Sorry about the wait, guys! I've been busy, busy, busy. Anyways, I'm not sure if this first part of the chapter with Naru and his senses seems logical, but it had to happen for the rest of the chapter to work out. If you're confused about what I just said...ignore it. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. If I did, I would be able to write this chapter better (it's all in Naru's POV).
It was dark, and Naru was having a hard time waking up out of it. He struggled against the blackness, trying to move his arm, his mouth, his eyelids, but he was utterly paralyzed.
He stopped fighting it and tried to conserve his energy to think. It was a good time to rationally gather all the information and come to a conclusion.
He began with his questions: First, why did the house want them there? Second, who was it that had turned into a demon and taken over the house? Third, what was so important about the library that Mai had gotten injured for it? Fourth, why had the house allowed Mr. Tanaka to call in their team?
Next, he laid out the important facts: On the first day, Masako, Mai, and he were attacked - there must be some common denominator. Singing reduced the demonic effect of the house - Lin had told him that. Exorcising large object was extremely hard - to do so would require an amount of physical and mental strength that none of them could imagine.
Before he could assemble the questions and facts into conclusions, an ear-piercing shriek filled his ears. He frowned. It sounded so much like…
"Mai?" he called out, but there was nothing except dark silence. Had she gotten lost on the astral plane? No, he couldn't travel on the astral plane. He couldn't be there even if she was lost.
Had she gotten hurt?
The thought pushed him to renew his fight against his paralysis. "Mai!" he yelled. What was she doing?
She screamed again, and he was sure his heart would burst. His breathing became shallow; he was wasting his strength, but he didn't care. She was in trouble, and he couldn't be there to save her, and it was killing him.
Naru mustered every last bit of strength he had to move, to wake up out of his paralysis, to save her, using her name to help him.
"Mai!"
He sat bolt upright, suddenly awake, her name still on his lips, the harsh light blinding him. His forehead knocked painfully against another, and as his vision cleared, he saw Ayako's face hanging above him. She was groaning and muttering nasty things that he was close enough to hear, but he didn't waste time listening to them. He swung his legs to the side of the sofa and four jumbled voices erupted in protest. Two pairs of hands pushed him down.
"Stop it!" he insisted, and hated that his voice came out lame and weak. He felt dizzy, but that would go away soon - a minor nuisance. He turned his attention to the more important issue at hand. Looking about the room, he noticed that two faces were missing. "Where is Mai?" he asked.
His voice came out harsh, accusing, and cold, as if they themselves had done something to her. He repeated himself, more insistently this time. "Where is Mai?" he demanded.
Lin, ever faithful, spoke up. "She went with Takigawa to bring Yasuhara up."
"She's already used up too much energy today!" Naru growled, attempting to get up again.
"Naru, stop!" Ayako cried. "You're sick and you need to rest. I don't know what you think happened, but nothing is wrong. Stop killing yourself!" There were real tears in her eyes, but Naru wasn't worried about himself in the least.
"Mai is in trouble," he said, and everyone looked at him in shock.
John laughed nervously. "Surely she's not. I thought you were not an astral projector?"
"I'm not," Naru confirmed, "but I heard her. When four senses are dulled, the fifth one becomes hyperactive. Miss Matsuzaki, we need more charms for this base and for each member. Lin, take Masako and go find Mai and Takigawa. I will go with John."
"Naru, we're not splitting up," Lin said firmly, and pushed Naru forcefully back down into the couch when he tried getting up. "And we cannot leave Miss Matsuzaki here alone."
"Miss Matsuzaki will be safe here. Her charms are strong enough. As for the rest of us, we are splitting up."
"Naru, sit down!"
"Lin, I'm conducting this investigation!"
The two glared daggers at each other, neither one of them letting up. Naru's head was beginning to hurt. He wouldn't be able to win a staring contest, much less a glaring one.
Ayako spoke, and Naru mentally sighed in relief. "How about I go with John, and Naru, you can stay here. That way, we are splitting up, but you aren't getting hurt."
"I can't leave him here alone," Lin said. "And John can hardly walk."
Ayako beamed. "So there's your answer. John and Naru, stay here. The rest of us will go. If we get lost, I'm sure Lin's shiki will be able to do something about it."
Naru eyed her coldly. Who was she to be making decisions for him when Mai was in trouble? "Miss Matsuzaki-"
"Shut up, Naru!" Ayako suddenly whirled on him, pressing a hand hard to his shoulder so he was pinned into the couch. She leaned over him, eyes flashing dangerously, and grabbed the front of his shirt.
"You listen to me, and listen good," she hissed angrily so only he could hear. "One more PK trick of yours, and you will be dead. D-E-A-D. Dead. Got that? I don't think Mai, or your parents, or anyone here would very much like it if you were to die. Can you imagine what it would do to Mai? I don't know if you care about anything else, you stupid narcissist, but I know you care about her, so you will not throw away your life over something that could have easily been prevented and break her heart. You will sit right here until she comes back because she will see you alive again!"
She gave him a final shove and stood up, pink and panting. "Am I clear?"
"Your anger is very clear." Naru didn't know why he did it. He only baited Mai like that, and it was because he knew she would get over it. "Your voice is hoarse, our face is red, and your breathing is shallow."
