AN: Here's the next chapter. Took me a while to get this chapter going but here it is. A new character is going to be making a brief appearance so watch out for that. His picture's on my profile if you're curious. Now, with further ado, here's the chapter.

(Edited 4/26 - Some dialogue changes for Kaz in the last scene and with the new character Ryuu.)

{~}

Notes:

[Visions]

'Video events'

'Thoughts'

"Normal conversation"

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of the characters except my Oc's. All rights of the picture used in the cover belong to the artist.


G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

FILE 3:

The After School Hexer – Part 3

THURSDAY

-Outside the school-

(First person perspective – Kazama)

Ayako, Housho, Naru, Mai, John, and I watch on as an unconscious Masako is wheeled into the back of the ambulance. Shifting my glance over to the windows, I notice most of the student body observing us.

'Things are starting to get out of hand… I pray you know what you're doing Naomi… Proving Kasai's innocence will no longer be a simple matter… not after this incident…' I thought with a frown.

John steps into the ambulance.

"Call us soon and let us know how she's doing ok?" Ayako calls out.

John looks back with a smile. "Alright. You guys try to be safe too ok?"

With that, the doors close and the ambulance speeds off. We continue to watch the ambulance until it disappears past the school's gates.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

-Scene change: Conference room 1-

Lin and I continue to observe the monitors before Ayako's voice draws our attention.

"Shouldn't we just go ahead and get this Kasai girl locked down? Our lives are in danger here!"

"You can't! This isn't her fault; I swear!" Mai interrupts, earning her a scowl.

"You still believe that crap?" Ayako's expression darkens. "That's right… there's still Izayoi-san…" She places a hand on her chin. "She wasn't around when Masako was wheeled into the ambulance was she? Must have been hiding. How typical…"

"It's not her either!" Mai defends, but shrinks back a bit from Ayako's expression.

"Oh really?! Then tell me who else it could possibly be. If you don't know, then back off!"

"I would offer you the same advice." I interrupt. "You're basing all this on speculation as well. Don't take out your frustration on Mai."

"Kaz…" Mai murmurs.

Ayako releases a scoff. "Huh. You sure you're not saying that to defend Izayoi-san? You two are rather close, aren't you? Don't tell me you're in on her plans too." She sends me a dark glare.

I return her gaze evenly. "If you truly believe that, then I've greatly misjudged you. Even for you, I expected more… how disappointing."

She goes into shock before allowing her anger to overtake her features. "Why you-!"

"That's enough." Naru interrupts. "Whoever it is, they're warning us."

Mai sends him a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

"We must be getting close to something. The hexer attacked Hara-san and I to warn us from digging any further."

"Not only that… the hexer targeted Ayumu as well… judging from Nari's condition." I shake my head. "He must have discovered something… something that the hexer wants silenced immediately considering his near-death encounters…" I add with a frown.

Ayako slams her hand on the table. "That's a helluva warning! Masako was pushed down the stairs, Naru. And near-death encounters… that's more than just a message! Not counting your little run in."

"Yeah, but not to toot my own horn or anything, but who knows what would've happened to you if I hadn't scared away that spirit earlier." Housho directs to Naru.

"So as long as we get the message, the hexer doesn't really care if one of us gets hurt or killed. That tells us a bit more about the kind of person we're dealing with here and makes our resolving this case all the more imperative. The targets were Yoshino-sensei, the unfortunate sophomores that sat at that desk and had accidents right after another, and the entire track team. And let's not forget, the Hitou Gata we found in the desk and the locker room; it's clear the culprit was targeting individuals associated with those locations. I think we're all aware that working on this case poses a risk, and for that reason we should want to expose this hexer as soon as we possibly can."

"I agree. Things have been escalating lately, haven't they?"

Housho and Ayako snap their gaze to the door. "You..."

Mai turns to the door in surprise. "Eh? Naomi?"

I follow their gaze, noticing Naomi's smirk with a frown. 'That expression of yours… that's never a good sign…'

Disregarding my worried glance, Naomi sends Mai an easy-going smile, but the coldness in her voice remains. "Revenge is a rather ugly thing to deal with… but it is a motivator to this case; however, don't forget about less obvious revenges."

Naru's expression darkens.

"Like you're one to talk." Ayako sniffs. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one behind the curses."

"Ayako!" Mai scolds under her breath before sending Naomi a nervous smile. "She doesn't really believe that."

Naomi eyes Mai for a moment. "I do believe she does. Tell me." She shifts her glance to Ayako. "What's your rationale? That's a rather bold statement to make."

Ayako returns Naomi's gaze evenly before crossing her arms. "You can bend spoons, can't you? And to bend it to the extent that you did… your psychic abilities must be pretty solid. It shouldn't be too difficult for you to cast several hexes around the entire school right?"

"What?! Ayako, that's-" Mai starts, but Naomi holds up a hand to silence her.

"Let her speak her mind." She assures Mai before facing Ayako once again with a predatory smile. "If that's your subtle way of riling me up, I believe a more direct approach would have sufficed." Naomi's smile widens. "I won't deny I can bend a spoon, but is that truly enough to condemn me as the culprit? What motivation would I have?"

"You're here to prove Kasai's innocence right? Wouldn't it be great if you diverted the attention away from her, picked up her work, and when things calm down, just stop the hexes? You could just pass it off as some wandering spirit and the case would be closed. With that, your job's complete, Kasai gets her revenge on the school, and you fulfill your own vendetta." Ayako muses before her expression darkens. "I get it now… you targeted Masako because you found out she overheard your little argument with Ayumu. Let me guess… you couldn't have him interfering either and decided to take him out of the picture too. All that politeness you showed us and your attachment to your assistant… it was all an act, wasn't it?! Do you know how your actions are hurting others, even those not involved in the case…" She trails off suddenly as her expression drops. Taking in a calming breath, she steels herself and gazes at Naomi in cold fury. "What kind of person are you?" Ayako's form trembles in anger, but Naomi simply gazes on with cold indifference.

I furrow my brows in thought. 'Even those not involved in the case…' I repeat in my head before slightly softening my gaze on Ayako. 'So even you have grown attached to Nari… but even so… you have no right to talk to her like that.'

"That's enough." I interrupt.

"Don't tell me you're siding with her!" Ayako sends me a glare. "The evidence is all there Kaz. She's behind all of this. She even went as far as to hurt your brother and Nari. Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

'Of course… but you don't understand what we're all enduring, especially her…' I clench my hands. "Enough."

