Dancing Queen

by Kyia Star

The epilogue is up! With this, Dancing Queen is complete!

11. Chapter 10: Walking Alone

Chapter 10: Walking Alone

A/N: So… this is the last installment of Dancing Queen. Installment, not chapter; I've drawn out this story and Annabelle long enough, she has to go. Truthfully, this story wasn't supposed to be this long, but the problem with the Llarona case is that it'd be stupid if it took Naru some five or six chapters to figure out what was going on. Retrospectively, it was glaringly obvious. And with this last case (installment), Dancing Queen will come to an end. A little bit of info on where Dancing Queen came from. It was a baby bunny that a friend and I came up with. In fact, it was Nightshade that came up with the idea of Benjamin Baker being in the Battle of Peach Tree Creek and from there it went. So really, this entire story is dedicated to my not so imaginary friend, Lady Nightshade. And that ends this little spiel. If you'll direct your attention to the next talking point: let's talk about what I do own and what I don't own. Lee Chamberlin is my character, along with Annabelle and Benjamin; case characters you've met are mine, as well. I don't, however, own Ghost Hunt, Blue Bloods, Skip Beat!, Until Death Do Us Part, and Ouran High School Host Club. Bear in mind that I have not read the manga for OHSHC, only seen the anime. We good? Good. Onward. An FYI: the Japanese phrases came from Google Translate, so if they're incorrect, I'm sorry.

A massive, massive thanks to my beta-reader Col_Queen_5!

"Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone."

~Shirley Jackson.

June 15, 1984: local news station

The package was delivered to her station. It was a non-descript envelope addressed to her. The handwriting was neat and flowing and it came from an address not in this country. Excitement tingled down her spine. There was something here, a big story. She could feel it in her very bones. Eagerly, Misty tore the envelope open; two video tapes tumbled out followed by a bundle of papers. She looked at the videos curiously, her light brown hair swaying with the movement and tickling her cheek. Irritated, she bundled the frizzy strands up in a ponytail and bound them with a hair tie. She picked up the video and turned it in her hand. There was no title, no nothing to indicate what the video tapes contained. She set them down and picked up the papers. There was a correlation between the two—there had to be. Why just send tapes, after all? The first envelope caught her eye. Misty Barrington, WTOC11.

Curious, excited, and a bit cautious, she tugged it free and opened the envelope.

Dear Miss Barrington,

Please read this letter very carefully before you play the videos. My name is Melissa LaQuis—surely you know my father Devon LaQuis. He's the business man who pretty much built the small suburb of Savannah that we live in. Well, technically he took credit for what my mother's father did. He married into the family and took her name, did you know that? But that's neither here, nor there. What I'm about to show you and prove to you, will be beyond your dreams. You know the rumors of mental and emotional abuse towards his daughter? Well, they're right.

Did you hear the rumors of his daughter being possessed? That's right, he bought the priest with a donation to the church. Do what you wish with this information. They're all copies anyways. I have the originals with me here in Japan where he shipped me off when the exorcism failed.

I would recommend watching the videos now.

Yours sincerely,

Melissa Anne LaQuis

Unable to contain her excitement, Misty hurried into a sound booth and popped the video in. Her smile turned predatory as she watched the first video.

…

Present day…

"I have time," Lory commented to his silent companion as he strode to the main building of LME. He had missed something. Something extremely big and whatever they'd been trying to do… well, it wasn't cataclysmic that it'd been interrupted, but no one was happy with the fact that it had. "I can go over to their office and tell them in person; I own their office, actually, so there's no real rush. Now was not a good time. Lin-san looked as if he wanted to cause me bodily harm. I'll give them a couple of days and then tell them. Also, let's cut them a check for whatever denomination you think they'd have charged, plus the damaged equipment. I'm elated to say that they were actually able to deliver on their promise."

…

The day after LME Studios…

Lin stood in a circle, waiting. His body was languid, indolent even, and his Shikigami floated around him—as if they were unsure of what they were all doing here, or what their master was up to. Blackness surrounded him, pressed in upon him, and, if he'd permitted it, would have suffocated him, dragging him down into the stygian depths beneath him. It felt like a waste of time, but he counseled himself to patience; this was merely a test to see if he was worth the time and effort. The scenery around him changed, and though he went into alert mode, his body language stayed the same. Blank space was filled with withered trees; leaves fell steadily from the branches, only to be replaced instantly and then fall again. One stately old oak that must have been magnificent when it was alive stood out acutely, its dead branches playing host to the most massive crow Lin had ever laid eyes on.

"Well, sorcerer. Well met. It seems you wish to enter into a contract with me after all."

It seemed impossible that the crow had spoken. It had no mouth to form the words with, but as sure as the sun rises in the East, Lin was certain that the crow had indeed spoken.

"Of sorts," Lin agreed, nodding his head to the proud creature, king of this world. That nod and his comment sent his Shikigami into a tizzy and they surged forward as if trying to shoo the bird away—as if they could make whatever Lin was aiming for not happen. The crow pecked viciously at the spirits, paying no heed to the one that circled until it rammed him. The demon whirled and drove its wicked beak at its attacker and watched, satisfied as they turned tail and returned to Lin, only to make their way back toward the crow demon again.

The large bird launched itself from its perch and morphed into a humanoid shape, it's jagged feathers forming a rough cloak that enveloped his body; wings became arms, hands; talons becoming heeled boots, and tail feathers morphing into one, long tail that swished to and fro. The creature glared at Lin's Shiki as they went on the offense again and the creature's eyes glowed an eerie blood-red.

"Sorcerer," it growled, swiping at the Shiki again, "what do they think they're doing?"

"Distracting you," Lin replied, curling the net threads they'd dropped onto the crow around his hand and giving an almighty yank, succeeding where his grandfather had once failed.

The net his other five spirit summonses had spread gathered and ensnared the demon before him, quickly binding and disappearing, sealing the demon's fate. The crow stared, stunned before glaring at his human captor. Lin's Shikigami became more visible to his eyes and he stared at them, bitterly mortified that he'd been bested so damned easily! How the mighty fall, the creature thought, glaring at his new master. Had he truly claimed that this boy was not powerful enough to bind him of all creatures?

"Well met," he repeated bitterly, biting the words off in anger. "What wishes would you have me grant?"

"None," Lin replied, dismissing the circle. He didn't need it anymore. He flexed his hands, watching as the threads joined the others in a complex pattern before disappearing to deep within him where his magic resided. The same complex pattern shone briefly on the crow demon before it too disappeared. "This is not a contract. You're officially my sixth Shikigami. I rather liked your name Sebastian when you were active in the late eighteen hundreds. Keep your name as Sebastian. When I have need of you, I will call you. I call my summonses with a whistle," he said demonstrating. "When I call you, you will be treated as an equal, just like my other Shikigami."

"One sign of weakness," Sebastian, thusly renamed, snarled at him. "Just one and I will kill you, rend your body limb from limb, and feast upon you."

Lin twitched a finger negligently and was rewarded with a gasp of pain, buckling knees, and another glare as the majestic demon crumpled to the floor, its heart tweaked. "That was the wrong answer," Lin told him mildly. "When I call you, if I do, you will be treated as an equal. You will not attack me. You will not attack Mai, nor anyone else I am associated with unless a command to do so is given. Do we have an understanding, Sebastian-san?"

If looks could kill twice or thrice over, Lin would have been dead before hitting the ground. But the sorcerer had the upper hand—complete control over the crow and they both knew it.

"I understand… master. Is that what you'd have me call you, my lord?"

"Lin or Lin-san will do just nicely."

"Lin-sama?"

"Lin-sama."

…

He came back from the demon's world with a shuddering gasp. His body felt like it was on fire, on ice, and hyperventilating all at once; the deep heaves that he took assured him that he was in the mortal realm once more—so he focused on forcing air into his lungs as deep, even breaths until he calmed and his heart returned to its normal pattern; there had been no euphoria in what he'd done, he thought grimly. Already Sebastian perched in that cold, desolate space on that dead tree and sulked—keeping himself away from his other Shikigami. Lin sighed. That crow would not tame easily—if it ever did. He was bound now, to Lin, by spell and net, and he was angry at his master for it. He looked up to see Naru looking at him, expectantly.

"I didn't want another Shikigami," he told him.

"I know."

But this particular demon had been active once again—Lin had refused to contract with it, and it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that it found those students to contract with after the Atsuka Case. Naru wanted to make beyond sure that the kids at Setsuda Prep hadn't entered into a pact with it so soon.

"At least we know that they're not in any sort agreement with this particular demon," Naru said bringing Lin back to the present.

"Sebastian. I kept the crow demon's name as Sebastian."

Naru nodded, not really saying anything.

Lin's vision swam and he felt nausea rear its ugly head; he got to his feet, unsteadily. "I need… to rest…" he murmured, staggering from the common room and into the bedroom. He undressed, leaving his clothing where it fell—quite unlike him, but he was too exhausted to care. Naru stared after the sorcerer, his brow furrowed for only a moment. With a quick and silent apology to his guardian, he exited into his own hotel room and stretched out onto his couch, staring at the ceiling.

When Mai entered the bedroom, her brows rose in shock; it helped to drive away the bone-chilling sensation that slipped down her spine slowly, like a leaky faucet. There was clothing everywhere that she could see. Koujo had stripped down to his boxers and sprawled face down on the mattress despite the mess; she could hear muffled snuffling as he slept like the dead. The mess that had greeted her was so unlike him, she thought, taking the moment to admire the sleek line of muscle in an exposed thigh and smooth muscles in his back; she recalled vividly sliding her hands up and down those muscles as his lips trailed down her body leisurely, and driving her nails into them as he moved inside her a wicked smile on his face as he did. Blushing, she bent down, gathering the strewn clothing and stuffing it into the hamper before approaching the bed and giving him a kiss on his temple.

