AN~ there is one more chapter after this but here you guys go. There are a lot of emotions in this one I think as the case comes to a close. Enjoy and please leave a review with your thoughts.
The image of a young woman walking her dog at night was not an uncommon one in downtown St. Pete. It may have seemed a little dangerous as, with any city, there were several unsavory people that roamed the streets late at night but again it was not all that strange. There were several different kinds of people living different kinds of lives and they all had varying schedules to accommodate their choices and work. So nobody bothered to look twice at the petite woman walking along side a monstrous dog. If anything, they were glad such a small defenseless looking person had a behemoth like Rocco guarding her. Nobody would try messing with that kind of a dog, one that looked more wolf than pup, and any who did were clearly insane or desperate.
However . . .
If one were to glance at them from just the right angel, from the corner of their eye, they would not see a woman and her dog. No. What they saw was something all together different. What some saw that night was what could only be described as an otherwordly queen, perhaps of magical decent, being escorted by a nicely dressed gentleman who wore the kindest but saddest of smiles.
But if they were to look again the image would be gone, replaced by the girl with short hair and a dog, and they would think themselves insane or simply overworked. Perhaps the absinthe had finally gotten to them and what they were seeing was their own rendition of the green fairy.
Either way, the two continued their silent but strangely graceful trek through the city, as if the broken bottles and questionable splatters of liquid that decorated the broken and cracked concrete were nothing more than a red carpet laid out just for them. No one bothered to approach them as they traversed down the bar strewn streets. No one dared to watch them for longer than a few moments. Because they exuded such an overwhelming atmosphere of removed and distant grace, as if they were the product of a recording from long ago, some royal event, and the film was flickering with age and disuse. It was queer and made all who looked upon them feel like they were children looking upon the ageless and intimidating figures of gods.
Even Alexander, who was padding across the cement at Mai's side, could not deny the feeling of strange unease. His tongue had lolled out of his mouth and he panted away while he prowled the streets with the woman at his side and from the corner of his eye he often caught sight of something that was not all together human. One moment it would be Mai's brown leather boot, scuffed and dirtied from their adventures, the next it was a pale bare foot that trailed the fabric of a white dress along with it. He caught the scent of exotic flowers and nature, decaying leaves and pine needles, before it would disappear to be replaced by Mai's. It was very disconcerting but at the same time comforting and while the feeling frustrated him it was not able to overwhelm the extreme hope and excitement that had taken roost within his chest. Because they were on their way back to the mansion to save his Prudence and that was all he had ever wanted.
He had missed her smile. Not the grotesque and decaying one she had developed but the one of innocent mirth, lips painted with a red or pink rouge, and the slight dimple she had on her left cheek. It had been nearly a century since he had last seen it, and while the image of her face had become somewhat blurred and faded in his mind, that smile had never faltered. Nor had the laughter that often accompanied it. Filled with glee and mischievousness.
He picked up his pace and pulled ahead of Mai, unable to calm his racing heart, before doubling back and circling her upon finding her own pace did not falter but neither did it increase.
Catherine had always been like that, he recalled, steady and calm and quietly confident. Even when she had fallen into poor health she had never become frantic in a situation. Everything would always work out in the end, she would say, and smile kindly at them. She had not fallen into a depression after the death of her husband either, she would only ever lapse into a quiet sadness from time to time before squaring her shoulders and returning to work. He had often wished Prudence had turned out more like her but his love had been so much more fragile. Like a butterfly. She was beautiful and delicate, fun and lively, but the smallest of winds would send her fluttering in panic.
He lifted his eyes to the night sky above them, nowhere near as populated with the shining stars as it had been in his time, and he let out a huff of air reminiscent of a sigh. How times have changed.
"This is dangerous," the low and steady voice of Lin broke the silence that had fallen over the group like an alarm clock. Everyone jumped or whipped their heads back to look at him in confusion, as if they had been pulled from deep thought, and Lin quirked a brow at them while he adjusted the camera in his hands. "We've never actually dealt with a spirit this strong and in the one case that we have, we bid a tactical retreat and had the property cleansed with fire," he explained quietly.
Yasuhara, still manning the flashlight that had yet to move from the wooden door from which scratching could still be heard from the other side, lifted his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "That is true, we never allowed our lives to be in danger and in the event that they were we fell back . . .well, accept for that one time when Naru was in a bad mood." He trailed off in thought but there was an obvious amused air about his speech that no one had truly missed. Though in that moment it was appreciated if only to lighten the mood and clam the ebb of fear that flowed through their bodies like the pooling blood around their knees.
Luella shot Naru a disapproving glance but could not find it in her to comment on his behavior as they were in a very precarious situation. She looked down at the blood around her knees and grimaced. She had been fighting the nausea since she had first laid eyes on it but after standing in it for several minutes the horror had somewhat faded. Now, while she still felt disturbed, she also wondered if she would be able to save the white pants she had chosen to wear that day.
"Why are we, exactly, going this far?" Ayako questioned nervously. She had crossed her arms in hopes of hiding the shivers that were wracking her body but it was obvious she was fooling no one. Monk had wrapped an arm around her shoulders in silent support as she spoke to which she was grateful. "I mean, I get why you originally wanted to stay, Naru, but this is a bit extreme," she continued with a nervous laugh and gestured to the blood at their feet.
Naru had not moved from where he stood facing the door, fists clenched at his side, but he did respond. "You can leave if you wish," he muttered quietly, "But it's become personal."