"Kaz." A cold edge enters Naomi's voice. "I don't need you to defend me." She warns before a sad smile enters her face as she glances to the side. "That's quite the theory you have… and a plausible one at that. Choosing a scapegoat while fulfilling your own wishes and the wishes of your scapegoat. What a great outcome that would be." She muses aloud before locking eyes with Ayako. "Again, this is all speculation. What proof do you have to back up your claim?"

Ayako frowns. "That-"

"You have nothing." Naomi finishes coldly as her eyes flash dangerously. "You claim to understand me… the reason why I chose this case personally. That's quite rash of you… but I'll tell you this. You're not entirely wrong in your assumption. Now, prove it."

Silence.

At the guarded looks, Naomi's smile widens even more. "Don't let your guard down… don't rashly put your ideas out there… because you never know when the true ringmaster will be in your presence."

With that, she gives us a mock bow before making her way to the doorway, but not before stopping and facing us once again. "It's been a pleasure working with you all, but seeing as our goals are no longer the same, I find it best to work separately from now on. And just a fair warning..." Her grip on the door tightens to a point where several cracks appear on the wood. "I am not forgiving to those who harm someone precious to me." Her grip slackens before she continues on her way.

"Wait."

Naomi stills at Mai's voice but does not turn around.

"You… you know who the culprit is… don't you, Naomi?"

"What? Mai, she-" Housho interrupts, but Naomi's shaking stops him from continuing.

Naomi's shoulders continue to tremble before a dry laugh escapes her lips. "You are too trusting Mai… tell me, what makes you believe I do?"

Mai fiddles with her hands before steeling herself. "I just know… something tells me that you do… and that something …bad is going to happen to you. I don't know why I trust you… but something keeps telling me to… because I know you…"

"Because you know me…" Naomi mutters softly before shaking her head. "You need to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself, especially when it involves people outside of your investigative team."

Housho's eyes narrow before he stands. "Is that a threat?"

"No… it's simply a warning."

"Naomi…" I step forward.

"Don't." She warns before her voice softens. "Don't interfere. You have your obligation. I have mine. Simple as that… If that's all, I'm leaving."

With that, she shuts the door.

"So you're just letting her go like that?" Housho directs to Naru.

He matches his gaze with Housho. "She's not our main concern. As she pointed out, we have no solid evidence as of yet. Whether she's the culprit or not, we're continuing this investigation. Lin, Kaz, Mai, and I will investigate those connected to the desk and the track team. Takigawa, you and Matsuzaki-san will continue to search the school for Hitou Gata."

Housho releases a frustrated sigh.

"Right…" Housho and Ayako agree.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

-Time skip-

I continue to stare out the window as Naru questions Yuko on the possible similarities between the targets. Mai simply observes from the side whereas Lin transcribes the conversation on a word document.

I don't need you to defend me.

Don't interfere. You have your obligation. I have mine.

Naomi's words play in the back of my mind.

I release a soft sigh. 'I know… I know… but even so, how can I not worry? Everything you're doing… it's as unconventional as it gets… you haven't factored in all the consequences…'

"Who was the first student to sit in that seat?" Naru continues.

"Uh… first term, I honestly don't remember. I know that Murayama sat there second term though." Yuko answers.

"When exactly would that have been?"

"Oh… Let's see…" She pauses for a moment. "The first seating change was in the middle of September. See, at our school, we always change seats on the 15th day of every month. So it must have been from July 15th to September 14th with summer vacation in the middle."

"When did Murayama have her accident?"

"A couple of days before the seating change I think."

The chair screeches against the wood as Naru stands up and makes his way over to the window as well.

"So that means the culprit must have put the Hitou Gata in the desk sometime between July 15th and September 11th and 12th. " Naru muses.

"Hitou Gata?" Yuko repeats in confusion.

Ignoring her, Naru continues, "The accidents started happening midway through September… so the student before Murayama probably wasn't connected. I think it's safe to bet that Murayama must have done something to anger the hexer during that period."

"Anger?" Mai asks.

"That's obvious. They had to have had a grudge of some kind… our culprit knew Murayama… or at least what she looked like. Which means we can probably rule out teachers that she didn't have a students in other grades."

"Umm… I dunno. Sometimes substitutes or administration type people come in. Plus, there are club meetings and other things come too." Yuko murmurs before a hitch appears in her breath.

I finally turn around. "Is something the matter?"

She furrows her brows before lowering her hand from her mouth. "Yeah… well… this happened during the Kasai Panic. Some of us kept dragging Kasai into our classrooms to see the spoon bending thing. It was pretty cool, you know? But then, one time Murayama totally stormed in and started yelling at us – saying how she was sick of all the supernatural crap and how spoon bending was just a cheap trick." Her expression falls. "It seemed like she was pretty upset… she even went to Ubusuna-sensei to complain."

"Ubusuna-sensei?" Mai parrots.

I blink. 'Ubusuna… So her name finally comes up….' I furrow my brows in thought. 'Much earlier than you expected it to… have we gone off track?'

Yuko looks up at Mai distractedly. "Uh, yeah. She knows a ton about psychic powers and stuff. Didn't you guys know that? I've even asked her questions about it before. She told me and a few others about P.K.-S.T. and P.K.-M.T. I think that's why she always stuck up for Kasai even when the whole school went crazy over psychic stuff and people started taking sides."

"And this is the teacher Murayama complained to about Kasai?" Naru brings back.

"Uh-huh. Ubusuna-sensei said if she stepped in, it would just stir some things up… but pretty soon the other teachers and the PTAs started freaking out about it and started taking sides."

"So Murayama was the first one to reject psychic powers… quite interesting…"

Yuko bumps her head with the bottom of my palm. "Wow… ya know… I hadn't thought about it till just now, but I don't think the track team had a lot of believers either."

Mai looks at Yuko in disbelief, but she merely continues her explanation.

"Well… Yoshino-sensei was the team advisor, and he really didn't believe in this stuff so the team ended up doing… well, whatever he said."

Thoughts run through Mai's head as she gazes at Naru. He sends her a glance before locking his gaze with mine.

I can tell what he wanted to say. His expression said it all.

You know something.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

-Scene change: Conference room 2-

(First person perspective – Naomi)

*cough*cough*

I grip my chest in pain as I slump forward over the nearby desk. The coughs continue to rack my body before they eventually subside into minor hitches. Taking in several shaky breaths, I right myself before turning to face Ayumu's worried expression.

"There's only so much I can do for you…" He murmurs sadly before his gaze becomes downcast.

"I know…" I mutter as I clench the pendent in my hand. "But this is the role I gave myself. I knew the consequences. I simply overestimated the condition of my body. Never thought this would act up now of all times…" I let out a dry laugh. "How careless of me…"

He releases a frustrated sigh. "I'm not really surprised… this is you we're talking about." He jokes lightly, but we both can hear the hollowness in the words.