"Sweet dreams," she whispered. She could have slipped in beside him, but for whatever reason, she didn't. There was a murderous aura around and she didn't want to know what was causing it. One of his Shiki brushed up against her and she smiled. It brushed again, acting almost like a curious dog that had noticed something. She was sure that that Shiki, whichever one it was, knew. "Shh," she admonished, bringing her finger to her lips. "Don't say anything."

Then, she left the hotel room. She'd tell Lin later when he wasn't catatonic. The baby expressed its disapproval and she rolled her eyes. Little one, she thought, putting her hand on stomach lovingly, your father is comatose right now. He's not going to be coherent enough to understand! And whatever your father did, it used up all his energy, so cut us some slack. I'll tell him very soon, she promised.

She could have stayed in the hotel room and waited for Koujo to wake, but who knew how long he'd sleep? She went back to her apartment and realized with consternation that she hadn't been back for nearly a month. She sneezed loudly and moved to a window to open it. Whew! The place was horrendously dusty. Putting her stuff down, she removed her shoes and put them by the door. Hands on her hips, she looked around and decided that a good cleaning was in order. She'd grown lazy staying with Koujo, she realized.

Marching into her bedroom, she stripped the tiny bed and dumped the linens in the hall. Marching into the equally small bathroom, she grabbed the towels, wrinkling her nose in distaste; they joined the sheets and would be the last chore she attended to. For now, however… she got to work dusting the serviceable space and soon, the air outside the window was filled with dancing dust motes as she vigorously shook the duster when it was filled. Vacuuming came next and that was when her landlady found her.

"Taniyama?" she asked, patting her on the back.

Mai winced and shut the vacuum, turning to the intruder.

"Landlady!" she exclaimed. "It's been a while."

"I'll say," the plump woman said putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head. "Where in heaven's name have you been? It's been a month since I last saw you."

"Ah…" she trailed off, unsure of whether or not the landlady needed to know her business. It really wasn't necessary, she decided. "Alternate arrangements due to work."

Her landlady nodded and didn't ask further—despite being absolutely certain that the young lady had been with her boyfriend. If Taniyama wanted her to know, then she would tell her. She was hoping that one day, Taniyama would return with a beautiful diamond on her finger. If not, then well, she had an imagination, after all. "I'll leave you to your work."

"Thank you, landlady."

Leaving the apartment, the landlady followed her train of thought. Yes, one day soon Taniyama would return engaged and would clean out her apartment for a last time before handing in the keys; she already kept so little in the apartment as it was… had very little in the way of possessions beyond necessities. It wasn't that she didn't like Taniyama as a resident; she loved the girl like her own, but now that she was seeing someone, marriage was the next course, wasn't it? No need to keep the apartment after she got married; after marriage came children. Taniyama would be a wonderful mother, she was sure.

Unaware of her landlady's thoughts, Mai returned to her chores. Gathering up the linens and towels, she trudged down to the basement with her laptop and school assignments nestled in the middle of the pile, preparing for the long haul of waiting for laundry to finish. She started the load and settled down to check her email and begin her makeup assignments. One email in particular caught her eye: from a classmate informing her that she was to be his partner on an English assignment. Ootori, Kyouya—she thought she knew him…thought he had glasses, but she could be confusing him with Yasuhara. Curious, she clicked the link he sent her to the course page and read through the guidelines.

In English, a paper answering the question: how would your life be different if… and after the word if was a blank space. Mai's brow crinkled. Why were they working in pairs for this? She read on. Working in pairs to spot each other's English, its usage, so on. Mai shrugged and replied to her classmate that she thought she'd be in class tomorrow but couldn't guarantee it as S.P.R. was soon beginning a new case. In the meantime, she'd think about answers.

In reality, she didn't really need to think. She already had her answers. If her mother and father hadn't died, she'd never met Nar and the others, but that wasn't enough. She thought about how she and Lin had met: she'd injured him. That massive oversight had landed her a job and in the meantime, the means to go to college. She didn't want to use the generic: if I weren't an orphan, blah, blah, blah. No, if she hadn't stepped into that abandoned building, curiouser than a kitten, she'd never have injured Lin and landed herself a job she'd been with for… two, three years? It was a start, she decided, rising and transferring her laundry. She grimaced when she realized that she needed to go to the market after the laundry was done, too. She sighed. Really, being away for so long had left her a legion of things to finish that she'd neglected. No rest for the weary, she supposed.

…

Lin woke, disoriented. His room was pitch black and… missing something. Something? he questioned himself. No, not something, someone—his room was missing someone. Mai. Where was Mai, he wondered, propping himself up and groping for the lamp that he was sure was around somewhere. In response to his searching, one of his Shiki turned on the lamp, flooding the room with soft light. He buried his eyes until he grew adjusted. Puzzled, he peered up at his fourth Shiki, noticing that she'd donned a humanoid form—and somewhat human dress.

"This is quite rare, seeing you in a humanoid form; you normally hate that look. To what do I owe this honor?"

She didn't answer and he didn't expect her to. He sighed. He could command her to answer, but really, it wasn't worth it and she'd be angry with him if he did. His visible eye traveled to the corner where Sebastian perched on a withered branch and glared at him, shredding him limb from limb in his mind. He already had one Shikigami angry with him; he didn't need to add another to that list.

"Where's Mai?" he asked.

"She was here," came the answer, his Shiki's voice musical and lovely. "She picked up the mess and left."

"Left? Where did she go?" Left. He tried to get his fuzzy brain to catch up. Mai wasn't here; she'd left—to where? He looked at his Shiki expectantly.

"Home?" the summons answered with a lackadaisical shrug.

Home, he wondered puzzled. Where was that? Wasn't that here with him? No… home was… back to her apartment—which she hadn't been at for… almost a month, he thought grimacing. They still weren't anything more than a couple; he'd have to rectify that soon. He heaved himself out of bed, knowing that he shouldn't get dressed and leave—he needed to sleep and allow his body the time to replenish its energies and magicks, but without her, he simply wouldn't sleep well. I am well and truly sunk, he thought, stepping into a pair of clean jeans and shirt. Grabbing his wallet, he left the room, passing a hand to lock the door. At her tiny apartment, he found her asleep at her makeshift desk, her head buried on her arms, small snores emitting from her.

Locking the door behind him, he gently shut the laptop on rotating pictures of them and scooped her up, carrying her into the small bedroom. He was going to have a terrible crick from sleeping on the twin bed, but… he crawled into the bed and with her still in his arms, drifted off into a deep, dreamless slumber, his head cradled on her chest. As if she could sense him there, her arms wove around him, pulling him closer. As he slept, Lin could feel his energy slowly trickling in and his magicks restoring.

Her rumbling stomach woke her and she shifted around, looking for a clock. It wasn't on the bedside? No, of course not, she thought as a pair of strong arms tightened around her. She was back in her apartment, so the clock… it was perched on the bed mantle and the muted red numbers read eight-thirty. Mai yawned. Had she been asleep all this time? She looked about her bed and wondered when she'd climbed into it—she certainly didn't remember ever entering her bedroom!

A shift and murmur answered 'the how' and she looked to see Lin asleep in her bed. She smiled. He was gigantic in it, she mused, kissing the top of his head and gently extricating herself. She was hungry and she imagined he was, too. And baby makes three, she thought as the baby gave a plaintive whine for food.

Are you a boy or a girl, she asked. She got no answer. Yawning, she pattered into the kitchen and began to prepare some food. As she did, she wondered what she'd do about classes and the like if Lin decided to abandon her and the baby. She winced. She doubted that he would, but she needed to make plans just in case.

Lin woke to the smell of food and Mai's warmth being gone. Climbing out of the bed, he grimaced at the crick he'd developed and shook his lanky frame out, twisting this way and that to work it out. He joined her in the kitchen and listened to her humming along with ABBA on the radio. She had a terrible singing voice, he thought, amused; it too high and squeaky to ever be a good instrument, but it was charming all the same to hear her sing along with Japanese or English. He looked around the small space, remembering all the days and nights he'd spent on the convertible couch; she'd pushed the table out of the way, converted the couch, and put linens on it, he noticed—perhaps she was anticipating that he'd stay the night. He damn well was, he thought, turning back to her and leaning against the counter and watching her again. She turned to him.

He didn't often have visions of any sort, but this one grabbed him and bound him as he stared at her. This wasn't her apartment. Nor was it the hotel room he shared with Naru. It was a pretty little house, he thought, looking around. And Mai, she was heavily pregnant and breathtakingly beautiful. Looking down, he saw in his arms a chubby child, two or three years of age that squirmed and refused to let go of his shirt, if anything, the child gripped it tighter when he tried to put the baby down; it could walk, it was just stubborn.

He blinked and shook his head as a pang of longing hit him. He counseled himself to be realistic, but he couldn't shake what he'd seen, or the want for that vision to be true. It had been so real. He'd felt the warmth of the squirming child and smelled the powder and soap that had been used, almost heard what his counterpart had said to Mai and her response.

"You're up," she said, wondering where he'd gone for those few seconds.

"You weren't there, so I came here," he offered.

"Why?"

