Okay...so the Fourth Chapter is finally here! I don't know if you'll like it and all...But I hope you do!sigh...Okay Here it goes...-nervous-
Okay..So LET"S START!!...
Fourth chapter: The accident
Naru and Nakazi were the only ones who knew about the topic. Leaving Mai, Takigawa and John very confused.
"The reason?" John asked again. He was about to be answered when Om came in announcing lunch for them. John's question was ignored at that moment.
"We'll continue this later." Naru said before he went into the kitchen with Nakazi and Om. Mai nodded sweetly at him. John smiled, too, but with a slight confused look on his face. Naru just ignored Mai's cuteness and hid his smirk.
So, they were already sitted down when Kei came into the dining room. Her face was emotionless again. She looks so innocent and like nothing just happened before. Before she sat down, she stared a moment at Naru which he totally ignored. Her eyes didn't register any emotions as if she was staring at him blankly for 2 seconds.
"Umm..." Mai tried to talk but too nervous to even make a sound. The girl looked at her blankly..Uhh..What should I do?...What should I say?..Help me!! she panicked in her thoughts.
"Mai." she went back into the reality world. "Your food is getting cold." Naru said plainly.
"Uh..Right! I-I knew that." she stuttered as she noticed Kei already eating her food.
After Kei had eaten, she quickly disappeared in her room. So the gang just continued their unfinished bussiness as Naru promised.
"So, this accident thing...is the reason why she's like that?" Takigawa asked Naru. Naru just ignored him and let Nakazi answer his question.
"No, I already told you...The accident has nothing to do with her." Nakazi answered strongly.
"WAIT!!" Mai half-screamed. "What is the accident?" she blushed as all eyes were on her.
"2 years ago her parents died in a plane crash." Naru answered cooly. Which followed by Nakazi's nod.
Flash Back
The telephone rang. Kei was at the garden tending her carnations. So her nanny, Tao Pu, picked up the phone and answered. The whole house was silent for a change. Not a sound could be heard. Kei ran inside hoping that it was her parents that called.
"Kei-sama.." Tao said lovingly but with a tone of sadness before giving her the phone. Kei didn't talk. Her head was down covering her marvelous eyes. She listened to the phone.
"I'm sorry little girl..." the speaker from the other line started "The plane your parents were in...have...'' Kei's eyes started to wet." Crashed." the speaker continued. "We found their bodies lifeless..I'm really sorry." Kei put the phone down and tears rolled down her face. She wiped it away and gave a lonely smile.
At the funeral...Everyone was silent. Kei just looked at the coffins and offered them flowers and showed a neutral face. Everyone was there for her. And she smiled the loneliest smile to everyone. Few days later she was back at her normal self, herself before the accident happened.
End of Flash Back
"She was all the same after that." Nakazi added. "She was still our most lovable, outgoing, always laughing cousin. When her parents died, she was entrusted to the care of their most loyal and oldest Nanny. Kei became the master of the house. Her nanny loved her very much, she loved her nanny, too. They were usualy seen together, baking cookies, watering the flowers, especially her most favorite one the carnations, then they would go to the..." she stopped when Takigawa cleared his throat. She blushed a little as she finally noticed that she was about to go far out from their topic.
Flash Back
"Hey Kei!" Nakazi called. Kei just smiled and gave her flowers.
"Thank you!! You wanna play with us?" Nakazi gestured at her back to show their other cousins. She nodded and ran towards the others.
"Hey no fair!!" Nakazi shouted. "Well then, I'll be it!!" she added a little while later. Laughters were heard in the garden.
"Kei-sama! Nakazi-sama, please call the others. It's almost lunch time!! The foods are almost ready." Tao pu smiled brightly. Kei ran to her and helped her with everything. While Nakazi informed the others.
A year ago...
Tao pu laid dying in the hospital bed. She called for Kei while her other cousins waited outside. She told her about many things, it was about her journey to the other world and Kei prayed for her. Then Tao pu died because of some disease. Kei cried and stayed silent until after the funeral.
"Hey Kei!" Nakazi called. "You like carnations right?" Kei only looked at her as if thinking and then, she smiled and nodded. Nakazi gave her some flowers and they started to play.
Kei was entrusted to the whole household and most especially to her elder cousins which she herself trusts. She only have two elder cousins that was very close to her. Nakazi and Tanina. Both of them were told to take care of her. Each taking turn every three months.
End Flash Back
The SPR team stayed silent, listening intently at her as she narrated the flash backs.
"She changed when?" Mai was surprised as Nakazi paused and gave a sad look.
