Forever and Always but Never say Never
I was about to kill Naru. We were all in our pajamas in the base, we were allowed to change into them, but we weren't allowed to sleep. It was our job to watch the monitors. I think the lack of sleep was starting to affect us.
"I don't get why it takes all of us to watch one monitor!" Ayako complained, but it sounded sort of slurred, she needs her beauty sleep.
We decided to take advantage of the renaissance clothing more. I was in cream-colored cotton nightgown with spaghetti straps and it ended at my ankles. Ayako was wearing a long sleeve orange silk nightgown that ended below her knees. Masako's was royal blue, ended at her knees but with long flowing sleeves. The men all had grey cotton pants. Naru had a black puffy long sleeve shirt, and the rest of theirs was the same only Monks were brown, Lin's was red, and Johns was deep purple.
As Ayako argued with the others on ways to kill Naru, I watched the monitors in an attempt to lull myself to sleep with the unmoving scenery. Of course at this moment I see a single man come out of a wisp of air in the ballroom, spinning.
In a second the entire ballroom was filled.
"Naru! Their here!" I said excitingly.
"At midnight?" Asked John.
"Lets move." Naru said. We all got up and made our ways to the ballroom. Inside, people (spirits) spun and laughed, switching partners and talking in sort of a hum.
Hiko was nowhere to be found.
Our job was to tell them about the ball tomorrow night, as it were. To gather information as well. But everyone looked lost among the sea of colors, not wanting to interrupt. I of course had no trouble having already done this.
I swung myself into the crowd and a when a couple switched partners I was matched with a man of about Lin's age, but with long blonde hair and a silver suit. I paid no attention to the others gawking at me.
"Hello my darling." The spirit said to me.
"Good evening." I told him. He smiled at me. "I have news." I informed him.
"Oh, do you. How what a pleasant surprise, do tell." He pushed.
"We are to hold an official ball tomorrow night at this time, to help you, all of you." I told him. The look in his eyes was unreadable, but I got a sense of gratitude.
"Thank you." He told me sincerely.
The partners switched again and I was paired with a boy of my age with silver hair and green eyes.
"Good evening." I told him, and with that I said to him the same thing I told the man before him, then my next partner, and the next. It seems I had danced with a full twenty men before the one I was with currently started to fade. After that, I was alone on the dance floor.
I looked around to find the others were nowhere to be found. Then I looked to the doors, they had never danced with anyone. They just sat and let me do all the work. I was livid.
"Why weren't you all doing anything." I yelled.
"You were doing enough for all of us, they got the message, calm down." Monk said.
I was glaring daggers at the lot of them.
"You sure are popular Mai, all those boys you danced with were so cute!" Ayako exclaimed.
Naru looked livid as well. I don't' know why, I should be the ones who's angry.
I stalk off and into the hallway, but I quickly find myself exhausted from the dancing. As the group moved ahead of me since I was going so slowly, I was able to see Ayako and Monk holding hands. I smiled at that. They were such a cute couple.
I started to think of Naru, his mood swings. When we reached the base we said our goodnights and headed to out bedrooms.
"Good night Naru." I told him. He turned and walked away, ignoring me. I never moved. I just stood there and watched him go. Some how this scene made me sad. Naru walking away from me in such a never-ending hallway. Of course he turns and go's into a bedroom, but it's the idea.
I get into my sleeping bag, and fall asleep.
I wake up to something inside of me stirring. I find myself getting up and making my way down the hallways, slowly and steadily. The hallway seems to go on and on. I hear music, a soothing lullaby tempting me to come forward. I have control over my body, but it's so beautiful, and my legs seem to carry themselves forward down the dark stone hallway.
The music is getting louder, but my steps stay even, along with my breath. I find myself in the ballroom. I make my way to the middle of the floor, directly beneath the chandelier. The lights are off. But moon light streams in colors through the stain glass windows.
The music is all around me, and I realize I can't move. I feel a gust of wind…
"Mai!" I hear someone call, I can barley hear them, its like being under water.
