Sorry for the wait, i had a loooonnng week so i made it a little bit longer for ya'll. Tell me what yah think! Have a good new year!

Minutes turned into hours, and time seemed to slow down, for both parties. In the base the party waited tensely for yasu's return. The rest had finished their rounds and had gotten rid of very little spirits, and were now sifting through a large stack of old news paper clippings looking for clues. While Lin and Naru were pouring over blueprints, trying to figure out if there was any hidden rooms, located around the orphanage. The tension was building with every passing tick on the clock, finally ayako couldn't take it anymore and screamed which caused the whole room to stare at her.

She laughed nervously as she realized what she had done, "Gomen, couldn't hold it anymore." and with that everyone resumed what they were doing. Downstairs, unbeknownst to them, mai was feeling the same as the priestess.

"Just give him back!" she sobbed silently into her hands. A creaking could be heard, and the door opened, only to have the priest thrown violently into the wall. "John!" she screamed as she ran to his side. His robes were cut in places and he was bleeding. Turning him over, she just held him close, as he lay unconscious, he was breathing, at least that was comforting. Pulling him closer she just continued to sob softly, and she slipped into an unconscious sleep.

Mai walked through the darkness with no sense of direction, she must be dreaming at least. That means gene must coming soon, looking around she didn't see or hear anyone. Sitting down she decided to wait patiently for the young prodigy.

"Mai! Is that you?" came a soft woman's voice. Spinning around, mai came face to face with the young medium.

"Masako!" mai hugged the startled girl, like there was no tomorrow, which for her was entirely plausible. "Hurry you have to find us, john is unconscious, and he is bleeding, please please hurry!" Desperation filled her voice as she pleaded, no begged. "I don't want him to die, I don't want him to die! It's all my fault, he said he would take the punishment first, I should have gone, not him!" she started rambling.

"Mai, calm down" but the girl kept going on and on about some kind of punishment, knowing she didn't have long she had to get her attention. Bringing her hand back, she slapped the girl. "Mai! Focus, I need you to tell me about your surroundings, I need to know, so we can help you!" Masako said in a shaky voice, she was not normally violent, but she was running out of time she could feel it.

Mai looked at the girl in shock, as tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried her best to speak, "Well it is dark where we are, cold, I think I can here the sound of dripping, like water or something. There are chains on the wall, I think we are in a cell of some sort." her image of the room was hazy, and she was to cold and tired to remember much.

Suddenly mai tensed, and her eyes brimmed with fear, "She's coming, which must mean it is my turn, please, please save john! Hurry I don't know how long he can hold out!" Grabbing masako's hand she looked her in the eye, "Promise me you will save him!"

"Mai what about you?" the medium felt unnerved by what this girl was asking, did she not care at all about her own safety?

"Promise me, masako, promise me on your talent as a medium, and your love for naru, that you will save him!" Mai's hold tightened, and her determined desperate look, was scaring her. Not finding any words left, she merely nodded her response, as mai's hands slipped through hers.

"MAI! MAI!" she screamed, when she saw her supposed rival being dragged back into the darkness.

The young medium bolted up, sweat was dripping off of her, and her kimono was tangled. She was in base, and everyone was staring at her, worry and hope were all over their faces. Naru was stoic as usual, getting up he walked towards the girl, which made her heart beat faster than what it already was.

"Tell us." was all he said, but that was enough, it reminded her of mai's last expression before she had awoken, it was sad, too sad. It was one of those looks that people give you when they don't know if they will ever see you again, it was heart wrenching. Tears sprang from her eyes, as she retold the story, naru and lin, both turned their attentions away when she mentioned what mai had said about the room.

The rest looked sad, and horrified, after she had finished, she left out the part about her promise. She couldn't bring herself to tell them, no they had to find both of them, alive. Ayako put her arm around the young medium, who was still shaking. The room was so tense that no sound could be heard, but the typing of lin at his computer, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, not daring to move.

"Got it." Came the sound of lin's voice, which caused the whole room to move to his side. "There looks to be an underground space, a void, if you would say, the entrance could be here." he stated as he gestured to a point on the blueprint.

Not saying anything, naru grabbed his jacket and left the room, followed by everyone but masako who sat staring at her hands.

"Why mai? Why did you not care?" she quietly stated to no one. "How can you not care?"

There she was, that terrible looking woman, standing in front of her, with a malicious smile on her face. "I do believe it is your turn, my dear."