The simple question staggered him and, he could admit it flustered him. Exactly why had he come here? His Shiki had told him that Mai had gone home… and he came because… he needed her, he realized; the simple companionship of a loved one. She was waiting for a response so he decided to be honest.

"Naru wanted to make sure that the crow demon we dealt with during the Atsuka Case wasn't active again with the students from Setsuda Prep." He managed a half smile. "I didn't want another Shikigami, but I have one—the crow named and renamed Sebastian."

"I see."

He knew that tone of voice and knew it well. She wanted a bit more than that. Pressing his lips together, he continued. "It… used up quite a lot magic." He scoffed. "It's something that Naru knows but doesn't truly grasp with understanding- and why should he? He doesn't use magic, so really, how could he understand? But I...I required… sleep. But… you… you weren't there with me; my fourth Shiki told me you came, but left and I knew... that without you there, I'd sleep, but it wouldn't be the restful sleep I needed. So I came here." He quirked a smile at his long-winded explanation and decided to simplify it. "Actually, I really just needed you."

She smiled at him, a full blown grin and approached him, kissing him softly. "Well, it's almost ready. Grab some chopsticks and the soy sauce, please. So now you have a sixth Shikigami," she stated as they ate. "I thought I felt something murderous when I peeked into your room."

"Is that why you didn't stay?" he asked, snagging broccoli and mushroom. The food was vegetarian, he noticed—because they were back on a case. After this one, he wanted a nice, long, vacation. Just him, Mai, no one else—clothing completely optional. The Caribbean sounded nice—it would make a nice honeymoon getaway.

"Yes. It was… uncomfortable."

"He's sulking."

Mai smirked. "Unsurprising I guess."

They finished out the meal in a comfortable silence.

…

She hadn't made it to class, Kyouya noted, adjusting his glasses and peering at narrow stairwell that connected to the office above, but he was sure she'd made it into work. Then again, she had said she wasn't positive about being in class, but that she'd begun to think about the paper. The paper he was sure she was wondering why they were working in pairs on. He wasn't sure, either. And he was stalling. He knew he was. And it was unlike him—the Shadow King who'd once run, behind the scenes, an extremely successful host club at his high school. Sighing, he trotted up the stairs and entered into a blessed cool office. He looked around for Taniyama and arched a brow when he didn't see her. In fact, he didn't see anybody…

"Welcome! I'm Takahashi, the receptionist," a jovial voice bounded and Kyouya looked at the petite brunette, trying to place whether or not he'd seen her at Tokyo University before. "Ah…if you're here about a consultation, we can take down your information and get back to you at a later time," she said, trying not to think of how much contact information she'd collected in the past few hours. "A few of us are leaving soon for a case in Hanamaki."

Did that 'few' include Taniyama? Kyouya wondered. "I'm not here for a consultation. I'm here to speak with a classmate of mine—Taniyama Mai-san."

"Oh, Mai-chan." Lin-san wasn't the only one who was uncommonly popular lately. "I believe she's in Shibuya-san's office at the moment. Won't you have a seat? She shouldn't be too long."

Kyouya nodded and settled himself on one of the couches. She returned to her desk and continued whatever she was working on. To pass the time, he pulled out his phone and began checking his stock portfolio. He smiled in satisfaction when he saw that he had nearly all of his father's companies stocks under his control. A hostile take-over. His father wouldn't know what hit him—he hoped. His father hadn't gotten where he was in the world by being stupid or by dumb luck. He was as crafty as his sons were—the question was, was his third son craftier than his brothers? Time would tell. In the meantime, he had grades to keep in pristine condition—even if it meant partnering with a student in his class that he thought was a flake.

Ootori Kyouya did not have a good opinion of Taniyama Mai and the file he'd compiled on her agreed with his instincts. She was often absent, despite the fact that she always turned her work in either early or on time and despite the fact that she had a legitimate excuse for every time she missed class, he still considered her a flake—his research on her didn't exactly endear him to her efforts of schooling, after all.

Her high school had no prestige to speak of and she had been absent from her classes from there, too, quite a bit. Her grades from her first year had been average—border lining failing, but they'd improved drastically when she reached her second and third years; by the time she graduated she'd been an honor student. Her current grades in at the University were very good. When he'd been partnered with her by a random drawing (names in a hat of all lame things!), he'd asked the professor to allow him to work with someone else—Hiitachin Kaoru, for instance. Michinaga-sensei had refused to issue him a different partner, stating it would be good for Kyouya to work with someone different. Especially since he was going into International Business—he'd have to work with different people and effectively. So here he was: at the place where she worked following up on her email.

He glanced around the office furtively. He didn't see anything that screamed 'psychic research done here!' as he took in his immediate surroundings. The room he sat in had a large window on the west side—from what he could see, the view was ordinary, as if the person who'd found and rented the place didn't care about the view. He wondered if this was a common room—it looked like one. The area he sat in had two couches and two chairs surrounding a coffee table. There were four desks occupying the outer walls, all with state-of-the-art computers on their surfaces. It was clean and uncluttered, reminding Kyouya of a normal office, but…this place was a Psychic Research Center, right? Where was all the equipment that they'd need? Where was the strangely dressed charlatan bouncing out of one of the four closed doors (that lead who knew where) with odd occult chants? And that was a stupid expectation. Obviously this place had no use for such clowns. And that unreasonable thought probably came from Umehito Nekozawa-san and his black magic nonsense from their high school days. One of the doors in the office opened and a young man barely older than Kyouya stepped out. Kyouya stood and peered towards the open door waiting for another person to appear. No one did.

"Shibuya-san, isn't Mai with you?" Yuko asked.

The young man settled eyes of frigid blue on the receptionist, but she simply stared back, to used to the glare to really care anymore. He shook his head. "Records Room with Madoka and Chamberlin-san."

"Ah." Takahashi moved to another door.

"Tell her I want tea."

Now the receptionist rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like tea-addict before disappearing into the doorway.

Naru focused on the newest face in his office and frowned. "If you're here for a consultation, we won't be available for a week or so, I'm afraid. I can recommend other Psychic Research Centers in the meantime."

Why was it that everyone he'd met in this place assume he was here for a conference, he wondered. This place had no stock attached to its name and he wasn't able to really find anything about the place despite his extensive research. Was this place really that popular? Kyouya shook his head. "I'm not here for a consultation… Shibuya-san, was it? I'm here to talk with Taniyama-san about a project she and I are partners on."

"I see. Her time to work with you will be limited. We're starting a new case in Hanamaki in two days time."

Kyouya forced a smile, even as his eyes gleamed cold. So Taniyama was leaving, again. "I understand, Shibuya-san."

Naru's piercing blue eyes met and clashed with Kyouya's own blue and studied him. Kyouya had never felt like an experiment before. Before he could say anything, Naru dismissed him and murmured, "No, I really don't think you do." He turned to Mai when she exited the Records Room. "Mai, tea."

Mai stopped and stared at her boss; she hadn't gotten ten feet away from the Records Room before he'd ordered a cup of tea. "You seriously need to have your tea addiction checked."

A small smirk lifted his lips. Once upon a time, Mai thought, she'd have flushed seeing it. Once upon a time, a long time ago. She wondered if Lin wanted a cup, as well. She knew Yuko would want some and oh, she'd need a decaffeinated batch for herself.

"Chiaki says the same thing," he retorted.

"Humph. That's because she's sensible and knows the signs of addiction." Her gaze landed on Kyouya. "Ootori-san?" she asked.

He inclined his head. "Taniyama-san. I'm pleased that you remember me."

Totally fake, Mai thought, giving him a bemused smile. She could all but hear the unspoken: seeing as you're absent so much. He'd say it in a very cordial, but snide tone of voice if he ever said it out loud. Nevertheless, she gave him an imperceptible smile that told Kyouya all he needed to know: that she saw right through him—just as she had seen through Naru when they met at her high school a few years ago.

"Would you care for some tea as well?"

He was about to refuse, but thought, what the hell? He was here, now. Tea certainly wouldn't kill him. "Yes, thank you."

After taking a sip, Kyouya had to admit that she made some damn good tea. The receptionist moved across the office, tea cup in hand, to the other door that he hadn't seen open at all while Mai settled herself across from him.

"Where in Hanamaki is your case taking you all?"

"Setsuda Preparatory School."

"I've heard of it. It's rivaling school is the Ouran Academy in Tokyo."

"You went there, didn't you, Ootori-san?"

Kyouya smiled. "Guilty as charged. What takes you to Setsuda Prep?"

Mai gave him a shuttered smile and took a sip of decaf green tea. "I'm afraid I can't discuss active cases with non-personnel or affiliates."

Kyouya blinked and stared at her in disbelief. Had his respect for flaky Taniyama Mai-san just gone up? Yes, he decided, it had. "I understand. So, to the assignment at hand. The open- ended question of if 'x' hadn't happened, then 'y'. I assume you'll be writing about your life would be different if your parents were still alive?" he asked, peering at her and adjusting his glasses.

Mai blinked. How in the hell did he find out about me being an orphan? It wasn't exactly a secret, per se, but… it wasn't exactly common knowledge either and she certainly didn't show case it.

"I researched you, Taniyama-san," he said, correctly interpreting her look. "I research everyone whom I have to work with. For whatever reason," he added.

"I see." She pursed her lips. She could get angry. But what good would that do seeing as he already knew her circumstances? In the age of technology, finding out things like that weren't very hard. After all, Naru had done the same thing after he completed his case at her high school—that was what landed her this job in the first place. "I might write about that, yes. But I might not." She smiled sadly. "Being an orphan has given me many new perspectives. What about you, Ootori-san?"

