Author Note: Sorry for the long wait between updates. Both my husband and I lost our jobs in the month of October and just now have jobs and are moving forward again. The economy what can I say…. Shrugs. (Course I say that now but at the time it was pretty stressful.)
Anyways I got some reviews that said that Naru has a lot more power then I was giving him credit for. I went back and watched and guess what? You all are right! I am going to continue this story as I had laid out for myself before I wrote. But next story I will work with my suddenly larger parameters. So please bear with me and just pretend that because Naru is in the situation he is in that he can't focus right and isn't able to achieve maximum power! hehehe
Chapter Eight
I shot out of the room with a bunch of naked women hot on my tail. Every man's fantasy… my current nightmare. I had no idea where to find Lin. I only knew that I had to find him as soon as possible. Naru's life may depend on it. I had no idea how long my Guru could keep the spirits away.
Moving as a spirit is different then as an earthbound being. I moved like a thought. No really I thought of where I wanted to be and then I was there. But I didn't know where I needed to be right now and instead flowed from room to room. Slower then I could afford because the ladies behind me knew where they needed to be; judging by how they kept popping up with their hands around my neck with me skirting away just in time.
I went up a stairwell and out into the open night air. Before me was the inner court garden. Across the courtyard I saw a bright yellow shinning light. Around it swirled different smaller colored lights. It was battling against the dark malevolent figures of women. Charging up from another hallway to do battle as well were three other large bright lights. Red, Blue and white.
I had stopped too long. The women behind me grabbed my arms and legs. I panicked and in my frenzy tore myself out of their grip and in a pain induced desperation lurched across the courtyard towards the lights that spoke of something righteous and good.
I reached out to the bright yellow light for help and saw the completely surprised expression on Lin's face. He halted mid strike.
The women behind me darted in and grabbed my legs, intending I am sure to drag me off and get rid of me. Ayako in a flash of red and Bou-san in the calm of blue shouted and gestured and the women let of go me with a whimper. John glowed with a steady white light as he held back the other women who had been attacking the group.
I lay in front of them; my spirit blinking in and out; the pain the ladies had inflicted on my soul made it hard to keep thinking. I remembered Naru. In pain and in need of help. I got up.
"Lin! Naru is down in the basement!" I gestured wildly.
All I got was blank stares. I tried again. "LIN! Naru is down in the basement!" I gestured pointedly.
Bou-san hazarded a guess. "You want us to dig in the ground?"
NO! I shook my head.
I stepped away and crooked my finger in the come hither motion.
I stepped forward and they followed. I flowed faster now and they followed shouting chants and mantras as the women who they were battling started to fight more furiously now that they understood that we were mounting a rescue.
I started to chant as well anything to get us moving faster.
After about five minutes of fighting (seemed like an hour) Lin looked like he was pissed! He did something where he whistled and chanted and his lights got together into one multi-colored rainbow of light and smashed all the ladies away from us. We ran (well I flowed) down to the room where Naru was; following that rainbow of light.
When we went into the room I flowed right over the ladies heads and landed side-by-side with my guru.
"They're here!" I panted.
He nodded at me and said. "Stand over Naru. We will fight and clear the room as much as we are able. When Naru wakes up take him to the courtyard. He will know what to do."
I nodded to show I understood.
And then Naru/Guru began to chant and gesture and the women began to disappear. Or run away. Frankly I think they all just wanted to get way from the rock and hammer that was a pissed off Lin and spirit Naru.
Lin came charging up to us and then froze when he caught sight of my Guru. His mouth dropped open and just about hit the floor. My Guru smiled mischievously and laid a finger in on his own mouth in the universal "shhh" gesture. Then he turned to the prone body of my Naru and laid his hand on forehead. With a sigh of something tired and a little sad, my Guru disappeared.
We stood around Naru's body as he woke up.
He seemed a little muzzy and out of it. Bou-san quickly cut him away from the bed and helped him sit up. Ayako checked his forehead and peered intently at his eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine." His faced hardened from his just waking up look. He turned to Lin.
"Where is Mai?"
Lin gestured at me and Naru's eyes widened to see me floating there in a ghostly form.
I was quick to shake my head. "I'm not dead, my body is being possessed."
He looked at me mouth rigid tight and his eyes flashed an angry blue. I am not sure he could understand me because no one else had been able to. He got up and gestured towards the door. "We need to go to the courtyard."
Everyone looked at him determined and nodded. We faced the door and saw the women there darting through the shadows and staring at Naru and me hungrily.
Lin whistled and gestured. The rainbows flowed and we went.
We fought our way through the courtyard and followed Naru up to the locked gates. Lin, Ayako, Bou-san and John had taken up defensively the four corners around us. Naru and I were in the middle. Naru tried to take my hand but I couldn't grasp him. He shook his head at me.
"This won't work." He turned and then held me in a hug. My spirit was held close to him and I could feel his arms around my waist and his head cradle mine next to his shoulder. If spirits could blush I was hot red!
Suddenly pressure began to build up around us. Naru began to glow a brilliant violet. The pressure got to be too great and I reached out and popped it.
Hehehe I know it sounds weird like that but have you ever gone swimming? If you have then maybe you have tried going under water to the bottom of the pool. When you are down there the pressure builds up behind your ears, if you don't pop your ears then the pressure gets to be too much and your ears hurt and your head aches for hours afterwards. But if you pop your ears then you are suddenly fine and can swim down there with out any pain later. That is what I do for Naru.
The pressure kept building. I was having a hard time keeping up. You would think that as a spirit it would be easier. No constraints on myself. But it was harder, there was nothing to keep me bound to the ground and centered. I strained, gripping Naru as tightly as possible and trying to use his connection to the ground as my own stabilizer. It worked but not as well as if I had a body.
The pain built in me and I could feel something in my soul tearing a little. "Naru!" I panted his name.
With a flash he released his power and blew those large metal gates to smithereens.
The women who had been surrounding us attracted to Naru's surge of power blinked in stupification at the suddenly open gates. One of them walked shyly up to the opening. When she crossed over the threshold and out of the Inn's courtyard she turned with a beatific smile to the others. "It's so warm!" She disappeared.
The women looked at each other and ran towards to opening. Happy giggles could be heard just beyond before they too disappeared.
I saw this from the corner of my eyes as I melted my insubstantial form against Naru. I hurt. The women who had attacked me had left gashes in my arms and legs. Then the power play by Naru had hurt something in my head. I panted some more. The world was developing white and black spots.
I heard Naru give a surprised shout of "Mai!" and then I blacked out.
