Hi! I think this time it was earlier than last time. I said I will update every week but I am alternating my other story with this one... so, every other week, ok?... Thanks to all the reviewers for your encouraging reviews and ignoring my typographical errors. I will revise this before posting, so hopefully there won't be as much rambling or confusing sentences...

"this is talking of the spirit"

people thinking

Disclaimer: I do Not own Ghost Hunt, won't it be fun if I could, but it's impossible.

Chapter 7

Dream Sequence

"Gene"

The referred man chuckled at her response. He walked towards her, that's when Mai realized that there was not a slight change in his features... same handsome, smiling features.

"I don't age here, Mai." He said as if knowing what she was thinking. Seeing her almost-crying form, he hugged her out of impulse. She finally started crying and hugged him back.

"Seems like my little brother didn't say anything about me to you, how cruel... hey, Mai, are you happy that I am back?" He asked still embracing her. He felt her nod as she broke away and looked questioningly at him.

"Why are you back... didn't move on after he found you." She said wiping her tears away.

"I don't know," Gene shrugged.

"This case, I think, is dangerous for you, because seems like your power has grown and so did your sensitivity." He changed to a more serious and urgent subject, he didn't have enough time.

"Mai, I was lucky to save you the first time, but listen carefully, and don't ever go to that room alone. I will try to talk to Noll as soon as possible, and also guide you in your dreams... most of the times...the spirit is much powerful than me and can block me sometimes."

Before she could ask him a few more questions about her previous dream, he faded away.

I guess, I am on my own.

Her surrounding slowly changed and she came in a study where a worried man and woman in their fifties were talking, more precisely arguing, with Rosa, who looked angry and flustered. Probably her parents, Mai deduced.

"I have had enough!" She shouted. The older woman quickly went towards her to calm her down.

"Rosa, listen calmly, that man is not suitable for you. And here we are not talking only talking about wealth, he is a despicable-" Her father looked directly at her and then looked at the burning firewoods.

"Father, please." Rosa said with greeted teeth. "I know you don't like him, but he changed and he loves me."

"Rosa, you don't understand. He still only after your money." Her mother now let her seated down and talked much slowly.

"You don't understand, mother. He doesn't want money." Rosa buried her head on the older woman's shoulder.

"We have asked around the village and also in town. No one have any good opinions of him," the father tried to argue with her once more but in vain as she started to shake her head.

"I don't care about any one else's opinion, not even your's. I will marry him." She said before standing up to leave the room. Her parent's eyes widened when they realized what their only daughter just said.

"Rosa, you are not going to marry any wretched person as him, I have already set your engagement with Mr. George tomorrow." This time the father talked in more stern voice while Rosa listened with her back towards them on the doorway.

Now the surroundings changed once again and Mai found herself in the middle of the beautifully decorated ball-room (a.n: the famous that room with the picture) filled with people dressed in elegant Victorian clothing.

"It was a shameful thing. We agreed to your proposal, but that daughter of yours was so foolish to run away with a thief. Shameful!" A man shouted in the room gaining everyone's attention. He was talking to Rosa's father, who was sitting on a chair with his head in his hands.

"You are a disgrace to the famous Krogstad family, whom I respected. Your nurturing of your daughter gives a clear picture of your own integrity and honor." He kept insulting as some others joined in.

Whispers spread in the room. Mai figured that Rosa eloped with the man she loved on her engagement. Mai felt sorry for the aged parents who were silently listening to all the affront.

The scene changed once again. They were in the same room but it was empty and Rosa's father and mother in the corner of the room were crying.

"It is really sad when you are betrayed by your only daughter." Mr. Krogstad said in melancholy.

"I never thought she would do it," Mrs. Krogstad managed between sobs. "We need to find them and bring them back."

End of Dream

-xxxxxxx-

She woke up more in a uneasy state than scared or terrified, which for a change felt good and yet bad. She touched her cheeks and saw that they were slightly watery. And for some reason, she felt hungry too.

She quietly got up from her bed and noticing little Gene sleeping, she couldn't help herself smiling. The three looks so similar, Naru, Gene and Gene. Mai chuckled at her own statement. She got the sheets to cover him nicely and left in quest of some food.

It was 1 am. She walked along the stretched hallway recalling her dream. You love someone dearly and your parents don't think they are right for you, then I wonder who you will chose? Your lover or parents, I don't know if you can really blame Rosa, Mai mused.