I smile sadly before unhooking the pendent around my neck. "Be that as it may, with how things are going, I may not require this anymore…"

"Don't." He wraps his hand over my own, reminding me just how fragile I look in comparison to him. "This is the only thing protecting you right now."

I shake my head. "With how things are going, she wouldn't risk cursing me. After all, I'm her scapegoat now that the Kasai theory has been terminated. As long as the others don't reveal their thoughts, they will be safe." I reason even though I knew the first part was a lie.

He releases a sigh as he runs his hand through his messy locks. "But knowing Mai, she isn't going to listen to your warning."

I send him a wry smile. "Of course not. I wouldn't either." I shake off his hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there is something that requires my attention."

"Wait!"

I pull my arm out of his reach. "Don't interfere." I mutter before I send him a cruel smile. "Besides, isn't this what you promised me?" I take short, deliberate steps before stopping inches before his face. "I'm not like you… I'm not kind-hearted and forgiving." I trail my hand down his cheek. "I'm cruel… I'll do anything to make sure my objectives are accomplished..." My hand stills. "…regardless of the consequences."

"Na-"

I lean forward and press my lips on the corner of his mouth, making sure to take advantage of his surprise to slip the pendent in his pocket.

Pulling away slowly, I focus on his expression. Shock. Worry. Hesitation.

"Stay safe…" I murmur. He doesn't respond. I give him one last glance before exiting the room. Once alone, I place my hand to my lips before releasing a sigh.

'What exactly am I thinking… even if that was merely to distract you.' I pause in my thoughts, recalling the tingling sensation lingering on my lips. 'What's done is done…' With that I make my way out of the school, feeling a heaviness settling in my chest. Even so, I still had unfinished business that must be attended to.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

Meanwhile…

-Scene change: Conference room 1-

(First person perspective – Kazama)

Naru scrolls down the document on the monitor.

"Here it is. Looks like everyone who spoke out against your friend Kasai eventually experienced some kind of harm." Naru murmurs as he scans the multiple accounts.

"Okay… so then?" Mai prods.

"The probability that Kasai is the culprit has just sky-rocketed."

"Hey! What do you mean?"

Naru furrows his brows in confusion, finding his last words off. "Zuzo doesn't work for just anyone who attempts it. Only those who have had special training, or are knowledgeable about supernatural powers can perform them…" Naru mutters to himself before realization flashes in his eyes. "That's right… it can't be her then. It can't be Kasai…"

A smile appears on Mai's face. "That's what I've been telling you this whole time!"

He sends her a glance before releasing a sigh. "I believe we've gone over this."

"Yeah, but-" Mai starts but is cut off.

"Then the next most likely culprit would be Izayoi-san." Lin intones, causing my back to stiffen.

"It does appear that way… she does possess the knowledge and is a powerful enough psychic…" Naru agrees.

"It's not her either!"

Naru snaps his gaze to Mai.

"Is this another feeling of yours?"

She nods. "She's not the one either."

Shaking his head, Naru glances down at the papers on the desk. "Alright. I'll believe you for now."

"Really?"

He doesn't offer her a response. Put out by his behavior, Mai turns to me.

"Hey Kaz… you've been quiet this whole time… Are you… worried about Naomi?"

I send Mai a sad smile. "I suppose I am making it rather obvious."

She sends me a reassuring glance. "Yeah… I get it though. She must be really important to you."

The corners of my lips twitch upward. "She is… But she's not the type who enjoys any form of coddling. She would much rather suffer in silence than ask for help. That's merely the person she is." I explain with a sigh.

"Huh… sounds like Nari…"

I give her a bemused smile. "It does, doesn't it?"

Her expression falters. "Yeah… um Kaz…" She fiddles with her hair – a growing habit of hers. "What did she mean when she said you had a role to fulfill?"

I gaze at Mai for a moment before responding. "The definition of role is highly variable – a persona, an obligation, a function, an act that must be played out. All those definitions fit rather well in this context, but I suppose you can say she wishes for me to abide by my promise to remain neutral in any and all matters pertaining to her." I let out a sigh. "As you very well saw, I have yet to fully abide to her wishes; hence, why she felt the need to remind me of my so called role."

"Oh I see." Mai's expression softens. "She must really care about you." She sends me a warm smile. "I knew she was a good person."

I blink in confusion before letting out a small laugh. "Is this a feeling of yours Mai? You seem to be getting them quite often."

She scratches her cheek bashfully. "Hehe… yup. Something keeps telling me to trust her. Weird right?" I send her a smile.

"Not at all."

Shaking her head, she sends her gaze over to Naru. "Say Naru, didn't Zuzo come from Omniodou?"

Naru and I give Mai a confused glance.

"Yes."

Mai furrows her brows in thought. "So that would mean an Omniouji can dispel them right? In the hallway, I told Kasai that you're one of those … and her reaction was kinda weird…"

Naru looks at Mai in surprise. "Why did you tell her that? I am no such thing."

"Huh?" She blinks several times before Naru's response finally sets in. "You're not?"

"Of course not." Naru scoffs.

"B-but you used a Hitou Gata in that case before, didn't you?" She points a finger at Naru's face. "And Bou-san said that an Omniouji could do that."

"Actually, Lin made it."

"Eh?" Mai sends Lin a curious glance, but he merely continues to observe the monitors. "So Lin is an Omniouji?"

"Yes, I guess you can say that."

I shake my head. "I suppose this doesn't appear to work in Kasai's favor… But knowing her, she would have most likely disclosed that information to two others – Ubusuna-sensei and possibly Naomi. I'm unsure of how close Kasai has grown to Naomi, but I believe after that incident in the hallway, we can safely assume it is enough to warrant her disclosure of such information."

"Well, if Kasai thought I was a threat and hexed me in fear I would dispel her Zuzo, then yes, it looks bad for her. But we have eliminated Kasai as the possible culprit… as for Izayoi-san… this information works against her."

"What if she didn't mean to do it? Like what if she did it subconsciously or something and didn't know?" Mai defends.

Naru shakes his head. "She would know. Practicing enmi involves actively cursing the subject."

"He's right. It's something that takes quite a lot of concentration and power… at the rate these curses have been going, the hexer should be expressing signs of fatigue." I add.

"Oh… then…" Mai looks down in thought before shaking her head. "No! It's not right! It can't be either of them."

"Is this intuition talking again?" Naru asks.

"Mm-hm."

Naru gazes at Mai for a moment before releasing a sigh. "If that's what your gut is telling you, I'll trust it."

