Dialogue in [brackets] is in English.

Regular dialogue is in Japanese.

November 17, Afternoon

Although Naru had been insistent upon leaving immediately, the truth was that they still didn't even know which prefecture Mai was in, let alone how to find her. For all they knew, she could be halfway to New York.

"Not New York," Naru had snapped when Masako had raised the point. "There was a lake. I've seen it before." With that, his head sank back down again as he dug each and every trip he'd taken out of his memory in sequential order. For better or for worse, he had been to a good deal of lakes recently.

At some point in the midst of his fretting, John and Masako had wandered in one after the other, bearing worse and worse news. Between the two of them, they'd contacted Yasuhara, Takigawa and Ayako, but none of the others had heard from Mai, either. They had even gone as far as to call Hirota, but he didn't seem to be in his office at the moment. "Of course not," had been Naru's reply to that, but he didn't bother to elaborate.

At any rate, there was nothing any of them could do to help with the search. "A mountain lake with trees" was about the best description Naru could give even if he had tried, which he hadn't. Even if he could estimate the area of the lake, there were just far too many in Japan, and he couldn't be sure that he was seeing the whole thing. They didn't have the luxury of visiting each site one by one, as he had had with Gene. It was the first time he'd ever thought of it as a luxury.

"It's a reservoir," he said suddenly, sitting up straight. "In Fukuoka. Lin, what's the earliest we can be there?"

Startled, the assistant raised his head and immediately headed to the computer. After several minutes of busy typing and clicking, he frowned. "Not until tomorrow morning, by plane."

Tomorrow morning. It would take more than an hour from the airport to reach the reservoir, and then they would have to search manually. Still, it was the best they could do, and it was better than nothing, he supposed. He gave Lin a sharp nod.

At that point, Masako finally interrupted. "What is this urgency about?" She demanded. It was obvious that she'd been holding her words back for some time. "Is Mai in danger?"

John waited anxiously for the answer as well, but Naru only looked distracted. "It's hard to say," he said finally.

"Naru," John ventured hesitantly, "I understand your concern, but perhaps the stress is making you a bit hasty. If we know where she is, perhaps getting in contact first…"

"It's not that simple!" Naru stopped abruptly and exhaled when he realized he'd lashed out at John for no reason. He brushed imaginary strands of hair out of his face and took a breath, sounding more composed this time at least, if not any more calm than before. "Something doesn't add up." That was all the explanation he had the energy to give.

Masako seemed to ponder briefly before she turned her sharp eyes to Lin. "Please book a ticket for myself and John as well," she ordered.

"Me?" The exorcist asked, startled. "Of course, I would like to go, but…" His gaze drifted toward the researcher staring intently out the window.

Naru didn't seem to realize that he was being silently questioned for a good few moments; it was only after the silence had become practically deafening that he turned his eyes back toward the others and answered. "Do whatever you like," he said shortly.

November 17, Evening

Mai drifted in and out of consciousness for hours on end. Whether she was awake or asleep, she could sense with growing acuity the presence of many, many others in the room. Though she couldn't see them, their voices mingled in the air like conversation.

Where am I?

I can't get out.

I want to go back.

Take me with you.

Their whispers had a sense of urgency, but each individual presence was faint, and they held no hint of malice—they were merely lost, confused. At first, they had been intrusive, probing, but at some point, a strange sort of warmth had settled over her, and despite how heavy her body still was, she felt light and airy as if she were detached from her physical form altogether. After that, listening to the spirits' whispers had become almost comfortable.

They don't mean any harm. The pull of the living is just too strong. The thought rose to her mind unbidden, but it didn't seem like something she would think of herself.

She could make out the voices of children and men and women young and old, especially old men. There were a lot of old men. Though the spirits spoke not so much in words as in emotions, there was a foreignness to many of them that made her certain they weren't Japanese. Were these the lingering spirits that the woman conversed with? Though they seemed interesting enough, she really should find some conversation partners who weren't dead, Mai thought wryly. Especially when most of these spirits didn't even seem to want to be here. In fact, rather than "lingering," it seemed more accurate to say that they were trapped.

Trapped. Yes, that was it. They were trapped. By what? They didn't seem to have any attachments to this world. Even though their voices rang clearly in her mind, no matter how much she tried, her own words didn't reach them. If there was no way to speak to them at all, it might be necessary to perform an exorcism on the place, she thought heavily.