She didn't realize that she was already in the kitchen. She stopped in front of the counter tops that surrounded the little area of the cabinet and refrigerator and saw a yellow light from the inside of the refrigerator and suddenly jumped at the dark figure.

"Don't jump, idiot. I am not a ghost." Naru's face emerged from behind the fridge door.

"Eh?" She was slightly shocked seeing him coming from the fridge, well not literally, but she couldn't see his face until now as he was bending down, looking into the fridge.

"Can't you form some more intelligible words." He teased.

"What are you doing here?... In the middle of the night?" Mai asked him as she sat down at one of the chairs at the counter.

"What are you doing here?... In the middle of the night?" He successfully mimicked her words causing her to be at a loss of words. There was silence in the air as Mai stared at her fingernails and Naru at Mai.

"I was hungry." Both said together trying to break the awkward silence. At this Mai just smiled widely and went towards the cabinets to check for some snacks to eat.

Naru, on the other hand, sat down at one of the chair with his cold pasta. He looked at it with a distasteful look but nonetheless used a fork to curl the cold strip. It was hard for him to eat, because, well, it was a cold dish in a cold night, doesn't really match up.

He could go and heat it up but he was just not energetic to move that much. He hasn't eaten for the whole day and the way they were stuck at the case, it seemed this would be the routine for a few more days.

By this time, Mai sat down beside him biting her muffin-cake, that she found in the cup-board. For a brief second, she wondered why there was a cupboard in such a modern kitchen, but she didn't care, what, or who, she cared about was now staring at his food, which she recognized to be cold and not really his taste. Mai also noted that he looked tired and drained.

She gently took the dish from him when he was halfway through putting his fork in his mouth. "How can you eat such cold things? I will heat that up for you."

He just stared blankly at her moving figure for the whole time, at the same time gulping down the not-so-appetizing food.

Mai stood there gazing at the timer of the microwave as she remembered about her dream and Gene. She wanted to ask Naru about him and probably tell him about her dreams too. Ting. Still in thoughts she carefully took that out and put in front of still-staring Naru.

"Thank You." He muttered, actually he was more grateful than that, but he was too sleepy to say much. But he was concerned about her too, because for a moment she looked deep in thought, a expression that didn't suit her at all.

"Whoa! That's a new. You said Thank You. Seems like you have improved." Mai suddenly exclaimed, ruining the perfect clam moment.

"Then I take that back." This time Naru smirked before eating.

"How mean." She turned towards her cake and once again, strain covered her usual cheerful features. Should I ask Naru about Gene, yet? Tell him about my dreams? I am confused!

"So you have met him already." Naru had a sharp insight on human mind which sometimes scared Mai, but this time she didn't jump but nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" This time Mai was engrossed in her food, staring at it.

"You figured on your own."

"Being the genius you are, I thought you already knew that if you told me before, it would have been much better." She sort of snapped at him but in a more calm manner.

"..."

"Whatever. I can never win against you... Do you know the reason?"

"No" She sighed, but she cheered once again finding an interesting fact.

"That's new once again. The great Oliver Davis doesn't know something." Mai grinned.

"Mai" Naru glared at her daring her to say that again.

"Fine...fine." Mai muttered and her thoughts drifted towards the case. It was impossible for her to figure out anything with two or three dreams. She debated asking Naru about more information.

"What happened?" He asked and she looked at him and saw slight concern in his eyes. May be Naru really changed.

"Thoughtful expressions doesn't suit your stupid face." Naru smirked again. Mai changed her opinion instantly, Or may be not.

"So?" He asked.

"Did you find anything about the case?"

"No, the record of this area burned down ten years ago leaving no trace of anything. Lin asked around only to find out that there was only one death in history of this house, according to them. They say different stories about who and how and its mostly exaggeration or myths."

"Lin tried to get rid of the spell on the client's daughter... he need some time to figure it out."

"hn" Mai rested her head on her right hand and was getting drowsy. She didn't realize that Naru was done and washing the dish.

"Mai, go to bed. And if you meet that idiot tell him to talk to me." This statement caused Mai to gain her consciousness back.

Although, Mai was not his assistant anymore, he has some kind of authority in his voice that compels Mai to do everything he says, even when she doesn't want to. She tried to remember what Gene said about Naru.

"He said he will try to get some information about the case and that it is..." She stopped realizing that she was going to recite the whole statement about her being in danger, which was, to herself, rather unimportant.

"...and nothing." She smiled and hurried back to her room. Naru was not that stupid, he saw she was about to say something but didn't. Something to do with her dreams, I guess. He sighed contemplating what he could do to make her talk. He was walking to his room to have a good night's sleep, when-

"Noll, save her."

