Well, I'm sure I've kept you waiting for this one long enough, yes?

Harry watched Mai's unconscious form, sure that she was having another clairvoyant vision. He had already cleared her of poisoning with magic, and waited patiently for her to wake. That was all that could have been keeping her unconscious after all. He remembered panicking over Luna a few times when she collapsed suddenly for visions, he had already called the mysterious girl for her assistance, she'd be there soon. Mai would need her tutelage, it would help her in the long run.

Mai, in the meantime, was watching yet another spirit get caught and devoured by a much larger, evil fox fire. And sees Sakauchi's dorm room.

Naru has enough of waiting, and walks over to her bed from the wall he had been leaning on. He leaned over her close to her face. "I know you like her, but are you going to kiss the princess to break the curse of sleep?" Harry teased the other teen, Naru popped up after realizing just how close he was to her face.

The seventeen year old glared at Harry before turning back to Mai with softened eyes. "Mai?...Mai?...Mai, are you awake?...Mai?" He kept asking, she was in fact just waking up, and shot up.

The two barely avoided hitting heads, and Mai was left flustered as usual. Harry saw this as an opportunity. "Oh come on Mai, you just needed to wait a few more seconds and he would have kissed you to break the sleeping curse." Harry sighed, the two teens blushed.

And a pillow was tossed at his head, which he ducked.

"Alright, enough joking around. Mai, what were you doing walking around alone?" Ayako asked her, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I went to go get a videotape from the Biology room, speaking of which, why am I not feeling the effects of the Formalin?" Mai answered.

Harry held up his wand and smirked, all smug and such. The normally emotionally closed off boys were acting strange, the rest of the group realized.

"You two are a little too open for comfort."

"Later." The two teens responded together, creeping them out a bit.

"Never mind that, why didn't you use the warding magic we taught you?" Monk asked, confused as to why she was even in that situation in the first place.

"I panicked, and by the time I had collected myself enough to defend myself the Formalin was effecting my state of consciousness." Mai confessed, embarrassed.

"It's alright, Mai, it happens to all of us a few times. I'm sure with practice and a few more cases your first instinct will be to use mantras and your abilities, not panic." Harry assured her.

"Did you panic the first time you ran into something?" She asked.

"I was desensitized to danger as a child, seeing as that household I was in was less than kind. For a while after the...less favourable things started, I did lock and freeze up. After that my instinct was to shut down or run away as fast as I could. It eventually became hide in plain sight, or defend myself. Until finally it was defend and kill my attackers if necessary." Harry explained, the group was momentarily angry, but as those people were dead...bygones be bygones now.

(Plus, the Potter parents would definitely be making their afterlives hell, right? Yep)

"We should go, Mai, you should get a little bit more rest before joining the rest of us. At least two more hours alright?" Monk asked of her.

"Alright."

"I'll stay with her and protect her." Ayako offered.

"If you would, Ayako." Naru thanked her in his own way, and the group, bar Ayako and Mai, left the nurses' office.

Harry knew she'd get a few more visions, and was praying that Luna get there soon so that they could arrange things between her and Mai. They split up to get a few more videotapes and to make sure nothing was out of order, Harry would be checking his runes. He knew it wasn't that hard to get rid of his defense wards, and from there his protective runes and his detection ward from there. The girl showed no signs of stirring, as his runes told him, so he returned to their rooms to call Luna in the tent, there he'd have privacy and the mirror he'd use was there.

Though it took her a few minutes to answer, she did so. "Hello Ri, how goes young Mai?" The mysterious blonde asked in her normal airy voice.

"It goes well, Luna. How far out are you?"

"You think clearly, the nargles and wrackspurts leave you be yes?"

"Yes, Luna. I am free of clouded judgement."

"I will be at the airport within the hour, and from there I will be at the school within the day. I may stop to rest, the time difference is long yes?" Luna assured him.

"Thank you Luna, would you like me to be there to pick you up?"

"No Harry, I shall be fine. I will meet you when the time is right. I'm holding the plane powder room, be safe now." Luna said her goodbyes, and hung up.

Harry returned to the nurses' office only to find Mai in a tizzy, she insisted that he and Ayako go and warn Yasu and John of the danger they'll be running into, and Masako of the dangers in the classroom she was in. Harry immediately complies, running to catch up to the two men at the first floor printing room. He knew Ayako taught Mai a new chant he'd had yet to teach her, he only hopes she'd be safe during her encounter with any more spirits, there was one in that room, just waiting for an opportunity.

