Thank you for your reviews! And since I left off on a cliffhanger, I'll get straight to the story, so without further ado. . .
The sharp object clattered to the floor as the phantom clasped his hands over his ears.
"Oi!" he shouted as the lights flickered on, the door to the living room slammed open, and Mai stopped screaming, all which were in rapid succession.
"Wh-what's going on?" Yoko asked, obviously frazzled by the scream, she had rushed over as soon as she heard the shriek and had opened the door with such force that a slight indentation had been left in the wall.
"My ears, they ring." Now that the electricity had come back, Mai saw that the phantom was no more than a man. A very handsome man at that.
"Chikaku…?" Yoko looked at the man, momentarily stunned before her features warped into one of displeasure. "How many times do I have to tell you not to break in!? Now I'm going to have to change that lock again, and close that window!"
The man rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "Heh, sorry," he muttered, turning around to shut the window. The carpet squelched as he stepped on it, soaked by the rain. With a swift movement, he shut the window, locking out the rain, and turned around to survey the room. He raised a brow at Yoko, asking her a silent question.
She answered with a raised brow of her own and turned to the group. "I'm sorry for the scare," she apologized hastily. "This is my friend Chikaku who," she turned to glare at the man, "has a habit of forgetting his keys."
He scoffed, pushing wet hair away from his eyes. "You didn't tell me we had visitors." His eyes were a brilliant green reminded Mai of spring. He had blond hair, so light it was almost white with a lithe figure that would befit an elf. On the floor laid a screwdriver, obviously what the brunette had seen. A faint pick flush crept to her cheeks, embarrassed that she had caused a scene.
"Well, we do, so be nice," Yoko chided, walking over to pick up the screwdriver. "You know I won't mind impaling you with this." A few eyebrows rose at this statement, including Takigawa's.
Chikaku stared at her for a few seconds before turning away, bluntly ignoring her. "Who are you guys anyway?" he asked, his eyes skimming over everyone. The vivid green landed on Mai last, and held her gaze. They literally took her breath away.
She could feel her heartbeat speeding up and the pink on her cheeks turning darker. She had to give him credit. He was handsome in careless way that most men couldn't pull off. While Naru was more of a dark and mysterious stranger kind of guy, Chikaku had an incredibly opened aura that just drew people to him. It wasn't only Mai who noticed either. Masako was hiding her features behind her sleeve as usual, but a hungry glint could be seen in her eyes, almost shining predatorily. Ayako had her flirting face on, her lips slightly pouted in what she thought was an alluring expression. She even batted her eyelashes a few times. But still, Chikaku didn't take his eyes off the brunette.
"Well what do we have here?" he murmured in a good natured way. A lopsided smirk appeared and Mai felt herself wanting to sigh. As a matter of fact, both Masako and Ayako let out tiny breath of air, almost inaudibly when he smirked.
"A group of psychic researchers." Naru spoke up, answered the question in a honeyed voice, just pleasant enough to hide a hardened edge. Mai turned to look at him, mildly surprised. A small accommodating smile curved his lips making him seem . . . nice? "I'm Shibuya Kazuya," he said, holding out a hand. "It's very nice to meet you."
The blond accepted the welcome with a blinding smile of his own and a firm handshake, not noticing the deafening silence that fell over the room. Takigawa was slowly, but surely turning a reddish purple color as he stubbornly kept his lips closed, his expression showing that he was torn between bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter or just fainting from shock. John sat stock still, his jaw hanging open, just enough to be noticeable. His gray-blue eyes were wide open as he stared in shock at the narcissist. Masako fared a little better, hiding her shock expression behind her sleeve, but her big as saucer eyes could still be seen. Ayako had a slightly surprised look on her features, but it was eclipsed by a knowing and somewhat smug expression. Beside her, Mai sat with a completely emotionless expression as she tried to get her mind about what was happening. Naru was smiling…SMILING! Not the customary heart-throbbing smirk, but a smile! (Ok, so it was a bit forced, but still, it was a smile) Even Lin was looking a Naru, his usually blank features showing a hint of surprise.