That caught him off guard. He had no idea of where she went. The most usual route will be to her room. So, he ran that way. When he was half-way there, he thought something better and changed his directions.

-xxxxxxx-

Mai was walking to her room. She knew she would get lost or take ten minutes to get to her room because she was too drowsy to pay full attention. However, after a few minutes, she realized that she was just walking in circles.

It wasn't really that hard to get down. So, why was it harder to get to her room?

She was getting frustrated, then she saw that she came in front of the huge ball room. She was curious about how she ended on the other side of manor and why, but again it might not be the best decision.

I don't think I could go back to my room, without going in first, she stood in front of the doors, I also seem to have a headache, probably because I am so sleepy. I can take this chance.

She slowly opened the doors and after a few steps, froze on her tracks feeling danger. She jumped at the click of the doors closing. She remained motionless for a few more seconds when an eerie voice spoke making her shudder.

"Welcome, little intruder."

This time she felt something behind her but was too afraid to turn. In a flash, the figure was standing in front of her within a few feet away. It was a woman in white dress with blood-shot eyes, where the blood seemed still fresh. Mai recognized the woman to be Rosa.

"R-r-osa?" Mai asked and the spirit merely smiled confirming her assumption. Rosa was stepping forward towards Mai as she kept stepping backwards.

Mai was staring at her eyes, not having any idea what to do more. She somewhat knew the chants but those might not work and cause more problems. For now she wanted to talk, but the her headache was getting worse too.

"W-why... wh-what do yo-you wa-want?" She forced the words out, but stuttering. She out one hand on her head to stop the pain.

"Just a little conference with you." Rosa said in an amusing way.

"Mai, Mai" Someone was banging the door. "Naru" Before Mai could say anything else:

"May be we should go somewhere more private, right?" The last words that Mai remembered before she was in her dream world.

-xxxxxxx-

Dream Sequence

She was in a dark space and found the figure still staring at her with a bemused smile.

"It was not pleasant seeing you in my memories. You know, I don't like that." Rosa talked with her in such a casual way that Mai could almost mistake her for a nice spirit, except for the creepy smile, of course.

"Don't make mistakes. Because I didn't kill you instantly doesn't make me nice. Look down at your wrist." Mai looked at her wrist and found a red mark in the for of a x. It was a deep wound, but she didn't know when or how she got it.

"Look at it carefully." The spirit instructed once again.

The red was getting darker and darker causing more blood to become visible. "It won't hurt now, but, in your world it would hurt a lot more, I promise."

"What does it mean?" Seeing that much blood, and more importantly, her own blood, made her strong for some reason.

"Don't ever try to relate the things you see to any of your friends. Otherwise I can easily kill you."

"I don't care." To Mai, her friends were always before her, no matter what.

"Neither do I, and I can hurt your other two friends, who seems to be my world. And that would be much easier." Her smile got much wider, as Mai's eyes widened as she recalled what Gene said about the spirit being much powerful than him. But who was the other one? She had no time to ponder on that.

"You see, I have no wish to meddle in unnecessary affairs. Just don't get in my way."

Rosa bent down to come in Mai's eye level and touched her cheek with her flong ingernails. Mai winced at the closeness and red eyes looking directly at her. Suddenly, a gush of wind made her free from the uneasiness. She put a hand over her eyes to save her from the impact.

"Mai" Opening her eyes she found Gene fighting with Rosa, not physically, but using his own powers.

"Get out" He shouted in a hoarse voice.

"But-" She was crying badly and tried protesting because he was losing to Rosa's powers.

While talking to her, Gene was flown backwards. Mai ran to him, but he stopped her midway. "Hurry up and go, please, Mai." He requested her.

Mia didn't know what to do to save him, she was now on her knees crying desperately.

"Don't forget the promise." She heard someone say to her mind.

"I know," she said back and closed her teary eyes to go back to her world. It's the only way I can help Gene.

-xxxxxxx-

That was a lot! I wrote one more page, but decided to break it over here... Did you guys like it? Any suggestions or confusions... R&R... or pm for any errors or such.

A question to the readers: Do you guyz think it is dragging??

Clarification: The mark isn't a curse or such, and actually it is made up. If you have any questions, feel free to ask... :) And also Gene doesn't know about it.

-xxxxxxx-

Question to think about: Will Mai tell anyone abou it? Is anyone going to figure it out? ... Who is Mai's other friend in the spirit world?