Disclaimer: I don't own any of this and I'm not trying to sell any of it.
AN:SORRY ABOUT THE WAAAIIIITTT! Lol stuff like life was happening, ya know :P 1st there's work, then there's my other authentic novel that I'm trying to improve, and of course stuff like the 4th of July (Cuz I'm Amurican - see what I did there? lol). Anyway. I wanted to give a special thanx to Taj K for kicking me in the butt and getting me to finish this damn chapter! THANK-YOU again!
AN #2: Also, thanks to everyone who wrote to me about Mr/Mrs Davis real names. I don't feel the need to change them in this story because I've already explained why I chose them and such, but if I ever write another Ghost Hunt fanfic I'll consider using Martin and Luella. Not sure though cause Atticus and Darla has started to grow on me! LOL!
AN #3: I'm just going to warn you and apologize now. The ending of this chapter is terrible. It just makes me feel depressed. You readers may not feel that way after you read it, but if you do, I'm sorry. (´;д;`)ブワッ
AN #4: Updated 3/13/16
~o0O0o~
CASE 9: LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
our own ambitions entail
~o0O0o~
I've been sitting in a dark and miserably, cold room. It's not cold from lack of heat but because the walls and floor are made of stone. There aren't any windows, and it's located in a dungeon.
The dungeon isn't really a dungeon though. It's a room where my mother has locked me up to cry.
Then again, it isn't really a room either.
I've been left alone in a closet, but it feels like a dungeon to me…
But if it isn't really a dungeon then how am I to say that it actually is a closet? I never watched my mother put me here. I just know that she did. So what is it?
Is it a space meant strictly for my soul to fester and starve and die?
I'm not alone in this closet that lacks emotions such as empathy or love. My friends are the rats and mice that scavenge around me, picking up crumbs left over from the small meals I have been fed. I think they're meals, but maybe the rats and mice are actually feeding on their dead brethren. I don't know because the lights are off and I can't see.
Who's to say the creatures that wriggle beside me are even rats and mice?
Spiders and bugs make their homes in my hair and clothes since I have the habit of sitting against the wall for hours on end, unmoving, and they aren't bothered by my presence. Within this bleak prison, where no lights shine, I feel that I might suffocate from the still and unchanging air; my mother has a tendency to shove socks along the cracks of the wooden door so that I don't know the difference between day and night.
But what if I have to pee? I think as I sit here. I've thought this several times before. I have been in the closet for probably a month now. Maybe? Why do I contemplate the use of a facility such as a bathroom? I've never needed one before. I should stand up now and tell my mother that I need to use the restroom. I'm sure nature is calling and I'll feel the pain in my bladder any second.
I've never felt pain within my bladder; and I still don't.
Maybe I never bothered asking for such favors because the need hasn't arisen, and why of all things should I be worrying about that now?
Is it because I'm growing tired of staying in this closet/dungeon/bedroom? Life, when cooped up as mine is, can be quite bleak and frankly, I amgrowing tired of the constant sitting or standing. I'd never fought to get out of the closet before.
I am in a closet aren't I?
Maybe it would be easier if I just let myself die instead of trying to stay within the tiny room, like a shell placed on the sand; unmoving until picked up. Death could be the current that sweeps me away into a new world and life.
Perhaps I'm not in a closet at all.
Maybe I'm just blind.
That wouldn't explain why I can't move out of the closet though. What if I'm tied up? Surely my mother had decided to keep her blind child tied to a chair so that she wouldn't hurt herself.
Iama girl, aren't I?
I do keep in this same position day in and day out, I think. My hypothesis is overruled by the fact that I stood just seconds ago, however, so I sit back down and think some more. There really should be a reason that I'm kept here. In the midst of the internal contemplation I hear voices.
Those aren't papa or mama…
The voices startle me and I feel scared. What am I going to do? It's hard to make out what they're saying and I have to be sure that no one hurts my papa or mama. I grab the handle of the door and do something that I have never done before; I try to escape. The door rattles and shakes feverishly as I jump against it with all of my might.
There has to be a way to break the door down!
With a burst of supreme content and energy, the door finally breaks free and flings open, causing the other doors and windows nearby to open and crack respectively. I'm free now to stop the intruders.
That's what I should be doing right?
~o0O0o~
My lungs inflate quickly as I take a deep breath of air, waking up from a dream that's left my body cold and shivering. The air dries my eyes, which are opened wide as I stare at the ceiling, still trying to get a grip on reality. As my senses come back to me, my dilated pupils take in extra light from the sun's rays that are pouring into the room. I grab my face as a reaction from the pain and twist within the bed I've been sleeping in; the red sheets wrapping around me as I dig under the covers in hopes of avoiding the brightness.
Naru's going to want his tea.
I groan in annoyance as I half fall from Naru's bed and amble to my luggage, hoping to change quickly, but stumbling on my way across the room. Luckily, Gene is off following someone else around and isn't here to mock me. Once I'm dressed I make a small note in my dream journal and then head to the dining room where I know Leala already has breakfast waiting for me.
~o0O0o~
Naru is still sitting at the table when I arrive, sipping tea and reading the newspaper in his usual manner. His presence tells me that I woke up early enough since I never bothered to check the clock. I nod to him as I take my seat and he flashes his eyes at me, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as a frown barely tugs at the tips of his lips.
It's a signal I've come to know well by now.
