settle down at her encouraging words. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes again. There was a long silence before he finally spoke. "You're the worst cook. You smoke and drink so you always smell bad. You never told me you loved me – not that I actually remembered. You never kissed me. You abused me. I'm glad you're not around anymore. All you were was a waste of space and air."
Mai's breath caught when she saw the small figure begin to glow. "You're almost there, Toru…!"
Toru's voice began to rise as he got into the act. "I hate you so much! I thought about killing you constantly. I also thought about killing myself sometimes. But," he paused, bravely whipping his tears away, "I never could because, regardless of all the awful things you did to me, I loved…and still love you. And I'm content admitting that now."
He opened his eyes and looked up at Mai with a smile, glowing brightly. "It's all thanks to you. You're friends are lucky to have you."
And with those words he faded out of Mai's sight, leaving her alone in the darkness. He had finally passed on! She had done it all on her own. It's only too bad she had to pay with her life… Maybe Naru would be proud of her? No, he'd probably call her stupid for risking her life.
Mai closed her eyes, much too tired to think. Her head was suddenly aching in extreme pain.
"What I would do for some Advil."
Naru sat by Mai's bed side. He'd been there four hours – days, even. He couldn't remember much except for the fact that the steady beeping of Mai's heart monitor had been lulling him into shallow, dreamless periods of unconsciousness for the past day or so.
He needed some sleep…and preferably a shower. Some tea would be nice, too.
But leaving Mai's side wasn't an option. Not right now at least. What if she woke up when he was gone and there was no one there for her? Knowing his luck, that would end up happening.
He yawned, leaning forward in the uncomfortable plastic chair that the hospital staff had been kind enough to provide for him. A small squeak sounded. Naru turned around to see John's smiling face in the doorway. "How are you holding out, Naru?" he whispered carefully, making sure not to wake the peacefully sleeping girl.
The younger of the two stood without a word, taking a greatly needed stretch.
The priest continued. "I'll take over for you. I think you should take a well deserved rest. And I'll notify you if anything about Mai's condition changes." Naru glanced hesitantly at the teenage girl whose pallid skin nearly matched the sterile white sheets. Indigo eyes traveled over to John and he finally gave in. Naru trusted John to do as he said.
He gave a curt nod to the blonde Australian before sparing one more look at his unconscious assistant and exiting. The rest of the team was sitting patiently in the hallway just outside Mai's room. Ayako had fallen asleep on Bou-san shoulder; the monk himself was nearly about to pass out. Lin was across the hallway, typing softly on his laptop.
And Masako – what a surprise it had been when she stopped the shooting of movie to come visit Mai in the hospital once she'd gotten the call – she was seated next to Lin, her head buried in her hands. Despite the fact that she hadn't worked on the case with them, which wasn't even that long in the first place, Masako looked dead tired.
Damn, he could really use some of Mai's tea right about now.
Not even a minute after Naru had left did John burst from Mai's room like a bat out of hell. "Naru, she's waking up!" This had gained Bou-san's attention, also waking Ayako from her embarrassing slumber on his shoulder. Masako was suddenly alert, sitting upright in the chair next to Lin whose typing had ceased.
Naru, who had been about to go get something to eat from the hospital's cafeteria (no matter how disgusting their food was, one can only go for so long without sustenance), whipped around in John's direction, pushing past him and entering Mai's room again.
Of. Fucking. Course. As soon as he leaves her side she decides it's time to wake up.
The rest of the team excluding Lin gathered at the doorway.
Naru looked at her for a while. She was shifting under the white blankets that nearly matched her skin in what Naru assumed was an attempt to sit up. He finally walked over to her and pushed her firmly against the bed.
"Don't move around."
Her head reared in his direction so fast, Naru was sure she would have whiplash. Had she not heard them come in? Mai blinked up at him with those wide brown eyes. It was as if she was looking at him for the first time.
Naru suddenly felt his heart settle in the bottom of his stomach. She would remember him, right? After all, she did have some head trauma…She couldn't have possibly–
Oh, he was going to be sick.
"Naru?" she whispered, as if answering her prayers. So she hadn't lost her memory.
He sat down in the uncomfortable plastic hospital chair once again, pulling it closer to the bed. He observed Mai as she looked around the sterile hospital in confusion. Her eyes wandered from the medical equipment she was hooked up to, to the rest of the team, and finally rested on Naru.
"Where am I? Why are you guys all here?" she inquired, her voice cracking. Mai was probably so used to talking all the time, being silent for more than a day must've rusted her voice box.
Mai obviously couldn't use her common sense if she had to ask where she was.
"You're in a hospital. We're here because, whether you believe it or not, there are some people who care about your safety even if you don't," he said. He had hidden it, but Naru knew himself how fearful he'd been for the sake of his assistant. Even now, she was acting fairly strange…for herself, at least.
As if to prove his point, Mai remained silent. If this were a normal, everyday situation, she probably would've blown a fuse had he said that. But she just looked at him without a word, her attention focused intensely on her boss's face (who, not to mention, was beginning to feel very uncomfortable under her gaze).
That's when it happened – she hiccupped once, twice. The tears came pouring down her cheeks in waterfalls. Mai hid her face from view.
Jesus. Naru was just not doing anything right today, was he?
Ayako couldn't contain herself anymore. She ran over to Mai's side, holding the girl tightly within her arms. "Naru, you made her cry!"
Mai shook her head.
Bou-san finally approached. He ruffled Mai's hair, managing to be as gentle as possible due to her head injury. "Then, what is it? Does your head hurt? Should we got get a doctor? No? You're hungry?" Mai just continued to shake her head and wail incoherently into the red-headed miko's shoulder.
When she finally calmed down, they managed to make out of few words in her banter. "I-I thought I was dead! It was dark and scary and Toru was there, so I th-thought I was dead!"
Ayako held her tighter, rubbing her back methodically. Mai relaxed in her arms, taking deep breaths. "I helped him pass on. But then he left me alone in the darkness and I thought I was going to be there forever."
Masako soon joined in with Ayako and Bou-san, doing the unexpected and pulling Mai into a brief embrace. "You're alright now. We won't leave you alone forever."
This only brought more tears to the grateful teen's brown orbs. The moment was ruined, however, when the doctors came into the room and rushed everybody out so that they could check up on Mai. Afterwards, Naru told the rest of the team that he would like to have a moment alone with his assistant.
He entered the white hospital room and closed the door behind him. Mai glanced at him apprehensively, hiding herself beneath the bed sheets. "Please don't yell at me."
Naru sighed. He was much too exhausted to argue with her. "No one's going to yell at you, Mai." His voice softened when he said her name. Just minutes earlier there was little hope that she was going to wake up again, let alone be able to speak or move. Now he was right in front her, staring into those big brown eyes.
Mai seemed to ease up at his words. "Naru, I–"
Naru cleared his throat before she could continue. "Don't speak. I said I wasn't going to yell, but that doesn't mean I don't have a lecture all planned out for you. "
The brunette cringed, lowering herself further underneath the covers.
"Now, just because you successfully cleansed Toru's spirit on your own–"
This was going to be a long day.
Yay! I finally finished! I hope I ended it okay and that it wasn't too boring. Anyway, as of right now I'm working on the next case, and I don't know about you, but I love old fashioned Japanese villages.
File 2: The White River