"What do you mean 'personal'?" Monk questioned darkly and tightened his grip on Ayako while he stared at the back of Naru's head.
Naru glanced back at the man from over his shoulder, "She tried to kill Mai, just a few hours ago, and I would like to be the one to personally wipe her from the face of this planet." He turned back to the door and stepped towards it, resting a hand against the aged wood, and felt the vibrations of whatever it was that continued to claw at the other side.
"What?" Monk exclaimed and stepped after him, sloshing through the foaming blood, and grabbed Naru's shoulder. He jerked back when he felt an electric shock but did not lose the intense look her wore. "When did this happen and why didn't you tell us?" he snapped.
"It was irrelevant at the time, I had taken her off the case and left her for mum to take care of," here he shot a look at his mother, "But Mai has managed to slip away again. I don't know where she is but I know that, as long as Prudence is dealing with us, she cannot hurt Mai." He matched Monk's glare with is own unfaltering one and waited for him to question him further.
But it seemed that his logical argument had worked because Monk sighed and dropped his hand from his shoulder with a scowl. "It does make sense," he muttered and turned his eyes onto the door in front of them. Such cold air radiated from it that it set them all on edge. "But is it her on the other side of this door, or something else . . ." he trailed off.
"I intend to find out," Naru answered and dropped his hand to the rusted metal knob, paused for a moment as if to mentally brace himself, before he twisted it. Whatever he had been expecting to find, it was not the cold dark tunnel bare of anything but a few scraps of furniture. There was nothing at all waiting for them on the other side. No grotesque form scrabbling against the door to get out, or to get them, no vengeful spirit, not even a mouse. He stared it the darkness with such an intense look of rage that, had there been something there, it surely would have faltered in fright. "Nothing," he stated irritably and pulled the door open to its widest.
There was a collective gasp from the team and this drew him to take in the back side of the door critically. It was covered in bloody scratches, gouge marks to deep to be made by human hands without causing severe damage, and as if to prove him right he spotted what was clearly a torn away human nail embedded within the cracks of the wood. Whatever other evidence he may have found had been washed away by the blood that had seeped in through under the door and then swept away by the flood when he had opened it. He hummed in darkly amused thought, overtaken by the rage he had felt building in his gut earlier, and stepped through the doorway.
"Naru!" Lin admonished irritably. Had he forgotten what had happened just moments ago when he had stepped in through the cellar doorway?
But Naru ignored him and lifted a curled finger to his mouth in thought, "Yasuhara," he called back to the man with the flashlight.
Obediently Yasuhara stepped forward, blood sloshing around his legs as he did so, and shone his light about the stretch of the tunnel. It spanned fifteen yards or so before another tunnel intersected it. "Is it a labyrinth?" he pondered aloud while his glasses reflected the light.
"Possibly," Naru answered and lifted his eyes to the ceiling, "William had been a rich drug lord and no doubt had all kinds of strange fantasies. On top of that . . ." he trailed off and turned towards the stone walls to run a hand along it. "He needed somewhere to throw the bodies of those murdered in his line of business," he finished coldly and drew his hand back from the wall before he wiped it across his stained black pants.
"Oh god," Luella muttered and covered her mouth with a hand.
"Naru," Yasuhara called quietly. He had been silent during Naru's explanation but as the man turned to him, found him staring towards the end of the first tunnel and followed his line of sight, he understood why. They was a figure standing at the corner, shoulder touching the wall, and twiddling its fingers in anticipation. Yasuhara's light only illuminated its dirt covered feet but he dared not raise the light higher for his own sanity. He did not wish to see the face attached to the grotesquely misshapen shadow.
"Don't look away from it," Naru warned and crossed his arms, leaning his weight onto one foot, and smirked.
"Easy for you to say," Yasu shot back with a nervous laugh.
Naru ignored his comment and lifted his chin towards the shadowed figure, glistening with grime and blood in the light provided, and spoke. "I have a medium, a Buddhist monk, a shrine maiden, and an omyoji," he began challengingly and straightened, "What do you have?" His voice echoed down the tunnel and reverberated back to them several times before the figure giggled.
"I don't think provoking it is a good idea," Yasuhara mumbled and swallowed the spit that had gathered in his mouth. The stench of the thing had finally reached him an it was horrible.
Naru did not bother responding to the nervous man beside him and he ignored the frightened but annoyed comments Monk muttered from behind him. His eyes never faltered from the laughing figure hiding within the darkness of the tunnel.
"Blood," it finally answered breathlessly and chuckled, "and all the bodies it belonged to."
All eyes, with the exception of Naru and Yasuhara's, dropped to the blood that now reached their thighs. How many people had died to create such a flood of the red lifeblood? And it claimed to have control over them all. Hundreds of people must have been murdered within those walls and Prudence just so happened to be one of the very last. Her blood was the freshest and it clearly flowed within the flood around them. It exuded such anger and disgust that it chilled them to the bone. And Naru had nearly been completely submerged in it. It had flowed down his mouth and throat and directly into his stomach where it now nestled, spurring his anger and hatred, and forcing him to act rashly in the dangerous situation. Surely he would have never provoked a powerful evil spirit, now a demon, if he had been in the right state of mind.
"That's quite the claim," he drawled and stepped forward, but was forced to a halt when he felt something encircle his ankle. He could not see through the blood but it was quite obvious it was a human hand. He could feel each finger denting his flesh through his pant leg, felt it squeeze with all the strength it had, and he scowled. "Lin!" he barked, never breaking eye contact from the thing in front of them.
