Disclaimer: The first rule of this fanfic is...I don't own Ghost Hunt or the title of this fic. The SECOND rule of this fanfic is...I don't own Ghost Hunt or the title of this fic. (And obviously the third rule is: you do not talk about Fight Club.)

Chapter Eleven

I had no idea what to say at first. "You're…you're sure it was Amanda? You're positive she had something to do with this?" Amanda had been acting kind of weird, sure, but I was hesitant to blame her for Mai's sickness. "I mean, they lived together, so seeing her doesn't mean anything, really. It could just be a coincidence."

Naru shook his head. "I've been in this business too long to get duped by a mere coincidence. Her presence felt wrong, sinister somehow. There's something she isn't telling us."

"Her aura did feel strange to me," Masako said quietly. "But I'm not sure why…"

I looked back and forth between Masako and Naru. "So, what, you guys think she poisoned Mai or something? Sabotaged one of her best friends? Amanda is strange, I'll give you that, but she doesn't seem malicious!"

Naru shook his head. "It may have been unintentional, but Amanda is involved in some way. We'll need to keep an eye on her, and maybe even on Amber and Monica too, although they don't seem to be involved as far as I can tell. If only we had a way to access Mai's memories…There's got to be something there. Some reason that she can't remember anything…"

I didn't want to tell Naru that I had no idea how to get Mai's memories back, or that she had no idea how to get her memories back, or that, with this new "let's exorcise everything" plan, I wasn't so sure we'd have time to even try to get Mai's memories back. We had our first real clue, and I couldn't bear to break Naru's good mood. He seemed…happy. After finding Gene's body, he had been so deflated, like he had nothing left. Maybe he didn't. But now there was a case to solve, someone to save, and there seemed to be a fire burning in Naru's cold, dark eyes, a fire that I hadn't seen in a long time. I didn't want to tell him that I was feeling increasingly ill-equipped for this situation. I didn't want to tell him that his greatest potential tool in this situation was practically useless. The truth would come out eventually, why speed up the process?

I think Naru could sense my insecurity, as he gave me a narrow, side-eyed look that seemed to say "don't fuck this up." I'll try not to, Oliver. No guarantees.

The others were already back at the hotel room by the time we got back. They were a curiously quiet bunch, which I took to be a bad sign.

"Find anything?" Naru asked brusquely as he hung up his coat.

"Nice to see you too, Naru," Ayako said. She was huddled up in the armchair in the corner of the room, her scarf still wrapped around her. "Why did Mai have to go to school in a city so cold? Why couldn't she have gone to school in Hawaii or something."

"You're free to leave if you want," Naru said.

"And what, leave you hapless idiots alone to help Mai? Please. You need me."

You could practically hear the sound of everyone rolling their eyes in unison, but Ayako didn't seem to notice.

Lin looked up from his computer, his fingers hovering over the keys. "We found plenty of myths, legends, and hauntings, but nothing that would explain Mai's condition." He continued his typing, while also managing to speak, a talent I had never been able to master. "Most of the legends we found concerned ghosts of various Chicago tragedies, things like the Chicago Fire, or the fire at the Iroquois Theater. I think it unlikely that spirits tied to such events would target a person instead of a location, especially a person so unrelated to what happened."

"Anything concerning Mai's school?" Naru asked as he crossed the room to stand behind Lin.

John cleared his throat. "Well, her school is relatively new, so we didn't find much. Most of the stories we dug up seemed like they were just pranks, and the stories that did sound legitimate didn't describe anything like what we're seeing here." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I'm afraid our researching didn't amount to much."

Naru shook his head, his eyes rapidly scanning Lin's computer screen. "No, John, all this information is helpful. Eliminating wrong answers is the quickest way to find the right one."

I glanced at the clock next to the bed. It was already almost 5 PM.

"So…what do we do until 9, Naru?" I asked. I needed something to get my mind off of things, something to distract me from how nervous I was. What if I screwed up somehow? What if this whole scheme exposed Mai and I to that…thing? Those huge yellow eyes haunted my every thought.

Whatever happens, Mai and I can handle it, I told myself, but the words sounded feeble and desperate in my head.

"Everyone should probably try and get some sleep. We need everyone running at full capacity, and who knows how long this will take." Naru began checking something on his own computer, probably setting up the live feed from the instruments we'd left back in Mai's room. "Everyone except for Houshou."

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"We need you to be good and tired tonight. The faster you fall asleep, the faster we can get started."

"Listen, Naru…are you sure this is a good idea? What if we just make it worse?" I hoped that no one else could hear the tremor in my voice.