"I don't know yet. What do you think I should write about, Taniyama-san?" He waited for her to prove herself to be completely uninformed aside from the fact that he was rich.

Mai frowned at him and gave him a piercing glance—and then he witnessed something…quite strange. He had no other words for it. Her eyes went wide and glassy for just a moment before returning to normal. "Exactly what stereotypical question should I throw your way, Ootori-san? I know you're extremely wealthy. If I remember correctly, the students were all agog when you decided to attend a quote-on-quote: 'lowly school'," she said, using her fingers to pantomime quotation marks, "like Tokyo University instead of some fancy abroad college. So tell me what I should ask you." She tilted her head to the side. "Should I ask you the typical 'if you weren't rich what then,' question? Or why you chose Tokyo University instead of say…" Mai shrugged and continued, "Oxford Trinity in England? That was actually your first choice, wasn't it? You were accepted, too, weren't you?"

"And how did you ever find that out, Taniyama-san?" She needn't have answered; he already knew.

"I work at a Psychic Research Facility for a reason, Ootori-san," she said anyways.

"So you do."

"Lin-san attends Oxford Trinity," she mused. "I believe he's taking correspondence courses, if they have such a thing."

"Lin-san?"

"Lin-san. He's… the jack-of-all-trades, if you will."

"I see. Well, what do you think I ought to write about, in all seriousness?"

Mai tilted her head to the side, considering him. "I'm curious, Ootori-san."

"About?" he prompted.

She gestured to his phone and laptop. "You're the third son. And you're in competition with your brothers to your father's fortune. Your sister was married off so she's not in this equation at all, but from what I understand, marriage aside, she's done well for herself without her father or husband's money. My question is this: why are you so intent on being the one to gain your father's fortune?"

He considered her question, wondering secretly how she knew about his sister. "Isn't that obvious, Taniyama-san?"

"Is it? It can't be the money that truly spikes your interest."

"And what if it is?" he challenged. He was so intent on his conversation with Mai that he failed to notice another man exiting his office and just stopping, a displeased expression flitting across his face before settling back into its stoic look.

"Then you're no different from your father, are you? But…" she trailed off, focusing on him. "You are different from your father and brothers. You're not just in it for the money—you're in it to prove that you're the best."

Kyouya sat back. "You're very astute." She reminded him of Haruhi, truth be told. He hoped that she and Morinozuka-sempai were happy together. Obliquely, he wondered if Taniyama-san was available and then dismissed the idea. He certainly wasn't shopping for a bride, no matter how astute.

"So here's an even better question for you to consider."

"I'm all ears, Taniyama-san."

"What if you didn't inherit your father's wealth? What happens if you make your own way in the world—with only your own two hands and your wits?"

It was like she'd struck a chord within him. Haruhi had never bluntly asked him such a question—but then, she'd owed eighty-million yen to the club for the vase that she broke and seeing as he controlled her 'debt,' she didn't dare cross him—much. Taniyama-san, on the other hand, owed him nothing—nor was she under any such compulsion to repay a debt. Nevertheless, her question got his mind working. What if he wasn't named as his father's successor? What if, in spite of his background, he did indeed make his own way in the world? What if, what if. She was waiting for him to say something, he knew.

"That's a very intriguing question, Mai."

Lin went rigid and his eyes narrowed. How dare he use her name so familiarly! He heard Sebastian chuckle darkly.

She shrugged. "For you, perhaps. For people like me, Ootori-san, learning to create our own futures is a necessity. Perhaps your paper should take a walk in shoes like mine."

"Well, it seems that we have my topic set—so let's talk about yours."

She smiled. "I would say that if I hadn't injured Lin-san in my high school's old classroom building, I'd never gotten this job." Her eyes narrowed. "I'd have never met Eugene, either," she murmured, "and started to develop my latent abilities. But more than that, if I hadn't injured Lin-san and gotten this job, I probably never would have gone to college. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to. I owe a lot to that stupid morning," she finished, smiling fondly at the memory of a foolish girl wandering into an abandoned building to check out the camera.

"I'm sorry, but who is Eugene?" Kyouya asked curiously.

Her smile turned sad as she remembered the kiss they'd shared back when they'd worked on the lust spell in her school; later, his explanation of who he really was and the fact that he was dead and unable to leave his twin, 'I was going to tell you, but…' "My spirit guide," she told him. That was the safest and best explanation. "I have a spirit guide called Eugene—or Gene, as I call him. I met him when a bookshelf?" she questioned, touching her lips and becoming introspective for a moment, "Yes, a bookshelf fell on me in the old school building where S.P.R was investigating."

"You owe a lot to the injury you caused," Kyouya commented, his tone just a bit sarcastic. "And the person in question that was injured? How did Lin-san react to you receiving a job out of his injury?"

Originally, I was upset. But she grew on me, he thought.

Mai shrugged and took another sip of tea. "Most likely he wasn't happy, but really, what could he do? He was in the hospital and Naru needed an assistant. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, me replacing Lin-san—and it turned into a full time job a few years later. Retrospectively, I never did ask him how he felt when Naru hired me after that. Truth be told, I did try to ask one time and the glare he gave me sent me running for the hills metaphorically speaking."

"Perhaps you should and write about that."

She shook her head. "That's you being nasty, Ootori-san. There's too much animosity in it. But certainly I like the topic of what I owe to being hired by Naru. That's a good topic. Thank you for suggesting it, Ootori-san."

"Kyouya," he told her. His opinion of her was beginning to change.

"Pardon?"

"Call me Kyouya. And may I call you Mai?"

Mai watched him for a second. "You can call me Mai, Kyouya-san." She looked up and saw Lin standing there with murder in his eyes and smiled as thrills danced up and down her spine and lopped around the rest of her body. She smiled again, this time at him in greeting. "Lin-san. We were just talking about you. Did you need me for something?"

Startled, Kyouya turned and saw the tall Chinese man standing there and he was certain he wasn't imagining the bloodlust in the man's visible eye. But what caused it? The fact that he was talking to Mai? Kyouya didn't know and he certainly didn't want to ask. He'd never admit it, but the man was scary!

"So I heard," he said, a small half-quirk twitching his lips. "For your information, Ootori-san, I was at first upset when Mai was hired—rightly so, after all and I needn't drag up the past and explain in detail. But soon it became 'let bygones-be-bygones.' Taniyama-san, when you and Ootori-san are done, we need to discuss your cover story."

"I understand," she nodded. "I think we're done here, yes, Kyouya-san?"

"I believe we are for now." He regarded the two of them for a moment.

"Then have a nice day," Lin said abruptly before Kyouya could utter another word. Turning on his heel, he returned to his office.

Kyouya blinked. Just like that he'd been dismissed. It was a humbling experience that got on his nerves. With nothing else to do, he stood and collected his stuff. "Good luck to you, Mai-san." Snagging a spare piece of paper, he jotted down his cell phone number and handed it to her. "I have yours already."

She took the note and pocketed it. "I'm not even going to ask how you got the number."

A small smile graced his lips. "I told you, I researched you. That included your cell phone number."

"You're truly scary, Kyouya-san. I'll contact you when we're back."

"How long do you think your case will take?"

"I couldn't say. We'll spend the first day or so just trying to ascertain what's going on there before we do anything else."

"Then, I'll wish you luck one last time. Please be safe, Mai-san."

"Thank you. I'll see you soon, gods willing."

After her classmate left, she wandered into Lin's office and found herself trapped between the door and him with his mouth possessively fused to hers, his body hard and unyielding against hers. In the office, she thought, thrilled and exhilarated. Her hands moved listlessly before wrapping around him and finding purchase in his hair as she returned the kiss fervently. She never would have guessed Lin to allow passion in the office of all places.

"Here now, what's this?" she murmured as he dropped his head to her shoulder.

"I do believe I was angry with him," Lin said with some amazement. "He addressed you so familiarly before you gave him permission."

She sighed and brought his face back to hers for another kiss. "Let's not even think about it, then."

…

Office of the Mayor of New York…

"Frank," Poole said, walking into his office and behind his desk. He found it somewhat odd that Frank had elected to call upon him personally, rather than over the phone. Whatever it was that warranted a face-to-face meeting was probably serious. "What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Mayor," Frank greeted taking a seat. "I know I've been a bit of a… trial…"

"Please, spare me platitudes, Frank. You've been a pain in my ass since I took office a couple of months ago; every now and again I've regretted not accepting your resignation. The problem I've been finding is that you're usually right. Now what can I do for you?" he asked again.

"I need for your permission to reopen a case."

"My permission? You're the Police Commissioner. Why would you need the mayor's permission?"

"Because it was your predecessor who closed this particular case."

Cater pursed his lips and nodded. "I see. What case?"

Frank placed the thick manila file folder on the other man's desk in silent invitation. Sitting down, the mayor put on a pair of glasses and opened the file, wincing at the gruesome pictures. Death was rarely pretty, he thought, but this was just agonizing. The expressions frozen on their faces pleading for help that could never arrive, and the mouths open in silent torment… he recognized this. This had been part of his campaign—keeping children safe. "The museum cases?"

"Yes sir."

"Why? I thought that the killings stopped when the collection left New York."

"Are you aware of the how close your election was with the former mayor?" Frank asked instead.

"Yes. It was a very close election," Carter replied, pulling off his glasses.

"Yes it was. And I know that the former mayor outspent you thanks to a donation from the man who owned the collection that was responsible for their deaths."

"What are you saying, Frank? How can that collection be responsible for them?"