Mai gazes at Naru in shock before a silly grin decorates her face.

"But right now I need to look into something. Mai, go find the others and help them search for the Hitou Gata."

"Okay!" Mai sends Naru a cheerful smile before exiting the room.

After several lingering seconds, Naru turns to me. "Has Nari finished her research?"

I shake my head. "Not quite. She's still finding more information on Naomi as per your request." I release a sigh. "But she did inform me of a rather curious find this morning. She apparently found an old article where a child was supposedly tested for P.K.-S.T. capabilities."

"And?"

"It appears the child was announced a fraud. Some time passed and… the same reporter who published that story met a rather unfortunate accident." I glance out the window. "Revenge… even a less obvious one… is rather destructive…"

"I agree… " Naru mutters, but before he can continue, my phone goes off.

Pulling out my phone, I see the word "home" flashing across the screen, causing my brows to furrow in confusion.

'Odd… Nari detests using the house line but I suppose there's a first time for everything…'

I flick open the phone. "Nari?"

"Kaz… it's Gene."

A sense of dread pools in the pit of my stomach.

Tightening my hold on the phone, I utter, "Where is she?"

"Kaz-"

"Where. Is. She." I grind out. This earns me curious, yet almost concerned glances but I disregard them.

"*sigh*… Even with her current condition, she could be anywhere. You trained her… so you should know what she's capable of."

"That baka… she really…" I pinch the bridge of my nose before releasing a frustrated sigh. "I'll find her. Keep looking for a signal."

"But-"

I snap my phone shut before turning to face Naru's questioning gaze.

"Nari's missing. Looks like she couldn't sit back anymore… should have known this would happen." I mutter with a scoff.

"Any ideas on where she could be?"

I glance over at Lin.

"My best guess would be here…" I furrow my brows in thought. "…wherever there's trouble most likely."

"How predictable of her…" Naru murmurs.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

-Scene change: Outside-

(First person perspective – Naomi)

SynDIG 1 Operational

…Acquiring signal…

…Signals located…

A layout of the school appears on the handheld screen before focusing on the exterior of the school. The image morphs into a single panel on the right with each tracer name and location listed on the left.

Using the touchpad, I zoom in on the available tracers.

076 – Operating … Biology prep room

023 – Terminated

820 – Terminated

973 – Terminated

927 – Terminated

060 – Operating … Restricted area

KaZ – Offline

'Found you.'

I press the line containing 060 and watch as the screen pulls up the image of a blinking dot.

'Where are you going…?'

I watch the tracer enter a section of the school only accessible to the maintenance staff before stilling for several lingering moments.

'You're either standing still, or there's an underground level…' I thought with a frown before typing in several codes to pull up the image of the underground sewer system. The tracer continues down the length of the sewer.

'So that's where you're hiding them… rather ingenious.' I narrow my eyes when the signal blurs before the image fizzes out. 'How troublesome…' Knowing the interference is one of supernatural origin, I release an annoyed huff as I calmly wait for the image to recover.

Several more minutes pass before the image returns and the tracer moves away from the restricted area.

'Even with the interference, I found what I needed.' I switch the memory chip in the device with a blank one. 'Time's running out for you.' I thought before the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Turning around, I see a soaked girl twiddling her fingers in the window. My eyes trail over her form, noticing the bloodied dress and gouged out eyes gazing directly at me. Her face breaks out into a crooked smirk before the window shatters, sending shards of glass flying in my direction. I narrow my eyes as the shards momentarily pause before clattering uselessly to the ground.

'Finally made your move I see…' I thought before yells fill the area.

I frown as students flood to the scene, ignoring their accusatory stares as I glance down at the glass shards. 'So you still want me out of the picture… I'm not surprised. If that's the case, then there's no longer any need to hold back.'

I place a hand to my side before walking off. Not once looking back as some of the teachers holler at me for an explanation. After all, there is still much to do and only so much time left. I tighten my grip on my side, feeling the sticky, wet substance seeping through my clothes.

'More complications… how annoying.' I thought with a huff before making my way to my next destination.

-Time skip-

-Scene change: Sewer-

I continue to wander through the narrow pathways, occasionally glancing down at the device in my hands to see if I am heading in the correct direction. 'Should be somewhere here…' The soft hum from the device continues to light my way before I hear the sound of dripping water.

*static*

"Tch." I frown in displeasure at the scrambled image before strapping the device over my shoulder.

*drip*drip*

The sound resounds in the corridor, causing me to still in my steps.

Narrowing my eyes at the throbbing pain in my arm, I turn to see a purple haze pooling to the surface of the streaming water before the blood-soaked girl from before appears. Her empty sockets glow an eerie crimson before she sends me a sadistic smirk.

"To appear twice in such a short time frame…" I murmur as the spirit slowly closes the distance separating us. "You summoned quite the spirit…" I take several steps back before my back hits the wall. The spirit's grin widens when she notices my cornered position.

I merely smile in response as she closes in with her mouth wide open before she reels back as a scream rips through her throat.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" I mock as she clutches her throat as more blood pools from her mouth. She sends me a glare as she tries to open her mouth once more only to choke on more blood. "Trying to consume my soul again? If I were any other person, it may have worked, even to go as far as to kill me." I muse with a wry smile. "But as I am now, there's nothing for you to consume, for it already belongs to another."

She lets out an outraged shriek but before she can close the distance once more, I feel the cool metal of the gun slip into my hand before I pull the trigger, filling the area with a blinding light. The light soon ebbs away, leaving me once again alone. Releasing a sigh, I lean against the wall as I feel the fatigue weighing down on me.

"It's still as tiring as ever… more so now." I mutter before returning the gun to the hidden apparatus in my sleeve. Taking a deep breath, I push myself off the wall before turning on the device hanging on my shoulder. I still had a role I need to fulfill after all.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

Meanwhile…

(First person perspective -?)

"So this is the place eh?" I gaze at the building in disinterest, stuffing my hands in my pockets before making my way across the courtyard. I round the corner of the building to see several individuals discussing something amongst one another.

'Might as well waste some time seeing as Ayumu isn't going to be coming back anytime soon.' I lean against the wall as I listen to the ongoing conversation.

"Ano… I heard Masako-san was injured."

'An older, female voice… must be an adult…'

"Ah, yes. She fell down a flight of stairs…"

'A younger one… female at that… sounds to be only in high school.'

"Is she going to be alright?"

"At the moment, it doesn't appear to be life-threatening. If she landed any differently, things could be a lot worse. Maybe you'll see this as an opportunity to wake up and take a good look at this investigator you've hired. "

'Huh… quite a little spitfire this one.'

