here's the epilouge! Please enjoy!

A distant sound started to reach my ears, and I knew I was waking up. If I had to bet money, I was probably in the hospital, and that sound is a heart monitor. The beeping grew louder and I cracked my eyes open. I was met with a sterile white ceiling and walls.

Yepp. Hospital.

I started to wiggle my fingers and toes, and soon enough I sat up. I was connected to a heart monitor and an IV was in my wrist. Upon further inspection, I had an oxygen tank and wires connected to my head. I was too busy checking out the wires, and didn't notice that the door had opened until a voice called my name. "Mai! You're awake!"

I turned to look, and Ayako was standing in the doorway in her doctor's uniform. She rushed over and went to hug me, but she stopped. Tears started to drip from her eyes, and she looked at me like I was fragile. I reached forward to hug her instead, to let her know I was okay. Ayako pulled away and wiped her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled and tried to answer her, but as soon as I tried to talk, my throat felt like it was on fire and I started coughing. Ayako disappeared and came back with water which I drank hungrily. When I had finally stopped coughing, I tried to talk again. My throat was killing me and I could only whisper. Even at a whisper, my voice sounded horrible. I thought back to what happened, and remembered that I was being choked to death. Of course my throat would be damaged. But was it permanent? I looked at Ayako with wide eyes, but she smiled at me instead. "Don't worry. I don't think it's permanent. The doctor who received you when you came in was worried, but he and I have been examining your throat the past few days, and it looks like you will make practically a full recovery. The bruising on your skin should fade within a week or two. I do need to check it again, as well as a few other tests. I need to do a few exams like a CT scan, just to make sure everything is okay. Just to make sure that any lack of oxygen didn't affect any brain function."

Ayako started to check over me and continued to talk. "Naru told us what happened. Seriously Mai, that was incredibly dangerous. You should have had one of us go with you. This was the first case with SPR in years and you ran off by yourself, got hurt, and ended up in the hospital. Just a heads up, Naru is pissed."

I started to groan, but my throat cracked and I coughed again. Ayako sighed and brought me another glass of water. I smiled up at her and took small sips to soothe my throat. I motioned to Ayako for her clipboard and pen. She flipped the pages over and passed it to me. I wrote a few questions down and he looked them over.

"How long have you been here? Only a day. And as far as the case goes and what happened, the police arrived at the house and arrested Mizuki Furukawa. Lin gave them a copy of the tape in the basement and turned over the box with the lamp in it. Naru woke me up and he drove us to the hospital. I checked you out in the van as much as I could. Naru dropped us off and went back to the house. They packed everything up today and last I heard from Monk, they were on their way back to Shibuya to drop off the equipment then come here. Which reminds me, I need to call Naru and the detective in charge and let him know you're awake. I tell them that you'll be available in a few hours because of tests I need to run. You have to give an official statement to the police and Naru…. Well… let's just say he needs to talk with you about what happened."

The fear must have shown on my face, because Ayako laughed and walked towards the door. She pulled out her phone and left, ignoring my silent outrage and demands for her to come back. My silent pleas were ignored as I watched the door close, cutting off Ayako's laughter.

. . .

It had been a few days since I was released from the hospital. The tests that Ayako had run came back normal and the doctor said I would make a full recovery with my throat, as long as I didn't strain my voice and I took care of myself. He gave me pain medicine and said tea would help soothe my throat pain. Ayako assured him that that wouldn't be a problem at all.

Before I was discharged, the detective in charge of the case came to take my statement. He tried to make Ayako leave the room since she was involved, but was able to stay because she pulled her "I'm her doctor and my family owns this private hospital" card. I knew as soon as he walked in the room that he was a skeptic in the paranormal. I wrote my statement since I couldn't talk and he read it out loud after I finished to make sure it was clear. When he read the parts about my dreams, he looked at me like I was crazy. He looked to Ayako for help, but seeing that he wouldn't receive any he kept reading. By the time he finished, he looked at me suspiciously and was probably considering me an accomplice or a crazy woman. I gave him an even stare, and he decided to leave at that point. I thought I was in the clear, until Naru walked in right after he left.

That conversation was even more unpleasant. Naru demanded an explanation for what happened, and since Ayako was in the room when the detective read my statement, she was able to fill Naru in. I wrote out my dream for Naru and answered any questions he, by writing the answers. It took a long time, because Naru couldn't read kanji and Ayako had to translate for him. I also shared with him Joji's final words before he passed on and his message for his wife and daughter. By the time I finished telling him everything, and Naru got all his answers he was incredibly annoyed.

Naru didn't yell, but his angry tone of voice was almost worse that yelling. I tried to write on the paper to respond to his words, but he just kept going. He called me reckless and made comments on my lack of brain cells. He said I should have gotten either him or Lin right away, or waited until morning. I tried to write faster and to tell him but he pulled the pen out of my hand. I tried to get it back but he stepped back from the bed and smirked at me. I sent myself into a coughing fit because I attempted to yell at him, but that only made Ayako yell at me. Fortunately she chastised him as well for making me yell. But needless to say, Naru won that argument which technically was one sided. He put me on desk duty for the next three weeks and he smugly pointed out the fact that due to my lack of voice, I couldn't argue with him whenever he asked for tea.

I watched him leave the room, staring daggers into his back until the closing door blocked my view. But even outside the room, I knew he was smirking.

...

The first case is officially closed! A little predictible and hopefully not a boring ending. i had wanted to update the final chapter sooner so it would flow better, so hopefully it wasn't a let down after waiting for a while! I am already working on the next case, but I have a few special chapters coming before that! Stay tuned~~~