Harry caught up to the two men just as they were to enter the printing room to get some papers for Naru. "WAIT! Mai had another dream! A huge fox fire is in there, with malicious intent!" Harry called out as he ran down the hall to them, John pulled his hand back from the door handle as if he'd been shocked by it.

"What? Is she right?" Yasu asked.

Harry focused through a nearby rune. The one in that room was being attacked and burned away slowly. "It's so strong its breaking down all my runes in there." Harry confessed with shock, the three teens backed away further from the door.

The building shook as if an explosion had gone off, the three dropped to the ground because debris fell, they raced towards the base to see exactly what was causing this. Harry tried reaching through the runes, but most of them were shattering by now. The energy of the spirits was overwhelming the interconnected ward, which was definitely possible. They reached the stairs and were about to start up them when the floors shook again. They heard breaking and cracking, and were cautious but quick as they raced down the halls to the base. Naru and Lin were bent over a certain monitor, and the black wearing teen raced from the room to another, when Harry caught a look on the monitors he pulled the other teens along towards the nurses' office.

The room's floor had fallen through, luckily Mai was alright. But the warping ceiling told them she wouldn't be alright for long if they didn't get her out. The noises coming through sounded like spirits breaking away at the structure of the building. Naru protected Mai from falling debris, and Harry disregarded Yasu's presence to use magic and lift the debris off of them.


"That was not fun. The whole school shook." Monk growled, John and Ayako were setting up protections around their base.

"What was it that you did, Ri, that wasn't PK was it?" Yasu asked.

"I can fix the damage in the halls, but I think it best if the principal and Matsuyama see just how dangerous these spirits are. The school needs to be put on lockdown from everyone and everything, I don't dare raise that ward with the power these spirits have right now." Harry warned them.

"No, don't fix any damage, the idiots here at the school need to learn what they've brought upon themselves. We aren't done here yet." Naru told him.

"How would you fix that damage? You don't mean to say you have construction tools with you? You only brought in a few bags!?" Yasu was very confused by this point.

"Yasuhara, sit down, we have a lot to tell you." Harry told him, he and Naru sat down with the confused teen while Monk and Ayako looked over Mai again.

The girl was flustered, because of Naru protecting her and the fact she wasn't able to drive the spirit away, but also because there were such dangers here and it was only getting worse. Yasu's head was spinning when the two other teens had given him the full rundown, the wizard was patient however, he knew it was hard to wrap your head around it at first. But the student understood, and after asking a few questions accepted it in full stride. "We should have brought you to the hospital or a hotel, or even with us. That was stupid, leaving you alone to warn the others." Ayako muttered, which was heard by everyone.

"No, Mai was right to tell us to hurry. Feel out the rune ward, it's gone. Those spirits are so strong they overwhelmed the runes and then caused this. They burned every single rune off these walls, even the ones that I didn't set up on them. The ones on the equipment are the only ones not damaged, probably because they weren't seen as a threat. They could have been killed, walking into such a dense spiritual area strong enough to burn runes off the very base they are on. Especially Yasu and Masako, Yasu because his encounters are far and few, he is sensitive to any new energies. And Masako because, as a medium, she would be overwhelmed by the malicious intent I read off these spirits before they hid themselves again. They were looking for someone, only attacking Mai because she was the easiest target to draw someone out." Harry deducted, the others in the group grew extremely pale.

Any of them could have died. "So these spirits are very powerful then?" Asked Yasu.

"More like malicious and brutal." Monk answered him.

Mai cut in to explain what she saw the two times she was out, the spirits were continuing their course, testing their power, gearing to get out and destroy something. Or someone.

The next morning SPR was informed they were being blamed for the fast escalation of incidents, and that they were to clear out by the end of the day. Despite strong feelings against this, they had no choice. Mai however, was not done yet. "These spirits just keep eating each other without mercy! Devouring the weak and leaving only the strongest! And then those ones devour each other until only the four that exist are left!" Mai warned, Naru and Lin's eyes widened dramatically for the first time since they've known them.

"The strongest is left?" Naru reiterated gently.

"Naru, that sounds like...if...but with spirits? A kodoku?" Harry muttered in realization.

"Kodoku? One of your books mentioned that, Ri, but didn't explain it." Mai commented, calming down slightly.

"It's rare a book mentions it Mai, the fact your recognize the name is astounding, and assures me Ri and I are teaching you well. A Kodoku is a Zuzhou hex, it can be traced in origins to Ancient China, but is now practically non existent. Zuzhou can use Hitogata, talismans, and a multitude of other objects and materials. One of those things being living creatures." Naru explained for the sake of the group.

