Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or any of the characters from the novels/anime/manga. If I did, I would have a tough time thinking up new challenges for Naru. (Bloody teenage geniuses ;P)
*WARNING* Contains Spoilers.
Chapter 10: Hell Can Wait
It had all been pointless. Every lie, every nightmare, every forced smile and swallowed fear had done nothing but destroy the life she had tried so fervently to protect.
How incredibly ironic...
A ripple of silent laughter reverberated through Cho's hunched shoulders, causing the whispering streets to give the potential disruption a wider berth as morbid amusement spilled from her mouth in coarse, disjointed bursts.
"Cho...we need to talk..."
Such a simple phrase had hit her with all the force of a natural disaster, leaving her reeling as she sank to the floor, barely registering the rest of the message or contact number that followed. There was no mistaking the owner of that voice, or the painful sound of her replacement's reassuring tones in the background.
"Yutaka..."
What was left to talk about? Divorce papers? Whatever passing illusions she may have previously indulged, not one shred of hope remained.
Emotionally spent, Cho had abandoned the apartment full of memories and nightmares, barely clothing herself before stumbling out into the early hours of the morning.
Like a soulless doll, the broken woman wandered endless trails of concrete, bitumen and dusty rose-coloured pavestones, drowning in a sea of faces as darkness gave way to daylight.
She had nothing left.
Her existence was merely an excuse, a shadow of her former self - 'Cho' had died two years ago, pitched into the dark water along with the body of the blue-eyed boy.
Even now, she could feel his gaze. Across the busy street, his dark form peered down from the window of a mustard-coloured building; watching.
Waiting...
He knew she would come to him.
At last, it would all be over.
It's time...
She smiled up at her observer in bittersweet relief, finally accepting the inevitable.
...Time to return what I stole.
-x-
Despite the long drive back to Tokyo the previous night, Lin was up early, correctly anticipating his young employer's impatience to return to S.P.R. True to form, Naru had made a bee-line for the closest source of caffeine and clambered irritably into the van before the stimulant had time to kick in. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, the reclusive teen promptly disappeared into his office to wait for Mai.
He should really be more honest.
Lin wondered briefly why he hadn't just bypassed the office altogether and simply turned up on the part-timer's doorstep. It wasn't like she would be unhappy to see him.
...Then again, it could be a matter of restraint.
Allowing a small smirk at his companion's expense, Lin made a mental note to make himself scarce as soon as S.P.R.'s irregular crew had finished chewing their boss out for leaving them in the dark for so long. He hazarded that the miko would probably be the only member of the team to be truly surprised to hear that the name 'Kazuya Shibuya' was entirely fictional.
Takigawa's adoration for the renowned Oliver Davis dampened considerably after the troublesome teen had rashly unleashed his true potential. No matter how you looked at it, there couldn't be too many people in the world so ridiculously over-powered that their lives hung in the balance.
If the monk suspected something was up, it wouldn't be long before Yasuhara caught wind of it (provided his inquisitive nature hadn't been in play from the beginning), but Lin couldn't help thinking John could be the dark horse in the equation. Considering his expansive knowledge of Oliver's work, it wasn't entirely impossible that the innocuous priest might be the one to tip off the other two.
Matsuzaki, on the other hand, wasn't the type to lose sleep over whatever conspiracy theories the others might concoct. If she had known, the fiery priestess would have confronted both Naru and himself in a heartbeat.
While the miko might begrudgingly discern that he probably had a reason for hiding his identity from the general public, he was dating Mai, and the woman would never forgive either of them if she thought the girl was being deceived.
Immersed in thought and the familiar ritual of case files, e-mails and research, Lin's fingers moved deftly across computer keys, oblivious to the tightening threads of fate guiding it's pawns along their inevitable collision course.
With all the subtlety of a loaded gun, a sickening screech erupted from the street below, the grating crash that followed punctuated by two doors slamming dramatically from within S.P.R.
Naru...?
Bewildered and disorientated, Lin automatically ran towards the disturbance, fear gripping his heart as he noticed several large cracks snaking their way through the front door's tinted window.
Aside from Gene, there was only one person who could elicit such an explosive response from behind Naru's self-assured indifference.
Mai...
-x-
Today was the day.
The day Naru would reveal the true purpose of 'Shibuya Psychic Research', and possibly it's future. All of S.P.R.'s crew would soon be assembled, overflowing with anticipation at the nature of their enigmatic employer's 'personal matter', and Mai mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of questions that were bound to be asked the moment Naru was out of sight.
Swallowing her nerves, the auburn-haired girl strutted purposefully down the path of pale-pink pavers, forcing a smile on her face.
Worrying won't change anything.
S.P.R.'s fate might even be beyond Naru's control; he had a life and a family waiting in England, after all. The most Mai could do right now was cross her fingers and hope for the best.