It's been a week since I've reawakened my telepathic powers and over the days, that expression is the one he always gives me when he wants me to connect our minds. The difference it carries from the way he normally appears is in the intensity that his eyes present. No one else seems to notice it but I can't help feel that there's a desperate need he has to communicate with silence. He enjoys playing mind games with others and thinking up ploys that they would have no way of overhearing.
Can I help you? I think to him briskly. My dream has put me in a foul mood but Naru isn't one to deal with my overly exaggeratedemotions, as he calls it. Yes, I had the dream again. And nothing has changed, I answer his question before the thought finishes crossing his mind. It's the same question he's asked since I started having the dream five nights ago.
"Good morning Noll and Mai," Atticus says as he enters the dining room, taking a seat next to his son and across from me at the table.
"Mor-ning," I say back as Naru give an affirmative grunt.
Atticus chuckles at his son's behavior before putting down a folder he's carried with him. Inside the folder is an itinerary and he takes several minutes to study it while I quietly eat my breakfast, and Naru reads his paper.
"I'm going to need you for something important today,"Naru tells me silently.
What's that?
His eyes wander to his father's direction as Atticus clears his throat on cue. "You two are being awfully quiet today." Naru grunts and I smile sheepishly before Atticus continues. "Looks like you're the last on our list, boy. Everyone is looking forward to your seminar."
Naru rolls his eyes as I shove my face into the palm of my hand.
How could I forget that today was the last day of the seminars?
"Come along Mai, we have things to get done today," Naru says to me without moving his lips. We stand from the table in unison and prepare to leave the dining room. I sneak one last bite of toast and give Dr. Davis a quick bow before turning away, but he stops me as I start to leave.
"You and Noll act the same as when Gene was still alive. They had the tendency of doing things without speaking to each other as well," he says.
I pause for a second before deciding to give him a smile and then continue following Naru. I've been compared to Gene a handful of times since I've arrived in England.
I never wanted to be Naru's twin brother though.
I just want to be myself.
~o0O0o~
The days that passed stringed by in the form of various events and activities. It had become obligatory for me to attend the seminars held within the Davis' mansion. Because my telepathy is now confirmed, and it isn't a spontaneous power presented to me by Gene, Naru is doing everything he can to make me work properly for him; like I'm his most prized possession. I should feel happy about this, I currently work closer to him then even Lin, but I can't shake the feeling I'm nothing but a handy tool.
There are a few major conveniences to the circumstance, however, mainly, the fact that I have the chance to learn a lot from watching various scientists and researchers discussing their studies, and that I can be near my friends again.
Today, Naru is relatively shut in. For the past week he dragged me to speaker after speaker so that I could take in as much as possible; now though, he has locked us in his office. While he stares blankly at his computer monitor, I contemplate the dream I had. A few psychics tried interpreting my dream for me when I first had it, but Naru and I have decided it isn't a dream but actually a vision. We can't determine what it connects to and we've debated about if I'm seeing into the future or watching something play out from the past.
~o0O0o~
After an hour or two of sitting around thinking about my vision I finally grow tired and start thinking of something else. Across the room, Naru is still contemplating quietly and there's an eerie silence from the lack of movement on his keyboard. He's been sitting like a statue, his back hunched forward as his elbows rest on the table, one of his hands supporting his chin.
I almost believe he's feeling stressed out but I've broken our connection so I'm not sure what he's thinking. My hands ache to touch him and caress his back, hoping to massage out anything that's eating at him on the inside. Working so close to him is starting to take its toll and I'm finding it harder to fight the mixed feelings I have for him.
I want to love him.
He's smart, dedicated, loyal, and hidden under his mask of sarcasm there is a brief hint of niceness used for only special occasions. His personality may be difficult, but now that I've seen more of his passions I've been able to appreciate him on a different level. From the time I've spent working alongside him, I've slowly come to the point that simply listening to the heat in his voice can send my heart spinning.
But I also want to hate him.
I've dedicated plenty of my time to him and I'm afraid that after everything, he may still just see me as a form of expediency. I may not be the best assistant in his book, there's still a few things that I need to work on apparently, but is that all I'll ever be? I'm trapped; chained to him by emotions and only working for him because our minds can link and my powers are relatively handy.
I have come a long way since I contemplated the idea of quitting my job as a ghost hunter, but the emotional ache I fear is still something that haunts me; now in more ways than one.
Any moment now…
I've noticed that when I start thinking like this, I have a higher chance of seeing the fox.
There's a knock at the door and Lin walks in, followed by Yasu.
"You're wanted in Hall D for preparations," Lin says as I stare at his feet. There's a fox emitting a light, red-orange glow standing beside him, unseen from the others.
The word "fox" falls out of my mouth as I exhale quickly and then stand. The fox jumps in shock and dashes out of the room with me on its heels.
I'll be back in time for the seminar, I tell Naru as I run farther from his office.
~o0O0o~
The fox leads me down a few hallways, down some stairs, and I almost regret my initiative to follow it because of the looks I'm getting from people I have to push by in order to keep up.
After dragging me halfway across the mansion, into the institute, it jumps through a wall and I'm left alone. I look around, wondering if there's anything near me that I should take note of.
"Hello Miss Mai," a voice says to me and I notice Carnig, the little boy I met when I first came to the mansion.
"He-llo Ca-rnig-kun, what are you up to?" I say as I walk closer to him.
"I was looking for you, Miss Mai. Isn't Mister Oliver's seminar going to start soon? Why aren't you there watching it?"