"A kodoku uses living creatures, insects and other bugs to be exact. There is an unknown type of bug called a golden silkworm, and it is found by placing a multitude of bug species into a pot that is buried in the Earth for several months. Upon being dug up and opened, there should only be one more bug left. The curse's method uses this remaining bug." Harry continued.

"You are correct, Ri. The curse takes over the house of the targeted person once the victim accepts it, usually unknowingly in a bag of silver and gold coins. It brings an enormous amount of wealth to the house owner, but in return, unless you kill a person to offer to it regularly, it will chew the householder to death. After that, it must then be transferred to the earth for someone else to find and become the next victim of the curse. Perform the Kodoku and send it with a bag of silver and gold coins. A most devious cycle." Naru finished, the others had disgusted looks on their faces, Lin remained stoic as usual.

"What happens once the final spirit is left?" Mai asked, horror barely hidden.

"It is unknown, Mai. There are factors that do not bode well. This school is already in a naturally closed off area, spiritually speaking, even if I hadn't even put up that ward it would have been hard for any spirit to take up residence here. It is also probably why none of those other spirits could leave. And there is the fact we don't know who the householder is, or who the curse is being aimed at whatsoever. It is probably the students."

"Breaking it would be simple. There are two ways, transfer it to someone else, or give in and feed it." Lin cut Harry off from anything else he was going to say.

"However, this does give us grounds to stay and try to at least lessen the curse presence." Naru spoke up, a little bit of hope entered them, and he went off to convince the principal to allow them to stay.

Lin would be able to deal with it at least, as long as it was a kodoku he may be able to transfer it to someone else and then destroy it. "We should probably organize everything we know, it could help. And this place is a mess thanks to those spirits completely rocking the school." Yasu muttered.

He was right, the base was a mess. Luckily none of the equipment was damaged, everything else was a little worse for wear. They set about cleaning while Lin went to check on all the monitors and recording equipment for any damage not detected in the initial scans. "Well, the incantations and markings on the paper are strange. There are the basics for Ouija boarding, letters, numbers, and the yes or no spots. But...instead of the regular torii arch in the middle of it, there is this odd squiggly character. Plus, there is the circle for demon around it." Mai muttered about the oddness of the Orikirisama set up.

"Demon?" Lin asks suddenly, standing abruptly and walking over.

"What is the pattern?" He asked.

"It's been so long, and I only did it once. I can't really remember." Yasu answered him.

"Orikirisama, yes? Is it derived from the incantation? On, orikiritei, meiritei, meiwayashimarei, sowaka." Lin asks another question, chanting out an incantation Mia vaguely recognized, Harry recognized it fully, however.

"That's it, how'd you know?" Yasu confirms.

"You have to bury it somewhere, yes?"

"Yeah, each paper can only be used once, and has to be buried at a shrine or something."

That sets a memory off for Mai, she digs out the journal she's been keeping of her dreams for Harry to confirm it.

"Yasu, by chance is there a not too large shrine in the area with a small torii gate and foxes?"

"You know about it?"

"She's clairvoyant, Yasu. It would have come to her in a dream if she knows of it now." Harry told him, the teen nodded.

He stood up, stretching, however, this caused his shirt to ride up.

"Oh dear! Ri you never mentioned that bad of a scar, how did you get it!?" Mai asked the green eyed, teen, seeing the scar stretching over his torso.

"Ah...well...I got hit with a nasty curse. Not the killing curse, but the cutting curse, Sectumsempra." Harry told her.

"But isn't the counter curse supposed to get rid of potential scarring?"

"In normal cases. I had been hit with quite a few curses, was magically exhausted, and survived a second killing curse just earlier that evening. It was truly a freak magical occurrence that gave me a scar after I got rid of one." Harry confessed sheepishly, earning him some amused looks.

Once Naru and the others were ready, they all headed out to the shrine not too far off from the school. Mai confirmed it was the one she saw in her dreams. The astral plane just loved to show her things alongside Gene, Naru's comatose brother. Then they heard the students they'd lectured days before coming up to the shrine that spotted them, and went to hide when Monk called them out. He grabbed the paper away from them and began lecturing them. "Hosho, calm yourself. They are just foolish teens after all. We will have to explain what this is and why they shouldn't do it when we figure out the entire situation. As for this, I believe Lin and I should have a look." Harry cut in, sending the girls off and gently prying the sheet of paper from his hand so as to not damage it.

He took a look and almost dropped it. "L-Lin...this..." He managed shortly..."This is...a death curse for the old grouch..." Harry finished out, continuing from before.

Lin took the paper and read it out. "I knew it, To confound, crossroads; to kill, beneath a sanctuary." Lin read out.