"Ayako!"

"Oh? So you're saying Izayoi-san is the one behind this?"

"Well of course." Ayako sniffs.

"There's no reason not to suspect her." A man adds.

"I see… I feared you all would have suspected Kasai to be behind this… I'm glad you don't share the same thoughts as the rest of the school… She's so scared… I worry for her. I'm not sure what she'll do."

'Yet you're not at all worried for this investigator of yours… how interesting…'

"Wait a minute… she wouldn't kill herself, would she?"

"I doubt it. I saw her spying on Bou-san earlier. For all we know the little dear is deciding who she wants to curse next so she can relay that to Izayoi-san."

"Who do you think you-?!"

"Gomenosai. I don't that way. I… I don't think Kasai is causing this, let alone Naomi. I don't know how it's true, but I can feel it."

I furrow my brows in thought. 'As in intuition… is it possible…' I trail off in thought.

"…You feel it?"

"There's a voice inside of me… I can't say it's anything more than my gut feeling, but it's so strong that I just have to believe it with all my heart."

I let out a small chuckle. 'I see… so you're just developing it then…'

"I see… What's your name?"

"Taniyama Mai."

'Mai is it… I wonder, could you be the catalyst we've been looking for…' I push myself off the wall. 'Only time will tell. Heh... looks like this wasn't a complete waste of time.'

"Arigato. That means a lot and I'm sure Kasai will be very happy to hear it too. If possible, I hope the others will leave her alone as well. I don't want her to be hounded anymore." The woman thanks before walking closer to where I stood. She turns the corner before letting out a startled gasp at my appearance. I let out an amused chuckle before steadying her.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to surprise you." I apologize.

"Oh… it's quite alright." The woman mutters.

I narrow my eyes. 'This feeling… there's no doubt about it.'

"If you'll excuse me…" She mutters, but before she takes another step, I twist her arm behind her back before shoving her against the wall.

"What –"

"Hexer." I hiss in her ear, causing her eyes to widen before she collects herself.

She cranes her neck to send me a wary glance. "Is this some sort of joke?"

I quirk a brow before I lower my shades to reveal my purple eyes. She stiffens under my gaze.

"Your stench is unbearable. So tainted…" I murmur before pulling my shades back up. "Let me give you a fair warning… the sooner you stop, the better off you'll be."

"What are you talking about? If this is some sort of joke, it's gone too far."

I let out an amused chuckle. "The clueless act. Very well." I pull away as I continue to gaze at her in amusement. "You've signed your death wish. I pray you never meet her counterpart. He's not nearly as kind as she is, especially to those who harm what's his."

She rubs her arm as she sends me a wary glance. "What are-"

"Ubusuna-sensei."

I smirk. 'Of course he interrupts. How like him.' I muse before turning to the voice.

She blinks in confusion. "Kaz?"

He strides up to us before using his arm to block Ubusuna from view. "I'll handle this. Please return inside."

"But I…" She shakes her head. "I see. Arigato…" With that, she hurries inside before Kaz sends me a reprimanding glance once she's out of earshot.

"I believe that was excessive."

"But necessary." I add with a sly smirk. "Besides, if I recall, you're the gentleman, not me."

He releases a strained sigh. "Look, I don't care why you're here. I don't have time to deal with you." He brushes pass me.

"That's a shame. After all, I thought you'd be interested to know that Ayumu is here. And I'm not talking about the little fake hime has walking around." Kaz stills. "I'm talking about the real Ayumu and by now, he's probably found Nari. It's about that time now, isn't it? You didn't forget, did you?" I let out an amused chuckle.

"You mean-"

"You better hurry if you want to find him before he leaves again."

At the news, he lets out a string of curses before bolting. I continue to watch his retreating form in amusement. 'You haven't changed at all Kaz… but I hope you know you can't separate those two… after all, she can't survive without him not unless...' I shake my head at the thought, knowing she would never agree to such a condition even if it gave her back her so-called humanity. 'Oh little hime... you never do learn, do you? Always surrounding yourself with these vermin who will only look at you with disdain... who only wish for your second death... But that is why you are still untainted despite everything.' I smile sadly. 'Even so, in time you will remember why you hid from the world and follow in my same footsteps.'

Noticing another presence, I glance up at the nearby window to see a boy strikingly similar to Ayumu, despite the grim expression on his face.

'Oh? He's still watching?' The boy turns away from the window before I let out an amused chuckle. 'Naru was it? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into by associating yourself with Nari… No idea at all.'

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

-Scene change: Sewer-

(First person perspective – Ayumu)

"You have to be kidding me…" I growl out as I grasp my chest in pain. Grunting, I lean against the wall before steeling myself against the pain and continuing on my way. "You're such a baka…" I mutter as I take several painful steps forward, allowing my senses to lead me to my destination.

'Why do you always put yourself in this situation… Nari?'

Step. Step.

'You keep treating your life as if it's nothing…'

Step. Step.

'So what if you died that day… so what if you shouldn't be here…'

Step. Step.

'I didn't… save you… for you to throw your life away again…'

Step.

'So why…'

Step.

'Why can't you…'

Step.

'… keep living?'

I pause in my steps when I see a white-haired woman leaning against the sewer wall. My eyes widen at her pained expression before I rush to her side, ignoring the spikes of pain at the sudden movement.

"Naomi… no you're not her, are you? She died protecting us…" I mutter sadly before crouching down before her. "Baka… you're such a baka." I let out a dry, pained laugh before cradling her in my arms, careful not to aggravate the wound on her side. The familiar, electrifying warmth spreads through me at the contact, causing me to release a relieved sigh before I gaze at her sadly. "I never wanted to see you like this… Looks like it backfired eh… Nari?"

I run my hand through her locks before her expression softens as she grips the fabric of my shirt. "…A…Ayumu…" She mutters softly.

"I'm here…" I mutter as I carry her bridal style. "Nari… gomen ne… I can't be here for very long." I continue to walk down the corridor. "I want to apologize for everything…even though I know it will never be enough. I know how much it hurts to be separated, but there's something I have to do…" She tightens her grip, but doesn't respond. I didn't expect her to, seeing as she's unconscious. I soon stop at a manhole opening before gently lowering her against the wall. She doesn't lessen her grip, causing me to let out a small, pained chuckle. Hesitantly, I pry off her hand before kissing the back of it, earning a soft whimper in response.

"Shh… don't worry Nari. I'll come back as soon as I can. Just know I'm doing all this for you…" I whisper before kissing her on the forehead. Tears soon flow down her face, causing me to grit my teeth. I never wanted to leave. I never wanted to see her in this much pain. I never wanted to hurt her, but I have. I've hurt her because I couldn't allow her to die… because I couldn't live without her.

