Chapter 9

With a grunt Jiro released Mai's throat before she was totally deprived of oxygen, wishing that he could have held on a little longer without killing her. Mai fell on her back beside Naru who stared at her helplessly.

When he'd collapsed unconscious he had fought against the darkness trying to go back to the light and awareness, only to find that the spirit had tossed him into another shelf. Only this time instead of falling on them, the books had fallen on him rendering him useless to help Mai. He could barely stay conscious and right now he wished he wasn't as he watched the possessed student move towards her.

He wasn't used to this feeling of helplessness, that wasn't his job. It was Mai's. He was supposed to have all the answers, solve the problems. He'd never really felt the need to rely on his team members apart from Lin but now he needed them and now he realised his foolishness, now that it was too late. If he hadn't been so full of himself and thought he could handle anything thrown at him he wouldn't be in this position. His foolishness was despicable!

He struggled from underneath the load of books piled on his legs. He didn't have the concentration or focus to use his PK abilities. The student grew ever closer.

"Jiro, listen to me," Mai's voice wavered slightly as she backed away from her friend, "You don't want to do this Jiro. I'm your friend and friends don't hurt friends!" Mai froze but not from shock. That unseen force was covering her, smothering her, preventing her from moving away or pleading. Jiro leered as he towered over her, unbuckling his belt but his body convulsed before her could hitch up Mai's skirt.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not," John's exorcist voice called out as the library doors swung open. The force restraining Mai let her go and she jolted away from Jiro as he cried out before collapsing.

"Mai, are you alright?" Bou-san shouted as he ran towards her at the same time that Lin called out Naru's name and began to toss the books off him. John went to help him, deciding it was best to leave the shocked girl in Ayako's and Bou-san's parental care. They were the best equipped to deal with her, being like family.

"Did he hurt you?" Ayako questioned as she examined Mai's cuts and bruises from where she had been battered.

"No, he knocked me around first of and all and then the next thing I know Naru was here but I couldn't think straight because I had whacked my head off one of the shelves and I felt a sharp pain there and fainted cuz the next thing I know Naru was collapsed and Jiro was walking towards me," the girl flinched slightly as Bou-san took her hand comfortingly and puller her into a hug, "He choked me," Mai lifted her free hand to her throat as she felt the tender skin, "Jiro choked me!" she looked shocked as she stated that fact, "He nearly rap…" she shook her head determinately trying to be positive, "But he didn't!"

She finally broke down and cried into Bou-san's chest as she realised how close it had been while Ayako moved to check Naru's injuries once he had been fully uncovered and placed into a sitting position against one of the standing bookcases.

The wound on his head wasn't dangerous and was quite shallow, but head wounds did tend to bleed a lot so it would have to be bandaged. His left arm was sprained and his legs badly broken but not broken thankfully. That would have worsened his mood and a grumpy Naru was not a good thing. Apart from a small amount of pain and a wounded pride, Naru was going to be fine. With a few plasters and bandages, he would be as good as new providing he got his tea.

Between them, John and Lin hauled him up to his feet and helped him walk to the library doors as Bou-san carried a passed out and weary Mai. Tear tracks were clear on her face where her mascara had smudged and her eyes were swollen and red with lovely panda eyes.

Everyone was silent as they realised how close they had been to losing Mai to this twisted spirit. Not even Naru had been of much use but to slow it down while trying not to hurt the student who had been brought to the infirmary by the nurse.

They entered the office wearily to see Masako sitting on one of the two couches staring impassively at them. They lay Mai down on the opposite couch and got a checked woollen blanket to keep her warm before helping Naru over to a chair by his desk. Ayako grabbed her bag and took out her first aid kit before Masako spoke.

"So you saved the girl?" Masako stated as she watched Mai sleeping across from her seriously before shock hit her eyes and then a slow smile spread across her face filled with amusement.

"Masako?" John stared unsurely at his girlfriend but he stopped the rest of his sentence as her eyes turned to him, cold and calculating while the smile left her face to be replaced with a frown.

"She's possessed John," Naru said, for once stating the obvious to the group. He winced as Ayako wrapped a bandage tightly around his head and nearly groaned when he saw her glint of satisfaction and heard Bou-san's muffled slightly hysterical laughter. Ignoring them he concentrated on Masako, rather than turn his attention to the two fools.

"What do you want?" Naru asked the possessed Masako who turned to him with the same smile on her face that she had stared at Mai at, only it was slightly more mocking.

"I came here to give you a warning," she said proudly, "The child in front of me has not fully left the hands of danger but Masato is weaker from the exorcism. It will be a full month before he will be able to do anything around here again," the voice coming out of Masako's mouth was full of wisdom and expertise.

"Why are you helping us?" Naru asked suspiciously. This could be a trick to make them relax their guard.

"It is in my best interests to help you. I've told you that you can have a rest for one month so you can heal up. After that I expect you to free the spirits here and purify Masato for me. I don't want his spirit destroyed," the voice came out warning and strong.

Naru considered it for a second before continuing, "We'll help on condition that you help us when we need it," he felt pleased with himself.

"Fine, but only when you need it," the voice came out warm and the smile on Masako's face was genuine, "The first thing to help you I think is that the spirit who has been attacking the girls name is Masato Sato. That will help and my name is Mitsuko," with one final smile the spirit departed and Masako's body tipped forward before John caught her and laid her on the couch.

Naru wasted no time while Ayako finished patching him up, "Lin, I want you to find out anything you can about Masato Sato, and I don't care how far you have to go back!"

Lin stared at the young man's serious expression before turning back to his laptop and typed into the search engine the name Masato Sato.

Hey guys, it has been one pretty ... interesting week. First of all before I forget Masato means justice and Mitsuko if I remember properly means child of light which if my plot line stays the same will be completely fitting. Oh forewarning (I seem to do a lot of warnings on my fics) this saturday I will be going on holiday to Cornwall for a week so unless I get a hold of a computer (highly unlikely) no more updates until then. So please everybody review so I can go on holiday happy. Plz plz plz.

Been pretty chaotic for me. I lost my handbag in Newry which had my purse with my bus pass in it, my ipod and my nintendo ds with pokemon platnium in it. I thought I lost it permanently and only got it back today. I spent the whole weekend without my ipod. It was pure hell since I can't do anything without music. Then after having my bag returned to me this morning, this afternoon I lost my mobile!!!!! I went to check my bag and it wasn't there!! Rang home with my friends phone, it wasn't there. When I got back to the car a couple of hours later and opened the door it was sitting just ready to fall out. I swear to GOD, something is out to get me but hopfully my luck is balancing it out.

Well, signing out now and I'll hopefully update once more before me hol if you guys are nice and review. :p

ojoj. ciao

oh and thanks to alerting me to change psp to pk. oops