Naru looked over his shoulder at me, his torso still bent forward over the desk. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Usually Naru and I were equals, each an expert in some way, each respectful of the other's abilities. But now…it felt like I was talking to a boss rather than a friend. I wanted to challenge him, to tell him that I refused to take part in the experiment, but I knew that would be useless. Truth was, I didn't have any better ideas, other than more stalling for time, and we were running out of options. If we didn't do something soon, what might that thing do to Mai/s brain, to her memories?

So, instead of protesting, instead of boldly asserting my authority over this 22-year-old kid, I simply shook my head. "No," I said as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm just worried about what might happen to Mai."

Naru turned back to the computer screen, and I thought I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten. "We all are, Takigawa. But right now, this is the only plan we've got." His voice was full of carefully-crafted nonchalance, as usual, but beneath that I heard a note of something else…tension, maybe. Or anger.

"Well, in that case, I think I'll go have a drink. Or seven." Naru gave me a thin-lipped stare. I held up both hands, palms out. "Kidding! Just kidding. I'll stick to two. Two drinks over four hours won't kill me."

"Finally someone is doing something fun. Oh! I saw a bar just down the street, we can go there!" Ayako was already up and putting her coat on by the time she finished speaking.

"I…fine. Lead the way," I said. I had wanted some time alone, some time to think, but maybe having company would be better. "John? Masako? Anyone care to join us?" I knew better than to ask Lin or Naru. Something told me that neither one drank very often, maybe a glass of wine on holidays. Besides, they had an experiment to set up.

Masako bowed her head politely. "No thank you, Takigawa. Taking care of Monica's ghost has left me quite tired. I think it best if I stay here."

"Yeah, sorry mate. I should get some rest before tonight if I'm to be attempting an exorcism." He smiled apologetically and shrugged his shoulders. Do priests even go to bars?

"Looks like it's just you and me, loser," Ayako said, hitting me playfully on the arm.

"Be back by 8:30 PM, at the latest," Naru said, eyes still trained on the computer screen.

I raised my hand to my eyebrow and gave a half-hearted salute. "Will do. See you all later." By the time I turned around, Ayako was already out the door.

Apparently, according to Ayako, "down the street" meant 5 blocks down, through an alley (where I swear I saw a rat the size of a housecat), and then over 2 more blocks. She kept insisting that we weren't lost, that she knew exactly where we were going, but I wasn't buying it. Finally Ayako came to a stop in front of a bar with at least 11 different beer signs clogging up the front window. "Here we are!" she announced cheerfully, as if she'd been headed here the whole time. "Told you there was a bar nearby."

Inside was dimly lit, and it wasn't very crowded, which I was grateful for. Ayako went to the bar to fetch us some drinks, a dark, heavy beer for me, and a gin and tonic for her, and I settled down at a corner table.

Ayako came back, slid my drink in front of me, and smiled mischievously. "Now spill."

I blinked. "What? Spill what?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what. Every time anyone says Mai's name, your eyes go all moony. So spill. Has someone developed a little crush?" She said that last part in a baby voice, before taking a delicate sip of her drink.

"I…what? No. I'm just worried about her, and—"

Ayako held up one hand. "Save it, kiddo. You're a terrible liar."

"Wha…Kiddo? I'm older than you are!"

She waved away my comment with one hand. "Look, you can deny it all you want, but it doesn't change anything. Just admit it. You have feelings for Mai."

I leaned forward, elbows on the table, my head in my hands. "You make it sound like some stupid high school crush," I groaned.

"Well, she is 10 years younger than you."

I let my forearms fall, my head falling with them, my forehead making a heavy *thunk* sound as it hit the wood surface. "Don't remind me."

"I'm kidding. No need to be so dramatic."

"You're right though. She's way younger than me, and I'm a gross old man."

"Or you're a perfectly sane, old-ish man who's fallen for a bright, pretty young woman." I could hear her stirring her drink and taking a sip. "Of course, I'm prettier, and far more mature, but we don't need to discuss such obvious things."

I dragged myself back up to my elbows. "She's my friend, Ayako. And she's in trouble."

"So? There's a reason that the word 'friend' is part of 'girlfriend.' You're already friends, so now you just need to see if she wants to kiss you. If she doesn't, you'll still be friends, although things will be a little awkward for a while. But if she does, then you don't have anything to worry about!"

"What are you talking about? I have everything to worry about. Mai is in a coma, or have you forgotten? This isn't the time to be selfish. I need to focus on helping Mai get better. I can tell her how I feel if and when she wakes up."

Ayako leaned forward against the table. "Now is exactly the time to tell her how you feel. You need to give her some motivation to wake up. Maybe all she needs is a kiss, and then BAM! She's awake!"

"…I think you're thinking of a Disney movie. That's not how real life works."