Lin lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled. White spirits, formless and fast, whipped by Naru and Yasuhara, heading straight for the figure of Prudence. They shot through her body and tore great holes within her before she vanished from sight. Naru felt whatever had hold of his ankle disappear and without hesitation walked deeper into the tunnel.
"She is not gone, Naru," Lin warned urgently and rushed after his charge.
"I am aware," Naru called back over his shoulder.
"This is not safe, Noll!" Martin spoke up for the first time since they had entered the cellar and shuffled through the blood after his son.
"I am aware," Naru repeated darkly but did not stop.
"Where's Mai when you need her?" Monk growled out and followed the other men into the tunnels warily. He was certain that she would have been able to inspire caution within their employer if she had been present, but as it was his arrogance ran unchecked and urged him on.
John looked back at the three ladies imploringly, "Do you wish to continue? I can escort you outside if you wish," he offered kindly.
"Let's just go," Ayako grouched and lifted her drenched robes in hand before trudging after the men. "I wanna get this over with as soon as possible and then I am going to the spa, where I can scrub every last inch of this place from mind and body and be done with it!" She continued to complain the deeper into the tunnel she got and only fell silent when she had caught up with Monk and reached for his hand.
Masako and Luella shared a silent look before they nodded and followed. John brought up the rear behind them with a frustrated frown, wishing they were not in such a situation, but hoping to help in any way he could.
The tunnels spanned out before them and every turn they took only added to the confusion as they seemed to go on forever with no rhyme or reason. Some ended abruptly while others continued with several more paths branching out from them. It was impossible to discern where exactly they were under the house, or, if they were even still under the structure at all. Water and blood dripped from the ceilings and walls and the found several sets of skeletons scattered about the flooded tunnels. It was a disturbing sight to watch the blood seep through the bones and shift them about as if they had regained some form of life.
It was impossible for them to tell just who's bones they were looking at but they were certain the ones they had found did not belong to Prudence. The blood continued to lead them forward, never reaching a turn without them seeing it, and it became quite clear she was leading them straight towards her as Naru had observed earlier. It was both disturbing and curious too watch the flood of red liquid slow as they slowed and speed up as they did. It ebbed around their thighs and seemed to push them onwards while simultaneously sucking the energy from them. Several times one of them would feel something brush past their legs in the liquid, a finger, a hand, even what felt like hair to Ayako, wrapped itself around her ankle for several yards before it disappeared.
John had noticed at some point during their trek that they were being followed and had yet to say anything because he could not catch sight of what it was at first. But as Naru turned a corner up ahead he felt something brush past his thigh, what felt like a hand, and happened to look down and catch sight of it from the corner of his eye. And it turned his blood to ice.
There were several lumbering figures behind them, mere shadows in the darkness, but they sloshed through the blood only as they moved and hid their presence. They were disjointed and strange, obviously bodies that had been beaten and destroyed in life, and very much on their tail. John feared that if he were to stop moving and allow the others to leave him behind they would swallow him up and drag him away.
"Lin," he called quietly.
The man in question glanced back over his shoulder briefly before his eyes widened and he whistled, sending his shiki after the lumbering figures. Satisfied once they had been dealt with he fell back to join John. His strength would be more useful from that position. He trusted Monk and Ayako could ward off anything coming from ahead and while John was an excellent exorcist his methods tended to take a bit of preparation.
The others had looked back at the sound of Lin's whistle and had drawn closer together nervously. They were now being targeted from both ahead and behind and they could not deny the fear it sent coursing through their veins like so much ice. They were trapped.
Eventually, they came to a junction of tunnels, a sort of round room with a domed ceiling made of stone like the rest of the tunnels. A light hung from the center of the room and within it flickered several candles. No one bothered to comment on this as they were distracted by the rivulets of blood that cascaded from the ceiling and connect the floor and ceiling with the sticky red liquid like a spider's web. The walls were splattered with the stuff. Hand prints dragged along its surface and eventually trailed towards the floor and into the depths of the pooling blood eerily.
The team came to a stop, standing in a semicircle around Naru, who had paused to take in the sight of the room determinedly.
"I think we found the right place," Yasuhara commented unnecessarily and shone his light about the few shadows that remained within the room. The tunnels were black yawning pits spaced periodically around them but the room itself was quite illuminated. Yasuhara's light could not penetrate the darkness of the tunnels though, and that unnerved him even more.
"Yes," Naru agreed and stared at the strange form protruding from the now calm surface of the blood, some yards away from them, like a cancerous blot. It was the top of a head. Eyeless sockets stared back at him and matted blonde hair pooled out around it like a mockery of a halo. "She is quite talented," he observed grimly and drew his mouth into a tight line. "Lin," he called again, "Disperse her so that the others can begin their exorcism."
Lin stepped forward but before he could so much as lift his hand to his mouth to summon his shiki again a geyser of blood erupted in front of him and a hand shot out to cover his mouth. He grunted, eyes wide, and was shoved down into the pool of blood before he could react.
"I don't think so," Prudence's disjointed voice echoed about the cavern shortly followed by a rasping chuckle.
"Lin!" Monk jumped to pull the man from the blood but as soon as his hand had wrapped around the mans arm, white sleeve stained red and quickly disappearing beneath the surface, he too was shoved down. A grotesque figure launched itself from the water and onto his back, forcing him down into the blood, but he struggled violently against it.
