Naru and the team walked down the deserted halls of the mansion. It was strange, normally by now they'd have ran into Mr or Mrs Kuro. Monk looked down at the unconscious boy in his arms and frowned.
"He'll be alright, he just needs to rest, let's take him to his room?" Ayako suggested as they walked through the halls. Naru nodded his head as the two walked ahead and up a flight of stairs.
Masako looked at Mai, who was unconscious in Naru's arms with a piece of paper on her head, a seal, or so Lin said it was. It was designed to keep whatever was in her asleep. But he figured whatever was in her was strong, so he didn't know how long it would last.
"I think I know why I couldn't sense her," Masako muttered as she looked at the still body of Mai. Lin and John turned their attention to her, while Naru looked at the sleeping Mai.
"Go on," John encouraged, but Masako shook her head.
"Wait for Ayako and Monk, then I'll explain, if I'm right then we have our work cut out for us," she answered as they walked into base.
"We'll put Mai in the girl's room, Ayako can put the seals around the room in case she wakes up, it'll stop her from leaving the room. John, can you get ready for the exorcist?" Naru asked as he looked around base. John nodded and walked over to his bag, pulling out his bible and his holy water.
"Mr and Mrs Kuro are with Nekko, we've told them not to come down to base for a couple of hour," Monk stated as they walked into base.
"And Hiro?" Naru asked.
"We haven't seen him, Aliza said he left a while ago and shouldn't be back for some time, but we're not sure," Ayako answered.
"We can't have anyone interrupt us or interfere with this, John needs total concentration," Naru stated as John placed his cross around his neck.
"I'm all set," the team nodded as they walked into the girl's room. Ayako took her seals and started setting them about the room, with the help of Monk and Masako.
Masako set a seal on the bed behind where Naru had laid Mai. She sighed as she turned to look at the brunette. As she turned, blood red eyes pierced into her, Masako froze.
Naru and the others watched in shock as Mai moved her head and caressed Masako's hair. A gentle expression came over Mai's face as her eyes turned brown.
Without warning, the brunette began falling backwards onto the bed behind her, she had passed out. Lin frowned as he summoned his shiki to surround the bed Mai was laid on.
Masako rushed back to the group, her heart racing a mile a minute as she gulped, trying to forget what had just happened.
"Will this hurt her?" Monk asked as he looked at the sleeping Mai. She may be possessed, or whatever she was, but she was still a part of the team, a part of their family and he'd be damned before he saw her in anymore pain than what she'd already been through.
"It shouldn't hurt her, if it does, then I'll stop," John spoke softly as he began chanting his prayer.
"Ayako, Monk, get ready in case anything happens," Naru ordered, the two nodded their heads as they got into their usual positions.
"Our father, who art in heaven, help me head this plea. I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of our father, the holy lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, our lord, saviour and judge and in the power of the holy spirit," John splashed his holy water around the air as he watched the tables and chairs in the room being lifted.
"Ayako, Monk," Naru ordered.
"Right, naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan," Monk chanted as one of the tables came flying at him. The table stopped and fell to the ground.
"Rin, pyou, tou, shah, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen," Ayako chanted as a chair came flying towards them, the chair was cut into pieces and quickly fell to the floor.
"John, hurry up," Masako pleaded as she stood behind him.
"That thou depart from this creature of god which our lor-," a chuckle came from the other side of the room as Mai rose to her feet. She stood up with her head down before glaring at John, who was thrown backwards into the wall behind him.
"John!" Masako called as she rushed to his side. Naru growled as he looked at Mai, something on his neck caught his attention. A circle with a small line through it, like an on/off symbol. He frowned.
John looked up from where he laid and glared back at Mai; he walked to the middle of the room and stood there. The team watched as the chairs and tables settled on the ground.
"You're bind with her," he growled as he looked at the mark on Mai's neck.
"Bind?" Ayako asked as she looked at Mai, it was then the team noticed the mark on her neck.
"When a sprit possesses a human it's normally easy to get it out, unless it binds with that person, locking them inside of their body," Naru explained as he looked at the red eyed Mai. "Why did you bine with her?" he asked, Mai looked at him, then herself.
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she walked closer to Naru, John help his holy water up, ready to splash her. "Ah, ah, ah, little boy," she tutted and held her hand out, the holy water flew from John's hand into hers.
"Rin, pyou-," Ayako couldn't finish her chants as her mouth appeared to become sewn shut. Tears fell from her eyes as she felt her lips, the blood trickling down from them as she tried to open her mouth.
"Ayako!" Monk yelled as he rushed to her side. Lin whistled, summoning his shiki. Mai smirked, her eyes glew red, the shiki made a popping sound and disappeared into thin air.
