Ghost Hunt: The Cursed Relics

Chapter Nine: Home Free…Not Yet

"He's just too anxious to save the world."

Hey guys, Katrina here!

Sorry about my going AWOL, I procrastinated and procrastinated until eventually I ditched you guys…again. However, I forced myself to finish the story for you guys. After this, though, I'm going to put my second Ghost Hunt story on hold; I'm working on a Kingdom Hearts story now so I probably won't multitask now. Anyway, love you guys, and sorry to all my devoted fans:D

-Katrina.Izumi09

"Who could that be?" Mai asked, a frown visible on her face despite the dark evening. No one there was as powerful as Koaimi, she had been able to house Kiko's spirit for almost a whole week!

"It's quite simple," Koaimi/Kiko said, her violet eyes landing on the one member of the crowd. Mai's eyes traveled with Koaimi's gaze and stopped on…

"Lin?" Ayako cried, not believing her. "Why Lin-san? I mean, I know he's been help in our cases, but-"

"You have done this before," Kiko said, not a question but rather a statement. Lin nodded.

"My grandfather's soul wouldn't go to rest, so my mother, brother, and dead aunt had to. My aunt absorbed the curse, but…"

"She turned into a demonic spirit," Naru finished, his face still as unemotional as usual.

"Wait! We can't let Kiko turn into a demon!" Mai said, spinning around to face the girl. "I really don't want to end up exorcising you!"

Koaimi gave a small smile, her blank eyes friendly. "It's okay, I won't give in to the darkness. Besides, I'll end up in hell like Nicolas. I'll haunt him there for eternity while he goes crazy."

A sad look crossed Mai's face, but she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the owner of the hand, Monk-san, who gave her a reassuring look.

"If Kiko's ready, then you have to be," Monk-san said. "How do we do this?"

Koaimi/Kiko took the pendant that was around her neck and tugged it. She held up the amber stone amulet; when light caught the stone it looked as if a fire was blazing inside the red-brown gem.

"A gift from Nicolas," Kiko explained, Koaimi's eyes somber. "He gave it to me on the day of his death. He proposed to me that morning and my parents found out. I accidentally attacked my mother, but my dad came to my rescue. But they were fighting like I've never seen them fight before, that's why I was in the bathroom. Nicolas followed me and tried to persuade me to go with him…but I…"

"I know," Mai said, putting her hand on Koaimi's arm. Reimi watched them with curiosity; she didn't know the truth about Kiko.

"I'll do it," Naru said, taking the amulet and wrapping it around his wrist. "Where do we set up?"

"I need all of your help," Kiko said, gazing at them. "Takigawa-san, Brown-san, Matsuzaki-san, I'll need all of you to exorcise those dark spirits around Nicolas. Lin-san, you help perform the exorcism. I want to use the blood of Nicolas rather than holy water. Mai, Naru, Rei-chan…"

"If we're going to do this, we better get moving," Monk-san said, looking at the graveyard. "I think Nicky wants you, Kiko."

Koaimi turned to look at Naru; she gently tapped the stone on her amulet. It started to shake and a small glow appeared; when it had finished shaking blood started to ooze from the middle.

"Nicolas' blood," Kiko said, letting the red liquid drop on Koaimi's pale hands. Although Kiko was possessing Koaimi, Mai could tell how overloaded Koaimi looked. If Kiko didn't find a new host soon Koaimi would literally become a walking ghost.

"Alright, let's get started, shall we?"

Mai wasn't too please where she was sitting. Although there weren't any dark spirits around them, a shudder still went down her back at the power they gave off. Mai, Naru, Reimi, and Kiko/Koaimi were surrounding Nicolas' grave: Kiko/Koaimi sat on the right side of the grave to symbolize the "dawn" or "beginning" of Nicolas' journey. Naru sat on the left side of the grave, which was the direction of the afterlife. During the exorcism, Kiko would have to move from Koaimi to Naru, meaning Kiko would be both the end and beginning of Nicolas. Mai sat in front of the gravestone, the south of it. Kiko hadn't explained what that meant, but Mai trusted the girl knew what she was doing. Even if Kiko was a trapped 16-year-old ghost, she had been around for another 18 years after her death. She was already a mature woman merely trying to escape her murderer ex-boyfriend and protect her family.

Mai snapped out of her thoughts when she smelled incense reached her nose. She could hear Lin chanting behind her, the metallic smell of blood mixed with the smoke, almost making her gag.

Kiko grabbed Mai's hand, making her start. To her right, Mai felt Naru reach for her hand. A strange warm spread through her body, but she pushed aside those feelings and started to focus on the exorcism. Fear started to work its way through Mai's veins again as she remembered she needed to die for Nicolas. She knew she wasn't going to get the curse, but there were only five people doing this. That meant there was a 20 chance she could…a squeeze came from Mai's left hand. The girl glanced at Koaimi, who gave her a smile.

"Be brave, Mai. I know you are, I saw you protecting Reimi."

Mai blushed, avoiding Naru's look. He was no doubt glaring at her for acting like such a coward. But…was he afraid to die too?

"It's ready," Lin said, his chanting halted. "You can start now."