The only one that truly did notice the silence was Yoko as she slowly surveyed the room. Slightly disturbed, she cleared her throat, but no one noticed. Chikaku and Naru continued to converse in a friendly manner (mostly Chikaku though. Naru just smiled in a creepily happy way as the blond chatted away) as the rest of the occupants gawked at the two.
"Um…excuse me…?" Getting no response from clearing her throat, Yoko tried the verbal approach. Yet still, no reaction. "Err..."
"Yoko!" She jumped slightly as Chikaku's attention suddenly shifted to her. The loud outburst from the blond seemed to have shaken everyone of their revere as the occupants blinked a few times and traded glances. The aura of the room seemed to have returned to normal save Naru who still bore the scarily pleasant expression on his features.
The first to react was Takigawa as he extended a hand to introduce himself. "I'm Takigawa Houshou, but you can just call me Bou-san like everyone else here," he offered sincerely as they shook hands. Chikaku nodded, but before he could get a word out, Masako decided it was her time to act as she glided over to the blond.
Looking flirtatiously up at him through her lashes, she shot him a coy smile. "You may recognize me. My name is Masako Hara, you know, from the T.V. show."
He looked at her for a few seconds, tilting his head slightly. "I'm sorry," he finally said apologetically. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a fan of the television." Then he shot her a winsome smile, causing her to turn a brilliant red. Without another word, the medium ambled back to the couch, looking like she was about to faint at any moment.
Chuckling to herself, Ayako was the next to introduce herself. "Just call me Ayako," she said informally. Surprisingly, she didn't flirt with him, but a glint in her eyes told Mai that she had something planned. Poor, poor Chikaku.
John also introduced himself with a kind smile, his accent coming through just a bit stronger than usual. Finally, it was Mai's turn.
She gave him a small smile, reaching her hand out to be shaken. "My name is Mai Taniyama. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The blond looked at her for a few seconds before a charming smile spread across his lips. "No Taniyama-san," he said, taking her hand into his. "The pleasure is all mine." Lifting her hand in his, he gently brushed his lips against the back of her hand."
"Ah-uh-ha. . ." A faint pink started to creep up her cheek. She made no move to pull away, her brown eyes wide opened in shock. Takigawa was apparently finding the act very amusing, holding back his laughter until he turned an unnatural shade of reddish violet once again. Masako on the other hand, was glaring daggers at Mai, green with envy and just a bit ticked off by the attention. Of course, she wasn't the only one glaring.
Whilst Naru was still smiling pleasantly, the dark aura that had originally surrounded him increased tenfold. What was once a small crackle was now a raging fire and very much visible for anyone who looked close enough. That added to the smile made him seem almost psychopathically evil. Of course, no one was actually noticed, their attention set on the vividly colored Mai. That is, no one noticed other than Lin, who almost seemed nervous as he sat next the angry psychic, very aware of the growing murderous intent.
"Ok, um," Yoko clapped her hands sharply, capturing the attention of the whole room. No one was getting murdered under her roof, whether it'd be Mai or Chikaku. "Dinner's ready, so perhaps you would all like to freshen up before we head to the dining room, or would you rather we just head down there now?" The sandy haired monk almost immediately stood up.
"What are we waiting for, the world to end? Let's go!" He leisurely sauntered over to the door, food on his mind.
Abruptly, Mai pulled her hand away from the blonde's and scurried over to the monk, still a bright red. "Ah yes. Dinner. Sounds good. Sounds great. Yes. Dinner." She was talking too fast, not really making sense, but everyone else followed her lead and soon they were heading toward the dining room.
The halls were cheerily lit with antique lamps encased in frosted glass, casting a mildly yellow tone onto the wine red walls. Other than the sound of Takigawa's deep voice and the cheerful replies of Chikaku, not another sound was heard. It was eerily quiet as they proceeded through the winding corridors and eventually, even the talkative monk found nothing to say, letting silence fall. There footsteps were muffled by the lush carpets beneath there feet, not helping the awkward silence at all. Still. . .
Mai was kind of afraid to talk. It had nothing to do with the people around her, but rather the atmosphere of the house. Though the lit halls seemed safe, there was still something off about them. It was like a shadow, flickering at the edge of her sight, unseen yet taunting her. No matter how safe it all looked on the surface, there was a permanent ominous air.