Mai made the sanctuary connection to the shrine. "This particular talisman is used to curse a person to death, you were right, Ri. We need to tell Naru this." Lin continued, so they headed back to the school quickly.

Once the situation was explained to Naru he sighed. "Someone spread this around falsely claiming it was a form of Ouija boarding, now who is this for?" Naru asked.

"The Kanji on the sides read name and age."

"It's that old grouch Hidehara Matsuyama." Harry interrupted Lin to get it over with.

"We are lucky this was cast by amateurs, I could have killed someone with only one of these." Lin informed the group.

"The school is indeed under a Kodoku aimed at Matsuyama, now the question is, what are we going to do about it?" Harry finished their conversation.

Silence fell on the group.

Naru was about to speak when the smug bastard himself came in. "So, you have no more business here. Get out, you are supposed to have vacated the vicinity hours ago. Or do you have any other sound propositions?" Matsuyama spoke with such a smug attitude Mai's worry flew out the window.

What did she care, the spirits could rip him to pieces. "You are better off knowing, Matsuyama." Naru said to him, the man scoffed.

"You are probably just figuring out ways to jack up the fee." The old man spoke with a superior tone.

"After all you have seen and experienced with that dog and the school damage, you are still such a stuck up, adult douchebag bully? Wow, I expected your kind of behaviour from schoolyard residents. You know, children?" Harry taunted him with his own smug expression.

Harry looks behind the man to see Monk with an expression of pain, his hands over Mai's mouth and the girl was absolutely furious. He almost lost it there to laugh, luckily Naru came in with a perfect performance. "Matsuyama, were you aware of the Ouija boarding around the school?" He starts off.

"that idiotic game? Of course I did." He answers.

"And you failed to inform us of this when we first got here because?"

"It was stupid, you can't summon spirits with a piece of paper, or anything at all."

"Now that's a lie, Matsuyama. Either that or you are foolishly ignorant. Spirits fuel things, sprits are everywhere. Tied here for reasons, or summoned to wreak havoc or to learn something." Harry got a laugh out of him, the pure sadism in his tone loud and clear to the group.

"You are a target of havoc wreaking spirits, this particular talisman is for a death curse, Matsuyama. Do you wish to know who it is for? It is for you, Hidehara Matsuyama." Naru reveals to the man, who goes into immediate denial.

Naru hands the paper off to Lin, who had so far had no conflicts with anyone at the school. "This is indeed a talisman for a killing curse. Takigawa, can you read Sanskrit?" Lin continued with Naru's game with the man.

"More or less." Monk answered, taking the paper to read it.

"This is ridiculous, stop spinning bullshit!" Matsuyama demanded in anger.

"Read the right side, if you would." Lin instructed, the man nodded.

"Sorry, but this can only, unmistakeably be read as Hidehara Matsuyama when translated to Japanese." Monk informed the man, handing the paper back to Lin.

"This doesn't necessarily need to be written in Kanji, Naru, if you would read the right side please. It is Kanji."

"I cannot read Kanji very well, it is not my strong suit."

"John?" Lin asked, the priest came over.

"This reads 53 years old this year. Matsuyama's appearance does fit his age." John read, then continued with his commentary.

"This started within the first years, in the art club. With someone with an interest in the paranormal." Naru informed the man, Lin still had the paper.

"So it was Sakauchi!? That damn brat! He deserved every punishment I ever gave him!" Matsuyama hissed out.

"But when you punished him, Mr. Matsuyama, he had not yet deserved anything! Yet you tore his books, insulted him, unfairly punished him harshly for wanting to go into paranormal research! Your cruel actions and pure abusive behaviour towards students here...it's no wonder Sakauchi wanted you dead!" Yasuhara yelled at the teacher, having had enough.

"Yasuhara! Detention! I'll have you scrubbing this school top to bottom tonight and a five page essay on history due tomorrow!" Matsuyama barked out.

Harry had a flashback to Snape and Umbridge, the punishments and pains he had gotten. He rubbed his hand over the area the extremely faded scarring from the blood quills had been. "I must not tell lies" could still be made out if someone looked closely. He began to laugh darkly, just under his breath, muttering about unfair punishments and old bastards who needed to be knocked down a peg or two. "These is now only one way to save you, to turn the spell back on the casters. The students. They were unknowingly doing so, but it is still more proper to do something." Naru informed the old man, who began laughing and making triumphant statements.