"I'm heading there r-ight now."I give Carnig a smile and then start walking back to the opposite side of the mansion; his small legs carrying him closely behind me. "Why do you call Narumisterinstead ofdoctor?"I ask as the question crosses my mind.
"Mister Oliver told me he prefers it that way. He told me himself,"Carnig says. "He doesn't want to be considered a doctor until he finishes college."
I never realized that Naru felt that way, but it makes sense. He is the kind who fights for his respect, someone who wants to earn it or else it doesn't mean anything to him. I ruffle Carnig's hair as we enter in the large meeting hall. Sixty rows of theatre chairs surround the front half of a stage, and in every chair there is a person. The walls are covered in red drapes and the high ceiling is lit up with yellow lights that emit a soft glow. There's a quiet murmur from the audience as they wait for Naru to make his appearance.
"My class is sitting over there." Carnig points off to a group of kids and then waves goodbye to me before he joins them. I look around the auditorium, hoping to find the tops of Monk's and Lin's heads amongst the group, but the lights start to dim until everything is black.
Seconds drag by in the guise of minutes as the crowd's chatter quiets to an anticipating whisper. There's a loud clack and a bright light turns on, pointing towards center stage. Two more clacks and two other lights turn on so that the stage is glowing from the shine of light on finally polished hard wood.
Applause sounds when Naru walks into the middle of the light. He's so used to this sort of attention that the blinding beams don't cause him to squint. I can see his needthrough, written all over his face; the need to communicate with me. He wants to know where I am.
I'm here, I think.
"Come to me," he replies. One of his hands folds into his pocket as he slumps his weight to one leg and waits for me.
I walk quickly; aware that my presence becomes more and more noticeable to everyone the closer I get to the stage. The chatter grows the nearer I get to Naru and my arms start shaking slightly from nervousness as I hurry to his side.
"So you're all here to see what the great Doctor Oliver Davis will show you next," Naru says loudly once I've reached him. His voice echoes throughout the hall and I feel my face burn as everyone stares at us. His free hand grabs hold of mine and the nervous feelings vanish instantly. I turn and look at him, his face serious as he stares back at the crowd.
"Do you feel that?" he thinks to me and I'm suddenly aware of a swelling hot tension of energy moving within my gut.
Yes.
"That's a minor amount of my PK. Move the feeling away from yourself and back to me the same way you would project your spirit from your body."
I relax myself and start to droop onto Naru's arm, forcing him to hold me up as I separate the energy and push it back to him. The presence is gone for a moment but then returns greater than before.
"Do it again," he tells me so I go through the motion one more time, my body losing its strength even more. The feeling leaves, but returns shortly after, the heat burning me from the inside. I push it out and when it returns there's a humming in my ears, drowning out my thoughts. As I compel the feeling out again, my spirit comes out with it and Naru is forced to lay me on the ground; his free hand is holding a ball of energy.
I watch from the ceiling as the outer energy of the ball, whips around the inner energy. There are gasps from the people watching with wide wonder-filled eyes. Naru gives a man in the rafters a look and the three large spot lights click off, leaving only the ghostly pale blue light emitting from the ball of energy. Like an outstretched phantom, the light passes across the room in circular waves, patches of shadow cutting away from it so that is can't cover everything it wants.
"You've wanted the motivation to do some remodeling on this place for a while now, father." Naru says, making an uncharacteristic joke. "How's this?" He raises his hand, turns to face a wall away from the audience, and throws the ball of energy. It rockets to the wall and then bursts through it, ripping apart the wood and wallpaper until is shoots outside, tearing through some of the surrounding trees and dissipating over a lake.
Everyone stands and claps excitedly, a few people even whistle despite the professionalism of the group. Naru ignores the praise and instead, lifts up my body and carries me out of the hall.
With the confusion caused by everyone turning to different directions, or stopping in the middle of aisles to catch someone's attention or chat with their neighbors, Naru is able to escape from the auditorium without problem, going unnoticed out the backstage entry. My spirit hovers nearby as he brings me to his bedroom and fumbles with the doorknob due to the position he has me in.
"That was quite the spectacle," Gene says as he floats to my spirit. "I bet he did that in hopes of dissuading father from putting him on the roster again next year. Like that will ever happen." He and I chuckle while Naru lays me across his bed and then hurries out of the room, probably daunted by the idea of being trapped within the room's walls if someone finds him there.
~o0O0o~
"Better not go that way," Gene says eagerly as Naru walks into a group of people who are looking for him. "Oops, too bad he can't hear me." There's a wry smile on his face that makes me laugh even more.
"Dr. Oliver Davis, that was quiet an impressive show you've put on,"a man says once he's taken notice of Naru. He brings out a small notebook from the inside pocket of his coat. "Care to tell me how you managed a feat like that?"
"I suppose I'll leave that up to your imagination," Naru says coyly, walking past the man and his colleague.
"A magician never reveals his secrets, am I right?" the same man says.
Naru stops for a second and turns just enough to see the man over his shoulder. "So you believe in magic then?" Before the man can respond, Naru continues to walk away and then rounds another corner, purposefully hiding himself amongst a crowd of guests eating and chatting inside of a large room that's been set up for the end-of-seminars party.
"Hopefully neither of them had a camera," Gene mumbles to me as we follow Naru.
"Oliver!" A bulky man wearing a pinstriped suit calls to Naru from across the room. He parts the others as he walks up to Naru, the man's assistant trailing behind in his wake. "The man of the hour himself. I've been trying to find you."