Not a moment too soon, they reached another grand door, smaller than the one that had led to the ballroom, but large nevertheless. Yoko quickly pushed it open and ushered everyone in.
As Mai stepped in, she felt her breath leave her. It wasn't just because the dining room was beautiful, though it was, but rather because something more vague. But since she couldn't pinpoint what it was, the brunette shrugged it off and joined the rest of the group at the dining room table.
It was a lovely oak table, gleaming with a dark finish, rectangular in shape with enough room to fit twenty people. The chairs had straight, high backs made of twisting black iron and the seat was a black velvet cushion attached to elegant metal legs. On the table, a white tablecloth edged with lace was placed diagonally, covering most of the table, but revealing bits of the darkened wood.
The room was lit by candles scattered around the room and a small chandelier that hung directly over the table. It was smaller than the one in the foyer, but just as elegant with delicately twisting crystals hanging in an intricate pattern. The walls were also painted a wine red that fit elegantly with the gothic décor.
In the middle of the table, a large bouquet of red roses laced with white baby breaths and deep green leaves was placed, building up to two elegantly twisting candles that were lit. The silverware was already set out. The plates were and immaculate white with silver and gold trim the danced playfully around the edge of the pristine china. The silverware was just as beautiful, decorated by inlaid bands of metal that took the shape of vines and leaves, ending in a silver blossom. A cloth napkin the color of snow was tucked into a napkin holder made of the same pattern and next to all of this were crystal glasses, their many facets twinkling in the dim light.
After a moment's pause, everyone took their seats. It was almost completely silent in the large room, save the scraping of the chair against the wood floor. Takigawa cleared his throat uncomfortably. Silence was not always golden especially not at the moment.
Yoko sat at the head of the table and to her right sat Chikaku. Somehow, Mai ended up next to him with Naru on the other side. Next to him was Lin. Across the table were Ayako, Masako, Takigawa, and then John in that order. Masako was openly glaring at Mai.
The brunette sat nervously between the two men, her eyes darting around nervously. Though the two were purposely not looking at each other, there was still tension. In a sense, it was a battle of testosterone and Mai was caught in between.
"So, um Yoko-san. Tell me more about yourself," Mai said, her voice shattering the silence. Really, it was too quiet and the tension between the two men was too much.
Yoko turned to her, her blue eyes surprised. "Well, I have a brother as you seem to know. My parents live very far away and there's really nothing much else that's interesting about me."
"Yes, Yoko lives a very boring life," Chikaku agreed wholeheartedly. "Now you, Mai-chan. You seem very interesting. Why don't you tell us about you?" His green eyes bored into hers, giving her his undivided attention. Fighting a rising blush, Mai fought not to look away.
"Um well…" Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and for some reason, her breathing was abnormally loud. Unconsciously, she shifted slightly to the left, leaning toward Naru and away from the blonde. "Well, um. I go to a high school . . . um. . ." Mai paused. She seemed to have forgotten the name of her high school. "And I work at…um…I work…"
"Aren't we getting a little personal?" The brunette jumped slightly, hearing the silky dark voice so close to her ear. It was then that she realized that in her quest to move away from Chikaku, she ended up nearly on Naru's lap.
He was staring at the blond over her head, a strange glint in his eyes. There was something protective about the way he was positioned, his hands clenching and unclenching like they wanted to wrap around Mai and pull her away. Of course, neither Mai nor Naru realized that was what his subconscious was telling him to do.
Let's face it. Naru was not one who knew what love was or how to react to it. Jealousy was mistaken for natural dislike and butterflies in the stomach were contributed to the bad sushi he had eaten the day before. The narcissist knew a lot about the supernatural, but when it came to love, he had to be smacked in the face with it to realize what it was.
Mai on the other was a bit better. She knew she was in love with Naru. There was not debating that. The only problem was that she did not know how to proceed and she would always end up the color of a tomato during situations like such. She was stuck in the middle of two men, both too close for comfort. If she moved one way, she would bump into Chikaku. The other, she would literally end up sitting on Naru. Sliding under the table was a possibility, but since the two were so close, she would most likely brush up against their legs. There was no winning in a situation like such.