"The spirits are coming!" Monk-san yelled from about three feet behind Naru. "Hurry!"

Koaimi shut her eyes and looked up. Mai did the same thing, her heart pounding as adrenaline pumped through her veins once more that night. This case had started as a kidnapping, but now it would end in death. So many things could go wrong, why had Mai suggested joint-chanting exorcism? She could be back at the manor, wondering where everyone was, sleeping and watching the exorcism safely in her dreams.

A squeeze from her right hand sent another warm sensation throughout her body. It ate her fear up and left courage and bravery behind. She could do this; she just needed to trust the woman to her left.

A silver light invaded the darkness under Mai's eyelids. Had she fallen asleep again?

"Kiko-san! You left the body too early!" Lin-san shouted. Mai opened her eyes.

A pearly silver figure was floating above the gravestone. Although she was transparent, Mai could make out her silver hair and violet eyes, which held fear in them.

"Something pushed me out," Kiko said. It was the voice that belonged to the girl in Mai's visions. This was the 16-year-old who had gone through that entire trauma before her death; accidentally killing her boyfriend and being murdered by his vengeful ghost.

Mai gasped as a person was almost tossed on top of her. Monk-san scrambled to his feet, slightly amazed at how far he had flown.

"Nicolas is coming! You have to do finish this up!"

"Without me, one of you will get the curse," Kiko's ghost said, fear present in her voice. Mai bit her lip; things were getting really bad. A moan was heard from Mai's left; that's when she realized the hand in her left hand had gone limp.

Koaimi? Mai thought frantically as she turned to look. The girl who had housed Kiko's ghost looked up, wondering where she was. Her violet eyes were full and bright; curiosity and confusion were present in her look.

"Where am I? What happened, where's Kiko?"

"Mai, close your eyes and focus!" Naru barked at her. Mai was about to argue back when a huge gust of wind blew across the site. Mai squeezed Koaimi's hand to assure her that everything was fine. What was fine? Things were only getting worse as time passed. Mai looked up at Kiko's ghost.

She was gone.

Again, fear spread through Mai's body as she wondered where the ghost had went but a squeeze from her right hand made her glance at Naru. He was smiling at her, like the one who was always in her dreams.

"I'm right here," Kiko/Naru said. Mai looked away and blushed. How could she have believed that was really Naru who just smiled at her?

"This won't work," Ayako said, helping Reimi and Koaimi to their feet. "We have to get the Shino's out of here, especially Koaimi, she's really weak."

"I'm alright, thank you," Koaimi said. This was the girl Mai had met during their telepathic communication, not the one during the tea party. Koaimi Shino pulled the frilly ribbons out of her hair and looked down at her gown with disgust. "How old does she think I am, ten?"

Mai grinned to herself as she realized Koaimi was actually her age, but Mai couldn't help thinking Koaimi was actually younger.

"I caught that," the Shino girl said; her voice full of malice but her purple-shaded eyes were friendly. "What do we do now? Ole Nick will be here to smite you, Kiko-chan. This exorcism or whatever you were performing won't stop him."

You're right it won't.

Mai gasped as another gale of wind swirled around them. Mai's body shuddered horribly until she was afraid she'd collapse. A ghost appeared before Naru; it was purple and solid rather than the pearly silver ghost Kiko had been. Ayako grabbed Reimi and Koaimi and pulled them close to her for protection, Monk did the same to Mai.

You think some pitiful exorcism will stop me? The voice was in Mai's head. Where had he learned telepathy like that? You have changed a bit Kimiko.

"Nicolas," Kiko/Naru pleaded, stepping forward. Naru brought one hand over his chest as if he were protecting it from damage. How could such a bastard harm an innocent girl like Kiko?

Nicolas glared down at them; he had been unusually handsome in a dark way in Kiko's flashbacks, but now he was ugly, his face contorted with fury and anger. Was he really this evil, or was he trying to get revenge for the death Kiko gave him?

No.

It had been an accident, and he was trying to seduce her to give in to the darkness. He didn't deserve to die, no matter how evil he was.

It was all just a big misunderstanding, Mai assured herself. A tingling sensation went through her mind as if the government had stuck a tracking chip in her mind and it was scanning her mind. Mai glanced up at Nicolas…he was gazing at her with a smirk so deep it was evil itself.

"Taniyama-san!" John said as he ran to her. However, he was tossed aside by some invisible force, colliding with Monk-san.

Mai was left unprotected.

You will do. You're heart is weak, confused, and you believe I can actually forgive the witch who murdered me?

"Mai, run!" Koaimi screamed, breaking loose from Ayako's hold. Nicolas glanced up to look at the indigo-haired girl running at Mai.

Well, well…Ai-chan. You'll make a better host then this naïve imbecile.

"Koaimi, stay with Ayako!" Kiko/Naru shouted, trying to run towards her. However, time seemed to slow down. Nicolas swooped down, the gale of wind knocked over Naru, making him land on top of John. Koaimi stopped and looked up at the purple spirit heading towards her.

This was it.

Nick had what he wanted, and Kiko wouldn't be able to save her this time.

Why didn't I listen to my older sister? were Koaimi's last thoughts as she shut her eyes.