It became obvious then that they were quite unmatched and Naru knew it. Knew it like he knew death was about to come to them on swift wings. And it angered him. He turned halfway towards the woman, still submerged within the water and watching with sick glee as they struggled, and he glowered.
And she felt his eyes on her like she had felt William's slap to her face all those years ago. And it enraged her.
How dare a man look upon her with such an expression. Not after how hard she had worked and become what she had. No one should ever be allowed to leave her clutches alive. No one had yet. Her grin turned into a grimace and she pulled herself up from the blood, her body towering over them, lifted by the blood that supported her. And she growled. A deep resonating sound one would expect to hear from a bear much less her small and withered form.
Naru lifted his hands, fingers spread wide, and focused his eyes on her master display of rage and power. But before he could gather the energy required to smite her she had launched herself over his head in a showering spray of blood and dismembered limbs. No doubt the ones she had used to touch and guide them towards her haven. There was a scream and Naru whipped around, ignoring the blood that ran into his eyes and mouth, and stared wide eyed as Ayako was ripped from her spot and wrapped up within Prudence's clutches like a rag doll.
While they were now down three powerful players in their fight against the evil spirit, her actions had caused the blood to spill out into the tunnels around them and the forms of Monk and Lin were revealed. Monk sat up gasping and coughing up blood, clutching a hand to his chest in pain, but Lin did not stir from where he laid sprawled across the muddied dirt floor. Monk noticed it right away and pulled himself over to the man and attempted to sit him up with one hand, the other dangling uselessly at his side.
"Lin!" he called urgently. Once he had pulled the man up Lin coughed, gasped for breath, and promptly vomited what must have been a gallon of blood into his lap.
Prudence chuckled and tightened her hold on Ayako, causing the woman to grunt in pain, and gripped her chin with one gnarled and hag like hand. She was holding Ayako hostage against Naru's attack but she had also cut down any chance of Lin or Monk aiding in the fight. John was left standing but she had already made it quite obvious that she feared no God and so his tactics would have little affect on her.
"What will you do now, little one?" Prudence gurgled out in her wet voice, blood dribbling from her lips and down Ayako's neck and shoulders.
Naru glowered up at the creature. How the tables had turned. He had lectured Mai on her rash behavior and the possibility of losing her life yet here he was gambling all of theirs away. If they died here she would have no family to return to. He straightened, squaring his shoulders against the heavy weight of his guilt, and clenched his fists at his sides. The room was silent as the creature gripped the form of Ayako to her, claws embedded in her flesh, and what had once been a beautiful face had rotted and morphed into something hideous with fangs. They hovered over Ayako's throat threateningly while it hissed and glowered through eyeless sockets and challenged the man before her to make a move.
The floor was still coated in blood and the smell of rotten flesh clung to the people who were trapped within the things power. At some point during the scuffle Yasuhara had realized why his light could not penetrate the tunnels and it was because they were all filled to the brim with the prone figures of the dead. It had to have been some trickery on Prudence's part because the amount of victims she had acquired did not equal the amount he now saw piled up within the tunnel entrances. Limbs hanging limply towards the muddy floor and eyes staring sightlessly out at them.
They had all been frozen to the spot by some dark force but upon closer inspection there were more arms, reaching out through the blood muddied floor, and holding tight to all of their ankles.
Lin was still unconscious on the floor and Monk was holding a broken hand to his chest. Masako had fainted at some point and Martin and Luella were useless to them in the current situation. John was struggling with the urge to act but knowing that it would be useless. Yasuhara looked to Naru, as it became clear he was the only one capable of altering the situation in any way, but he was stumped. He could not lash out against Prudence without injuring or, most likely, killing Ayako.
Martin and Luella stood huddled in the far corner of the room, helpless due to their lack of any power or ability, and watched as their son petered on the edge of despair.
"Don't do it Naru!" Monk growled out threateningly, he had followed Yasuhara's train of thought, watching as Naru's fingers twitched and he clenched them into fists. "You'll kill Ayako!"
Naru growled and glowered at the creature who was watching him in twisted amusement. Behind it sat the bodies of those killed and gone missing in the past and their combined stench was overpowering. Those people had never gotten the chance to return to their families, to have proper burials, and had been discovered only years later by SPR themselves. It seemed so utterly hopeless. Naru felt his anger boil over, the iciness consuming his chest, and cursed.
"Be quiet" He shot back irritably and took a threatening step towards the demon. The blood in his stomach revolted suddenly, as if by its master's orders, and Naru lifted a hand to his mouth as it spewed forth from inside him. He coughed and gagged while the others watched on helplessly, eyes wide. She was just trying to buy herself some time, Naru knew, because they were stuck at a standstill. If she killed Ayako then Naru would see her destroyed and she was well aware of that fact.
"Don't you fucking do it!" Monk exclaimed and pushed himself up off of the ground, ignoring Naru's moment of weakness, and took a step towards the struggling man as if to restrain him.
"Then what do you suggest!" Naru looked at Monk from over his shoulder, his sleeve used to wipe the blood from his mouth, but that had been his mistake.
The demon threw Ayako to the side, ignoring the way her body smashed into the wall before slumping to the floor beneath, and flew at Naru before the man could even react. She pounced on him, knocking him to the ground, and wrapped her hands around his throat while she straddled his chest. Her nails pierced his flesh and spots swam before his eyes from the knock to his head caused by his fall. Any energy he had been gathering was released into the air, dispersing in a cloud of static, and left him feeling drained. Despite the situation he still managed to be disgusted with himself as he reached for her wrists and tugged, he had let emotions get the best of him, emotions fueled by the blood of the victims and Prudence herself, but his emotions nonetheless. He glowered at the face before him, not bothered by the gruesome sight one bit, and grit his teeth in anger.