The regret cut through the hazy shroud of sleep that still blanketed her mind. What time was it? It was still dusky outside. 'Still?' Something about that didn't sound right. It had been dark when she'd gone to sleep, and no matter how she looked at it, that was sunset outside, not sunrise. Had it been a whole day already? She needed to find out how Hirota and Suzuko were doing.

With difficulty, she forced herself to sit up. It took several tries; she'd slept for so long that her body didn't seem to belong to her anymore. It felt like she'd forgotten how to use her own muscles, but after several minutes, she'd somewhat readjusted herself to moving around.

A small, tattered black notebook on the dresser top caught her eye. She staggered over and picked it up, propping herself against the wall as she flipped it open. An inundation of hastily scrawled, barely legible English letters assaulted her eyes and made her wince. Just the sight of it threatened to bring her headache back; it seemed like no matter where she went, she couldn't escape from this accursed language. Since it was in English, she wouldn't be able to decipher it, though.

Couldn't she? Why wouldn't she know English? She spoke it all the time.

When she came back to her senses again, she frowned. True, she was prone to daydreams, but she didn't think she was so far gone that she wouldn't be able to distinguish her fantasies from reality. The terrible handwriting only further stirred her headache, though, so she closed it and clutched it tightly to her chest. Now that some of her focus had returned, she could make out someone's muffled speaking voice in the distance. Not a spirit—a real person.

Cautiously, she tiptoed to the door and opened it just a crack. To her relief, the door didn't so much as creak, and she put her ear to the door to listen.

"[… unexpected… should have… such assumptions…]"

It was unmistakably their contact's voice, but she was still too far to make out what she was saying, and it sounded partway like gibberish, besides. Should she try to get closer? Eavesdropping wasn't a very polite thing to do, after all, especially when you were borrowing someone's room. If the woman was speaking to Hirota or Suzuko, though, Mai wanted to let them know that she was awake, at least. She decided she'd listen in for just a bit and leave if it seemed like something private.

The voice was coming from downstairs. The bedroom she'd been using was on the second floor, then. She made her way down the hall slowly toward the railing of the stairs, careful not to let herself fall. Once she reached the top of the stairs, the woman's voice became much clearer.

"[… telling you, you were wrong. If she had the ability to channel, it would have been obvious hours ago.]"

Who was she talking to? There were no other voices, so Mai could only assume she was speaking on the phone. More importantly, who were they talking about? Unless there was someone else in the house, were they talking about her…? The surprise distracted her from the fact that she was listening to a language she wasn't supposed to be able to understand.

"[Of course I'm not wrong! I know every spirit in this house. I would be able to tell.]"

There was another pause, and the woman sounded annoyed now.

"[Look, Charles, just admit it. Your theory was flawed from the start. Even if the conditions seem right, psychic abilities are just too unpredictable.]"

Charles? A foreign name, how odd. Speaking of which, hadn't she met a Charles just the other day? It seemed like it would be too much of a coincidence if they happened to know each other, though, and anyways, she was pretty sure it wasn't that uncommon of a name in Western countries.

"[I told you, you should have looked into Oliver Davis' potential when you had the chance.]"

…Naru?

The woman paused again. "[I know he doesn't have any predisposition for it," she snapped. "But an individual compatibility is good enough. Twin studies have always produced exceptional results.]"

Cold sweat ran down her back. What was the woman talking about?

"[Of course he would. It's his brother, isn't it? And even if he doesn't, aren't you supposed to be the persuasive one?]"

His brother? Was she talking about Gene? What on earth was going on? She didn't know, but something about it gave her a terrible feeling. Naru. She had to do something. She had to warn him, tell him to stay awa—

Searing pain suddenly split her skull. She doubled over, clutching her head and almost losing her grip on the notebook she was holding. It felt like fire was burning her veins, and her vision went blurry. She couldn't tell up from down anymore, and she didn't dare stand up for fear of tumbling down the stairs. The agonizing heat threatened to tear her apart inside out, scorching every cell in her body—

And then just as suddenly, it stopped. Warily, she raised a hand to look at it, but something felt strange. Was this really her hand? When had she come here? No, she had no time to waste fretting over these questions for now. She had to warn Naru. Naru? Something about that name felt subtly wrong. Did she really call him that? No, no, it didn't matter. She had to warn him. That was the only thing that the doubts in her head didn't question.