I feel someone pull me out from the middle of the room, and into the safety of the hallway. Hands are placed on my shoulders, and they lightly shake me.
"Mai, snap out of it." The voice says in a hiss.
I look up and into the eyes of a boy, Naru…
"Naru…" I whisper. The shaking stops. "What happened?"
"You tell me, what the hell are you doing here? I was at the base when I saw you on the monitor."
I look up and into his eyes, as a way so as not to be lost in the haze that had surrounded me before he came.
"I d-don't know… I was sleeping, then walking, then the music, and it felt like…then I felt a breeze…then you." I managed to get out. I felt as I was about to collapse.
Naru looks me in the eyes to look for a hint of dishonesty. There was none.
"I believe It was luring you out where I couldn't save you." He says.
"Hmm, but you always do…" I whisper again. "You always do…" With this I close my eyes, and feel myself drop, only to be bundled into his arms and carried away. I'll kick myself in the morning for not remembering it, but for now I need to sleep.
I open my eyes to find myself asleep on the couch in the base. That early morning warm light is coming in the window, and I find only me and Lin are in the room.
I still have my nightgown on, but I have a large brown wool blanket draped over me. I push it off and sit up. Naru must have put me here. But where was he?
"They're all still asleep, I would say you should do the same." Lin says to me form Naru's desk.
"How long do they plan to sleep?" I ask.
"Till ten o'clock at night is my guess. The ball is at midnight, there is no rush, nothing to do till we cleanse them. One step at a time." He told me.
"I always took Naru as a guy who was at least five steps ahead of the rest." I said to him.
"That's why he's awake and in the library." He says. "You should see." I knew this was his way of asking me to check on him. I smiled to myself. I was finally able to decipher the mystery that is Lin.
Getting up I doesn't bother to change out of my nightgown. Walking down the hall at this hour though is a little creepy. Then I remember, I don't know where the library is. Naru says this place was bigger than any other we've ever investigated. So…where was I?
I hadn't turned at all, so I could just turn around walk straight and end up at the base, so I decide to keep on going.
I don't think there is an end to this hall, but there is a hell of a lotta doors. I see one that is especially old, large, and all around grand. Opening it takes most of my effort, and I find myself surrounded by dark ebony bookshelves in a large circular room with one wall sized window in front of me and silver walls. The books are all leather bound and have that wonderful aged smell.
There are four rows of bookshelves down the middle of the room, while the walls are made up of them. I look down each row, and at the third, I see a figure reaching for a book.
Then I had a thought…could I scare the infamous ghost hunter Oliver Davis? Well I could try. I tip toe down the row and end behind him.
"I know your there Mai." He says, not even turning around. I pout to myself.
"Damn, why you gotta be so good at everything." I whine.
"Leave." He orders me.
I was taken aback by the coldness of his tone.
"Nar-" I start. He cuts me off.
"This place has the number of people gone missing from it. Leave now." He says again, still reading his book.
Oh, he doesn't want me to get pulled into another tunnel. Okay.
With that I leave him. Walking back to base I realize that this was basically my whole day. It might as well not have happened. But everyday on a case, with SPR, and Naru is special, so I guess it is too.
With that I go back to sleep, and when I wake up, its time to throw a ball…
DONE! Sorry that took a little longer than usual. I had some writer's block.
Well there's some more fluff, and the set up for the ball in the next chapter. Things are gonna get a little freakier and more ghost hunty from here on out.
Forecast for next chapter:
Chance fluff 75%
Chance of evil 90%
Chance of a super man reference 60%
Chance of Ayako and Monk bickering more 99%
Chance of an actual chapter and not just a filler 100%
REVIEW!!! I LIVE FOR THEM. I LITTERALLY BREATHE REVIEWS. THEY ARE MY OXYGEN. MY LOVE. MY LIFE.
AND EVERYTIME YOU DON'T REVIEW, SOMEWHERE, A UNICORN DIES.