"Get away from him!" Martin roared. He and Luella had been locked in place but as soon as Prudence had thrown herself at Naru the spell had broken. Now he pushed his wife behind him and stepped forward. Despite the intense emotions he was feeling, however, he did not know how to help. Frustrated, he did the only thing he could, and tackled the thing off of Naru. As soon as he made contact with her body, felt the brittle and decaying thing break beneath his, she vanished. But as his body sailed over that of his son's and landed across the muddy floor feet away from him she reappeared in the same spot. She ripped a hand away from Naru's neck, pulling flesh along with it, and slashed at Martin who had scrambled to his feet. The man stumbled back gripping his shoulder while Naru choked and gripped the wrist of his attacker, his neck now spilling blood.
"You get away!" she growled in a demonic voice, it echoed, as if several people were speaking at once. And suddenly everybody found themselves pinned against a wall except for her current victim. There were bodies forced up against the stone as if the air itself was holding them in check. They struggled to breath against the pressure on their chests and watched on helplessly in fear as Naru's struggles slowed. It had never once occurred to them that they could actually die on any of their cases. Even as they grew more grim and they were forced to accept the death of others, sometimes their clients and sometimes of fellow investigators, but never the members of SPR. Somewhere along the line they had become a family. An immortal and immovable thing that would never falter. They just were, and always would be, a team. They would alwas meet at the office for coffee and gossip, they would always bicker and fight, and they would always be there for each other in their times of need. The cases had become only one aspect of their relationship with each other as they grew closer and learned more about each other. Mai would always be there to clumsily bring them together. Monk would always be there to deescalate situations with a laugh. Ayako would always be the mother hen and ask the questions nobody wanted to ask. John was the level headed one who more often then not was unable to curb the bickering group because he was too quiet. Masako was the sly one who would always stir up Mai's anger. Yasuhara made them all laugh and simultaneously uncomfortable. And Lin's stoic presence leant them all a sense of comfort and safety. And Naru watched over them all, kept them safe, and allowed them to be a family.
Yet now, the man had fallen still, and his hands had fallen to the ground as his body went limp under Prudence's hands.
"You're mine, you are all mine, and you'll stay here with me, forever, just like all the others . . ." she hissed and tightened her grip around Naru's neck despite the fact that he had already grown still. She could still feel his heart beating faintly beneath her grip and she would not stop until she had snuffed out every last bit of life from his body.
Then, the baying of a hound heralded something new. It echoed through the tunnels and broke the tense silence that had fallen over the room like a sheet of ice. Eyes lifted to the three entrances, frantically searching for the culprit of such a sound and they soon settled on a distant glow. From the furthest tunnel, behind the pile of bodies, came a golden light. It shone through the gaps and threw strange shadows across the room. They could hear it running through the bloody flood that had poured into the tunnels when Prudence began her attack. It bounded towards them, howling, and the sound eased their souls and offered comfort when none could be found. Because Prudence had frozen in place. They watched as, from over the pile of bodies, and glowing hound leapt into the room. It landed within the mud and launched into a run, circling the room and dissipating the force that had pushed them all back against the wall, before it came to a stop yards away from Prudence and turned to look back at her with glowing green eyes.
And suddenly, it was not blood they found themselves to be standing in, but cold water. It spilled forth from every tunnel and crack, swallowing up the blood that coated the ground, and danced over the feet of all those within the tunnel. It splashed up against the walls and painted it black and from its depths white orbs were born, pulling away from the water as if it were thick and viscous, before they floated up into the air and instantly calmed those who they touched. In less than a minute their surroundings had completely changed. No longer were they trapped within the stone labyrinth beneath the old mansion but standing upon a summoned representation of the astral plain. The majority of them had never experienced the astral plain itself and so were unaware what their surroundings meant other than the fact that their situation had suddenly been severely altered.
The demoness froze, eyes wide at the man beneath her but unseeing, and loosened her grip.
Naru's body came back to life and he gasped, dragging in great lungfuls of air as he stared wide eyed at the ceiling, unseeing. And as all eyes turned to him something else entirely unexpected occurred.
"That is enough little one," a light and musical voice rang out with an admonishing lilt.
All eyes turned towards the golden glow that had slowly made its way up one of the tunnels towards them. As they watched it drew closer and closer until a female figure could be made out of the light. She gracefully bypassed the pile of bodies as she approached and lifted her face towards the room full of injured SPR members calmly. She was beautiful. Long flowing blonde hair and the white dress of a goddess, layers of the material dragging in the water behind her, while vines and flowers fell from her hair and down her shoulders. Her eyes were those of an animal and the antlers of a deer grew from her head upon which butterflies perched, their wings fluttering in the once stale air of the tunnels.
She was beautiful.
There was nothing in the world any of the humans who saw her that night could compare her too. She radiated joy and laughter and eased their hearts like only the fondest of childhood memories could. And the moment she set a barefoot, pale and glowing, into the realm of the living everything stopped. No child cried, no angry words spat, and those in the midst of despair and insanity paused in their actions to think. Such was the power she radiated as she walked atop the surface of the spiritual water of the astral plain, brought forth by her presence alone, and approached the group of filthy and wounded humans.