"I'm going to tell you a story, Mr. Mayor. And I need you to promise to listen with an open mind."

"All right. I promise." Agreement was easier than actually doing, he would learn.

"I don't know if you're aware, but the investigation focused on one person: Samuel McLaughlin and his collection. There's an object that's part of his collection: a pair of dancing shoes. They've claimed quite a lot of victims over the past…oh, almost two-hundred years. The problem, Mr. Mayor, is that this ghost never stopped collecting victims. She looks for mediums because she wants one last dance with her lover that supposedly died during the Battle of Peachtree Creek back in 1864. And yes, Mr. Mayor, I know exactly how this sounds: crazy. I wouldn't tell you this if I hadn't actually met, after a fashion, the ghost that calls herself Annabelle."

Frank paused and looked at Carter before continuing. "Samuel McLaughlin is now in Japan and I've met the young lady who's his current target and possessed by Annabelle. I'm cautiously optimistic that this time, the girl won't die because the ghost chose the wrong victim." Now he leaned forward, his gaze intense and demanding on the mayor. "But in the meantime, I want McLaughlin. I want him for the bodies here in New York the same way the other states want him for the bodies in their territories. It's not just the young ladies that were killed—it's for the families that some of them had and found themselves sued for 'stealing property.' I want you to give me permission to have Detectives Reagan and Curatola finish their investigations. Please," he added as an afterthought.

Carter stared at his Police Commissioner and wondered if it wasn't wrong to be thankful that his children had been unaffected by all of this. He scoffed in surprise and shook his head. "A ghost. It's hard to accept. I always thought they were just stories—things you hear at Halloween-time. I never imagined you and I would sit here one day and discuss a homicidal one." The mayor fell silent. "I have children," Carter said quietly. He looked down at the blotter on his desk and smiled grimly. "I'm thankful that they weren't chosen, but that's the father in me talking as I'm sure the father and grandfather in you is thanking whatever powers that be that it's not one of your children or grandchildren. The mayor in me knows that there's more to this and my heart goes out to the families that lost their loved ones to a ghost…or whatever it is. All right Frank, do what you wish. Have your detectives finish their investigation." Carter Poole stood. "And if Samuel McLaughlin lands in New York, have him arrested."

Frank got to his feet and offered his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor."

Outside the mayor's office, Frank pulled out his phone and put in a call to his son. "The mayor's allowed me to reopen the museum cases. Find something we can use against McLaughlin."

…

Mai stood in between the massive school gates, just at the threshold, that invisible line barrier between the road leading down to the village and the school. And once she crossed it, she was in the school's territory… and whatever was here. After all, that was the purpose of the threshold, really: the last line of defense. Her brow furrowed; what, exactly, was here? Students playing with black magic? It sounded plausible… but didn't feel right. A demon? Mai shuddered. She hoped not! A vengeful god? She could do without another one. Or maybe it was an angry ghost.

A horrible chill swept through her and she wrapped her arms around herself. Something was here, all right and it was their job to figure out what and put a stop to it. Resolutely, she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and step through the gates. Inside the gates, she stopped and simply admired the grounds that sprawled before her. Trees, so many trees, sat in copses creating an inviting space to sit on the many benches and tables during the autumn, spring and summer to talk, have meals, or study.

There used to be fruit trees—but too many students would pick the trees bare of fruit…

Shaking her head, Mai headed to the tree-lined path and began to head towards the building itself. The school was a converted mansion. The couple that owned it had not been able to have children, so they chose to fill their halls with youths bright and eager to learn. Mai wasn't totally sure that she believed the altruism behind the school, but anything was possible. As she walked she frowned. She was awed, yes, but there was a healthy dose of cynicism in her attitude, too. After all, she'd been sent away because she was an embarrassment to her ultra-strict Roman Catholic family because she dared to think for herself and practice magic. Her mouth turned down into a ferocious frown. Prep school. Ha! 'Prison' was more like it. But she had her books and equipment with her. What she'd need—well, every school had one: a person who could obtain anything they wanted, approved or not, for a price, of course. Money was no issue—she had her own that her parents couldn't touch and what they didn't know, well, it couldn't and wouldn't hurt them.

"Young lady!"

Mai snapped back, shocked at where her thoughts had been and felt drained to the core. She squinted up at the tall, statuesque woman who barred her path from the doors. She tried to speak, but no words were forthcoming. Finally, "I'm sorry," she stuttered.

The woman looking down at her frowned. Mai couldn't see her eyes, but she thought she detected something more than concern. "I have been trying to get your attention for the last minute or so."

"I'm sorry," Mai offered again.

"Now that I have your attention: are you the new student, Taniyama Mai?"

"Yes."

"Taniyama-san, are you unwell?"

Mai opened her mouth to tell the woman that she was fine… but that was a lie. She was horribly weak and freezing cold. "I'm feeling a bit…overwhelmed, at the moment."

"Higher altitude can cause this," the woman agreed gravely. "You will need to take care that you do not over-exert yourself until you are used to our atmosphere. We are very different from Tokyo."

"Yes," Mai said. "I'm sorry, but I seem to have forgotten your name…"

A small, pleased smile crossed the woman's mouth. "Lovely manners as expected from a girl from St. Lobelia's Academy. I am your Vice Principal: Hirata Hinata. Follow me, I shall explain our rules and once we are at the office, give you your schedule. The principal will want a word with you before he introduces you to your class. We've had a few changes in staff," she began, leading the way up the steps and into the building. The cold, Mai noticed, persisted. "We have a new counselor," Hinata said, her mouth thinning with distaste, even though her expression didn't change.

That mouth was wide and mobile. It couldn't hide anything. That was why she sucked at games like poker in general.

"If you find that the counselor is unable to help you, you may come to me."

"Yes, Hirata-sensei."

"The counselor also has an assistant with her, though why she needs one I hardly know. He seems to be efficient," she told Mai grudgingly.

Mai hid a smile. Naru would be half-way pleased to hear that, she thought as she imagined the eye roll the remark would gain.

"We also have a new teacher for English and History."

"Just one teacher?" Mai asked.

"Yes. Amano-sensei taught both, but is currently incapacitated at the moment. The new teacher's name is Lin. He will also be your homeroom teacher."

"I understand."

"Now… about your uniform… it is quite… reserved. We do offer a less strict alternative."

"Ah, but I came from St. Lobelia's Academy, Hirata-sensei. I'm perfectly fine with my uniform as it is." Especially since Annabelle was so kind to leave me lovely bruises when she took her temper out on me!

"I quite understand. Well, the office is this way."

Prison. And she's a jailer, now. Some things truly never change.

What bothered Mai was that she was sure that those thoughts and experiences weren't hers, and she probably wouldn't be able to discuss them with Lin or Naru until later this week. Behind the vice principal's back, Mai's face set into firm lines. It would have to be earlier—one way or another, she would meet with them tonight or tomorrow morning, early.

…

Danny and Jackie dashed through pouring rain from their car and over to the shabby apartment building where Tina and Robert Druitmeyer, the adoptive parents of Roxanne Seigal lived. With one hand, Danny pushed the ringer for the apartment 5-D and was thankful that it wasn't at the very top of the building because the elevator had been out of order the last time they'd visited. Beside him, Jackie shifted and moved, trying to warm up.

A voice, hallelujah, Jackie thought, came over the intercom. "Yes?"

"Mrs. Druitmeyer?" she asked, praying the lady wouldn't tell them to go to hell like the other two couples they'd spoken to had.

"Yes?" Her voice sounded wary. So had the other two.

"Mrs. Druitmeyer, I'm Detective Curatola with the NYPD, do you remember me and my partner?"

"Of course I do," she said and they heard the bitterness in her voice. "I know that man must have paid you to stop investigating my daughter's death."

"Not us, Mrs. Druitmeyer. The former mayor," Danny told her.

"Either way."

"The new mayor, Mayor Poole has given the Commissioner permission to reopen the cases and that's why we're here. We have new information regarding your daughter's death and we'd like to share it with you. May we come up?"

"I suppose…" The buzzer sounded and Jackie and Danny stepped into blessed warmth. They noted that this time the elevator was working and they decided to make use of it. Inside the apartment they remembered from earlier that unlike its exterior, the interior was homey and bright with a roaring fire in the fire place to ward off the ever-present chill that seemed to pervade the building itself. On the way over, Jackie had reread the files they had on the Druitmeyers. They'd adopted Roxanne Sigal because after her last son's birth she'd needed a hysterectomy and the family had wanted a girl. They'd gotten her for only a few short years before she'd been a victim of that collection. Silently, they shrugged out of sodden coats, gloves, and hats in the mudroom before entering the apartment proper.

"How are you and your husband holding up?" Jackie asked, following Tina into the kitchen.

"Everyday it's a struggle," she answered. "I seem to recall you two live on coffee—why don't we take it into the living room where the fire is?"

"Thank you," Danny said.

"You said… you might have new information?" she asked, handing the detectives large mugs of coffee. Leaning forward, Jackie added some cream and two spoonfuls of sugar—something that Danny had never seen her do before. Then again, back at the station, it was safer to drink it black.

"There's no 'might' about it," Danny said, taking a liberal swallow and nearly moaning in pleasure.

A ghost of smile touched her lips. "There's more, so don't hold back."

"Oh, trust me. I won't."

"Mrs. Druitmeyer, Samuel McLaughlin knew that your daughter was going to die. Knew it and counted on it."

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

…

Hashimoto led Mai to the already occupied classroom and said, "You're still able to turn back, you know."

