A/N: Next chapter is on time! GO ME!
Slight tinges of light roused Naru singling the coming morning of the third day they had been at the rustic manor. It was not yet dawn and Naru groaned at the ungodly time at which he had awoken. He didn't know why he had awoken so early but he wasn't ready to start the day quite just yet.
Careful not to make any noise, Naru settled back down into the bed shifting his position only slightly. He glanced over at the day bed and abruptly shot upright. Even with the minimal light filtering into the room, it was clear that Mai was missing from the bed and from the room. Had she gone to the bathroom?
Naru scanned the room again, slowly and critically, but Mai was nowhere to be found; he had never heard her leave…
"Mai is missing." The voice shattered the silence of the still room and Naru quickly dressed and made his way to the door. Even if she had merely gone to the bathroom, he couldn't swallow the unease that was building in his gut.
"Wait!" Lin quickly rose and followed suit. "I'll go with you." The situation was understandable but Lin knew what his top priority was. He knew that Naru cared for Mai, in his own way, and that he was concerned for her well being but at the moment there was something even more pressing. His top concern was to protect Naru from getting possessed.
It would be extremely dangerous for not only Naru but everyone else as well if he were. He was much too powerful for his own good, and on his own he was even more dangerous. Lin knew he needed to be vigilant and keep his guard up for the both of them…he couldn't afford to get possessed either.
Spirits, like animals, hungered for those that were inclined to them…especially those that were strong and posed a challenge…and Naru was certainly strong. He was guarded and in most cases was extremely difficult to possess but that didn't mean that spirits and the like didn't try. As young as he was, Naru was like the ultimate conquest…
It was obvious that something was not right but Naru didn't know where to start…he could see where she went, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to…he never knew what he might watch…
Making a quick decision, Naru did the next best thing and headed to the base room. He slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside followed closely by Lin. The room, much like the rest of the house, was dim and darkened with the coming morning. The large picture window flooded the room with ample light and Naru was relieved to see Mai standing there in just an oversized t-shirt looking out the window at the breaking dawn.
Naru's sentiments were short lived, however. Something was wrong…even though Mai's back was to them Naru could see well enough that something wasn't right. Mai's feet were weathered and dirty as well as her hands and arms. Her hair was laced with bits of debris and foliage clung throughout.
"Mai?" Naru called out and attempted to move forward but was quickly stopped by Lin. The older man shook his head wordlessly and approached the girl himself. The last thing he needed on his hands was an all out brawl between a possessed Mai and an insanely powerful Naru. Lin slowly and carefully rounded in front of Mai, he dared not touch her…
Naru anxiously awaited word from the entranceway of the room. He was not stupid, nor was he blind, he knew why Lin was doing what he was doing…it was the logical choice after all, but it didn't change the fact that Naru wanted to be there instead of him…
"Go get the others…" Lin commanded after a moment. Naru felt a jab of worry but quickly complied without word or delay. He trusted Lin and knew that he should listen to him without question especially given the situation. Even though he didn't like it, this could have been the break they had been waiting for.
"What is going on?" Ayako voiced sleepily after being summoned to the base room in a rush; the rest of the team arrived as well and joined her in the room only to find Mai already clearly possessed.
"What the hell happened!" Bou-san demanded after taking in Mai's appearance. She was still standing unmoving looking out the picture window, torn up flowers at her feet. Her eyes were deathly vacant and her skin was unusually pale. It was like looking at a breathing doll…
"We should wash her up! She's dirty and probably freezing!" Ayako stated with great concern. She, and the others, had no real idea what had happened but Naru had personally come and told them in a deathly serious voice that they all had to go to the base room. Mai had been outside that much was obvious. She was unresponsive and blank. Who knew how long she had been out doors not to mention she was wearing next to nothing; it was not healthy in the least.
"No." Naru retorted immediately. "We need her here like this." He was referring to the fact that they had finally cornered the spirit and it actually seemed like it was content not to leave.
"I can exorcise it…" John offered after a few minutes of silence. No one was doing anything and Mai was not going to get better any time soon if nothing was done.
"Wait…don't touch her…" Naru blocked the way with and outstretched arm. He knew that they could exorcise her at any time but he wanted to observe the spirit with his own eyes. They had finally cornered it on their side of the court and he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by. At the sound of Naru's voice, Mai's blank eyes shifted to gaze in the boy's direction.
