Case 1: Circle You

Naru's P.O.V

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I ask Anya. Her plan sounds a bit sketchy, and I am not liking the sound of it if it doesn't work.

"Yes, if all goes well, it should go without a hitch", she says. She turns to the group, "Any last minute questions?"

Currently we were gathered in the attic, or as Anya put it, her bedroom. Madame came back inside and she took us upstairs to "make our base" as we all put it. She didn't suspect a thing.

"Yeah, what about the ghosts? What will happen to them?" Monk asks.

"The spirits of the children want to see Madame get what she deserves", Anya answers, "Once she does, they will leave without a problem." Monk nods his head. The room falls silent. To this Anya claps her hands together, easily getting everyone's attention.

"Alright, so everyone knows the plan, but to insure that there is no confusion, I'll explain it again." No one complains. They all listen intently.

"Ayako, Mosako, John, an Monk will all head downstairs. Monk and John will go outside and wait for their cue. If asked what they are doing, you will say that you are only going to get something from the van that was forgotten. Ayako and Masako will find and tell Madame that Naru has some questions he wants to have answered about the property. You will offer to watch the children while she's busy. Once she leaves. You two will take the children away from here. In case something happens, we want to make sure there are as little casualties as possible.

"Once Madame is up here, Naru can ask a few questions about the property. Once they are asked, mention that a shed was found on the outskirts of the property, and you are wondering what that is for. She will make some sort of lie up, so you will have to ask as many questions about it as possible. We want her to freak out and run to the shed.

"When she is out the door, John and Monk, who are equipped with walkie-talkies, cameras, and anything else needed, will chase after her until she has reached the shed. Once there and the door is UNLOCKED, and I stress about the unlocking part because Madame and only Madame knows how to open that door, you two will tie her up and make sure she won't get in the way.

"Once Madame is secured, Naru and I will head to the shed. Lin will stay here to keep watch just to be safe. If this goes according to plan, we should have Mai back by tonight."

Anya finishes and looks at each member, making sure that everyone understands perfectly clear that this plan has to go perfectly, or else the outcome is unimaginable.

"Good", she says, "Suit up."

"Good luck guys", Anya says to the four who will be heading downstairs. They give nervous smiles and disappear down the creaky stairs. I sit next to Lin by the monitors, watching and waiting for Madame.

Anya comes up behind me, "You know what you're going to say to Madame?"

I shake my head ever so slightly. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little terrified at this whole thing. I want Mai to come home safely, but if one thing goes wrong, this entire plan comes crumbling down. I haven't even thought of the first thing I would say to Madame.

"I'll improvise", I say.

Anya only gives a small laugh., "Good luck with that", she says. She sits down on the worn mattress in the corner of the room and starts fiddling with a loose strand of string.

What feels like hours go by before Madame can be seen coming up the stairs. Seconds later she is in the room, staring at us with a bittersweet smile, "Your co-workers informed me that you had a few questions that needed to be answered?"

"Yes, Please have a seat", I say. I take a deep breath, that doesn't go unnoticed by Lin, and tell myself its just like interviewing a normal client, "I was wondering if you had any records of a burial place, such as a graveyard."

Madame gives me a puzzled look, "Why would you need such information?"

"The corpses of children don't vanish like that", I say calmly.

I can see the gears turning in her head, "Well no, I don't know of any such graveyard. Heck, I don't even know where the bodies could have gone. They always seemed to just vanish, as you put it", she replies.

I stumble for words. I don't know what else to say. I have to say something. Come on, Oliver, you don't just come to a loss for words. You're too smart for that.

Mention finding blueprints that called for another secret building, a voice in my head says.

"Well I came across a very interesting find that called for a smaller building that was made somewhere around here, I was wondering if you knew about that", I say, following the instructions given to me probably by Gene.

A strange, almost deranged look passes over Madame face, but vanishes as quickly as is had appeared, "No, I don't know of it", she says carefully, "If it does exist, though, I'm sure no one has found it."

I smirk slightly. Picking up the walkie-talkie, I radio for Monk. Anya stares at me, as if to ask me what I am doing. I know what I am doing.

Monk replies a few seconds later, "What's up, Naru?"

"Have you found the shed yet?" I say while looking at Madame. Her eyes grow too large for someone who supposedly didn't know about its existence.

"Yeah I think we did", Monk says. Anya started to get viably nervous. She gets up slowly and walks to the monitor screen. I watch her as she looks frantically at each individual screen, then relaxes as she sees Monk and John in their positions, ready to follow Madame when she runs off to find them.

"Naru", Lin says. I look at him, silently telling him to continue, "She's gone", he states a little matter-of-factually. I look around the room. So she has, I think. I radio Ayaok and Masako, letting them know what's going on. They inform me that the children are safe and oblivous to what is currently unfolding.

I breath a sigh of relief. Without Gene, I probably never would have made it.

You owe me a sister-in-law now, his voice says in a sing-song tone. I roll my eyes, but don't say anything.

Anya, Lin and I wait for John and Monk to finish their chases. About five minutes ago, they bolted from their hiding place in some bushes by the front door. Ten minutes pass, and nothing comes in. Another ten minutes pass and still nothing. An irritated radio form Ayako and ten more minutes later, John finally calls us.

"It's safe now, mate", he says in a breathless tone, "She put up a good fight, but we were able to knock her out. You have about an hour before she wakes."

I look to Anya. She nods and stands. I stand as well, giving Lin a glance before following Anya down to the front door.

About fifteen minutes pass before Anya decides to speak, "What are you going to do with Mai?"

The question throws me off guard a little. I honestly didn't think that far ahead. I ponder a bit before answering, "I will offer her a job as my assistant once again, and hope she accepts it."

"And after that?" Anya pushes for an answer. It annoys me a little but I keep my face clear of any sign.