Mai shivered, besides the fact that it was probably below zero, that voice froze her to the core. "Alright.." she found herself saying.

The ghostly woman floated closer to her, and was now looking her in the face, "You smell like death," she wrinkled her nose to emphasize, "Now what do you fear the most?" she then gestured to the unconscious boy, mai pulled him even closer to her, in response. "All he thought about was you..." she continued to drawl. "It seems it is the same for your case, hmmmm this could be interesting." she reached out her cold hand and it touched mai's head.

She was in a dark room, there was a spot light on her, she stood there for who knows how long, before she heard someone approach.

"Bou-san!" she yelled excitedly, finally someone was going to save her! He walked up and stopped about two feet from her, he was carrying a whip, and his eyes looked evil. "Bou-san?"

"Mai your such a nuisance, I am sick of your crying and whining! Why aren't you dead yet, can't you see your causing everyone trouble!" and with that he cracked the whip her direction. She had never felt such a pain in her life, her arm was now bleeding, and tears were rolling down her face.

"He's right you know.." said the newest voice, it was ayako who was also armed with one as well. "You just get in everyone's way, and your completely useless on cases, I don't see why naru keeps you around? Why would anyone keep you around?" then she repeated what the monk did, causing yet another wound on the defenseless girl.

Naru walked out of the mist, "I hate you, your klutzy and useless, I don't even know why I keep you around, your fired. If you show your face again, I will kill you." the words were cutting her like a knife, she didn't even notice her wounds were multiplying.

"Mai-san!" a new voice called her name, it was john, and he was smiling. He walked up to her, just stopping inches before. "I have something I want to tell you, I hate you as well, I just pitied you, but you are really annoying. That kiss didn't mean anything, in fact it made me realize something, I want to kill you, k?" he said a little to sickenly sweet for his own good. "In fact I think I will show you what I mean."

Pulling her close he kissed her roughly. She felt a cold feeling in her abdomen, followed by searing pain, she tried to scream, but he just continued to ravish her mouth. Blood flowed down her stomach, and freely onto her legs. Everything was so dark now, as john forced her down to the ground. She knew what was coming, and she tried to struggle, but nothing happened, she couldn't even move. His hands were roaming in places they shouldn't, she wanted to scream, but no sound came out, no not john! He would never do that, would he? No...

"Didn't I tell you bad children would be punished?" asked a twisted voice

Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that hath been made Thy kingdom come," a voice broke the illusion that was happening, mai looked up to see, john barely holding onto the wall. He was facing the ghost with determination, but she knew he wasn't going to get very far.

"Fool, you think that you can exorcise me?" the ghost asked angrily

A whistle could be heard drifting through the air sharply, lights shot forward hitting the spirit, which screamed out in agony and disappeared. Mai ran to catch john who couldn't stand up any longer.

"Mai! John!" everyone yelled as they gathered around the two. "are you ok?" they asked as they helped each one stand up. They were met with silence, as they traveled back to base. Once they had returned, ayako got to work on bandaging them, mai told her to start with john. Which earned allot of complaining from the read head, but mai wouldn't hear of it, she only went to a corner and shut herself in her own mind.

"Mai, tell us what happened." Naru demanded at the silent girl. Who just curled up even more into her corner, she was whispering silently to her self.

"It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real..." she started rocking back and forth, trying to push the images from her mind. John, who was now finished being treated, slowly walked towards the girl, with a medical kit. Setting it down, he timidly reached out for her arm, he looked afraid like she would break at any moment.

"John...was it the same?" she spoke so quietly that john almost had to strain to hear. He grabbed her gently and started to clean it with peroxide.

"I wish I could tell you...but I don't know," he whispered back, as started to wrap her arm now. "Mai, I am sorry, if I had only stayed awake..." his voice trailed off as he looked to the floor.

"John, I don't blame you, it wasn't your fault at all..." she brought her hand up to his face. Lifting his chin so she could see him, she continued, "Look at me, please.." her voice was shaky as she held back more tears. She knew he wasn't the one she had dreamt about, but she needed to see, for herself at least.

He lifted his eyes up to meet hers, and they exchanged silent looks, that had the whole room wondering what happened down there. He finished wrapping up the rest of her wounds, silently, there was nothing that needed to be said between them. The look had said it all.

Once they had moved to the couch, and were sitting next to each other, mai finally spoke up. "I think I know how to stop her."