The monster lifted her gaze to the beautiful goddess and fell into herself, becoming a small grotesque figure on the floor, covered in blood and mumbling nonsense. Her eyes could not stand the sight of such a radiant creature, so long had she been shrouded in the blackest of horror filled shadows, and even the sight of it from her peripheral was enough to send her into madness. How the light loomed over her so.
"My little one, my sweet little Prue, what has become of you?" she murmured and came to a stop before the creature. Her pale and luminous skin glowed in the darkness and bathed the gross creature in a new light, a whole new level of horrifying, and the woman only tutted. "You have been through so much, but it is alright, I am here now," she said as she crouched in front of the creature. The air around them grew fresh, the smell of the dead brushed aside as easily as one would brush aside a speck of dust, and a light breeze swept through the tunnels and dried the sweat on their brows.
"No, don't!" Yasuhara cried out, fearing that the beautiful creature in front of them would be eaten up by the darkness. He felt that, if he were to witness such a radiant light extinguished, he would never be able to continue in life. So strong was the urge to save her that he leapt to his feet from where he had fallen earlier.
But the woman ignored him or did not hear him for she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the demon. "Let not the wrongs of one man haunt you any longer and recall all those who you have helped in life, all those who's faces you summoned a smile to, all those who were saved by a simple act of kindness. Remember your laughter and their laughter and the sun's as it shone on your face every morning encouraging you to greet the new day."
The monster trembled and hiccuped, unsure of how to react, and stared up at the ceiling while the graceful goddess cooed into her ear and drew circles into her back with delicate fingers.
"Forget the wrongs done to you for they matter no longer and let go. I am here now to take away your sorrows, rest with me, and remember who you once were before any darkness had ever touched you. My sweet Prudence, remember the blue birds and the sea shells you brought to me, for that is how I have always seen you. My sweet little girl." She lifted a delicate finger and wiped bloody tears from the creature's face, ignorant of the bloated flesh and wounds that decorated her like medals of honor, and smiled sweetly down at her. Because what she saw and what the living saw were two completely different images.
A sob ripped forth from the monsters throat, but it was not the demonic howling they had grown used to, but the cries of a woman. "Mama!" she wailed and threw her arms around the woman. And where they touched her rotted and bloated skin transformed, pale flesh, new and glowing, bloomed and spread across her body until the thing remaining was not but a woman. Blonde curls fell to her shoulders in perfect little ringlets and blue eyes poured forth the tears of relief as she wept.
"I am here," she shushed and pulled her head to her chest, running her fingers through her hair.
Naru sat up, rubbing at his throat, while he watched on with wide eyes. Everyone watched on with wide eyes. As the butterflies and flowers in her hair seemed to take on a life of their own and flew about the room, blown by a mysterious wind, and the woman stood while pulling her daughter up with her. Tears, unbidden, came to all of their eyes at the sight of the beautiful woman and the goddess she held onto. Monk had pushed himself to his feet as well, hand still held against his chest, While Ayako latched onto his legs from where she sat on the floor beside him. She clutched onto him for dear life as tears streamed from her eyes and down her cheeks.
"Come with me," she whispered and together they took small steps, water rippling beneath their feet, and moved towards the tunnel entrance. Before them an entire new realm of their world awaiting. But the living could not see it. Never would see it. And so they were forced to use their imaginations as Prudence stared with wide eyes ahead of her.
Lin had come to at some point and struggled to stand while he took in the situation and found himself completely at a loss as to what had happened. But his eyes eventually located his charge and he blanched. Naru was bleeding from the neck and panting for breath as he struggled to gain the energy back to stand. Martin was at his side, watching the spirits move on, and was unaware of his son's desperate attempts to stand.
Naru scrambled to his feet, water and blood sloshing about beneath him, and coughed. Yasuhara went to grab on to him, to stop him, but the man evaded his grasp and stumbled forward. The gash in his neck, though shallow, spattered blood and it tainted the clean water beneath them. His father glanced back at him then, wide eyed, and took a step after him but was unsure if any of them were actually in any danger.
Frantic was not a word any of them would apply to Oliver Davis but as he scrambled through the slick water after the two women there was no other word capable of describing the desperation in his eyes. He slipped on the slick floor and stumbled, catching himself before he fell, and struggled to close the distance between them. He knew what had happened from the moment he had regained consciousness and laid eyes upon the spirit of nature before him. And then had spotted a possessed Rocco standing off to the side. He had stared in amazement, eyes wide and disbelieving, at what he was seeing as it was strictly impossible to summon something that had already passed on. But of course she would not have let that stop her. Anything to prove him wrong. And with the purity that creature radiated he felt something in his chest snap. Like a rope that had been strung tight over his rib cage had just broken. He had sat up and felt something new. Something he had never before experienced. And it trailed down his face leaving warm salty trails that eventually fell from the end of his jaw and into his outstretched hands.
"Mai!" he cried out.
The goddess turned and leveled blue eyes on him before a smile spread across her face, "She is alright, little one," she placated him as a parent would their child and Naru's heart nearly stopped because this was not a human, this was not some ghost who was stuck wandering the world, she might not even know what her presence would do to Mai. Being possessed by a lost spirit was draining, being possessed by a vengeful one was debilitating, but to be possessed by the creature he found in front of him? Well there was no previous recorded incident he could base his theory off of, but he was certain they would never see their Mai again. After everything he had done to keep her in his life he felt horribly cheated and anger welled up within him to add to the new tears trailing down his face.
But the two glowing woman turned away and disappeared into a fluttering mass of golden glowing spheres and all that remained was the figure they all recognized.