"Isn't it courteous to make small talk when at the dinner table?" Chikaku questioned politely, sounding a bit cross.
"Small talk includes the weather and how stocks are doing. They do not pertain to personal information. If they did, it would no longer be small talk," Naru shot back coolly. He was back to his unsmiling self again though the dark aura was still with him.
The blond smiled at him. "Well then, how are the stocks doing?" he asked sarcastically.
Naru returned the smile with a smirk of his own. "I wouldn't know," he said offhandishly. "I don't dabble in stocks. They are a waste of my time and money."
Chikaku flushed slightly at the answer, obviously getting a bit ticked off. Still, he didn't show it other than the color change and the tightening of his smile. "Really now?" He slowly backed up, allowing Mai room to regain he seat. He continued to watch Naru though, his spring green eyes now veiled. "Of course, not everyone sees it that way." He reached out, his long fingers wrapping around the thin stem of the crystal goblet that stood in front of him. "There are many people, perhaps even more sophisticated than you, who find the stock market entertaining." He raised it to the light and gently twirled in between his fingers, allowing the light to hit the crystal and reflect, making the wine glass dazzle in a way that made it had to look at.
"I do hope that you are not referring to yourself," Naru said lightly. "Because if you are, you should know that you are undermining your own statement." At this, Chikaku started spinning the goblet faster.
Mai had been watching the action ever since the blonde picked up the glass. Her large brown eyes seemed to reflect the light that was coming off the goblet as she watched memorized to such a state that she wasn't blinking. There was something familiar about the motion, they way the glass spun round and round, the way it cast small patterns over glossy wood and the white table cloth. It was just so familiar.
Slowly she reached out her hand, still staring at the glass. Gently she laid her hand on top of his, stopping him mid-motion. Chikaku looked at her questioningly, his green eyes reflection the confusion within, but Mai didn't even look away from the wine glass. She lifted the glass from his hand, holding it delicately.
"Mai…chan?" The brunette looked up suddenly, meeting his vivid eyes. Her own brown ones widened as she felt something twist inside of her like a knife plunging into her gut. She let out a breathy gasp that turned into a small sob. The goblet, forgotten, slipped through her small hands and landed on the floor in a tinkling crash. Small shards sprayed over the floor like tiny dewdrops.
Mai bent over and squeezed her eyes shut, the image of Chikaku's green eyes and the image of broken crystal melding together. Something was pushing out at her, tearing her apart from the inside. She could still hear everybody's voices, the concern sounds that they were making, but it was all so muffled. She gave another small sob as the pain inside threatened to tear her apart.
In the dining room, the candles suddenly blew out and the temperature instantly dropped. Everyone save Mai looked around in surprise.
"No…please…" Mai's sob brought everyone's attention back to her.
"What's going on?" Takigawa demanded, his brows pulled together with worry. Chikaku who had not said anything during the incident suddenly stood up, the sound of the chair screeching the floor echoed through the room. He started shaking his head, slowly backing away. His eyes were wide disbelief and fear as he continued moving.
Mai gave a small shudder as he backed away, then promptly went limp. Naru quickly caught her in his arms before she fell to the ground.
"Mai," he said softly, gently shaking her. "Wake up Mai." Though he would not like to admit it, he was worried what just happened to the brunette.
"She'll wake up when I tell her to wake up." A bored voice traveled across the room and everyone's attention snapped to the speaker. It was that woman again. Charnette Laurent.
She was as elegant as ever, standing at the end of the across from Yoko. Her long blond hair fell in gentle waves down her back and her amethyst eyes were playful though that did not hide the deadly intent in them. She was no longer in the white gown from before, but rather, she had changed into a deep blue one, contrasting strikingly with her hair.
Yoko was still as she locked eyes with the spirit. There was something indescribable in her eyes, almost like a mixture of fear and regret. Yet there was something else.