Cradling her head with my hand, I trail kisses along the tear tracks, stopping them from further marring her face. "I love you Nari… so keep living." I rest my forehead against hers as an electrifying warmth spreads through our bodies.

*static*

"Oi kid. Time's up. If you stay there any longer, her other knight is going to show up." The voice drawls from the earpiece. I let out a sigh before placing a hand on the earpiece.

"*sigh* Got it." I stand but not before staring impassively down at the Hitou Gata clutched in Nari's hand. 'Whoever did this to you… I won't show mercy…' I thought as the mark on my arm burns.

"Tch." I clutch my arm in pain. "Calm down. You'll get your chance." I murmur as I make my way back to the other entrance, casting one last glance at Nari before turning away.

'This… is for the best… Nari.'

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

(First person perspective – Naomi [Nari])

I crack open my eyes – feeling the humming warmth quickly fading from my skin, only to be replaced by the cold dankness of the wall. A heaviness settles in my chest as I stare unseeingly ahead.

"You always show up when I truly need you…" I murmur sadly as I tighten my grip on the two Hitou Gata. "I don't understand you… Ayumu… why… why did you leave…"

I curl further in myself as the warmth disappears completely, leaving me once again with the stifling cold. "It hurts… It hurts so much…" I murmur. "But I'll live… I'm not dead…" I place a hand on my chest, feeling my heart hammering in my chest.

'It's finally back to normal… you knew didn't you… you knew I was nearing the time limit…' I close my eyes. 'That's just like you…' I lower my hand before releasing a sad laugh.

"You haven't changed at all… Ayumu." I smile sadly before the sound of groaning metal and a cry of surprise enters my ears.

'That sound…' My eyes widen in realization before I bolt to the source of the noise.

*rumble*crash*

The sound grows closer as I make several more turns, before rounding the corner to see Mai glancing up sadly at the open manhole and Naru on the ground with his back against the wall.

"I guess no one's up there…" Mai sighs out before glancing over at me. "Eh? Naomi?! You're here too?"

"Yes… I had something I needed to investigate, but unfortunately I had a little… incident." I answer, finding the formality no less irritating as before.

"Oh… you don't happen to know a way out, do you?"

I release a sigh. "Unfortunately, no. I don't recall how I ended up here and the rest of the tunnels are too dark to navigate through. Staying here would be the safest choice."

Mai's face falls. "Oh ok…"

"So how did you two end up here of all places?"

Naru sends Mai a pointed glance, causing her to sheepishly rub the back of her head.

"About that… I heard a child crying. When I followed the source, I saw a little girl here." She suddenly tenses before she looks around frantically.

My expression darkens. 'She must have admitted she didn't believe Kasai to be the culprit. Probably 'Naomi' as well for the hexer to deem her as a threat… I didn't expect her to listen to my advice after all… this shouldn't be surprising.'

"I suppose you've been targeted as well." Naru directs at me.

I send him a glance. 'He shouldn't have figured it out this quickly… he knows I'm not the hexer, but how…?'

"You guessed correctly." I toss the two Hitou Gata before Mai and Naru. "The hexer has been quite busy."

"Eh?" Mai picks up the Hitou Gata. "Saitou Ayumu. Izayoi Naomi?" She reads before sending me a look of understanding. "So that's why you were so upset this morning, wasn't it? Why didn't you tell us you were cursed too? That would have stopped Ayako and Bou-san from doubting you."

I shake my head. "You're rather naïve Mai, but it's an admirable trait in some cases. They never trusted me to begin with, so would my words truly matter?"

"But… wait…" Mai furrows her brows in confusion. "Did you do it on purpose then?"

I tilt my head to the side, sending Mai a glance asking her to elaborate.

"Um… I mean." She fiddles with her hair. "The way you carry yourself… and the way you've been acting… it's like you're trying to make us believe you're the culprit. I don't know why I think this… but it's like something is telling me this… like you're only acting this way to protect us… right?"

I let out an amused chuckle. 'She saw right through it… she really is growing stronger… but I can't stop now… I need to finish my role after all.'

"I think you're giving me too much credit, Mai." I lightly scold. "I could have simply created a fake Hitou Gata with my name on it to throw off your suspicions. All while making real ones to enact the curses."

Her expression drops. "That's…"

I walk over to Mai before placing a hand on her shoulder. "It pays to be careful, Mai, but this isn't something you should trouble yourself over."

"But…" She trails off before realization appears on her face. "Wait, what are we going to do? It's almost night!"

I blink at the sudden shift, but merely shake my head before taking my hand off her shoulder. As Mai continues to stew in her own thoughts, I pick up the discarded Hitou Gata before sitting several feet away from Naru. Running my thumb against Ayumu's carved name, I allow a sad smile to enter my face as I recall past memories.

'Even if you're not here physically, I know you're looking out for me…' I muse before feeling a pair of eyes on me. Shifting my glance to the left, I see Naru scrutinizing me before he glances over to Mai.

"Have you regained composure?"

"Eh?" She turns to Naru in surprise. "Yep." A bright smile lights her face, causing the corners of Naru's mouth to tilt upwards in a somewhat pleasant smile. The sight causes a pink blush to appear on Mai's face before she sits between Naru and me.

"You knew I would regain composure?"

He gazes at her evenly before replying, "You would first be depressed, then get angry, finally calm down, and then become optimistic."

"You really know me well."

"It's written all over your face."

Embarrassed, Mai presses her hands to her face as her blush deepens.

I watch on in amusement. 'It seems your plan really is working Gene….Naru might actually be developing some feelings for Mai.' I glance away and fiddle with the device strapped to my shoulder. 'If things keep progressing at this rate, you won't have to hide from Naru much longer…' A bittersweet smile enters my face. 'It won't be much longer before you'll have to return to your family…' I thought as the device refuses to respond to any of my commands.

"Looks like that idea's out..." I murmur to myself before shifting my eyes up. 'Good thing I switched the memory card... that spirit completely fried the circuits and whatever information I stored away for later... how annoying...'

"Don't tell me you're still afraid of Mai." Naru mutters, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn to Naru to see him glancing down at a 500 yen piece in his hand.

"Yeah." The coin responds in a younger, higher pitched voice. I blink in confusion before letting out a small chuckle.

"Don't be afraid. Mai isn't as scary as she might seem." Naru reassures.

"What about that scary lady over there? She looks… different…"

I blink in confusion. 'Why bring me into this?'