Mai stood still, her shoulders slumped forward, facing upwards as if she were watching the balls of light disappear, before her knees buckled and she hit the floor with a splash. They heard her knees connect with the stone below them and saw the utterly pale and lifeless way in which she dropped and they feared the worst. Because how could little Mai possibly have done so much without paying a price? It seemed unbelievable that she had managed to cleanse Prudence who had, by all rights, become a demon fit to be exorcised. They had been left powerless before yet Mai had cleansed her within moments.
Naru lunged for her, throat still bleeding and his body muddied and bruised, and dropped to the ground beside her. She was sprawled limply across the watery mud. Now dirt and blood filled once more as the astral plain had left along with Prudence and her mother. He lifted her into his arms, checking over her face with frantic hands, he felt for a pulse. He ignored the blood that still seeped from his throat and shook the girl lightly. "Mai," he called and lightly slapped her face. When there was no response and panic had begun to set in among the team Mai cracked her eyes open and settled her sights on Naru.
"Naru . . ." she mumbled as a tear spilled from her eye and trailed down her cheek.
"You stupid girl," Naru whispered and brought his lips to the top of her head. "You stupid stupid girl," he rambled and dropped from his haunches onto the ground, bringing Mai with him, with a choking sound. He gripped her tightly in his arms and struggled to compose himself, to regain his cold and logical disposition, but he was unable to in that moment. Had he not been holding onto the woman in his arms he feared his hands would have been trembling enough for all to see.
Luella rushed forward to get a look at Mai. She dropped to her knees in front of her son and ran a finger over the girl's cheek tenderly before lifting her hand to her son's face lovingly. The amount of relief and pride she radiated was enough to stun even him in that moment.
"What just happened?" Monk asked from where he sat, crouched over Ayako who had sustained several injuries from the ordeal and was attempting to stand.
"She summoned her mother," Naru muttered through tears. Tears that he had never before shed. Never before had he experienced the sensation of tears streaming down his face, the salty water slipping in through his lips to dance on his tongue, or the way the pressure built in his throat and he wanted to scream. He gripped the girl in his arms tighter and shivered against the influx of emotions that he had never allowed himself to feel while his mother watched on with a sad smile.
"I don't understand, we've done that kind of stuff before," Yasuhara stated quietly, eyes still wide, tears were streaming from his eyes as well. His voice echoed in the silence left behind by Naru's explanation. He stood in the mud, clenching and unclenching his hands, unsure of what move to make.
"No," Masako corrected as she pushed herself off of the ground using the wall as support, "We have summoned spirits who are wandering the Earth still. That woman," Masako trailed off and allowed her eyes to drift towards the tunnel where they had disappeared. "That woman had already passed on long ago. Mai did not summon a spirit . . . she summoned an angel."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mai mumbled and hiccuped. "She didn't deserve to die, she didn't deserve any of it, I couldn't let her go on anymore. It wasn't right."
"It's alright, Mai," Naru hushed her and leaned back against the wall behind him.
"No one deserves to be alone forever," she whispered.
They remained within that room far longer than they felt comfortable with while they struggled to collect their beaten and battered selves. Though the bodies and blood had disappeared from the tunnels and the majority of the blood had vanished, it still felt eerie and wrong to be there. Much had been suffered within those tunnels and though the presence of evil was gone there was still an empty sadness that continued to linger as they all pushed themselves to their feet. No one was too terribly injured, though Ayako confirmed Monk's hand had been broken, but the majority of their wounds would heal on their own with plenty of rest. Mai was able to stand after a few moments to compose herself and she help Naru to his feet. The wounds in his neck had stopped bleeding and they were not to terribly deep and after Ayako had assured him that she could patch him up easily enough, Naru had put them out of his mind for the moment. Mai had pulled his arm over her shoulder to give him some support and smiled up at him so radiantly that he could not deny the small smile he gave her in return. He was glad it had all ended in everyone's favor but he could not deny the anger with himself that had nestled within his stomach and sat there like a rock. But that smile . . .
Lin's usual crisp white shirt was sodden with blood and though the image was horrifying it was also, well, kind of funny. Because they had never seen him in anything but black and white. Pressed suits and shining black leather shoes. And now his shirt was untucked and painted red, his hair disheveled, and to top it all off he wore such an unusual expression. It was obvious he was uncomfortable but he was struggling against a smile all the same as he looked over at Mai and Naru.
"You look good in red, Lin," Yasuhara commented and it shattered the daze they had all fallen into. Laughter echoed down the tunnels that had not seen a living soul in nearly a hundred years. It broke through the quiet sadness that prevailed the underground and finished what they had all set out to do over a week ago when they had first arrived. The house was cleanse of evil spirits and the lingering darkness thanks to, in the end, Yasuhara. Though none would think of it that way.
"Thank you, Yasuahra-san, I shall take that into consideration when I next go shopping," Lin responded blandly and turned to lead the way back through the tunnels with annoyed amusement.
"I always knew I was good with fashion," Yasuhara muttered obviously and turned to look back at Ayako, "We never did go on that shopping trip you promised us Ayako."
Ayako, leaning heavily on Monk as they followed after Lin, scowled, "I never said you could come. That was supposed to be a girl thing between me and Mai!"
"I don't see your point," Yasuhara shot back and turned away with a grin.
"Is now really the time?" John mumbled with a sigh as he assisted Masako with navigating the slippery floor in her bare feet. She was not injured but her body tended to be a bit weaker than the others and so he was taking special care to help her.