The notebook still held tightly in her head, she lurched back toward her own room. Walking was difficult. Taking simple steps, turning the doorknob—she hadn't done any of these things in so long, and everything felt just a tiny bit wrong. The distance wasn't the same, the amount of strength she put into her fingers wasn't the same. To make it worse, this body was still tired, and the exhaustion threatened to steal away what little control she had over her consciousness.

With clumsy, fumbling motions, she managed to unlatch the window and swung it outwards. It was the second story, but the walls were uneven, and there were plenty of footholds. The grass underneath was also soft, and there were plenty of leaves there to catch her fall. She had been good at climbing, once.

She made it about halfway down the building before she lost her grip and slipped. Just as she'd expected, the grass and leaves broke her fall somewhat, though it still hurt. Gingerly, she pressed a finger against her thigh. That would definitely bruise. There were a few more scrapes here and there, and her ankle throbbed terribly, but at least nothing was broken.

Somehow, she felt a lot better now that she was outside the house. She didn't know if it was because of the presence of all those spirits, but something about the house had made her feel sick. Eager to get as far away from it as she could, she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled down the dirt path.

It was no good. Her ankle might have been sprained; every step hurt. She found a thick enough branch of about proper length and used it to prop herself up. It was still slow going, but at least it was enough for her to walk with.

The dirt path had felt long enough during the car ride, but it seemed to stretch on endlessly now that she was on foot. By the time she reached the steep concrete road, the moon was the only source of light. She wasn't used to the wilderness, and she'd never realized how dark it was without streetlights or even far-off buildings to illuminate the scenery.

Regardless, she left the road and walked among the trees instead, though she was careful to stay close so she wouldn't get lost. Over time, the only sensation left in her body was a dull ache that was easy to ignore. Forgetting the pain meant giving her mind time to wander other thoughts, though, and the more she thought, the more confused she became. Why was she here in the first place? She had been on a case… With Hirota? Who was that? No, she'd gone alone because her brother had told her it was a waste of time. Before that… Before that…

It was no use. Thinking was too difficult. The warning—that was the only coherent thing keeping her scattered thoughts together, but she wasn't used to her body yet, and she didn't realize until it was too late that there was no strength left in it. Her limbs gave way, and she fell to the ground with a heavy thud. I hope there aren't any wild bears around here, was her last conscious thought before sleep claimed her.

November 18, Noon

It had been impossible to book five tickets for the earliest flight to Fukuoka, so Naru and Lin had gone ahead first while Madoka, Masako, and John took the next available one. The three of them would try to get in contact with Hirota while Naru and Lin searched for Mai, and they arranged to meet up at the hospital. Since Naru had been the one to suggest the hospital as the meeting place, his complexion frightfully pale as he said it, no one had had the heart to question him.

Lin managed to get his hands on a rental car with incredible haste, and they all but pushed the speed limit the entire way there. Naru never stopped fidgeting with the box of cards in his hands, and his eyes were glued to the scenery.

"There," he said abruptly, pointing to an unmarked road on the highway that would have been easy to miss. They almost did miss it, and Lin had to slam on the brakes to make the turn in time. From there, it became difficult. It was impossible to tell one patch of trees for another, and he didn't want to risk overlooking her by driving past. He got out and began searching on foot as Lin followed slowly by car.

It took nearly half an hour to find her, due in part to the unfortunate fact that her clothes and hair were both roughly the same color as the leaves on the ground. He checked her pulse and breathing; both were regular. There was something in her hands, too—a black notebook that, even unconscious, she was clutching as if her life depended on it.

With a bit of effort—he was glad she didn't weigh that much more than the heavier equipment—he lifted her and carried her back to where Lin was waiting with the car. After arranging her somewhat unceremoniously in the back seat, he got back in as well, and Lin performed a beautiful, if highly uncomfortable turnaround and started driving back toward the main road. Neither of them spoke a word.

Madoka and the others still hadn't returned by the time they reached the hospital and checked her in. Mai was wheeled into one of the emergency rooms, and a few quick CT scans and x-rays were conducted, but to their relief, her state didn't seem to be critical.

"It doesn't seem to be anything major," the doctor assured them. "No head injuries, no broken bones. She's got a sprained ankle, but it's not too bad, and with a bit of rest and rehabilitation, it'll be good as new. There's no clear reason for her unconsciousness, but it's likely dehydration and low blood sugar levels—we've got her on the IV drip, so she'll hopefully wake in a few hours."