"And leave Naru, Lin-san, and Ayako hanging? I'm not that type of person. Besides, I've already survived high school. This is an assignment where I'm simply posing as a student."

Hashimoto smiled, albeit sadly, it seemed to Mai. She got the overwhelming sense of love and regret and wondered about it. There was something she just wasn't… able to put her finger on. A tangible sadness. It had greeted her the minute she stepped inside the gates and stayed with her ever since. And it's important to what's going on here, she thought, especially since in the back of her mind, she had the sensation of being hauled bodily as she walked.

"I leave it to you all then. You'll have free reign. Should you need assistance, you need only ask me. I'll help you all in any way that I can." He handed her a slip of paper and key becoming all business: a principal introducing a new student to her class; his voice returned to his natural volume as he gave her the run-down of the school. "This contains your room number and the key to it. Your stuff should already be in your rooms. Breakfast is served seven a.m. to eight-thirty and class starts at nine-thirty sharp. Lights are out at ten and anyone outside the curfew is immediately given detention. Your tests placed you in class 1-B and I would ask that you forgive any mistakes Lin-sensei makes as he's a temporary replacement for Amano-sensei, who is indisposed at this time." He pulled open the classroom door and stepped in; Mai waited just outside until he called her in.

"Lin-sensei, class, there's a new student starting today. I ask that you all be very kind to her and help her until she's more comfortable with our school. Please come in," Hashimoto called.

Mai stepped in and Lin's mind went blank. It had been two years since he'd seen her in a uniform, he thought. Her uniform wasn't a popular choice, he knew. He could already see the girls eyeing it with disdain. The long skirt was so very out of vogue compared to the short, thigh-high ones worn by the rest of the girls. For him, even though he knew her body intimately, the conservative outfit left so much to the imagination. The long skirt covered everything except her shapely calves and it was already beginning to torture him, he could feel a physical throb begin. The top was even worse because really, all he wanted to do was toss her onto the desk and remove the sweater and long top layer by layer until he met bare flesh. Sebastian chuckled darkly and Lin snapped back. That reminds me, he thought to the crow demon, looking beyond Mai for a second and to the creature on the withered branch. Your task is to aid and protect Mai while we're at this school. Do you understand?

The demon's eyes glowed red. Yes, Lin-sama.

Then go.

He snapped himself back. This was it—it officially began now. "Thank you, Hashimoto-sensei. Taniyama-san, please introduce yourself to the class."

Clasping her hands in front of her demurely, she smiled shyly and said, "I'm Taniyama Mai. Please take care of me."

"The second seat in the last row is yours," Lin said, looking down at the notes that he was still trying to decipher.

"Yes, sensei," she responded, scrambling to the seat. She looked around at the kids that would be her 'classmates' for the duration of this investigation. What she saw made her mildly nostalgic and slightly apprehensive. She could already see the cliques and who was part of which. She, the new 'transfer student' would be at the bottom of the class until she either proved herself or worse. Lights, camera, action. Let the games begin, she lectured herself, looking at Lin and waiting for the act to start.

Tezuka Eri sat in her seat a few rows away from the new transfer student, toying idly with the ornate locket at her throat. She ignored the new student; she'd heard that her dad was an artist of sorts and it seemed so flighty to her whose father was a solid and successful businessman. The new girl had to be a scholarship student. The boys in the class were looking at her askance, some with interest, some with condescension. Let them have her, she decided. She had no interest in boys. She liked men. Hashimoto-sensei was a good example, if a bit too old. Now the man standing in front of the class… she permitted a small smile before it disappeared. Now he was perfect. She wound the chain around her nimble fingers and wondered what kind of woman he preferred—and how she was going to about getting into his bed and vice-versa. She could just show up in his room, on his bed and naked waiting for him to return from whatever he did after class. Maybe, she thought tugging on the silver chain, maybe Melissa could help her with that. Maybe.

Lin shoved the notes away from him in disgust. He was optimistic that Amano-sensei's notes were as badly written for English as they were History. He was prepared, however, he knew, grabbing the stack of papers.

"Clear your desks," he announced. "Young man, that includes the manga you're trying so desperately to hide in your lap," he ordered with a silent thanks to his Shiki who'd ratted the boy out. "We're having a small quiz to see what you know and what I need to work on. Amano-sensei's notes are a novelty in and of themselves and I won't waste any more time trying to decipher them. You may use either pen or pencil. When you're finished, please place the papers on my desk and return to your seats," he finished, systematically handing out the papers to each student.

"Sensei, I can tell you where we are."

The sultry voice bothered Mai for some reason and she turned to see who had spoken. She was stunning, Mai thought, a tad enviously. She wished that her hair would hold some sort of style—hers, whomever she was, had long, lustrous black hair that seemed to be a waterfall held back with a simple headband from her high forehead. She had lovely gray eyes and smooth skin stretched over a delicate bone structure. Suddenly, Mai wasn't sure she liked Koujo being a teacher in this class. She silenced that thought immediately, because as Naru said: Lin was the only member of SPR that could safely pose as a teacher. Still… she thought turning back to the front and propping her head on a fist and smiling faintly, she could admit to a small pang of jealousy, no matter how irrational. She wondered what he'd say in response.

Lin, however, didn't say anything as he moved up and down the rows, handing out the tests. Mai fought a chuckle as he plunked the test down on the desk the young lady who'd spoken sat at and moved on. When he got to her desk, his fingers lingered for just a second before handing the last test out and returning to the desk.

"You may begin," he instructed.

It was pathetically easy for Mai, but then, she was in University and had already passed her exams. It happened around her second short answer question. Unbeknownst to Mai, Lin stiffened and paused, waiting. His Shiki travelled around him frantically as something… decided to join the class—no, decided to join wasn't the right verb—he just couldn't think of way to describe it since he wasn't able to see ghosts.

So she wants the teacher, does she? I wonder why I'm not surprised!

Eh? Mai wondered, glancing around furtively. What she saw made her drop her pencil. A ghost hovered over the student that had spoken earlier with a bored expression on her lovely, indistinct features. The pencil's clattering shattered everyone's attention, including the ghost's. Briefly, her eyes met Mai's before she vanished back into an ornate locket around the student's throat.

"Taniyama!" Lin barked.

Mai started. "Ah! Sorry! I'm really sorry!" she cried, snatching her pencil and returning to her test. Her face was a lovely shade of red.

What had she seen? Lin wondered, keeping the glare up as she went back to writing frantically. She'd seen something hovering over that student. He'd felt it—and now he was wondering just what was going on here. The principal said it was black magic—but it felt more like what they'd dealt with a couple of years ago at Mai's high school: a ghost with magic. He'd confer with Mai when he got the chance—possibly he could pull her out of class on a pretext of some sort. Mai finished the test in record time. The short answer had even given her the opportunity to get a message to Lin that they all needed to meet, and soon.

A short time later Lin said, "I'm gratified that the school lives up to its standards. Taniyama-san, however, was the only student to get all the questions right. Don't glare at her!" he admonished. "St. Lobelia's Academy has a slightly different curriculum from other schools. Strictly speaking, Japan doesn't do very much business with Europe, but it's still good to know about its history, and really, all of you should know that it was the Black Plague that wiped out a third of Europe's population. The bell's about to ring, so you may have the rest of the period to yourselves. Taniyama-san, a word if you please."

"Ah, yes sensei!" she said, rising.

Eri rose too, determined to talk to the teacher and tell him where the class stood in terms of their lessons… and maybe finding ways to seduce him. She beat Mai out the door and grabbed his hand, pulling him to a halt. "Sensei!"

You can do it, right? Eri thought.

It'll be difficult…

As if I care about that. I know you heard me earlier! Make him mine and then you go back to Hashimoto-sensei. She snapped back to attention when Lin snapped his fingers in her face.

"Young lady!" he said exasperated. "Let go of me this instant."

"I wanted to talk to sensei for a moment," she murmured, tucking his hand close to the locket concealed beneath her uniform top; his hand was coincidentally close to her bosom, Lin noticed sardonically. He wondered if there wasn't a secret photographer around. Lin tugged his hand free, his glare frozen. She felt a thrill when pulled his hand away and it showed in her catty smirk.

"Name?" he demanded.

"Eri," she told him. "Tezuka Eri."

"Tezuka-san, you will not do that again," he told her, his expression angry and pitying. It stung to see that pity. He continued, "You will not touch me ever again. Are we clear?" he asked, noting that Mai had an unreadable expression on her face and anger in her eyes.

Cold washed over Eri, making her anger swell. How dare he! Didn't he know that he was a miserable, small time substitute who wouldn't land a job at this school if she put in a few bad words?

"Do you understand, Tezuka-san? This is not a shoujo manga. This is a school and you'd do well to remember that I'm very much allowed to kick you out of the class. Do not pull that stunt again. If you have something to say, then say it. If not, then return to your classroom." He switched gears. "Taniyama-san, if you please, a moment of your time."

"Yes, sir!" Mai cried, snapping back into character and rushing after her lover.

"Don't get angry at me," he muttered at her.

"I'm not. I'm angry at that girl. And…I think that she's one of the people we're looking for."

"She's practicing black magic?" he asked, coming to a stop away from her and flipping idly through a history book before handing it to her. That didn't jive with the feeling of an entity in the classroom for a moment. He supposed it could—necromancy was a portion of black magic in this day and age, but why bother summoning a ghost? It made no sense. It couldn't serve a person, wait on them hand and foot, do their homework, take their place, etc. Added to that, it was an incredibly weak ghost. The only reason he'd felt anything was because of the room—and that made as much sense as a building being haunted when it was land subsidence, he admitted to himself, halting those false thoughts. It wasn't a weak ghost. It had some massive powers on its side, whomever it was. The question then, was who was the ghost and what power did it have?

