So. Here we are, a nice, even, round chapter ten. Should I be celebrating that I've even gotten this far without twisting Naru all out of whack? Speaking of which…would someone please tell me what the hell a "whack" even is? Kthnx.

BOOMWALLAWALLAWALLAMOOSE!

Two days had passed since Mai's near brush with death (again) and four days since they had arrived at he aunt's haunted mansion (fudge, that sounds cliché.). This knowledge was depressing Mai. It meant she had four less days left with the SPR, four less days with her friends, four less days with…

Naru. she thought gloomily. Mai was borderline wishing that she really had no family left, and that this was just another mystery that needed solving, after which they would all head back to Shibuya and just continue with their lives. Instead, a week and a half from now, they would all be leaving for Shibuya, and she would remain behind.

Stupid laws.

Mai paced down the stairs, looking for something to do besides bring tea to her taciturn boss. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something moving outside the glass window on the main door and reflexively jumped. She then realized that the shadow was actually a man, somewhere in his mid-60's, she figured. Looking around to see whether her aunt or her cousin were around, she walked to the door and opened it.

"Can I help you?" she asked the man, and he frowned slightly, shaking his head

"I'm the gardener Shizumasa-san hired. Is she around?" he inquired in a gruff voice that sounded slightly metallic, as if it hadn't been used in a long time.

"Ah, you must be Emett-san!" came the voice of Mai's aunt, and she hurried to the door, all sunshine and rainbows. "Good, good, right on time! We're having a minor situation in the garden. Nasty little moles and such, do take care of it, will you?" she asked sweetly, and Mai realized that her aunt was the kind of person that you could handle only in small doses. Anything more than that would kill you.

Out of all the people in the world, she has to be family. Mai grumbled inwardly. The man nodded and walked off, sparing one last look at Mai that caused her hair to stand on end. She noticed that for a 60-something year-old geezer, he carried himself the way someone in their 40's would. No hobbling there.

Maybe I should go and tell Naru about him. It couldn't hurt. she thought, as she jogged back up the stairs and to Naru's make-shift office.

ONELITTLEINDIANBOYLEFTALLALONEHEWENTANDHANGEDHIMSELFANDTHENTHEREWERENONE.

Somewhere in the darkness, undisturbed by time, Eugene Davis slipped into consciousness once more. I really wish I could tell how long these little sleeping spells last. Better yet, I'd like to know why the hell I'm still here. he thought, though not entirely curious as to what the answer would've been. He was rather content whenever he was helping Mai or his twin brother, but this place was just much too strange for his tastes. Gene suddenly became aware that a new presence was within the premises of the house. He couldn't detect any malevolent aura coming from it, but that didn't mean much in a place where he was tied down by invisible bonds for 90 of the time. Should he warn Mai and Naru, just in case they hadn't noticed it yet? He hoped that Naru had swallowed his pride and apologized to Mai before something horrible happened. This was no time for them to be having petty arguments, not when they were caught in the middle of two vengeful ghosts.

BOOMSHAKALAKALAKABOOMSHAKALAKALAKA

Mai sat cross-legged on Naru's bed, who was still recuperating from the ghostly encounter they'd had two days ago. He had the case files in his hand and had been attempting to make some head-way in the case when Mai had walked in and plopped down on his bed, nearly bruising his legs in the process. While he appeared annoyed that Mai was sitting so comfortably on his bed, he actually didn't mind. It was nice when once in a while, someone treated him like a person, not just their boss. He'd die before he'd tell anyone that, though.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss, Mai?" he asked in his usual testy tone of voice.

"Shizumasa-san hired a gardener."

"And this is something I needed to know because…?"

"I'm not sure. Something about him seemed…odd." she mused aloud, causing him to pay a little more attention. Naru had learned from early on to not ignore any of Mai's instincts, as they had proven to be correct on more than one occasion.

"How old is he?" he inquired.
"Early 60s, I'd say. He looked strong though, not like any other elderly person I've seen before. And he looked at me funny before he left again." she added.

"Funny…how?"

"I'm not sure. It just kind of spooked me a little."

"Is there anything you are sure about, Mai?" he asked arrogantly, arching an eyebrow, and she bristled.