"Let fate handle the rest", I state simply. Anya gives me a ridiculous look.

"You have feelings for her, don't you?" she asks.

"I don't think you would take no for an answer, even if I did say no", I reply flatly.

She rolls her eyes, "Either way, you have to treat her with respect", She says. I opened my mouth to say something, but she cuts me off, "Mai will no doubt rekindle her feelings for you. I remember hearing her think out loud sometimes and she would say how she hoped you would come back to her, and how you would save her from the hell she's living. She wants you in her life, Naru, whether its just as friends or as something more. She needs you."

I am speechless. I didn't to believe it. I didn't want to think that I could have effected someone as strong-willed as Mai so much that they said they needed me to save them. I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or flattered. Maybe they're the same thing.

"We're here", Anya says, drawing me out of my thoughts and back to reality. The shed is in sight. Its small, almost too small, with dirty creame walls and a fading green roof. The door is open slightly and John stands in the doorway. He waves to us once he sees us.

"Hello mates! Monk's with Madame so you two should be good to go down there", he says cheerfully. I give a nod to him and walk to the steep steps that lead down. At the first step, Anya stops. I turn to look at her and she gives me a small smile.

"I'll let you go down there by yourself. I think you should be the first person Mai sees." I stay still for a while before turning back to the stairs. I'm grateful that she let me head down there, but if Mai isn't alive, I don't think I would have the mental and emotional stability to be there on my own. But with each step I take, I become more and more anxious. This will be the first time in three years that I see Mai. The Mai that I so rudely left behind, destroying her life and causing her all this pain. I suddenly falter. What if I am the last person she wants to see? What if she hates me? My breathing gets shorter and shallower.

Stop being stupid and go to her, Gene says exasperatedly. I jog the rest of the stairs and finally reach the bottom. The sight that greets me is horrifying to say the least. The room is not too big, with a single flickering light in the center of the room. Dried blood paints the walls a sickly reddish-brown. Machines and devices that look as if they inflict much unwanted pain are scattered about the room. But the biggest thing that stands out from the rest is a figure laying in the middle of the room. Their skin is so pale, a piece of paper would look more healthy than that. Their dull brown hair is knotted and dry-looking. The length of it says that it just reaches the small of their back. Bony arms and legs are chained to the floor.

I walk slowly to the figure. This can't be Mai. Once I reach the person, I kneel to the ground, and with much difficulty manage to say something.

"Mai?" I whisper, loud enough for the figure in front of me to hear, if they are even alive.

They open their eyes with much effort, as if they haven't been open for the longest time. I am shocked to see dull, tired, but familiar chocolate brown eyes staring back at me.

"Naru?", she croaks. She looks and sounds as though she hasn't had water in days.

I relax my unknown tense muscles, "My god, its you."

Mai gives me a weak smile. She suddenly goes into a fit of coughing. It breaks me of my trance. I need to get her free. I look at the chains and realize that they don't have a lock. I start to pry them open, and after much struggling, I finally manage to get them to release Mai.

Mai, being too weak to move, just lays limp on the ground. I gather her in my arms and hold her tightly. Her skin was freezing, but I don't care. Mai was here, she was safe.

I finally found her. And I couldn't be more relieved.

The moment was short lived, when pounding footsteps are heard coming closer to the room. My heartbeat seems to speed up, and when I see who is standing in the doorway, my heart plummets.

Madame stands there, crazed and insane, holding Anya by her hair. A gleaming knife is grasped tightly in the other hand.

"Hasn't anyone told you to keep your nose out of places where it doesn't belong?", Madame says in a tone so sinister, it makes my blood goes cold. Mai starts shaking violently. Thankfully her face is buried in my chest so she can't see what's about to happen, but she probably can take a good guess.

Anya has tears running down her face. She looks frightened, and she has every right to. She mouths an 'I'm sorry". Madame gives a terrifying laugh, "NAUGHTY CHILDREN MUST BE PUNISHED!" and with that, She plunges the knife into Anya's neck. Gagging, Anya's eyes widen and her pupils become smaller. almost dots. The tip of the knife splits through her throat, allowing blood to spurt and pour out from the front. Anya's clothes soon become soaked with dark liquid. Madame twirls the knife around the puncture before finally sliding it back out and releasing Anya's hair. She crumples to the ground in a bloody heap. I can do nothing but stare and clutch Mai's weak form closer to my body.

Madame, who also seemed to have gotten blood on herself, looks at me with a twisted grin.

"Your turn", she says.

AN: HEY GUYS! I am sooooooooooooooooooo sorry i know this is late but, well, i'm blaming school XD anyways i hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it longer than the rest to kinda make up for the lack of updates. Useful info: Yasu wasn't added in this case cuz i kinda forgot about him and wellllllll i didn't exactly feel like putting him in here. If you put Yasu in a case then he's gonna have to have some funny lines and i couldn't think of anything so i just left him out. In case you were wondering. He will appear in the future though for all you Yasu lovers out there ;) so don't get your knickers in a twist XD yes i just said that don't judge

Sorry about the ending, i know some to most people won't like how i killed Anya, but i honestly couldn't see her going too far into the story. There will be more characters who will play a role in a few chapters and then maybe eventually die. so again i am sorry if you don't like how i do things, but please no hate. You don't like it don't read it. Simple as that.

Contest is going still. And it will close when this case comes to an end. So like two or three chapters more :P thanks to all who have entered, really appreciate it. I will announce the winner at the end of the last chapter XP

Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys, I do like to hear the feedback you guys give. If there is something i can improve on, don't be shy to tell me. I love feedback, just don't make it too harsh Kay :)

Anyways, I end this AN here. Review, like, follow, fav, you know the drill. Until next time :D

TA-TA DARLINGS

-Scarlet Skies