Understanding, Mai took the book and scanned the contents on the pages before nodding and handing it back. "I don't think we're dealing with black magic at all. I think we're dealing with something remarkably similar to the lust case at my school."

He took out the English lesson book and randomly chose a page, handing it to her. "Is that what you saw?" he asked her, pointing to the lesson on that page.

Mai nodded. "Yep. Probably attached to the locket around that girl's throat."

Locket? He hadn't seen a locket. That didn't mean it didn't exist, however. He wasn't paying attention to the students jewelry. But he would when he returned to the class for English.

"Thank you for your time, Taniyama-san. You may return to your classroom. Please guide her there, Tezuka-san and next time you try to eavesdrop, I will give you detention; I'm sure there's plenty to do around the grounds; the groundskeeper will be happy to have help for a week or so, don't you agree?"

The pinched look on the other girl's face said it all.

As he walked away, Lin frowned. Lately, it seemed like everyone had either been after Mai or himself; he wouldn't be surprised if that girl found a young man to woo Mai just to make sure that she didn't steal him away. High school. Was there any wonder he hated it with a passion? He only had six more classes to go. That mantra wasn't going to help him in the coming days, sadly. Lin certainly hoped they were able to figure this out soon.

School was over. Mai had forgotten just how long it could be with college classes being a bit more convenient schedule-wise. Tired, half-amused, and very cranky, she climbed the final set stairs to her room and sighed when she saw the door. She wanted a bath, some tea, and food—being a high school student was hungry work. Speaking of baths, she sincerely hoped that she didn't have to go down five flights of stairs to get to the bathroom. This was an all-girls dorm, but… communal baths with other girls could be a bit…sticky. There were only two doors up here on this final floor. She looked at the other door curiously and wondered why there were only two doors on this floor. Look between both, she saw that hers was the door on the left. Unlocking the door, she went in and immediately removed her shoes with a sigh. She jumped in fright when she saw an unknown man in her room.

"Who… who are you?" she stuttered, pressing her back against the door and groping for the handle, ready to flee if she needed to.

"My, don't you recognize me?" he asked, turning that beautiful face to her.

There was a small smirk on that face, she noted. And the way he drew her name out gave Mai the impression that he was poking fun at her. Puzzled, she huffed and frowned at him. Recognize him? She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him before. As she continued to scrutinize, a sensation flowed into her between one heart beat and the next: cold, old, enraged at being bound… 'I left because it was uncomfortable…' 'He's sulking. Sebastian, I kept his name Sebastian.'

"Sebastian-san?" she asked tentatively.

The demon smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Well done, Taniyama-sama."

So that was the who, but not the what or why. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "What are you doing in my room?"

The bafflement in her voice was amusing, the demon thought. "Lin-san asked me to watch over you for the duration of this case."

"'Asked?'" Mai echoed.

Sebastian's eyes flared red for a second and a murderous rage nearly overwhelmed her before his eyes settled back to their warm, mellifluous brown that didn't fool Mai in the least. Koujo would be better off letting this one go, she thought faintly.

"Lin-sama ordered me to watch over you."

"Thank you."

Sebastian looked at her strangely. He couldn't remember the last time he was actually thanked. "Shouldn't you thank Lin-sama?"

"Well, yes, and when I get the chance, I will. But in the meantime, since you'll be doing the actual 'watching over' I'll thank you in advance for your efforts. I'm not so easy to protect, I've been told," she finished with a half smirk on her lips.

"I'm sure I won't have a problem," Sebastian informed her, turning back to the small kitchenette. He looked over his shoulder with a wicked grin. "After all, I'm one hell of a bodyguard."

"The way you said that," Mai began, "aren't you implying that you're a demonic bodyguard? After all, like all of Koujo's Shiki, you are a demon."

"Ho," Sebastian said, impressed despite himself and smirked. "You're the first human to catch on to that little addition of mine, besides my former masters. Please make yourself comfortable, Mai-sama. I'll make some tea and work on a snack. Any preferences?"

"No, not really."

"Then I'll get started."

Picking up her bag, she paused and said, "Sebastian-san."

The demon paused measuring out the tea. "Yes?"

"Lose the tuxedo. I'm not that formal. You're a bodyguard, not a butler." Besides, the only person she wanted to see in a tuxedo was Koujo, with her walking towards him in a wedding dress that she couldn't possibly afford. But hey, that's why it was called a fantasy, right?

"I shall keep that in mind." He'd have to observe what people wore in this day and age so better to blend in. With Kaede-sama (whose soul had been exceptionally delicious), he'd masqueraded as her or her mother. Now that he was bound (a brief spurt of rage scattered tea leaves all over the kitchen), he'd have to observe the human world to blend in.

Smiling, Mai decided to explore the room she'd been given. It seemed to follow the basic floor plan of her apartment—her apartment was a bit bigger. Sebastian stood in the small kitchenette and she wondered if the rooms downstairs had one—she sincerely doubted it. Perhaps this was a teacher's room? That was a distinct possibility. No, not a possibility because the room across from her belonged to Amano-sensei, the teacher that Lin was temporarily replacing. There were two doors off the living room/dining room. She chose one at random and breathed a sigh of relief. She had a full bathroom and wouldn't have to walk down five flights of stairs to take a bath. So the next door was her bedroom.

It was tiny. A full bed, a dresser, and a desk were crammed into the room. The desk itself was smaller than the ones in the classroom, she noted. There was a table out in the living area that she could make use of instead of the tiny desk. Stowing her school bag on the desk, she pulled open the curtains and was greeted with a vast view of the grounds and a phenomenal view of the stars. But that wasn't possible, Mai thought to herself. It wasn't dark yet. True the sun was beginning to set, but it wasn't dark yet. The stars shouldn't be out. In the small kitchen Sebastian's head snapped up and swiveled around to the bedroom. Something was here. Turning off the single burner, he went in search of his master's lover. As Mai continued to puzzle on the dark sky, a melancholy feeling overwhelmed her. The stars made her homesick. Her room had also been on the top of a grand house and she'd loved sitting at the window seat and just gazing at them. She didn't belong in this foreign country any more than she'd belonged back in Savannah. Her only solace was that Masaharu was here, too. And The Morrigan had helped with the language barrier.

"Mai-sama?"

Mai started. Sebastian was shaking her shoulder gently.

"Sebastian-san?" she murmured, wondering why her head was so fuzzy.

"Mai-sama, are you all right?"

All right? Was she all right? How could she be all right when her family had sent her to this damned school after their botched exorcism failed?! The last thing Mai recalled before her vision went black was Sebastian's worried expression. At least he's a good actor, she thought before she slumped to the ground.

"I am Masaharu," he said, his English liberally accented. "This challenge is what?"

"Melissa—I'm Melissa. And this is a stupid Halloween thing," she said, noting to herself that the transfer student was kind of cute. "We're looking for a certain grave."

"Look?" he asked, baffled, peering around at the haphazard collection of tombstones. They were in the oldest part of the cemetery where the person they were looking for should have been buried, but there was no guarantee.

"Find," she clarified.

"Ah. I understand. Ne… Marrisa-san, we've met, you and I?"

Marrisa. She shrugged mentally. It was close enough. "We met at a coven meeting about a week ago." She shone her heavy duty flash light on a random grave—nope. Not the person they were, ha-ha, looking for. She heard a sritch-scratch behind her and turned, counseling herself not to freak out. So what if it was Halloween—it was probably just a cat. She hoped.

"Hai—yes," he corrected quickly. "Yes, as you say a coven meeting. I am… how you say… " he trailed off, muttering to himself for a moment. "I am… interested in knowing more."

"Well, you were in the right place." The scritch-scratching sound came again and she whirled, shining the beam around wildly. It didn't cut through the gathering gloom, though. Where it had come from she had no clue; the weather had said it would be a clear night. So where was this fog coming from?

"Daijobu desu ka?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him blankly and he slapped a hand to his head. "Baka," he muttered. "Are you all right?" he translated.

Her lips curved in a smile. He was totally adorable. "Is that what that phrase means?"

"Yes," he answered carefully.

"What language?"

"I am from Japan."

"Japan. I've never even thought to study Japanese! Hey, Masaharu, you're here to learn English, right?" she asked him.

"That is why my parents send me, yes."

"Tell you what: I'll help you learn English if you'll help me learn Japanese."

"It is deal."

"Starting now," Melissa said. "It is a deal."

"It is a deal," he repeated dutifully. "In my language, 'sore ga keiyakudesu.'"

"'Sore ga keiyakudesu,'" she repeated. The words felt foreign on her tongue and she smiled. The words had an interesting sound and melody to them. The sound came again. This time Masaharu heard it and looked around violently for the source.

"Ne," he began backing towards the tombstone they stood near, "are we… boxed in by this…kiri…no, fog?"

She nodded wordlessly. "It seems like," she managed, feeling the fog slither into her clothing and down. Then, out of the fog, they came and she wasn't sure exactly what they were. She'd never paid much attention to the stories concerning Halloween and the like. They were just stories, weren't they? Obviously not. Terror tied her vocal cords into knots; she could barely force a word out of her lips. Slowly, as if they were being confronted by a rabid dog instead of a small army of…whatever the hell they were. They were emaciated creatures that clicked their jaws shut convulsively as a lethal looking slime dribbled down from their elongated teeth.