Naru nodded tersely and entered her room. Just as he'd said, there was a tube sticking out of her arm, but she looked practically asleep—too asleep, since her sleeping posture was usually terrible. Then again, most of his knowledge on that subject was limited to right after she was woken by nightmares, so perhaps it wasn't the most accurate.

Her lips moved faintly, and it sounded like she was in pain. He bent his head closer to make out what she was saying.

"[… hospital fees…]" she moaned softly, and he didn't know whether he was supposed to laugh or cry. He settled for sighing.

"[That's what you're worried about?]" he muttered under his breath.

Still, at least, if she could worry about financial issues while unconscious, she couldn't be in that much danger. He wondered why he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was still wrong, though.

Madoka and the others arrived shortly afterwards, and Lin briefed them quickly about Mai's condition. John and Madoka entered first, and relief was etched clearly on their faces. However, the moment Masako stepped into the room, her mouth fell open. A troubled expression floated onto her face, and she looked at Naru, then at Mai again, then back at Naru. Her eyes finally settled on Mai.

"Is that… Eugene…?" She finally said hoarsely.

Stunned silence filled the room.

"You mean… in this room? You can see him?" Madoka asked in disbelief.

"I… don't know," Masako answered, astonished herself. "I've never seen anything like this… Is he… possessing her?"

"Gene is? Gene is? Are you certain?" Madoka shook her head, unwilling to accept it.

"I'm not sure. I can't see his form clearly."

"It doesn't matter who it is. If something's possessing her, it needs to be exorcised," Naru said flatly. "John, please." The exorcist looked perplexed.

"But Naru, it could be Gene," Madoka protested.

"If he's gone so far as to possess someone, it isn't him."

"What if he did it because he has something important to say?"

"Madoka!" Naru snapped.

John glanced between the two of them. "It won't exorcise him completely," he offered placatingly. "He'll just be driven out."

Madoka frowned but relented, and Naru turned his head away.

The exorcist didn't bother changing; ultimately, the clothes didn't make a difference, although they did make him feel more confident. He supposed that was the key. Taking out the holy water and bible that he always carried with him, he murmured the familiar prayers in a slow and steady pace. There was little resistance—was he leaving peacefully? No, it wasn't that there was little resistance, it was that no resistance at all. He ended the prayer and drew the shape of a cross in holy water on her forehead, but he couldn't feel anything leave.

With a frown, he turned toward Masako. "What did you see?" He asked uncertainly.

She shook her head, wide-eyed. "Nothing happened."

"The exorcism failed?" Madoka asked. Naru remained silent, but his gaze echoed her question.

"I suppose so… There was no resistance at all, though," he said slowly, trying to piece what had just happened together himself. "It wasn't that I couldn't drive it away, it was that there was nothing to drive away. As if there was nothing to exorcise."

Masako stiffened. "I'm not mistaken," she insisted. "He's still there—a boy who looks exactly like Naru. He looks hazy, so it's hard to see him clearly, and his outline is stuck closely to Mai."

"We're not questioning your abilities," Madoka assured, then sighed. "It looks like he's not doing any harm for the time being, at least. Perhaps it would be best to wait until she wakes up."

John nodded. "Perhaps Mai will know more about what's going on. It might have something to do with the state you found her in."

The medium relented at that, and Madoka stood up. "Masako, I think it's best if you keep an eye on Mai for now. I'll go make arrangements at a hotel."

"I'll come as well," John offered, following her out.

Naru still didn't say a word; he simply stared at the wall as if the world's most fascinating movie were playing on it. It was a full ten minutes before he seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned to Masako.

"Hara-san, did you manage to get in contact with Hirota?"

She had also been dozing off and blinked at the question. "Yes. I met him and his partner. They said they were here to conduct an investigation regarding several missing persons cases, although they still don't seem to know exactly what the cause is. I suspect only their contact, this 'Andrea Louen,' and perhaps Mai are clear about the details."

"As I thought…" He muttered, his eyes falling onto the black notebook on the countertop. The doctors had taken it out of Mai's hands before the x-rays. He flipped it open and scanned its contents; the notes were barely legible, even for him. He could make out a few words here and there, but the majority of it seemed to be chicken scratch—or perhaps code.