"As I'm sure many are,"Naru says and I notice his eyes flash to the room's door, wondering if the reporter has heard the commotion.
"The names Brent Randall and this is my associate Corky Cyrus," Brent says, ignoring Naru's comment and introducing himself. "We're here because we've heard you are one ofthebest ghost hunters in the world. Taking your work to Japan even; the great Nippon! We've got work for you, lad. That is, if you think you can handle it."
"I hardly doubt Noll will find your assignment difficult. He'd love the chance to help you. Hell, I'll even let you borrow three of the institute's best students! Field work will be a great experience for them!" Atticus has walked over and is now dominating the conversation. Naru rolls his eyes but doesn't fight against his father wishes.
I wonder if this is Atticus' way of punishing Naru for putting a hole in the house?
"Sounds splendid,"Brent says. "So who, may I ask, will be making up your research team then?"
"My students are Louise, Jolie, and Kevine,"Atticus says.
"And who are you bringing to the table?"Brent turns to Naru now, questioning him directly.
"My main assistant, Lin, is currently busy working on a project given to him by my father. Yasuhara will be taking his place. Of course Mai will be joining us and I will be asking—"
"The monk, priest, and medium right? They'll be great assets to the team,"Brent interrupts and I see Naru's lips tighten in annoyance.
"Miss Ayako can stay behind and explore the mansion more. She's been interested in some of the medical classes we have and Mai can stay behind as well. She hasn't done much accept office work since we've been here, and her skill at that is nowhere compared to Mr. Yasuhara,"Atticus says and Naru's frown deepens. I sulk a little behind Gene because of Atticus's comment.
"Fine." Naru forces a handshake on Brent and then onto his father. "I'll be excusing myself now. The show has left me feeling drained."
I don't follow him when he leaves the room; his father, Brent, and Cork gaping at him, speechless.
~o0O0o~
"Why wouldn't the professor want me to join Naru?" I say to Gene as we find ourselves back to my room.
"You heard him. You haven't really given father a chance to see your true ability and he can only believe so much that he's told. Mind you, I'm sure Noll hasn't done a lot to glorify your powers," Gene says to me.
I nod my head in understanding and then enter my still recuperating body.
~o0O0o~
Three days go by before my vessel finds the strength to wake up and until it does, my mind is left to wander and dream…
~o0O0o~
From the blackness that eats away at the light in my eyes, a red glow appears and grabs my attention.
The fox.
I follow it as it leads me along a corridor that runs up thirteen steps and then splits off into another hallway. Jolie, Kevine, and Louise come into view, their faces easily recognizable against the dimly lit space.
"Do either of you see him?" Louise asks as they walk past me, unaware of my presence.
"I haven't been able to see a thing," Kevine says and her voice seems saddened.
"Neither have I," Jolie says.
They brush past me and continue on their way.
In a nearby room, I find Yasu frantically typing despite the chatter around him. Corky and Brent are standing near him, talking with Monk in hushed tones.
"Have we found anything?" Corky says and I hear his voice for the first time.
"The girls haven't come up with any clues," Monk answers.
"What about Mr. Yasuhara?" Brent says.
Yasu pauses mid type and looks to them. "I haven't found any indication of what the house used to look like. There's no telling where he is."
Brent's mouth curls downward, pulling his saggy cheeks further down his face. "The professor won't like this at all…"
"He can handle himself just find. He's been through a lot worse than this, I'm sure," Monk says.
John walks into the room then, looking tired; his eyes sunken with dark bags. "Sorry guys," he says in his thick, Australian accent, "I can't find any spirits to purify. It's hiding well enough."
The room washes away, like a wiper pulling away fallen rain from glass as the image changes back to black.
~o0O0o~
My chest rises from a quick intake of breath and I awaken from my long slumber. There's a pounding in my head, the blood beating across my temples when I lean forward and attempt to stand from Naru's bed. With a large crash, I fall to the floor, bringing his silk sheets with me to the ground. My body is sapped of energy and I feel dehydrated and starving, the urges to get food and water into myself, overwhelming me to the point that I almost vomit.
My eyes are spinning as the room turns and twirls around. In a second, I collapse back onto the floor and lay there until Leala enters the room; apparently she's been checking on me during my respite.
"Miss Mai," she says in a rush as she scurries to me. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I say, my words fumbling around each other. "I'm just… tir-ed."
Leala half carries me to the nearest bathroom so that my body can reject the last of the sustenance it's been caring into the toilet. Afterwards, I relieve myself and then she half carries me, again, to the kitchen. She makes me a few eggs and toast while I collapse onto the ground and lean back onto a bare section of the kitchen's wall. Once I've taken in nutrients my mind settles and the surroundings become more concrete.
"Where's Naru?" I say, forgetting my English and leaving her to interpret what I've said.
"Naru? Do you mean Noll?"Leala says and her voice sounds despondent. She turns away from me quickly and then leaves the kitchen.
I want to chase her and find out what's wrong; the images from my three-day long dream still etched into my mind. Where was Naru? Why hadn't Monk or John found him yet? The weight in my legs keeps me on the ground though, and I can't rise despite my attempts. My clarity is still redeveloping as I lay on the floor.
Within minutes, Leala is back with Atticus following behind her.
"She was asking for Noll," Leala explains while Atticus lifts the top of my body off of the floor.
"Probably because she has feelings for him," Atticus says despite the notice in Leala's voice.
"Why haven't they found him yet?"I force myself to say. "I know he's gone missing."
