"Get Monk and John down here," Naru instructed Lin after a moment. In his arms Mai was disturbingly still save for her eyes moving chaotically under their lids and she had ceased her mumbling. He watched her face intently for changes. Her face was ashy, her lively features cold, the little bit of mascara and eyeliner she wore had smeared itself under her eyes giving her dead, ghoulish appearance. Only her rhythmic breathing stilled the tremor that threatened to run through his hands.

"Mai!" Monk's cry and John's stifled gasp echoed through the old cellar as they scrambled down the ladder. John approached the two on the floor and suppressed a smile. For such a stoic man Naru, cared deeply. Whether it's because of her socio-economical situation, her abilities, or her company, Naru cared for Mai most of all. That much was clear to the rest of SPR.

With Monk and John's help they were successful in extracting Mai from the cellar and into the care of Ayako, who proceeded to check her over in as professional a way as she could. She only diverted her focus to hit Monk over the head once when he commented on her usefulness.

Naru sat by the monitors compiling notes on the last few hours and running through theories of the events and did his best to ignore the fact the Gene was hovering over Mai like a swarm of gnats. He did his tried to let the sense of happiness that should be more overwhelming at having his brother returned to him. Even if it might be for a short time. He should be enjoying the ability to talk and interact freely with his late brother because the spiritual world knew nothing of object permanence

He couldn't help but wonder how often Gene visited Mai while she slept. It was an unusual situation where he should have been envious of Mai, he was, instead, envious of Gene. Gene was with Mai at her most vulnerable, when she dreamed. He wondered what sort of relationship they had. Naru had never asked for details concerning the communication between the two. Did Gene only visit during her psychic dreams? Or did he visit her other times?

It wouldn't have come to his surprise if Gene visited Mai in non-case related dreams, he was a social person and would wish for human contact. It wasn't uncommon for Gene to communicate with him through mirrors for any sort of conversation.

Naru was drawn from his inner thoughts by the tap of Ayako approaching him. He looked up at the priestess with an expectant look.

"She's still asleep. I've changed her and wrapped her up to keep her warm and got some fluids down her throat. I also washed the cut on her face, I don't think it'll scar. It didn't even need stitches." She fidgeted with her nails as she stood over the young man.

Naru glanced around her to look at his assistant on the couch. Monk sat in a fold out chair by her head and Gene was leaning against the back of the couch talking to John. Naru watched Gene take subtle glances at the sleeping girl while John was speaking.

"Ms. Ayako, run a basic check-up on my brother."

She blinked, evidently surprised by the request. "But, he looks to be in perfect health."

"My brother died, and then walked out of the spiritual realm," he leveled a exasperated stare at her. "He may be in perfect health or he may be a spirit who has somehow manifested himself perfectly. Either way it is important on a scientific level, if not a personal one."


Mai never liked the dark. When she was a kid she was scared of monsters in her closet and as a near adult that fear became a horrifying reality. She sat in the dark of her mind, blocked from memory and thought. All she was aware of was fear, dark, and a weighing presence. For once she wished that she was sitting in the office, with the sunlight streaming in, the quiet typing from the other rooms and the soft scent of black tea and bergamot oil lazily whirling through the office.

She knew she was unconscious. And at the very least she knew that the others had found her body. It was odd every now and then she could feel or hear the conscious world. It went in and out like a flickering light bulb. One moment she is completely secluded the next she can feel her body being cradled and hear someone making fervent pleas, then its gone again and she is drifting again. She wanted to wake up. She wanted to wrap her arms around Naru and press her nose into his sternum and take a huge whiff of his tea smelling shirt and not care how uncomfortable it made him.

"I doubt that boy would begrudge you an embrace," an eerie voice came from the darkness surrounding her. A voice she was unhappily familiar with. She wondered if her conscious body flinched as well. "I bet he would bare you doing much more quite contentedly."

Mai couldn't help but gape in fear and shock. How had Cailleach know her thoughts?

"You are alive in my world, my dear," her voice laughed and her pale eyes blinked open and stared widely at Mai. They appeared as the moon does against the sea, beautiful, bright, reflective, impossibly massive and terrifyingly focused. It was felt like her soul was being bared out for a tide to take to the moon.

Cailleach laughed. "Your feeble existence here is incapable of hiding anything within my world, as long as you sleep I know all." The eyes blinked "And as long as I live I control the reality of this property. That little spirit guide I had evicted from our dreams, I had him wake up. But, even I wonder if he is capable of sleeping again. His original body is gone, if he dies as he is now would that shatter his soul? Or would he return to the dead?"

The voice seem to be musing to herself, contemplating her own puzzling powers. Mai wondered why this being did what she did, she wondered how long she had been what she was.

Laughter again. "How about this Mai, I send you back for now and the next time you visit I'll let you dream about it."

Terror, dread, and panic rose up from her belly into her throat and the next second she was blinking her eyes open to the sight of a lazy ceiling fan.


This took me FOREVER. Sorry everyone. I don't really have an excuse besides I was working on other stories and art and yadda yadda yadda. I will say that I always end up posting a chapter after something tragic happens. This time my neighbor died. Maybe I'm an emotional writer? IDK. Or maybe it's just I'm more naturally up beat and this is a horror story so I have to be in a dark mood to write some of it? IDK IDK.

Anyway. I make no promises as to when the next chapter will be up. I'm not gonna lie to y'all.

Rose