Masako looked at him questioningly. "You knew about her?"

His eyebrows drew together slightly. "I saw her while I was reading Mai's location. She was absent when I went to visit them at their lab, but her accent is the same as her brother's."

"Her brother?"

"Charles Louen. They're both researchers from SPR."

"Louen…" Masako pondered for a minute, then her eyes widened in recognition. "We met him at the shooting," she murmured.

Naru looked at her sharply. "Why was he there?"

"He said he wanted to meet me. I assume it was because he's studying mediums, or so he claims."

The crease between Naru's eyebrows deepened. "Coincidence, or…?" He muttered, then lapsed back into silence.

Masako watched the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Mai's chest as she breathed. She was unnaturally still; Masako was used to seeing her fall asleep in the most inopportune moments, arms draped inelegantly over a chair or pillowing her head in some dark corner as she occasionally muttered nonsense in her dreams. Gene's outline hung over her, matching her posture limb for limb, but the differences in their statures made the overlap just the tiniest bit mismatched.

"Naru," Masako said suddenly. "What would you do if something went wrong? If the possession was permanent, or…?" She didn't think she wanted to know the answer herself, but the uncertainty welling up in her chest was becoming unbearable, and she felt like she had to do something with it.

He barely spared her a glance. "Impossible."

"There's no guarantee to anything when it comes to things like this," she argued, but he only scoffed quietly.

"I've yet to encounter a case I can't solve."

She managed a tiny smile at that. It was true. If it were Mai, she would probably say something like, 'At least his ego is good for something in times like these.' That was what she liked about him—and about her, too.

Day 18, Evening

Contrary to the doctor's prediction, Mai didn't wake even as evening rolled in, and they didn't want to risk moving her until she'd regained consciousness. Madoka brought in dinner for them, but it was hard to work up an appetite when one of your friends was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a tube just a door away.

"Eat," Madoka urged them. "It's no use if she wakes up and all of you topple over from exhaustion instead."

It was impossible to deny the truth in what she said, so all of the food was wearily devoured.

"Are there are any clues as to why she isn't waking up?" John asked.

Lin joined in on the conversation for the first time in a while. "Psychic shock," he said shortly. "Using too much energy in too little time, being possessed or cursed—things like that all disrupt the body's energy flow. Hers is unusually tangled."

"You're certain?" Madoka asked, and he gave a brief nod. "That's not too bad, then. The body can usually return to equilibrium on its own, given enough rest. Masako, you should probably arrange for another assistant this Sunday, though."

The medium shrugged. "It doesn't matter how many I have. They're all just props, anyways."

"Oh." Madoka blinked. "How… generous? I wish I were loved to the point that people would make up positions just to have me work for them," she said with a light laugh.

"The position was already there beforehand. It just happened to be vacant," Naru said curtly.

She gave him an innocent look. "Oh? Did I say anything about you?"

"No, and neither did I."

It was still difficult to get in the mood for poking fun, though, so she left it at that and stood up. "Visiting hours are almost over. Masako, John, I suggest you get some sleep. I'll see if I can persuade them to let some of us stay overnight to keep an eye on her. Lin, Naru, you—"

"The location at which I sleep would hardly make a difference," he said, cutting her off, and she sighed.

"Well, I didn't think I'd be able to persuade you to leave, anyways. Lin—"

"Of course, I'm staying with Oliver," he said bluntly. She wrinkled her forehead in complaint.

"Can the two of you just let me finish my sentences? Yes, yes, fine, I get it. Both of you young people need your rest, though. No complaints," Madoka warned as John opened his mouth. Abashed, he closed it again, and Masako turned her head haughtily.

"Fine, I understand," she said with a huff.

"Good. Then, I guess that means I'll be leaving with you." As the only other qualified driver in the group, there was no other choice. "The two of you better be on your best behavior," she warned Lin and Naru. "Don't be mean. If she wakes up and your awful manners make her faint again from indignation, I won't let you off lightly. Remember, she's a recovering patient."

The warning was lost on the two of them. "I don't know what you're worried about," Naru told her irritably, and she gave up with a shrug.

A/N: Attention, all customers: we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our Taniyama Mai. Please excuse us as we try turning it off and back on again. (We really should have bought the lifetime warranty.)

Aaand that's a wrap. As always, thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!