Naru stared, unmoving, directly back. "What are you?" he demanded calmly but Mai remained silent, seemingly inspecting him with empty eyes. "Is there something that you want?" Mai continued to stare blankly back, unchanging in any way.
It was like something was there yet at the same time, not. It was not quite like any possession Naru had ever seen. It was obviously a simple possession, yet at the same time it was not acting like he would have expected. Naru was about to ask another question but stopped as soon as he watched Mai's doll-like lips inch up into an eerie and sinister smirk. He didn't even have the chance to react before Mai's limp body crumbled to the floor with a noticeable thud.
"Find the rest of the family and see if it has moved onto any of them. Be aware that there may be more here than just this one. We have not ruled out anything yet!" Naru quickly commanded leaving Mai's body untouched.
The others rushed from the room and Naru slowly hunched down to get a better look at Mai. She didn't look too bad all things considered, but she didn't look well in the least either. She was dirty and cold but nothing a warm bath wouldn't fix. There would have been hell to pay if she had come back with any more damage than what she had…that much was for certain.
"What do you think?" Naru finally asked Lin calmly. He had not felt anything peculiar the entire time, even when Mai had fainted…
"I don't know…" Lin admitted truthfully. "This thing does not play by the rules…" He had not sensed a single thing either…
Suddenly and without warning, Mai's eyes popped open thoroughly startling both men despite the fact that they were both used to such occurrences. They didn't show it much but it didn't make it any less scary.
Mai's body slowly rose to a sitting position and much to their horror she was still without a doubt possessed. "What are you!" Naru demanded forcefully, much stronger than last time but still it elicited no response.
Morning had finally come and Naru could not help but notice that 'it' seemed to be focused on the large window at the back of the room…he feared that harm may come to Mai if the situation continued for much longer. He recalled what the family had testified to…
When possessed, the people would be found in strange places and sometimes with cuts and other injuries. Some had even become violent when confronted, which was why Naru did not want Mai to have any contact what so ever. The last thing he needed was for her…'it'…to feel threatened nor did he need 'it' to flee or transfer somewhere out of his reach again.
"All the family members are accounted for and all seem normal in personality and appearance." The team returned and reported their findings.
"I thought as much…" Naru dryly responded and took a step away. "It appears that the thing never left Mai to begin with like we had originally thought."
"She's still possessed!" Bou-san looked over and sadly confirmed it to be so. "What the hell is going on? I didn't think that they stayed possessed for long, and who knows how long she has been like this."
"What are we going to do?" Masako asked quietly. "It still won't talk to us…"
"What other options do we have besides expelling it?" Ayako voiced the obvious. It was not like there was a lot that could be done once someone had already been possessed. Maybe it really had been cornered and they could finally put an end to the whole case?
"We'll-"
Mai suddenly made a break for it directly toward the large picture window. Without much thought, Naru grabbed her away and pulled her to the ground. True to his thought, Mai immediately started to struggle against his touch and fight off his hold. He straddled her, holding her firmly to the floor.
Mai tried to make noise as she battled her assailant but no words found their way out. Naru quickly pinned her flailing arms over her head and used his body to keep her from thrashing. "John!"
"Got it!"
Naru had wanted to get more information from the incident since he thought getting someone possessed right in front of them would possibly lead to some answers but he couldn't risk Mai's safety or their own…not to mention that it was fairly clear that 'it' was not talking…
John skillfully exorcized Mai and a soft scream escaped her lips before she fell limp on the floor. Besides the sound of her breathing, it had been the first noise she had made during the entire ordeal. No matter how hard they pushed, Mai had remained annoyingly silent…
"Check the house again and the family…" Naru looked down at Mai with an unreadable expression. "It's safe to assume that like with the previous attempts, the spirit is not gone…but has probably simply moved on to the next host."
Mai remained unconscious on the floor as the rest of the team vacated the room leaving Lin and Naru alone with the unmoving girl. It was not the first time Mai had been possessed but for some reason Naru was unusually bothered by it. It didn't seem like any great harm had come to her but he still felt uneasy. Naru was annoyed to no end that they had yet to solve the case; the case was supposed to be simple but it was turning out to be anything but.
Naru could only hope that something would change so that they would at least have something to go on…
~Chapter 7 End~
A/N: Well, we all probably saw that coming but I hope it is still interesting! Please review and keep me posted on your thoughts! Thanks!