Atticus' eyes widen and I find my body diving into unconsciousness again.
~o0O0o~
During the next day and a half, Leala brings me back to full health despite my exhausted state. After a dreamless night of rest, along with Leala's constant attempts to feed and water me, I'm finally brought to full strength. When I wake up again, I find it easier to dress myself and head for the dining room where I find Atticus and Darla sitting worriedly at the large oak table.
"Feeling better, Mai?" Darla asks as I join them.
"Brilliant," I say and then turn to Atticus, "Will you please take me to Naru once we've finished eating?"
They exchange glances before he answers, "If you really want me to, then sure."I nod my head and give him a determined look before digging into a plate of food handed to me by Leala.
~o0O0o~
Once I've eaten my fill, Atticus leads me to his car—Lin deciding to join us—and we begin our drive back into London.
I sit in the back of the car as we make our way to the outskirts of the labyrinth-like city, neither Atticus nor Lin uttering a sound, both wrapped up in deep thought.
I don't care though, I'm used to the silence, and all I want is to find Naru…
~o0O0o~
The car stops in front of a rundown Victorian house that sits separated from the neighboring buildings. In some areas, like the doors and windows, new installments have been made, in other areas, like the walls and roof, there's notable damage where age has taken its toll. Paint has chipped and started to peel off in spontaneous areas; as well, tiles have fallen from the roof or have been covered in moss.
Atticus and Lin exit the car and enter into the house but I stay behind to look at the building which has hidden Naru from the others.
"Gene," I say quietly so that my voice doesn't bring Atticus and Lin back outside.
"Yes Mai?" Gene prompts, appearing beside me.
"I want to explore the house more freely. Would you control me while I search for clues to Naru's whereabouts?"
Gene frowns. "Mai, you've been bedridden for four and a half days. Can you really afford to leave your body?"
"My body was worn down because of Naru's energy. The PK he used, took its toll on me, but I've healed now." I pause, hoping to hear a response but his silence drags more animosity out of me. "We need to find Naru, Gene. I need your help."
Gene doesn't answer; still worried about the effects my soul's departure might have on my body. I grit my teeth and clench my hands before storming inside of the house.
I'll find Naru with or without Gene's help.
NARU!
My telepathic powers are still weak and despite how much I try; I can't connect our minds because he isn't around for me to see. It seems that, for now, I need him present for the ability to work.
~o0O0o~
As I enter the house, I hear voices chattering from a room down the nearest hallway so I head towards them.
"What's she doing here?" Jolie says snidely as I enter the small office room.
"I'm her-e to do what none of you have been able to," I say, but my accent is still thick and heavy so my voice isn't as strong as I was hoping for.
"What do you have planned, Mai?" Yasu says. He, Masako, John, Monk, Lin, Brent and Corky, and Atticus and his three students stare at me, waiting to see what I have planned.
"Masako, have you been able to sense anything?" I say. She solemnly shakes her head 'no'. I sigh and sit placidly on the floor of the room, preparing my body.
"What is she doing?"Corky asks Brent in a horse-like whisper.
"She's removing her soul from her body," Monk says.
"She can do that on command now?" John asks.
"She's going to see if she can find Naru by searching as a spirit,"Monk says, answering the silent question written of the faces of half the people in the room.
"I wonder if aguestwill take control while she's gone," Masako says.
I've exited my body fully and am standing beside it, watching as the members of SPR ask Masako what she meant.
"They're waiting for you now. Expecting you even," I say to Gene, who's viewing everything from outside of the room.
"When will the dead stop being relied on to solve the problems of the living?" Gene mumbles. "I've been trying to train you so that I don't have to assist like this."
"You aren't assisting me. You're assisting them."
He sighs but complies with their wishes and enters my body. I watch as it stands and stares at them with a serious expression. Before any questions about who is possessing me can be asked, Monk, Yasu, and Masako utter out the name "Eugene."
"Hara-san, if you could try sensing the presence of spirits again please. Kevine, I'll need you to find something that belongs to Noll and see if you can get any reading from it. Jolie begin meditating. The rest of you kindly fill me in on the situation,"Gene says but it's my voice that fills the room.
Masako leaves the area in a hurry, desperate to sense out Naru or the spirit possessing the house. Yasu immediately begins running over the details of the case with Monk jumping in on occasion. Lin and Gene listen intently while the others in the room stand flummox. John, Brent, and Corky are stunned by my possession. Louise, Kevine, and Jolie look distraught, not wanting to listen to me and also perplexed by the idea that Gene is the one handing out orders. Atticus stands stiff as a board, his face ghost white and weary. He isn't terrified by the presence of his son, but he doesn't seem to know how to handle the idea.
"After we entered the house there was a crazy amount of knocking sounds, and then all of the doors burst open and the windows—and just about anything made of glass—shattered," Monk says with an animated tone. Yasu has finished explaining the case initiative and they've arrived to the part where Naru disappeared.
Gene raises a hand to pause the story. He turns to the three girls. "I believe I asked two of you to get to work. If neither of you are up for the job, then Lin will kindly see you back to the institute. There's no room for amateurs here."
"And what about you? If you really are Eugene, then why is she letting some spirit do all of her work for her?"Jolie says spitefully. None of them like hearing my voice and body instruct them so abashedly.
"As of now, she's doing far more work than either of you," Gene says. I watch as my eyes narrow dangerously and their small party breaks apart to perform the tasks he asked of them.