"Why do you even bother asking," Monk grouched irritably.
John did not even attempt to respond and looked back at the last two, Martin and Luella, to check on them. They seemed relatively unhurt but were quiet as they whispered to each other and brought up the rear. Martin had wrapped an arm around Luella to hold her tight while they walked. John was not one to eavesdrop and so he turned back towards the front and tuned out the quiet discussion they were having between each other.
Mai sighed tiredly, tightened her grip on Naru's arm, and dropped her eyes to the figure of Rocco. Alexander had left him, it would seem, because he was once again left sightless. He too seemed a little tired as he padded away beside them, panting in the humid air of the tunnels, while he relied completely on sound and touch to navigate the tunnels. She would have to give him an extra serving of food that night to make up for it. And probably a bath. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of wet dog but smiled nonetheless and chuckled. She glanced up at Lin's back, the man leading the way as easily as if he had traversed the tunnels a thousand times before, and wondered what exactly they would do once they had returned to the surface.
"I could use some ice cream," she stated thoughtlessly. It did sound great. She was hot and sticky and tired and the thought of the relief cold ice cream would grant her was mouthwatering in that moment. "And a bed," she added after further thought and laughed when she heard various noises of agreement from the group. As per usual it was she and Yasuhara who left the situation with light spirits. As if sensing her thoughts Yasu glanced back and gave her a grin.
The door to the cellar appeared far sooner then they thought it would, as the trek through the tunnels the first time had been complicated and confusing, but it was relief that they climbed the stairs out and stepped into the hall between the foyer and indoor pool. There was no blood to be seen. They blinked in the soft light provided by the lamps set up about the hall and breathed in the fresh air with sighs of content.
"We are not breaking base tonight," Monk declared with finality as he stepped through the door and glanced about the empty hallway. The staff had begun to file back into the building after the blood had disappeared and they spotted the team curiously. One of them left in search of the manager.
Naru snorted, both in amusement and disgust at the idea. "Go to bed," he said simply.
And just like that they dispersed. Martin and Luella remained in the foyer to speak with the property manager, Sam, while everyone else clambered up the staircase towards base to regroup and get some rest. Madoka was waiting from them when they returned. She had been sent out, oddly enough, for coffee just before the whole ideal had taken place and had only been allowed into the mansion turned hotel when the blood had dispersed.
The coffee was good.
They had all taken seats around the room after cleaning themselves up to the best of their abilities while Madoka handed out the hot beverages and helped Ayako with patching them all up. They talked quietly amongst each other and relaxed into their seats, allowing the exhaustion to take over despite the coffee in their stomachs, and watched Modako as she flitted about energetically to assist them.
No one spoke of the case that night but Naru, who was seated on the couch next to Mai with a fresh bandage wrapped about his neck, sent her an intense look that promised for questioning her later. She only rolled her eyes and smiled in good humor before she sighed and pulled a blanket that had been left on the couch over her. Rocco was sitting at her feet, fast asleep, and she happily wiggled her bare toes beneath his stomach for extra warmth. Now that they were out of those tunnels she felt the chill of the late winter night that had permeated the property through the open entrance.
It felt good being in a fresh set of pajamas, surrounded by her friends and family, knowing that Prudence had finally gotten the chance to pass on. Alexander had left, she assumed he was cleansed as well, and she was certain that Kikio had followed. She no longer felt anything from the house. No anger or hatred, sadness or loneliness, just the usual emptiness that one felt in a normal building not haunted by evil spirits. But that wasn't exactly right. The house may have been empty of spirits but there were still nearly a centuries worth of memories within those walls and the weightiness of them could still be felt if one allowed themselves to.
"Mai," Naru called to her seriously, drawing the others attention.
"Yes?" she jumped to respond and looked to him hopefully. Maybe he would say something nice for a change, compliment her on a job well done like he had on that one case, or commend her for her determination, or even something possibly romantic . . .
"Your nose," he stated simply.
"What?" she shot back in confusion, not understanding exactly what he was referring to as her nose had nothing to do with anything that had just happened.
"It's running," he finished blankly.
Of course. She scowled at him before reaching for a tissue, offered to her by Madoka while the others snickered, and stemmed the flow brought on by the sudden chill after stepping out of the cellar. As if he would ever actually say what she wanted him to say when she wanted him to say it. They always had such bad timing. It just wasn't fair.
Despite all of her irritable thoughts Naru smirked and rested his head against his fist, propped up by the arm of the couch, and closed his eyes. Even to him sleep sounded wonderful in that moment and he was quickly overtaken by the darkness as soon as he allowed his body to relax. But he was still conscious when he felt the weight of Mai's head on his shoulder, and that was all the comfort he needed in that moment. Knowing that she was alive and well at his side.
"Thank you, little one, for bringing my child back to me."
"You're welcome," Mai answered. She was standing on the astral plain and though she could no longer see Catherine, as she had returned to the afterlife with her daughter and Alexander, she could still hear her voice. If only for a moment.
She was alone. A strange thing considering Gene was generally always with her when she was on the astral plain but she assumed even he needed to rest every once in a while. She did not mind all that much. She was just so mentally and physically exhausted that she wanted nothing more than to be on her own and think.
"Sleep well," Catherine's voice echoed across the plain one last time, causing Mai to jump and blink in confusion, before she was plunged into a dreamless sleep so deep she could not even be bothered when she felt someone ruffle her hair and whisper their own 'Good night'.