"Why you little -" Ayako's fist swung, but a hand caught hers before it could connect with Naru's face. She looked a little relieved, and Naru knew she had not meant to do it. He could feel the tension in the air, and it was because of the house, not them.
"You have to refrain from hitting your patients, Miss Matsuzaki," Lin said calmly.
Ayako yanked her arm away from him. "I don't have to do anything," she said irritably, and stalked to the door. "Come on, Masako."
When Ayako was a safe distance away, Lin leaned down and said, "She is right Naru. And don't irritate her like that. John, watch him, okay?"
John looked a little uncomfortable, but he nodded, and Lin left. Naru softened his glare for the priest. He had done nothing wrong, just an innocent bystander caught in their argument. Naru leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. Mai's scream reverberated in his brain. He tried to block it out, but it was still there. He tried to push it down for a while before finally opening his eyes irritably to rid himself of the panic.
He looked up just in time to see the door fly open.
Monk slammed the door open with one hand, his other holding something flashing to Mai's neck. Mai was desperately clawing at his hands, but he was too strong for her.
"Mai!"
Naru leapt up and would have fallen on his face as a wave of dizziness overcame him had it not been for John, who was there to hold him back.
"Naru!" Mai cried breathlessly. Naru could hear her fear so clearly it twisted his insides. She had called out for him, not John.
Mai went on. "He's possessed-"
Harsh, withering voices filled the room, grating against Naru's ears. "We want the boy," Monk said, his eyes a madman's. "Come, and no one else needs to get hurt."
Beside Naru, John trembled. "M-me?"
Monk seemed to notice the priest for the first time. He snorted. "Not you. The powerful one. His soul is alight with power."
Naru didn't take his eyes off Mai. She was struggling against Monk, a scene Naru had witnessed many times before, but this time, no one was laughing. Mai's eyes went wide and she gasped slightly as Monk pressed the knife harder against her throat.
"Naru," she whispered. "Don't listen to him. Don't go."
"Shut up," Monk hissed, and blood beaded up against Mai's throat.
"No, stop!" Naru shouted, his composure lost at the sight of her blood. It was too much like Gene, too much like the vision of his twin's death that he had had through their connection in his brother's final moments.
He pushed the emotions away. No emotion. That was the way to think, to function, to survive.
Think.
"I'm coming," he said, slowly inching forward. He heard John take a breath to say something and held up a hand to silence him. "John, don't move."
Mai's eyes were wide with fear and worry and denial. "Naru-"
"Quiet, Mai," he snapped. Why was she talking if the spirit would only hurt her? He knew he wouldn't be able to take it if he saw any more blood.
One more PK trick of yours and you will be dead.
Doesn't matter. It's for Mai. Ayako only said she had to see me alive again, and here I am.
Break her heart.
She doesn't love me like that. She doesn't know.
I don't want her to die.
Come and no one gets hurt.
One more PK trick of yours and you will be dead.
He could do this. It would only be a moment. He wasn't that weak. Surely Ayako meant another big use of energy?
He had reached Mai now. He wanted to reach out and take her by the arm and snatch her away from the spirit, but he held in his urge.
A trail of blood was slowly trickling down Mai's neck. She shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Naru," she begged. "Please, don't. Don't do this to yourself. He'll only-"
"Mai," Naru said as calmly as he could. He itched to yell, but he forced a blank face. "Remember what I told you after the Rokoryu case?"
He had told her to trust him, to have a little faith in him. What he had wanted to tell her was different, but that wasn't anything he could tell her. In front of him, Mai relaxed considerably in Monk's arms. Naru blinked. Did she really have that much faith in him?
Monk pressed the blade harder. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work! We have no qualms about slicing her neck."
Naru nodded, pretending to be somber. "John, a little to your left."
"Okay," he said hoarsely, unquestioningly. Naru heard him shift.
"Stop conspiring and come. Your destiny awaits."
Naru walked a little closer to Monk, trying to find the right position. When he did, he stopped. "Mai," he warned. "Chin up."
He tried to make it sound encouraging, to avoid drawing suspicion. Mai, at least, fell for it. She thrust her nose in the air officiously, and Naru suddenly had to squash the urge to smile at her.
No. Concentrate.
He wished Gene were here for him, as they always had been for each other when he was alive and well.
With a sigh, he concentrated all his strength on the knife and with his PK, wrenched it away from Monk. It zoomed forward and embedded itself into the wall near John, but Naru didn't stop to turn and see it. The moment the knife was away from Mai's throat, his leg was in motion, flying, kicking. He struck Monk on the side of his head where he knew it would knock him out. Fatigue and dizziness threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced it away and stepped forward to catch Mai as she stumbled.
"Naru!" Mai sobbed, burying her face into his chest, and she couldn't get out another word, but Naru didn't mind. His nickname had never sounded so nice coming from her. He stiffened as she drew her arms around him, dreading the physical contact, the uncertainty about what to do next, the awkwardness of hugging someone after alienating himself for so long. His wondering and debating came to halt, however, as the black spots that danced in his vision became bigger and bigger, and he collapsed in her small arms.
So...is Naru too OOC? I have no idea how to write him as nice towards Mai without ruining his narcissistic too-cool-for-you attitude. Any thoughts on how to write it better? I would love any pointers!
For next time: Reassembling the team, fainting (why is everyone always fainting?), and a few more revelations about the house.