I decide I need to get to work too so I leave the room and find Masako.
"Mai?" Masako says as my nearing presence chills her.
"What happened to him?" I say. She cranes her neck and tries to listen to my voice.
"I'm not entirely sure. It happened so fast. The woman, who asked Randall-san to investigate the house, was dragged across a hallway and thrown down a flight of stairs. We were all investigating the cause, trying to find the spirit, or anything, and while we were sending her off in the ambulance he just… went missing.
"Monk said something grabbed Naru and pulled him into a closet and that the door slammed shut. When he broke the door down Naru wasn't there." Masako's voice cracks and she crumbles to her knees. "It's like he's been spirited away. And I can't sense anything anymore. I don't know where he is."
"Masako, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. Naru is strong. He can pull through this." I try to use as soothing of a voice as I can and I rub my hand along her back, attempting to comfort her.
"It's been over three days, Mai!" she says and I can sense a hint of remorse. "I haven't been able to do anything. He's probably dehydrated and starving. Plus, the idiot used his PK at the seminar so he was drained of energy to begin with." I watch as she starts sobbing, truly terrified about Naru's situation.
"You need to have faith Masako. He isn't dead," I say.
She sniffs loudly and looks at my hazy form. "Are you sure?"
I think for a second and meditate on the thought, asking my heart what the possibility of Naru's state really is.
If he was hurt, I'd know.
He'd find a way to tell me or Gene.
"He's still alive." She nods her head and smiles weakly. "Why don't you go back to base and collect yourself. You can try again when you've cleared your head."
Masako stands up and wipes her eyes. "You've changed Mai. I can sense it."
"I just know that now isn't the time or place to be worrying. We need to find him and that's the only thing that matters."
She nods her head again and then leaves.
~o0O0o~
I try to raise my vibrations and sense more of the house. The walls start becoming transparent as my spirit elevates. Soon I can see all of the rooms, but there's no sign of Naru, or any spirits. Instead, I find a staircase the drops into black. I want to explore the darkness but the feeling in my gut tells me that if I were to go there, there's a chance I won't return.
I deliberate searching the house more thoroughly but ultimately decide against it. It's a no-brainer that Naru is contained in the darkness; the real question is how to get him back.
~o0O0o~
Gene leaves my body without resistance when I take back my control over it. He's been going over the notes that Yasu has come up with, but there isn't much to work with so the group is still stumped. Neither Jolie nor Kevine were able to come up with anything and Masako is tired from trying to sense spirits for the last four days.
"Mai? Are you back?" Monk says when I look up. Apparently there's a drastic change in my demeanor when Gene possesses me.
"Yep, I'm here again," I say with a chipper voice. I need to lighten the mood for everyone if at all possible.
"Did you learn anything?" Lin says, focusing the conversation into English for the other members of our party.
"I was view-ing the whol-e house and I noticed that there was a stair-case that l-eads into a void of bl-ack. I coul-dn't see anything past that," I say.
"So the spirit has made a barrier. That explains why the girls can't sense anything," Atticus says. The group instantly starts discussing different ways to get past the barrier. I decide to find some water. Figuring there would be some in the SPR van that the group came here with, I leave the room and head outside.
~o0O0o~
Outside, the tension is gone, and the atmosphere is calm and sweet. The house seems out of place from its surroundings and it's hard to believe that such a spectacle could be taking place inside. The van is conveniently unlocked so I climb inside and search for a package of water bottles.
"How are you holding up?"
I spin in place quickly, bumping my head into the van's ceiling as I watch Lin clamber into the van with me. He takes a seat and I go back to grabbing a bottle from the far back side of the vehicle.
"I'm hanging in there I guess," I mumble.
"You seem pretty calm considering…" he says.
Once the bottle is in my hand, I sit down on an empty chair, across from him. "I just don't feel like there's any reason to worry. Maybe the situation hasn't fully hit me yet but honestly, I think everything is fine. Naru's just pining for attention."
Lin laughs. "I hardly doubt he's pining for any of this."
"No, probably not," I say with a wide smile.
Once we've settled down his voice gets serious again. "But really. Even if you aren't worried about Naru, are you feeling alright?" His eyes fall onto the bottle lying in my hands.
"I'm doing fine. This isn't for me anyways. I wouldn't mind a nap though…" Lin stands, or crouches rather, due to the low ceiling, then prepares to leave the van.
"Then rest in here for a bit. You've already done more than any of us, so keep your strength up the best way that you can."
"Lin," I say just as he exits the van. He stops again and peers at me from outside. "Could I borrow a shiki?"
His one visible eye widens, the other covered by his thick hair. He stares judgingly, trying to determine what the best response is. He knows now that I don't really plan on sleeping, but if he lends me a shiki then he would be encouraging my reckless behavior; if he doesn't though, then I'll be reckless and unprotected.
There's the slightest hint of a nod and then he heads back for the house.
I lean back into my seat, happy to be away from the others, and let the tired ache my body feels take over me as I relax the best I can. It will be easier for me if I can dream, but I have a hard time clearing my mind. It wasn't too long ago that I never wanted to use my powers again. But now, I'm relying on them to get Naru back. If it wasn't for me, if I hadn't been here today, if I wasn't Naru's assistant, then the outcome of this mission may have turned out very differently for him.