"I know something about him is odd." she snapped.

"I'll look into it, then." he conceded. At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door and Masako walked in, not even trying to conceal her displeasure at finding Mai sitting so comfortably with Naru. Pasting on a smile, she went and stood by his bedside.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him, and he nodded, but didn't return the smile.

"Better. Have you sensed anything in the past couple of days, Hara-san?" Mai caught the split-second that Masako's smile flickered, though whether Naru hadn't or simply chose to ignore it, she wasn't quite sure.

"There are two, both are vengeful, but one seems to be less malevolent than the other." she replied, and Naru scowled. That meant that the spirit that had attacked Mai was still around.

The question is why didn't I get rid of it? Why were my powers not enough?

"Thank you, Hara-san. Please notify the others that we'll resume investigating tomorrow morning, but to keep an eye out for anything strange." Anyone could see that she had been dismissed, and while this miffed her, she figured that now was not the time to be stubborn and quietly exited. Naru turned his attention back to Mai, and she had the feeling that she knew what was coming.

"Mai…"

"I know, I know. Tea, right?" she finished, getting up from the bed and stretching slightly.

"Actually, how are you feeling?"

She froze mid-stretch. Where had THAT come from?

"Um…I'm feeling okay."
"No other nightmares since that night?" She shook her head, and Naru lowered his voice.

"Be careful, Mai. I know you have the uncanny ability to attract countless dangers, and now, more than ever, you need to be more careful. We've already seen that whatever is here is going after you purposely, and we can't take any chances. Don't go any place where there aren't people, and please try to avoid going outside." he told her, causing her to stare at him in shock. She'd seen him concerned about her safety before, but for some reason, she thought she heard a note of urgency hidden in his voice this time.

"I'll be more careful." she promised, and he leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes for a moment, satisfied.

"Good. I'd hate to have to break in a new assistant."

IGOTTHEJOYJOYJOYJOYDOWNINMYHEARTTODAYYYYYY

After Mai had left to do whatever it is his assistant did in her spare time, Naru allowed his thoughts to drift, not really caring where they went. Things were still a bit awkward between him and Mai, but he'd noted that she wasn't letting that stop her. She seemed to be determined to get rid of whatever wall was standing in their way with the ferocity one would use to stomp on a cockroach. She was definitely something else.

Something Naru had realized a little while after she became his assistant was that Mai was usually far more concerned with the well-being of others, rather than her own, and that was something Naru couldn't help but admire in her. He had been startled when he'd realized that Mai hadn't been worried about herself, or her pride, when she'd spoken to him and they had quarreled. As far as he knew, Mai had always thought he was an arrogant, pompous narcissist who was good looking, nothing more. He'd had no idea that she'd been so worried every time he jumped in to bail her out of some scrape she'd gotten into.

Well, show's how much I know. Perhaps she's not as shallow as she seems sometimes. Naru opened his eyes and gazed up at the white ceiling. They had been here for four days. They had a little less than a week and a half before they'd have to pack up and leave Mai behind. The question that plagued him the most now, though he'd never admit it, unsettled him immensely.

When it came time to return to Shibuya, would he really be able to leave her behind?

LLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMADUCK!

Later that night, Mai slipped into her usual boxer shorts and cotton shirt bed attire and did all her usual stuff girls do before they go to bed. She glanced at the balcony and shuddered, the memory of herself nearly falling to her death still fresh on her mind. Turning back the covers, she climbed onto her bed, but something compelled her to look into the mirror on top of her dresser one last time. Staring back at her was Naru, his eyes wide, and he seemed to be saying something. She blinked and looked again, but he'd disappeared. Blaming her overactive imagination, she turned off the lights.

The next morning when Naru and the rest of the team found her, she was still in bed, the faux-ruby necklace on her neck, and no matter how hard he tried, Naru couldn't wake her up.

DUMDUMDUUUUUUUUUUMMWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAAHA

Author: I'm evil. But you all knew that. Okay, from here on out, I know exactly where I'm going, and what direction this'll take. I think I have a rough estimate of about 6 or 7 chapters left, and maybe an epilogue. So stay tuned!