She took another sip, the ice cubes jingling quietly in her glass. "You're a monk who plays bass in a rock band. We're friends with a famous TV medium and an undercover psychic prodigy. I talk to trees. When have we ever lived in real life?" She leaned back in her chair, a smug look on her face. "You've got to tell her how you feel. When will you have another chance? What if the worst case scenario happens?"

"No." I said, slamming my fist on the table. The noise drew the attention of some nearby bar patrons, but they quickly resumed their own conversations. "No," I said again, quietly. "We will not let that happen. I will not let that happen." I could feel my throat getting tight at the mere thought of something bad happening to Mai.

Ayako shrugged, unfazed by my outburst. "Now look who's not living in reality. You've got to consider the possibility, Houshou. I'm sure she has. Do you want to lose her and lose the chance to tell her how you feel?"

I stared sullenly at my barely-touched beer. I didn't want to consider any possibility that didn't end with Mai's eyes opening again, didn't want to entertain any thoughts of failure. I was too afraid that thinking them might make them true.

Ayako reached across the table and placed her hand on top of mine, her fingers cool and calm. "If you care for her, you should tell her, before it's too late."

I slid my hand out from under hers, nearly spilling my beer in the process. "But what if…what if she's still in love with Naru…or Gene?"

She shrugged. "If she were still in love with Naru, why did she come to you for help?"

Because I taught her warding magic… I thought, but Mai's theory still sounded weak to me.

"I guess I'll think about it," I said, my eyes focused on the table in front of me. Ayako smiled as if she'd won some kind of victory. She drank the last of her drink quickly.

"You want another one? Or are you still nursing that one," she said, eyeing my ¾ full glass.

I shook my head. "You go ahead. I'm good."

"Suit yourself," she said, before hopping off the chair and heading back to the bar.

Alright, so maybe Mai is over Naru and Gene…but what am I supposed to do if Naru isn't over Mai? The thought felt heavy and dark in my head. I took a long drink, hoping to wash my worries away, but all it did was make my mouth feel dry and my thoughts feel darker. It's going to be a long night.

At 8:30 we were back in Naru's hotel room, which we'd designated as our home base. By then, Naru had all of his computers and screens set up, so we had a temperature reading & 3 different views of both Mai's room at her apartment and her room at the hospital. I tried to ignore the screens that showed her hospital bed, but my eyes kept drifting there anyway. Nothing there had changed, which made me feel both better and worse.

The others were all back as well. John had put on his priest's robes, and was sitting in the corner reading silently from his bible. Masako was wearing a kimono, and was perched on the end of the bed, just behind where Naru was sitting. Lin was watching the monitors closely, a pair of giant headphones on his head. His eyes were intensely focused, as if something interesting were happening, although from where I stood next to the window, nothing on the monitors seemed to be moving.

"You really think this is necessary, Naru?" I asked, nodding at all the screens.

"We can't take any chances," he replied, while adjusting some setting on one of the devices. "We have to take every precaution."

Suddenly Lin pressed one side of the headphones to his ear, listening closely. "Someone's going into Mai's bedroom…" he said quietly. We all stood up in a flurry, rushing to see the screen more closely.

"Audio," Naru said sharply. Lin flipped a switch, and suddenly we all heard the footsteps as we watched Mai's bedroom door creak open.

It was dark in Mai's room, but there was no mistaking Amanda's blonde hair. She crept into Mai's room, looking side to side as she did so. Apparently she'd missed the memo about the small cameras we'd left in there. She sat down on Mai's bed carefully, as if she were afraid to touch anything. The temperature sensor didn't escape her notice, but after a quick investigation, she deemed it uninteresting and left it alone.

In Naru's hotel room, we all held our breath. I thought back to what Naru had said, what he had seen. What are you doing, Amanda? What did you do to Mai?
On the screen, we watched as Amanda looked around the room, her eyes scanning the pictures on Mai's wall. I thought I saw tears in her eyes, but she looked down before I could be certain. Her shoulders began trembling. In a quiet, wavering voice, she said: "I'm so sorry, Mai."

Sorry for what? What have you done?

A few seconds later, she got up and left, closing the door gently behind her.

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Of course, you'll have to wait awhile to figure out what role Amanda plays in all of this :).

Just so you guys know, I'm going to be leaving on vacation next week, and I'm not entirely sure how much I'll be able to post, if I'm able to post anything. I'll do my best to get some chapters posted while I'm gone, especially since this whole exorcism plan will start in Chapter 13, and goodness gracious, get ready for some shit to go down. I think I'm more excited to have you guys read chapters 13-14 than I've ever been to have anyone read anything before in my life. SO YES. I will do my best to post while I'm away, though I don't know what days/times I'll be able to post. So keep an eye out for new chapters! You never know when one might pop up.

Anyway, as always, thank you SO MUCH for the reviews/follows/favorites! You guys all rock!