"6 months ago." Nakazi added. " We don't know why, but she went home one late afternoon crying and running upstairs to her room...She was late during our dinner...She wasn't enthusiastic at that time either. And when she smile, we never see that same old glitter in her eyes anymore." Nakazi ended the story.
"Then starting that night too, strange things start to happen" she added.
"So, she's like that recently?" Mai asked. Nakazi nodded sadly.
"And so Bou-san concluded, that because of her depression she summoned a spirit. Right?" John guessed.
"So she is the reason!!" Takigawa concluded once more. Nakazi turned confused and didn't know what to answer anymore.
"But-" Nakazi tried to argue.
"They're mostly right...but her motives about why she summoned a spirit isn't clear yet." Naru answered immediately.
The gang retreated after their session. Naru proceeded to their base which was located at the third floor. Before he could reach their base he had to pass by Kei's room, second room from the stairs leading to the top floor. Takigawa and John were not around, apparently doing an errand for Nakazi.
There was no strange occurences at that time. When he passed by at Kei's room, there came a humming tune from behind the door , he stopped to listen intently. Then, voices could be heard from behind the door.
"Don't hurt Nazi-ne, please." pleaded a weak female voice from inside.
"But, they don't care about what you feel." an evil, still female voice answered back.
"Maybe, but still don't hurt her." came the weak voice again.
"Hmph..What if I will?" asked the other voice teasingly but with a tone of savage in it.
"I won't let you do that to her! She's my cousin, and if you do..." the weak voice answered angrily. Now, Naru was certain that it was Kei's voice from behind, but the other one, he don't know.
"You promised!! You promised not to hurt HER!! or any of my relatives!" Kei continued half-shouting.
"Well then, you can't do anything, can you? If I hurt that brown-haired girl... What's her name? Mai?!" the evil voice came to answer strongly. Then, silence.
Naru's heart started beating fast. He felt worried for Mai...Mai! I couldn't let that happen to her!...Naru paused..It couldn't be true...Just for sure...Maybe I should check on her...So he made up his mind and went down.
He saw her in the garden, admiring the beauty and scent of the flowers around. Mai looked up to see him and smiled.
"Don't go near sharp objects, Mai." Naru warned her.
"Why, Naru?" Mai asked.
"Just don't, okay? You could get hurt." He ended and turned to leave. He decided to go back up and proceed to their base.
Naru...Wonder, what's wrong with him?..He sounded worried.Mai thought...Naru? worried?...She mused at the thought and she just continued to admire the breath-taking surrounding.
Meanwhile, Naru almost passed by Kei's room again but he stopped. He heard sobbing and a crying girl. He wanted to find out what's wrong with her. He hesitated first, then, he held the doorknob and knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing the little girl on the bed, crying on her pillow.
She didn't even stood up..to open the door.Naru kept in mind. As he approached the girl, he felt something he never felt before...pity, sadness and compassion. He knows that the only person who could turn him from a narcissist to a human being who truly cares is Mai or so he thinks. So, he was totally baffled.
The girl kept crying. Then, she turned to him with a very sad, frightened and with pity look in her eyes. He knew that look. Something was going to happen, something really bad. The girl started opening her mouth, trying to talk even though she is choking from all the crying. But suddenly, she changed her expression into a shock mode.
"Naru-nii..." she started, still crying, trying to talk, breath and stay calm at the same time. Her tears started streaming very fast down her cheeks and turned to big drops. He listened to her very low voice. His narcissist mask still plastered on his face, but his inside is waiting to explode for what's to come. She murmured something very inaudible.
"You have to...save her!" she bursted out, tears still streaming down her face. Naru was confused.
"You have to get to her!You have to!" she continued. "Hurry! You must GO." Naru was surprised at her remark but he wasn't ready to just leave. "You can't race with time! Time is your enemy. And right now, you're running out of it." she said with a look of pity in her eyes and in a serious tone.
"Why?It's not like Time stays the same. What's your reason?" he kept his cool, though he knew it's going to be about Mai, and the reason is going to kill him. Kei went silent for a time. She sat up.
Silence...The only noise that could be heard is the chirping of the mysterious bird in the cage near her window. Still silence, as if she was listening to what the bird was chirping about or telling her.
Well, I hope you liked it...and definetly the girl ISN'T mute. Hahah!...-nervous again-...What do you think will happen next? Why is she so urgent? Why is she racing time? Is Naru really running out of time?
Now, stay updated cause there's so much more to come...Hope you'll still support this story!! -nervous- And reviews pls!! Sorry if it took so long to update this story..Gomen!!