It was Charnette who broke contact first as she turned her attention to the blonde next to Yoko. She tilted her head slightly to the side, slowly looking him over. "Blond hair does not suit you," she said simply, turning away from him. Her attention soon settled on Naru and in Naru's arms, Mai. Her features seem to soften as she looked at Mai, making her seem almost ethereal. She would have made a fine goddess.
"She's a delicate one, isn't she?" Charnette started walking toward Mai, not bothering to step around the chairs and the table in her way.
"Don't touch her!" Takigawa snapped from his position. He started chanting, the haunting sound the only thing heard in the room. Charnette stared at him for a moment before raising her hand to her chest. She hissed lightly, her eyes flickering to Mai before returning to the monk.
"You people are all the same." Her delicate voice from before had turned into an angry growl. Her violet eyes darkened as her bottom half started disappearing into wisps of air. Her features twisted into a grimace as Takigawa continued his chant, showing the pain she was in from the spell. "Fine!" she cried, nearly screaming. The pain was making her lose control. "I said we were going to play a game. Well then, let's PLAY!" She shrieked the last word before disappearing, the candles immediately relighting themselves.
Everyone let out a shaky breath and Ayako even forced out a chuckle of relief. The sandy haired monk sat down heavily in his chair.
"How is Mai?" John asked, leaning over the large table. Naru looked down at the sleeping brunette in his arms. Her lashes were casting a faint shadow over her cheek and her lips were parted slightly in a picture of innocent vulnerability. Watching her, Naru felt his heart skip a beat. Not that it showed or anything.
He looked up quickly and shot everyone a reassuring smirk. "The idiot's just sleeping," he said mildly. "She's quite heavy."
"Here." Takigawa stood up and started making his way around the table. "Let me carry her to her room." He had nearly reached Mai before Masako suddenly shouted.
"STOP!" Everyone glanced at her. The medium was staring fearfully at the dozing brunette. "It's not over yet," she whispered. Like a prophecy, everything went cold and once again, the candles flickered out.
Mai shifted in the narcissist's arms. "Mai?" he questioned softly. Her eyes snapped opened, staring up into his sapphire toned ones. But gone were the warm chocolate orbs and in its place were ones of a gem like color. Amethyst. Her lips which were usually in a kind smile or a cut pout twisted into a cold smirk, matching her emotionless eyes.
"Put me down," she commanded, her usually gentle voice taking a deadly edge. Slightly stunned, Naru didn't know what to do. Heaving a small sigh, the brunette saw that it was pointless to repeat herself so with a fluid and elegant movement that did not belong to her, she twisted out of Naru's arms, landing on her feet like a cat.
"Brown-san!" the narcissist snapped, coming to his senses. John nodded, immediately understanding. He started on his prayers, pulling the cross he always wore form under his shirt. He had left this his bottle of holy water in his room, so he had to make do.
". . .and may God bless. . ."
"Don't even think about it." John did not pause from his chanting, but did glance at the brunette with his gray blue eyes.
Mai jumped onto the table, literally floating in the air before her feet landed on the wooden surface. "I really wouldn't do that if I were you," she said softly. There was a lilt of amusement in her voice as she looked down at the priest. She ran a hand through her chocolate locks, her eyelids lowering into a sultry gaze. Her lips, already twisted into a smirk deepened into something that was darker. "You wouldn't want this delicate body," she twirled a strand of hair round her finger, "accidentally break, would you?" Mai raised her other hand, a fragment of crystal between in her fingers.
A dark chuckle rose from her throat and the voice of Charnette could be heard, shadowing Mai's. She slowly ran the piece of crystal along her bottom lip, watching as John stopped and lowered his cross.
"What are you doing?" Ayako asked, sounding extremely anger and worried.
Mai switched her gaze to the miko, her expression not changing. If anything, it became darker. "Oops." With the smallest of slips, the piece of crystal slid down her finger drawing a rivet of blood. "Look at what you made me do."
"You…!"
The brunette watched the enraged red head, switching the glass to her other hand. An eyebrow lifted in response as she wrapped her mouth around her finger, sucking on the wound. "Wouldn't it be awful," she removed her finger, "if my hand slipped again?" She had the sharp crystal, now shining with blood, in the palm of her hand, the pointed edge against her wrist. One small push and it would puncture her skin and move down, cutting her veins open. "I would end the life of this delicate little body."