"Now, as I was saying, it's obvious why I took this body, Dr Davis," Mai smiled as she stood in front of Naru, who didn't back away, Lin stood behind him, ready to attack with another seal if need be. "It's obvious you can't hurt this body, not with the way you feel for her, you and your team, tut, I'm disappointed in you all. I figured you to be more of a challenge, but instead, you're easily beaten," she added as she turned to walk away from Naru, the mark flashing as she did so.
"Mai," Naru started.
"Ah, ah, silly boy, Mai is no more," a chuckle came from the red eyed Mai.
"Mai!" Naru called, Mai turned around.
"Stupid boy, don't you understa- ah!" she fell to her knees as the mark on her neck flashed a few times. "Damnit, guess she's stronger than she looks," a mutter came from the red eyed Mai.
Masako watched as she struggled internally with herself. Standing to her feet Masako rushed to Mai's bag, taking out a pocket knife the girl always kept with her.
"Masako?" John asked, but the girl only put her finger to her lips.
"No worries, even if she was to come to the surface, there's no way I'd be gone from her," another laugh was heard from Mai before Masako gripped her by the throat and held the knife to her.
"Masako?!" Monk asked as he looked at the dark haired girl with wide eyes.
"There are a lot of things I can tolerate, but with what Mai's been through there is no way in hell I will let a low life Nasnas possess my friend," Masako's voice came out as a whisper as she held the knife tightly to Mai's throat.
"Go ahead, you don't have the guts to kill me," Mai laughed as she turned her head to meet Masako's eyes. "I'll just come back and it'll be your friend who's dead," Mai's voice came out as a hiss as she smirked at Masako, whose facial expression remained unreadable.
"You're right, it would be Mai who would die, but I'm not looking to kill you," her voice came out deadly as Masako cut into the mark on Mai's neck. Blood dripped down as Mai screamed, thrashing around, trying to get out of Masako's grip. "I'm looking to separate you from Mai," were Masako's final words before she let go of Mai and quickly moved out of the way.
The team watched in shock as Mai stood to her feet, her eyes a deadly red as she turned to glare at Masako. Blood dripped from her neck as she placed her hand over the wound, the blood started to drip down her arm as she held the wound.
"You'll pay for that," Mai hissed as she held her hand out.
"I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of our father, the holy lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, our lord, saviour and judge and in the power of the holy spirit. That thou depart from this creature of god which our lord has designed to call unto his holy temple," John began his chant again as he reached for his holy water. Mai turned around, her eyes slowly fading, losing the redness in them. "I cast out you noxious vermin, through the same Christ our Lord, who shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire," John recited as he through the water at Mai.
The water fell onto Mai and a scream echoed throughout the room as it began shaking. Masako looked around as she sensed a strong presence leave the room, but linger around the house.
Naru looked in front of him at the brunette who stood on her own two feet. She looked up, her now messy brown hair falling into her face. Her eyes pierced through a few strands of hair and Naru knew that Mai was now Mai.
Walking forwards he looked at the brunette, who staggered in the spot. Monk and Ayako stood to their feet, blood pooling down Ayako's chin. Lin stood where he was, Masako rushed over to John, who was laid unconscious on the floor.
"Mai?" Naru asked, his voice made the brunette jump as she took a step backwards, her hand still covering up her wound as she looked at the older man. "It's okay, Mai," he whispered, the room was silent all that could be heard was Naru trying to reassure Mai.
The girl stared at him, not knowing what to do or what to say, she looked at him with wide, scared eyes as she tried to register what had happened.
"Everything's okay now," he whispered again as he reached out to her. His hand brushed the strands of hair from her face as she looked up at him, her eyes showed the fear she held as she tried her hardest not to start shaking. "Take it easy, Mai," Naru whispered again as he watched her shake, he didn't know what he was supposed to do in these situations; Mai had never really been this weak or scared before.
"Na-ru," her voice came out weak as she looked up at him, a tear flowed from her eyes down her cheek as black dots began to appear in her vision. Without warning, the brunette started to fall forwards, her eyes closed and her hand left the wound on her neck.
Naru stood in shock as the girl fell into his chest. He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Naru?" Monk asked.
"She's okay, she's just really tired. Lin, I think it's time we called an ambulance," Naru ordered as he looked at the once again unconscious Mai. He then turned his head to see Ayako with her sewn up lips and an unconscious John on the floor.
"Naru," Masako spoke as she stood to her feet. Naru turned around to look at the dark haired girl.
"I know, Masako," he spoke gently; the air in the room was so still, so quiet that the sound of a pin falling made him think that it would break.
"It's not over yet."
Naru: O.O
What's wrong with you?
Naru: For once, I liked that
Heh, you only like that you got your precious Mai back
Naru: Maybe so, but still, that was good
Yup and it's not over yet, in the next chapter we have *looks at list then at audience* since when do I give out spoilers? Stick around for the next chapter and I shall see you all soon
Naru: Don't forget to review and at the end of this-
No spoilers, Naru, please REVIEW!