~o0O0o~
There's warmth in my gut that causes a similar feeling to Naru's PK. It starts off swirling in the pit of my stomach but then expands to my muscles and tendons, like metallic acid has filled my veins and is melting me from the inside. My hair feels like it may fall from my scalp and it hurts to close my eyes. When I open them, I'm standing in front of the black barrier. There's a fox in front of me and it's casting some kind of heat spell. The temperature in the room is sweltering and I look around, trying to find some kind of thermometer that can tell me how hot it really is. Then I remember my mission.
There's no time to lose focus.
The fox's heat seems to weaken the barrier and, as it takes a step forward, the obstacle breaks just a little.
"I understand!" I race forward and the fox dashes in front of me, leading the way through the darkness. There isn't any fire to light our path, just sweltering heat to part the barricade.
At the end of the room I find Naru. He's leaning again the wall, his legs crossed over one another and his hands grabbing his ankles as he meditates.
"Naru," I say but he doesn't hear me; he's never been very sensitive to spirits. I try to connect our minds but the barrier's effects are still present so I'm not successful. "At least now I know why you're doing okay. You've been conserving all of your power, huh?" I remember the bottle of water I've been holding and set it down beside him. "That's in case you get thirsty, okay?"
The heat begins to fade as the fox vanishes and I find myself trapped in the black. I whistle, hoping to summon a shiki. The noise causes Naru to stir, probably because of how piercing the sound is. Before he awakens, liquid light comes splashing towards me and I barely make out the form of a large feline, different from the dragon-like shiki that had helped me before.
The liquid monster doesn't stop moving. It rounds me and then shows me out. While I follow after it, I catch sight of a dim glow, eyes shining yellow, long, matted brown hair, and yellowing gray teeth.
Fear overtakes me and I shout out loud, waking myself up from the short nap I had in the van.
Maybe the nap wasn't thatshort. It's night now and the cool air has started to chill my still over-hot body. I stand and prepare to catch the bottle that's been sitting on me but it's gone.
Good, my plan was a success!
~o0O0o~
"Mai? How are you feeling?"Atticus says once I've entered the base.
"Rel-ieved," I say. "I know how to get past the barr-ier."
"How could you?" Louise says as the others in the group wake up from their slumber. It's close to three in the morning so most of them have been sleeping. Atticus, Lin, and Yasu are still up and working though.
"There's a fox that has been appearing before me and it showed me what to do. I need your help," I stare at her so she knows that I mean her specifically. "I've hear-d you have the abil-ity to cr-eate and cont-rol fires. We will need you to burn the bar-rier down."
A broad smile spreads over her face and I can tell she's been waiting for a moment like this for a long time. It isn't often that someone with Psycho-Pyro Kinesis gets to showcase their abilities.
Once the group has collected themselves, we head for the staircase I saw, that leads to the black. At the foot of the steps, Louise demonstrates her power to us.
There's a small metal contraption attached to her right thumb and index finger that she pinches quickly to create a spark. In the moment that the glint exists, Louise grabs a hold of it with her hands. She doesn't touch it but does run her hands around the air around it, conditioning it to her energy before launching it towards the invisible shield that separates us from Naru.
The flames catch hold of the walls and Louise has to calm them before they can set the house afire.
I sit and meditate as she roams the downstairs hallway, easing away her blaze.
"Don't worry about it, Mai," Lin says. "My shiki have already pointed out his location thanks to their interactions with you earlier."
He, Monk, and Yasu scan the walls, looking for any weak support, then kick at it until rotten wood breaks and a section of the wall crashes down. I stand and we rush forward. Brent and Corky power on flashlights they've brought as we enter a dark and somewhat damp corridor.
"It's cold in here," Kevine says.
"W-w-we need to get out of here," Jolie suddenly says.
A high pitched scream sounds in front of Brent and his colleague, filled with anguish and thirst. Their lights die and we hear feet racing across the floor.
"Are you there, mama?"
"What was that?" Corky cries out.
"Mama…" the voice coos musically.
"Enough of this." Louise clicks the device again and sends her flames across the room in a long flare, highlighting everything once concealed by the dark.
The voice starts screaming again and the room moans from the fire's excitement and spirit's remorse.
"You're upsetting it," I say, but Louise ignores me. There's a crash from another room and as our attention is caught, a force slams into Louise from behind, sending her forward.
She growls in frustration and sends out her flames again, whipping the fire around her in a protective shield.
"It's hot mama! It's hot mama!" The voice cries.
"Why can't we see it?"Kevine yells, trying to be heard above the flame's roars and the spirit's wails.
"She doesn't want to be seen,"Masako says. Her voice is barely heard as she hides her mouth behind her kimono.
"We need to find Naru, L-ouise! You aren't helping by pissing the spir-it off."I hurry past her and further down the room.
I'm slammed into a wall before I can turn into another room, catching a glimpse of Naru sitting silently against the room's wall.
I'm stuck against the wall, a force pinning me to it by my throat, holding me off of the ground. The others call to me and Louise fights back her urge to send fire in my direction, afraid that I'll be caught in the flames.
Monk starts his mantra, but the words anger the spirit, causing it to tighten its grip. As life starts to drain away from me, my own spirit begins to slip from my body, heightening my senses until I can make out the form in front of me.
A cruddy, greenish red girl is standing beside me. She looks like she's my age but there are vast differences. I'm almost looking at the form of a corpse.
Her lips are chapped and bloody. Her yellow and brown teeth are chipped and cracked. Crust spreads from her puffy green eyes. There are knots and tangles in her long, greasy hair and I think I've caught site of a spider crawling within it. She's stark naked and with a boney body; no fat covers her and her breasts don't appear to have developed.