Drawing closer to her destination, the part-timer couldn't help but notice a growing sense of agitation on the busy street; those around her drawing close to each other in hushed whispers, sneaking suspicious glances behind them as they hurried to vacate the area.
What's going on?
Pressing forward, the origin of the commotion stood at the edge of the road, seemingly unperturbed by the gossiping bystanders clearly avoiding her.
...Is she alright?
The estranged woman reminded Mai of a puppet whose strings had been cut. If it weren't for her relatively large audience, the part-timer might have suspected the fair-haired female of being a ghost.
She just feels so...empty.
For a moment, the stranger relaxed, deceptively calm as her single step forward brought time to a crashing halt.
Someone screamed.
Tyres squealed.
Mai would never remember moving; only the feel of her fingers closing around the blonde's flesh and the all-consuming silence which followed. Darkness reached out and swallowed her whole, replacing reality's chaotic tune with another, deceptively simple lullaby.
Hands heavy with disappointment gathered up an empty plate, covering a second untouched meal and placing it in the fridge.
There was no use waiting up for him...
The familiar creak of their bedroom door, soft footfalls...
Lips pressed softly against her forehead in silent apology.
Lingering sensations of cool cutlery, tangled sheets and unspoken tenderness invaded Mai's senses; countless images blurring and distorting as they fought for dominance within her mind. Each mutilated memory dragged the young psychic deeper into the abyss, her consciousness struggling to stay afloat in the sea of foreign emotions.
He seems unusually happy, so she is happy.
His kisses are no longer apologetic, but full of passion.
Everything is perfect.
...Too perfect.
Don't be ridiculous, he would never...
A strange scent?
The scent of another woman...
Who is she? Do they work together? Why has he never mentioned her?
Is she the reason he has been so happy?
...She is afraid to ask.
This was not her life.
Amid the turbulence of the visions, Mai remained aware of this, despite the blade that twisted cruelly in her heart with every harboured suspicion. Unable to escape the sordid nightmare, she watched in dismay, helpless to alter the woman's past.
Another 'business' trip...
Another doubt.
Smile fixed firmly in place, she holds her tongue and kisses him goodbye. Even if she asks for details, he will just evade them...
Just like he is avoiding her gaze.
No, she won't ask...
Not until she's sure.
Why was she being shown this? Could Gene be guiding her, or was this uncharted territory? She'd wondered once, if he influenced all of her 'dreams', but Mai suspected that even if she had thought to ask, the enigmatic ghost wouldn't have given her a straight answer.
Her options were limited. Wake up (so far no success on that front), wait it out, or whip out the metaphorical magnifying glass, keeping her eyes peeled for clues and an amicable teen in black.
Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach, but Mai did what she felt she must, and allowed her consciousness to be swept along with the dream.
Pale hands clenched tightly at the steering wheel, the silence of the night drowned by the pounding of her breaking heart. It had been stupid, following him to the hotel like this, but the point of no return had long since past.
Tears fell freely as she hung her head, the shock of betrayal pumping frozen blood through numb veins, tingling like the lingering sting of a torn off bandaid.
It was too much. There really was another woman...
Even though she'd doubted him, even though she'd followed him, somewhere deep down she thought...
...It didn't matter what she'd thought.
Not anymore.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, trembling hands fumbled with the ignition, fuelled with the simple need to escape. To pick a direction and follow it - anywhere was fine.
...Anywhere but here.
Disbelief and self loathing found their release in angry outbursts as she fled, violently striking out at invisible demons. How could he do this? He loved her!
It was that woman's fault.
All her fault...
It had to be, because she couldn't bring herself to hate him.
A fresh wave of tears blinded her, burning their way across raw skin, taut with dried salt and despair.
How pathetic; the person she despised most was herself...
Through misted vision, a dark form flashed before her; the bundle of black flung over her car's bonnet before thumping unceremoniously to the ground.
Muscles jarred, tyres screeched. Fingers fought release from her seatbelt and scrabbled for the door handle as she all but fell from the vehicle.
No...
The smell of blood assaulted her senses; so strong she could taste it...
NO!
Nothing seemed real...
The crumpled body was so still; a lifeless plaything discarded on the floor of a child's room...
Don't show me this!
Blank blue eyes looked straight through her, silent and condemning.
...Gene...
-x-
Omake:
Someone screamed.
Tyres squealed.
Mai would never remember moving; only the feel of her fingers closing around flesh and the all-consuming silence which followed. Darkness reached out and swallowed her whole, replacing reality's chaotic tune with another, deceptively simple lullaby.
"...Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you..."
AN: Also do not own 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley ;)
Just like to say, I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long for this chapter. Thank you for your continued encouragement, and a special thank you to Kyia Star and Sarah, without whom this update might have occurred sometime next year.