Harry was sickened by the man, absolutely sickened. "You disgust me. We will not be turning back this curse, you deserve the bloody and brutal death coming to you, Matsuyama. No matter how far you run or where you hide, not even the blessed grounds of the shrine or church can help you now, Matsuyama. If the curse doesn't do you in, I will make sure the spell is strengthened, and it will be alongside one of the most powerful pain causing curses I can do." Harry spoke darkly.

"You lie." Matsuyama growled back at him.

"Oh no, not at all. See this scar? It was given to me by a teacher like you, carved with a sharpened quill. Yes, quill. Can you read what it says, despite it being in English?" Harry asked him, shoving the scarred hand in his face.

"I...Must...Not...Tell...Lies?" Matsuyama read slowly.

"They thought I was lying, so she held me in detention for hours after school, weeks on end, for a whole school year in the Highlands, a private school. Made me do lines with that sentence, then forced me to sit still as she carved my hand with said quill after cleaning the ink off! You are no different than her! And she met her death with the other castle residents, the spirits. A student grew tired of her, and took the dive to kill her. You, are about to meet the same fate. Let's go tell the students, shall we? Then we'll get you ready, the spirits will love chewing you to pieces." Harry was positively gleeful, years of abuse made getting back at an abuser oh so sweet for him.

You could say his psyche is less than healthy, but perfectly healthy all at once.

"You...you're insane. I don't deserve this." The ma barely choked out at seeing the sadistic glee shining in Harry's eyes.

"You deserve what's coming to you." Harry replied quickly.

"Morally this is wrong, but the lesser evil is letting the curse be played out." John spoke regretfully.

"John, these spirits are merely carrying out another's will, and truly you can do nothing to stop this. Would you have Lin and Naru turn this curse back on the students?" Harry reasoned with him.

"I will still go for confession on Sunday, to the head exorcist of Australia." John relented, grief heavy in his tone.

"I'm sorry John, this must be a hard moral decision. Unless there is another way?" Harry spoke, feeling bad about this.

"We could try making Hitogata for the students, and turning the curse on them then so that the Hitogata take the curse, not Matsuyama. We would have to hurry, however. And after that, we turn this man over to the police for abuse of students." Naru told him after some thinking.

John perked up. "We will have to act quickly, Lin, I shall go tell the principal of exactly what needs to be done. Lin, set up the ritual needed to turn the curse on the casters. Harry, you do whatever you can to slow down the activation and lashing out of the curse. Yasu, gather everyone in the gym, and get a list of who is absent today, full lists, everyone enrolled this year or the previous year. Last year's third years could have taken part." Naru ordered.

"Yasu, you take the principal and explain the situation and what is needed. There is no way to slow these things down. We should start making the Hitogata." Harry informed the teen.

"That will be easy, I just need to get the premade ones we have on hand at the office. Will you pop out and get the box, it is next to my desk clearly labeled." Naru asked him.

"Yes, Yasu, listen to what Naru told you. Round everyone up, ignore teacher protests." Harry told the teen, and apparated out on the spot.

Yasu took a moment to get over the fact he just vanished silently in front of him, then raced out to follow orders. They didn't have much time at all. The girls went off to help Yasu while Monk and John stayed to help clear the area for when what they needed arrived. Harry came back with a large box of Hitogata, and with the ritual set up they began to properly enchant the Hitogata, with the school roster they made one for each person, making sure they got each and every student. They then took the box to the gym and were met with a multitude of students while Lin and Naru oversaw the ritual. The group in the gym explained what happened to the students, what needed to be done, and then they made sure they missed no one. They then had every student leave the school grounds for the day for their own safety and spread the Hitogata out on the gym floor. They made sure every single teacher was sat down to watch as the curse struck, and the room turned completely black. They head cracking and breaking, things being thrown about and some splinters hit their legs. When light returned to the room the Hitogata looked torn to bits, names barely recognizable.

From there they called any student who's Hitogata had not been damaged, to ensure they were fine. Matsuyama was arrested by the police after an investigation into his actions had been conducted, his teaching license was revoked. When he got out of prison he would not be able to set foot in any school to teach ever again.

It came time to say goodbye, and with some final jokes with Yasu, the group was ready to set out, however, Naru had a kind moment. "You were much help, Yasuhara. Your talent in research was a much appreciated effort in this case. How would you like to work for the SPR Japan branch? As an investigator focusing on the research side of locations and history?"

"I'd love to, you'd just have to arrange things with my school's since I'll be attending college after Rokuryo. I can't express how much I'm looking to graduation." Yasu agreed, Naru told him to be in for work the next Monday at five, they may or may not have a case by then. Or that's just when he planned on having their group leave to find his brother. He felt they could help him, and that help was something he'd appreciate.