"Shokujinki," he muttered.

"What?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the hungry creatures. Oh, God, what about the others, she wondered frantically. Were they also being hunted by these things?

"Shokujinki," he said again. "'Hungry ghosts that eat corpses."

Corpses. "Uh… we're not dead…" she squeaked out.

"Not yet," he corrected grimly as they continued to move backwards.

Hungry ghosts. Something clicked in her mind. "We call them 'ghouls' here," Melissa told him, backing away faster until her back hit the solid stone behind her.

They were closer now—far too close on all sides and she could smell them; it was awful, the stench of rot and decay. She didn't want to become dinner for the rabid undead. Especially not when she'd finally met someone awesome! She'd been told time and again that she was no great beauty. And is this what people actually think about before they die, she wondered. Stupid, useless regrets? Here's what I regret, she thought fiercely, closing her eyes, not knowing enough about witchcraft to summon something or someone to help us!

As if her thoughts were heard, a slicing sound reverberated through the fog and a few of the ghouls disappeared with earth shattering screams. In front of Melissa and Masaharu stood a being that could only be a god. They didn't have to see her face to know that she was glaring viciously at the ghouls that had paused uncertainly when their comrades departed painfully. They started forward again, undeterred.

"Come then!" she ordered imperiously, showing off her weapons. "Come and taste my blades. I am The Morrigan, Queen of the Dead; Queen of Ghosts and you are not welcome here this night!" She dispatched the rest with ease; the fog rolled back and disappeared as if it had never come in the first place. "Filthy creatures," she said, flicking the ichor off her wicked looking scimitars before dismissing her weapons. She turned to them.

A whole new kind of terror took root and shut Melissa's voice down. The being in front of her was resplendent and wild, the perfect deity to kill an army of ghouls. She spoke again, "Children, make me your patron god and I will see to it that you are safe for all your days."

"We will," Melissa said, her voice sounding clumsy and dull. "Well, I will. Masaharu?"

"I… accept."

And that was how they came to worship the Morrigan. Over the next couple of months, Melissa found that she and Masaharu had quite a lot in common. They both liked Yoga and loved to hike. Hiking gave them a way to get away from the mundane society of school and for Melissa, her family that seemed to be scrutinizing her every move. Under Melissa's tutelage, Masaharu's English became more fluent. He still had trouble every now and again, but that was to be expected. And by the same, with him as her teacher, she slowly began to grasp the intricacies of Japanese.

That fateful day that she set up her video recorder in her closet to record her message to Masaharu who had gone back to Japan for a brief holiday, was something she could never have expected. Melissa knew that her family had been planning something but for the love of the goddess, she couldn't figure out what. She shrugged it off and ran through a standard test with the camera before taking a deep breath.

"Hi, Masaharu! Hopefully by the time this reaches you, you're still in Japan. No guarantee though. But I thought… that I'd send you a video tape of myself speaking the phrases you taught me. So… here goes!" She took another deep breath. "Ohayo! Oh, wait, wrong time of day… Koni'ichwa?" she asked, frowning and looking down at her watch. "Oh, no, far too late… eto, ano… ah, Konbanwa!" She grinned madly at the camera. "Yatta!" She cleared her throat. "Eto… Atashi no nameawa Marrisa toeii moshimasu," she said carefully enunciating.

She shut the closet door hurriedly when her father barged in with her mother and Father Micah. Ice slid down her stomach as she looked at the hard set of her father's face and the grim countenance of the priest.

"What's this all about?" she asked carefully.

"Here she is," her father said, not answering her or even looking at her. "Do as you feel you must, Father Micah. We leave her in your hands and God's."

"Ittai nani ga?"

She hadn't realized she said it out loud. Her mother gasped and let out a keening cry; her father's face darkened and he turned and escorted her mother out of the bedroom, leaving her alone with Father Micah.

"Father Micah," she began, now feeling scared.

"Demon, be silent!"

Melissa's eyes widened and she backed away. No way. They thought she was possessed? Was it really so hard to ask? She looked at the closet door before the priest began his ritual. Morrigan, my lady, she thought. I humbly beg your help!

The priest, so intent on his exorcism, failed to notice the closet door opening and the video recorder that was still running.

A few days later…

Popping a fresh tape into the video camera, she took a deep breath. "This video is an impromptu documentary of sorts. Please lend me your time and patience."

…

A persistent and petulant whimper pulled Mai from the vision and she came to in an unfamiliar room. She sighed at the fit the baby was pitching. Not even born yet and you're already giving me a hard time, she thought wincing at a particularly high keen. All right, enough, she ordered silently, caressing her aching head and settling her other hand on her stomach.

"Mai?"

She froze and looked to her right. Koujo sat there, looking relieved. He looked pale, she noted. But it could be light. Somehow, she didn't think so. Gingerly, she levered herself into a sitting position and winced again, biting her lip. She'd never been sick after a vision before. "Where am I?"

"Infirmary," he answered, rising and helping her against the pillows. "I'll get you something for the pain."

She nodded weakly. He returned a few seconds later with a glass of water and two pills. "All the nurse has is acetaminophen."

"It's better than nothing," she replied. And Ayako had told her that she could take acetaminophen—sparingly, but she could take it. She downed the medicine and put the empty glass beside her. "How did I get here?"

"Sebastian brought you to me when you fainted."

Fainted? "I did not faint," she insisted, looking beyond his shoulder to the crow perched on his dead throne.

A small smile flitted across Lin's face, improving his color just a bit. Mai still wondered what had happened to give him that pallor. Before she could ask him what he spoke, "Are you all right?"

"Me?" she asked. "This has happened before. Are you all right?" she returned. "You look…scared."

"I was—extremely. Your visions haven't kept you out for this long."

"How long was I out?"

"It's close to ten," he told her.

"Wow," she muttered, understanding his plight. "That was long. And I didn't see Eugene at all."

His visible eye narrowed at her, speculating. He didn't want to remember her convulsing and how helpless he'd been when she had. "Not at all?"

She shook her head, relieved that the pain medication was working. Her stomach gurgled and she smiled sheepishly. "I guess I missed dinner."

"Matsuzaki-san should be returning with food."

"And Naru?"

"Talking to the nurse. We've had to tell her the truth of what we're doing here." He hesitated. "You… began to convulse. It was the only thing we could do to prevent her from calling an ambulance. Back to what you said earlier: you didn't see Eugene."

"Wait, wait," she ordered. "Rewind that bit. I convulsed?" Oh, gods, the baby! Mai thought frantically trying to reach out to the growing life within her. It was okay, wasn't it? You are okay, aren't you? The baby murmured reassuringly to her that it was just fine and she heaved a mental sigh of relief.

"Mai?"

"I'm sorry. I freaked for a moment when you told me I had a convulsion. That's never happened before and I was… concerned." Now that she knew the baby was unharmed, her mind clicked onto a small detail however and she thought she might have an explanation for the convulsion she didn't remember and the headache she had as a result.

"That's understandable. Even Naru was worried. But you didn't see Gene at all?"

Mai shook her head. She longed to tell Lin about the baby, but now wasn't the time, either. "Gene… had nothing to do with this vision. I have the feeling that he won't have anything to do with a few of the ones following this one. Someone else wants me to see this story."

"Or something."

"Or something," she agreed. "I would think that the convulsion explains the headache," she said lightly.

He broke at that comment and snatched her up, squeezing. "I was frightened, so frightened," he muttered against her, sitting again and placing her in his lap. "I've never seen your visions make you convulse. You looked so small and delicate that I wasn't sure…" he trailed off, his voice breaking.

"I'm all right," she repeated, caressing his cheekbones. "I'm all right." She kissed him lightly, not having the energy to do more.

"There was nothing I could do," he whispered, continuing as if he hadn't heard her. "All the power I possess and there was nothing I could do but watch helplessly as you shook and tossed your head from side to side."

"I'm okay," she said again. "Really. What I saw raises a lot of questions, but doesn't give us any answers," she said, bringing him away from the memory of her convulsion. "And I think I can explain the convulsion."

"I'm listening," he said, easing his long body down onto the mattress so she lay against him. It amazed him over and over how well she fit against him. He frowned when he thought he detected…something. Whatever it was, it was benign so he tucked to the back-burner of his mind; it was a puzzle for another day.

"They tried to exorcise her and it failed miserably because she wasn't possessed."

He snapped to attention at that. "Her, who?"

"Melissa. Melissa Anne LaQuis, an American transfer student from Savannah. The room I have now is her former room. Which brings up this question: that's a teacher's quarters—I know because Amano-senei's room is across the hall—how did she come to stay in it when she was here? Another question: why did they try to exorcise her when she wasn't possessed at all?"

"We don't have the answers yet, but you'll probably get them soon. You said Savannah. Lieutenant Chamberlin might be able to help us out there."

"Also, I can tell you that this girl had a patron goddess."

Lin's gaze sharpened; patron god or goddess usually meant magic. That made him wonder why they'd really been called here. "And that would be?"

"The Morrigan."

The Queen of Ghosts. This strange puzzle was starting to make sense.

"I think that Melissa's patron goddess is the same goddess as Hashimoto-sensei's."

And that raised a whole new set of questions, he decided. Still, some of the pieces were starting to click into place. The door opened, admitting Matsuzaki-san, Naru, and the nurse, as well as the scents of food that had Lin's stomach rumbling. His eyes met Naru's and an unspoken communication passed. When the nurse was gone, they would all talk.

~Owari, for now… Be darlings and leave me plenty of reviews. ^_^