"Same. She's not really scary. Just blunt if anything."

"Hmm…"

Naru casts me a side glance which I return with a questioning one.

"Ne, ne, ne, can you do something else?" Mai asks, earning her a sigh.

He closes his eyes before pocketing the coin. "I can't do anything more complicated than this at the moment."

"Did you get hurt?"

"I wish I had my equipment." Naru responds, completely ignoring Mai's question.

*drip*

He glances up. "Even if the others don't know, once everyone assembles and I'm not there, Lin, at least, will realize I'm missing."

*drip*drip*

The mark on my arm burns, causing me to grit my teeth in annoyance. 'Now of all times…'

I push myself off from the wall before standing before Mai, noticing in annoyance the pain spiking through my body. '…So it was only a temporary fix. Looks like this body won't last much longer… I'm surprised I even lasted this long to begin with…' I muse as my breathing comes out in pants.

"Naomi?" Mai sends me a concerned glance. "What's going on? Why are you-"

*drip*drip*drip*

Naru's eyes narrow before he pushes himself into a crouch.

"Naru?"

"Quiet. Don't stray from me no matter what happens. Stay calm."

"Nani?"

A purple haze soon covers the area before the spirit's head seeps through the top of the corridor.

*gasp* Mai shuffles closer to Naru as I take several steps back to further block Mai from view.

"Don't worry. It can't gather enough strength in one day to do anything to us. If we panic, then we'll only be digging our own graves."

The spirit snaps her eyes open to reveal two orbs of pulsing red before she hacks out a handle from her mouth. Blood dribbles down her face before she grabs the handle, pulling out a sickle as more blood trails down her face.

"W-what …is that?"

"Naru's little friend apparently…" I murmur before the mist thickens. I narrow my eyes at the intensified pain from the mark. 'What's going on…?'

Naru reaches back to hold Mai's wrist. "It's alright."

"Naru?"

The spirit completely slips through the ceiling before twisting right side up. She slowly closes the distance but not before glancing down at the water. Her deranged smirk widens as she plunges her hand in. It soon resurfaces as another hand, then a head, before the familiar water-logged, eyeless girl from before surfaces.

"Tch." I grit my teeth as the girl slowly raises her face to show pulsing veins of black littering her face. Cracking patches of black dot her skin. She sends me a glare before grasping her throat as more blood pools onto her dress.

"Oh?" I send it a wry smile despite the pain. "It still hurts, doesn't it?"

"N-naomi?" Mai stutters.

The spirit tries to open her mouth but it only causes her to choke on more of her blood as the pulsing veins of black spreads to the spirit holding her up.

"You can't do that now…" I scold teasingly as I watch Naru's little friend release my spirit before clutching her arm in pain as the pulsing tendrils of black crawl up her arm.

"Wait… what… what's going on?"

I cast Mai a side glance. "A curse reversal of sorts…" I explain as I watch the two spirits slowly being consumed by the black tendrils. They grip their heads in pain as more and more of their forms are consumed by patches of cracking black. "It won't be much longer now…" I trail off as I glance down at the Hitou Gata to see cracks marring its surface.

Naru sends me a calculating look before his eyes widen in surprise.

*drip* drip*

"Naomi?!" Mai whispers harshly as she notices the blood running down my side, slowly staining the ground crimson.

"Of course… there's always a price to pay to cancel out such a curse… especially…" I trail off as my vision slowly fades out.

"Naomi!"

A jolting warmth soon enters my senses, causing me to release a relieved sigh. 'It's so familiar… yet so … different…'

"Naru? Are you down there?"

I slowly crack open my eyes only to shut them immediately after from the bright light.

"Lin-san! Kaz too!" Mai cries out in relief.

"You're quick." Naru comments. Why does he sound so close? I feel something shifting my position before I weakly open my eyes to see a blurred form. 'Ayumu… no… this is different…'

"Call an ambulance. Izayoi-san needs medical attention."

'Naru…?' I thought in confusion. 'Why… why would he…'

The voices soon fade out before everything fades into black.

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

NIGHT

-Scene change: Outside Conference room 1-

(First person perspective – Kazama)

"I see…" I murmur into the phone. "Arigato." With that, I end the call before leaning against the wall. "How did things come to this…?" I murmur sadly. Despite all her planning, things just had to end with her in the hospital. I shouldn't be entirely surprised. This is Nari after all… even if she took on her old persona, she's still Nari.

'You planned for this the whole time… didn't you? That's why you assigned us roles… roles we promised to remain in despite the situation.' I let out a dry chuckle. '… I hate how you do this, Nari.'

My eyes soon narrow as I think back to that man's words.

"I thought you'd be interested to know that Ayumu is here. And I'm not talking about the little fake hime has walking around."

That insight of his... I forgot how inhuman it makes he seem at times. Even so, that isn't my main concern. My main concern is why he's here in the first place. After leaving for all those years, he suddenly comes back with some vague warning. Even if I want to ignore the warning, I cannot, seeing as it concerns Nari and I suppose my idiotic little brother as well. Of all the times he could come back, he comes back when Nari's finally opening up to others, finally starting to accept herself.

'But I guess that's what you don't want... you don't want her to open up to others. After all, everyone rejected you... except Nari.' I let out a sigh. 'You're protecting her in your own way, aren't you Ryuu...? You never really change. Always watching from an independent standpoint but never really interfering... when will you learn that Nari doesn't want to be alone anymore... she's not like you Ryuu... why can't you understand that?' I pinch the bridge of my nose. 'And that's not all... my idiotic brother... what on earth is going through that brick of a head of yours? Of all the times, you choose now to come back before pulling your second disappearing act. Would it kill you to be blunt for once, to just explain...?' I let my hand fall to my side. 'Did you lose all faith in us... even Nari... Even for her, you can't be honest... what's going on?'

"Nothing is adding up…" I murmur before shaking my head. 'Unfortunately, this isn't the time for this… after all, this case isn't over just yet.'

Releasing a sigh, I reenter the conference room to see the others standing before the pile of Hitou Gata on the table.

"To make so many… this hexer is one scary individual." Housho muses. "I never would've thought to look in the sewer."

Naru shuffles through the pile before pulling out a Hitou Gata. "Mai." He reads out.

She turns away from Ayako who's cleaning the cuts on her hands. "My name's in there too?"

He nods. "We found ones for Hara-san, Yoshino-sensei, and myself as well."

"So my name's not included?" I ask, earning the attention of the others.

"No. Neither are Takigawa's and Matsusaki-san."

"Huh…" Housho takes on a contemplative look.

"Well that's a relief." Ayako huffs.