I can't look further down because of the grip she has on me. As I feel myself about to slip out of consciousness, I look at Naru again, sitting undisturbed.
"You're not going to take my friend away from me,"the girl says. "He's the only gift my mama and papa ever gave to me. They never even named me butthatboy is something from them to me."
"You're wr-ong. He's mine." The air I had left leaves my body with those words, but I continue to fight the urge to faint. Silently, I start reciting the nine cuts Ayako taught me. "Rin… Pyou… Tou…"
Her grip weakens as she watches me, shocked.
"Sha… Kai… Jin…" Air flies back into my lungs as her grip loosens. She stumbles away from me in fear of the words. I sneak another look at Naru, surprised to find him looking at me and standing up heavily. The fact that he's awake seems to drive more energy into my body. "Retsu! Zai! Zen!"
The girl flings back and curls onto the ground, rocking her body back and forth. "Mama… Mama… Mama…"Everyone gasps as she reveals her appearance to the rest of the room, Louise's fire burning briefly and providing light until Brent's and Corky's flashlights come back on.
Naru ambles over to me heavily, dragging his feet as if they were molded from lead.
"Are you o—" I start to say but he covers my mouth with his hand and gives me his look. "Are you okay?"
"Yes… Thank-you for the water." He reaches out to the girl and strokes her back comfortingly.
"How can you touch that thing?"Jolie says.
"It's not a thing.She'sa baby," Naru says and the spirit starts shrinking as he lifts her up until he's holding the body of an infant.
"What happened to her?" Masako says as the group walks over to him and the girl. Kevine hesitantly reaches a hand out to touch the baby and then gasps as their skin comes in contact with one another.
"I saw everything when she grabbed hold of me and pulled me down here,"Naru says. "She's a stillborn. Her mother had her alone in the house and she came into the world with little life left. Not knowing what to do, her mother's mind racing with fear, stress, and anxiety, she locked her own child away inside of a box, deep within the foundation of the house."
"Is that why she was dragged down the stairs before you were?" Brent asks, regarding the woman who hired him to investigate her house.
"I can only assume so," Naru says.
"Would you mind if I perform the exorcism?"John asks. Naru gently puts the corpse-like spirit into John's arms and the group steps backward, forming a circle to give him space. "Forgive me for not wearing proper attire for this." He chuckles and pulls out a vile, dripping some of the contents onto the child.
At first the infant squirms and wines, her hands and legs pawing and kicking the air awkwardly.
"Don't worry child. You're going to God now," John says. "Heavenly God, please allow us to worship you. Your soul becomes our heaven and the earth."
The girl's skin slowly starts to fill with color and life.
"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning."
Her scalp, now bald in her infant-stage, starts to sprout small, wispy fair hair.
"Through Him, all things were made. Without Him, nothing was made. In Him was life."
The babe cries now, but with life, not from fear.
"And that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness."
The further John gets in his verses, the more translucent the spirit becomes until it shines with a golden light, just like when I cleanse a soul.
"The darkness did not overcome it."
The spirit rises from John's arms and disappears from us.
With a heavy sigh, relieved to have retrieved Naru successfully, the group departs and heads for base.
~o0O0o~
The case now completed, we load everything into the van and depart. I leave with Atticus and Lin in their car while the others cram into the other, larger vehicle. Before we go, Naru decides to join us in our vehicle, not wanting to be fawned over by the worried girls in the van.
"You didn't tell me your brother has been helping Mai," Atticus says as we pull away from the house. Naru grunts, causing Atticus to turn his head to get a better view of the backseat, where Naru is sitting with me. Naru's eyes are closed; he's still exhausted.
I follow his lead and close my own eyes, leaning against the car's window.
"And Mai, I'm sorry I underestimated you," Atticus says to me next.
I try to say something along the lines of "It's okay," but my body is still weak and a grunt seemingly slips past my lips as well.
We round a corner and there's a thump on top of my lap as Naru's body, now completely out of control from its owners sleeping, falls across the car seat and his head comes to rest on me. I look down and find his black hair lying over my hand in an unkempt manner, different from how I usually see it. Even though he's been kept away from everyone for a handful of days, his dirty hair is still enough to excite me and I take the chance to run my fingers through it.
My face flushes until it's the color of strawberries when I realize Atticus is watching me from his rear-view mirror. I go back to closing my eyes and leaning against the window but I fight the urge to sleep. I want to remember the feeling of Naru's head in my lap, his hair rung around my fingers, and the feel of his hot breath coursing over my legs as he breathes heavily. The car ride will only be a short hour, and then this excitement will be cast away for work.
I shouldn't be crying now and I brush away a tear that tries to escape my eye. It may just be today, and it may only be this one moment, but I want to treasure the connection I'm sharing with him as much as possible. I don't want to regret the reality that will face me when it's over.
In too little time I find myself falling asleep as well, leaving me to feel that the experience was all a dream because when I awake, I'm lying on his bed.
Alone.
~o0O0o~
AN: Okay! I'll try to not take as long to get the next chapter out! What are your thoughts about this chapter? Reviews and/or critiques please or I may start up another Naruto fanfic! LOL jk I wouldn't do that to you!
Fast Facts #22: Brent is English and means "hill", and Randall is English and means "shield wolf"
Fast Facts #23: Cork is English and means "bark of oak tree", and Cyrus is Persian and means "of the sun"