Naru who had been watching silently till now, stepped forward only the slightest bit. "Don't do it, Mai" he said calmly, his blue eyes piercing into her. The brunette remained unfazed though as glared right back at him. Her violet eyed were a deep indigo now, a flicker of anger running through them.
"Mai is not here," she said coldly, her manner instantly changing as she gazed at him.
"That's not true," Naru said simply, not even fazed by the sudden expression of pure anger filling the brunette's features. "You can only push her out of her body. You can't get rid of her completely."
"NO!" she shrieked, a wind flowing through the room, blowing her short hair around her. She was seething as she locked eyes with the narcissist, but the look on her face told everyone that she knew it was true. What almost everyone missed though was the slight flicker of her lips that only Chikaku saw. She was planning something.
Still seething, Mai raised a hand and along with it, the glass shards from the broken goblet floated up along with the silver forks and knives that had lain on the table. "Well then," she hissed, "If you won't let me end the life in this body, I could always just end yours." Still, Naru did nothing to react.
With a swift motion, she swung her hand around and the utensils flew forward, aiming for the young man. Just before they hit him though, Chikaku jumped forward, blocking the narcissist from the attack.
Mai's eyes widened as she saw this, something like fear flashing through the violet orbs. With a quick flick, she stopped everything before they impaled the blond, leaving the forks, knives, and crystal shards hovering only centimeters away from his body. "What are you doing?" she asked hoarsely. Her hand was shaking now as spring eyes watched her.
Chikaku did not answer her though. "No!" she finally said, backing away on the table. Her foot narrowly missed the bouquet of roses. "You can't do this!" Her hand was still up, but the shaking was so bad that the things she was levitating were also starting to shake. Still, he did nothing but watch her. "Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" Suddenly, she pulled her hand away and clenched both of them around her head as she doubled over, an expression of pain once again on Mai's face. The chandelier exploded above them and shards of glass rained down on everyone.
She opened her eyes and looked at the two mean. Naru had moved from behind Chikaku and was now next to him. "Naru…" she whispered, hardly more than a breath. Her eyes flicker just like it had in the ballroom, and turned deep amber again. The narcissist took a step forward, but Chikaku quickly shot out an arm, holding him back. Mai closed her eyes, then opened them again, still brown, but underneath, a shadow stirred and soon, violet bled into earthly shade.
"No, no." She started shaking her head, taking another step back.
"John, now!" Ayako whispered urgently to him. The blond priest nodded and started praying again. Where was the holy water when he needed it?
Mai didn't bother to turn around when she heard the Australian's voice. She was in too much pain, the two entities battling within her. Her eyes flickered back into a brown, but moments later the violet would come back, full force.
This time, it was Chikaku who took the step forward, his green eyes sharper than ever. "Release her," he said softly. Still, there was power behind his word. "You can't fight. Release her." Mai, or rather, Charnette looked like she wanted to say something, but at that moment, John reached the climax of his prayer. An unearthly scream tore form Mai's through as she squeezed her eyes shut once again and cover her head, but that wasn't to last as she suddenly arched back, a blur of white rising from her.
Charnette formed for a moment, just long enough to sneer at the blond before disappearing once again. The temperature rose once again and the room soon brightened as flames can to life. The chandelier was completely broken and the shards laid glimmering everywhere. Everyone had at least several small cuts on them if not more and silver utensils were in a half circle on the floor, surrounding the two conflicting men.
Mai was still on the dining room table, standing near the edge. She swayed a bit, blinking a few times as her conscience returned to her. But before she could fully regain herself, she toppled backwards, right into the arms of Takigawa.
"Hello Bou-san." Then, she blacked out once again.
And that's the end of that. Thank you all for reading, and I really do apologize for taking such a long time. For some reason, my inspiration decided to go on vacation, but now it's back. Yay!!
Anyway, I've introduced Chikaku. He has quite a part in this story, but I don't think he'll much of a part in the next chapter. I hope you like him though. I thought I'd be good for Naru to get some compition. Haha. Remember to review!