"I don't know… I kinda feel left out."

Mai twiddles with her hair. "…Hey, Kaz, how's Naomi? And Nari... did you manage to find her too?" The others glance over, curious as well seeing as Nari's disappearance was mentioned some time ago.

I offer her a small smile. "Naomi's condition has stabilized and she's merely resting. The doctors were quite surprised it's taken this long for her to collapse seeing the state she was admitted in. As for Nari, a family... friend managed to find her. She back at home resting now." I bite out at the end, but no one really notices.

"Oh… I see… I'm glad those two are resting now. I was surprised when Naomi collapsed like that in the sewer… and I guess I'm not too surprised Nari tried to get here on her own... I just wish she was more careful, especially with her stitches and everything." She trails off sadly. My expression softens before I rub the top of her head, earning a surprised squeak in response.

"Arigato Mai. You're a really caring girl." A pink hue enters enter face as I lower my hand.

"E-eh?" She covers her head with her hands as she sends me a shocked look. "Oh, no. It's no problem really." She waves her hands in front of herself. "I don't know why but I can't help but worry for Naomi … Nari... the reason's obvious but Naomi... it's hard to explain."

I send her an amused glance. 'That intuition of yours again. It's truly growing at a startling rate.'

"I see." Naru interrupts, earning back our attention. "All that's left is to burn the Hitou Gata and wash the ashes away to destroy the power of enmi inside them."

Ayako closes the first aid kit with a decisive click. "But do you seriously think the culprit will stop now?"

"And we still don't know who it is." Housho adds.

"I've said this before. It's not Kasai or Naomi!" Mai interrupts.

"Well, who knows?" Ayako turns to the side before her eyes furrow in confusion. "What's this?" She picks up two Hitou Gata. "These two are cracked… and have burn marks on them…" She mutters before her eyes widen in surprise. "Saitou Ayumu and Izayoi Naomi? What kind of joke is this?!"

"What? Let me see that." Ayako hands Housho the Hitou Gata. "So even she was targeted… this doesn't make any sense…"

Ayako bites the bottom of her lip. "…It's not a fake, is it?"

Housho shakes his head. "No… it's not… and to break the curse in this manner… whoever did this is one scary individual."

Mai blinks in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"There's two traditional ways to break the enmi." I explain. "One, the method Naru explained or two, to reverse the curse on the hexer. But, there's also a lesser known third option…" I trail off.

"Which is?"

"You reverse the curse on the spirit or demon itself." Lin supplies as he holds out his hand for the Hitou Gata. Housho hands it over to him wordlessly. "But to do so you would need to possess an entity that surpasses the one you wish to curse. Not many individuals meet that criteria and even if they do, there's a high chance the reversal will fail." He eyes the cracks in thought. "Whoever did this is rather advanced…" Lin murmurs as he studies the Hitou Gata.

Naru furrows his brows in thought before his breathing comes out in pained gasps.

"Oi Naru, what's wrong?" Housho sends Naru a confused glance.

Lin turns to us in surprise.

Brows furrowed, Housho walks closer to Naru. "You feelin' ok, man?" He places a hand on Naru's shoulder before Naru falls off his chair and collapses onto the floor.

"N-naru?" Mai looks on in horror.

He doesn't respond.

"Naru!"


AN: Congrats to those of you who guess Naomi and Nari to be the same person! I had a lot of fun messing around with the scenes in this chapter and I hope it was enjoyable to read as well. Some more hints were revealed on Nari and Ayumu's secret and it seems Lin and Naru are starting to catch up on it too. More of Nari's plan will be revealed in the next chapter. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter, pairings, plot, or anything in general. I love to hear from you guys and hopefully I'll get out another chapter before summer break but no promises. Well, until next time….

Ja ne~

G l H l O l S l T ll H l U l N l T

Review Responses:

Twilight Dark Angel: Thanks for the support. :D I'm finally done with this chapter and I hope it was worth the wait. College is getting more difficult with the upper division classes but I'm hanging in there. (^^) Thanks again for the review.

bored411: Hi again. :D Great to see another review from you and I'm glad you liked Nari's little appearance in the last chapter. She really has a knack for getting in trouble. I'll take into consideration your thoughts on the pairing. Honestly, from here the pairings can go any which way. It's pretty confusing really. xD

AssailantAngel: Thanks for the review and I'm glad the changes keep things interesting. I'm trying to keep Mai's powers on track with how the anime portrays her development, but I'm going to start speeding up that process after I hit the silent Christmas arc. Mai is going to get stronger in the story. That I assure you.

Hetomi: Thanks for the review and hopefully the update was worth the wait. :D

Jem Juliette Jewels Jade: Hi again. :D You're not too far off by thinking that Naomi/Nari is dying, but not in the way you think. Hopefully you liked the curve ball I threw when I revealed Nari as Naomi in disguise. xD Hopefully this chapter met your expectations.

Jade Starlight: Thanks for the review and I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. I personally love adding mysteries upon mysteries into stories to keep things interest, but I do leave some hints here and there. As for Mai and Naru ending up together… I guess we'll see how things go. It was difficult for me to see how their feelings grew for each other in the anime and that might be reflected in the story as well, but there will be scenes that will push those two together but if that will be enough for them to be a couple, who's to say. You just need to keep reading to find out. :D

Otaku Wench: I'm glad you like OC stories. I know many people turn away from stories that have an OC in it. Anyway, I'm glad the story is enjoyable for you and you will be seeing more of Nari in the next chapter when she explains what was going through her head when she cooked up this whole ploy.

runthroughthestars: I'm glad you found the conversation funny. I get weird looks when I randomly laugh when I read fanfic as well as you're not alone in that. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable as well. The relationships are getting unclear at this point in the story, but that makes things more interesting. I'll be giving out more hints in the story to your questions so stay tuned for that.

LuzElvaParra17: Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

royalpurple153: No worries. It doesn't sound harsh at all and I share the same thoughts, but seeing as Nari is thick-headed and stubborn… I don't really see that working out anytime soon, especially with all the stuff she goes through just to help them on this case rather than telling them point blank about everything… yeah she's unconventional… but entertaining. Thanks for the review :D

LadyDream3512: Wow. You hit the nail on the head with your thoughts on Nari and Naomi. Nari and Naomi had some parallels and I think this chapter made it all the more obvious. I'm glad you decided to read this story and yes, the relationships are getting… messy. I'm glad I'm not in any relationship pentagons nor ever wish to be in one. xD Your review as fun to read and don't worry, you're not rambling. It's great to hear from readers and if you have any questions or thoughts you want to bring up, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to answer without giving too much away. :D