Hanging Haunted: Chapter 12

-

John recited his favorite bible verse as he traced the sign of the cross in the air with his thumb. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." His words echoed loudly throughout the dusty attic as he sprinkled Holy water upon the framed picture.

Mai sensed something coming. The heavy feeling in her gut wouldn't leave her alone. Naru tensed, she noticed, and soon after did the monk in front of her. Masako looked unwell. She wobbled a bit, but Bou-san wrapped his arm around her and let her lean against him just in case.

"He's coming," the medium said softly.

Not even seconds later the ground seemed to shudder beneath them, causing John to pause his incantations. He looked down, surprised, for this time it felt stronger than before.

"John-san," Naru said firmly over the shaking, "please, continue."

Only with slight hesitation and a nod of confirmation from the monk behind him did the priest dare go on.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen–"

John was suddenly cut off by an earsplitting shriek, not made by any of them he was sure, but it had come from the wall in which they had first found the painting of Aki; the wall in which housed that secret body-storage closet and smelled of decay. Not only did the shaking get rougher, but the screaming became louder.

Mai fell to her knees, covering her ears to block out the shrill wails as best she could. Naru followed quickly to make sure she was alright.

Suddenly the noise stopped and the trembling ceased. Everything seemed almost as if it had before they had started the exorcism. Naru looked up in confusion, but his attention was soon drawn back to his shaking assistant

"Na–Naru, I…" Mai stuttered with teary eyes. A sob escaped her lips. "Why am I wet? Why do I smell so weird?"

He wondered slightly what was wrong until he placed his hand unto her shoulder, only to find it wet and sticky

Naru glanced up at the monk, "Do you have a flash light?"

"All I have is a lighter," Bou-san said, confused, fishing the small silver object from his pocket and tossing it to his boss.

"This will have to do," he murmured as he flipped it open, lighting it with only two tries. The small amount of light barely illuminated the whole attic, but it was enough to confirm the strange thick substance that covered her body. Masako gasped, fainting into the shocked priest behind her. Bou-san clenched his jaws shut.

A strained cry came from within Mai's chest as she looked down at her blood-drenched clothes.

The door to the attic suddenly slammed open and Lin and Ayako came to her side. They had probably seen her on the cameras, Naru assumed, still a little bit shocked himself.

"Can you stand?" inquired the tall onmyoji as he reached out for her hand. But Mai didn't move, or more like she couldn't, she was so petrified. Never on a case had she been doused in blood that, at least, wasn't her own. Or so she hoped it wasn't hers. And if it was, the pain must've been so unbearable that it was numbing her. It was either that, or the sheer terror that filled her.

Instead of waiting for her answer, Lin picked her up, ignoring the blood that soaked through his shirt.

"I'll wash her off and make sure she has no injuries," Ayako said, her medical skills kicking in at last. "I'm going to need some Ibuprofen as well."

The Chinese man nodded, proceeding down the stairs of the attic as quickly and as cautiously as possible, ensuring that she didn't bump her head or the like.

Madoka was at the bottom, her face screwed into a look of worry. She covered her mouth in shock seeing them continue down the steps, blood seeping from the small girl's clothes. "Is she hurt?" the woman questioned apprehensively, clenching tightly at her shirt collar.

Ayako hurried behind them. "We don't know," she started, then turning to the tall man she said, "Lin, I'll carry her to the bathroom. Please find me that Ibuprofen."

Taking Mai into her arms, the priestess nearly dragged her into the bathroom, setting the fragile girl into the tub. Lin knocked softly and entered with a glass of ice water and two pills. Madoka took them and placed them on the counter, watching as he closed the door behind him.

"Do you need some help?" the pink-haired woman inquired, itching for some way to be of assistance, but Ayako turned her down saying that she could take care of it by herself.

"Mai, I'm going to turn the shower head on so that I can wash you off, okay?" the red-headed miko said to the unresponsive girl, gently helping her sit correctly. After discarding Mai's slippers and socks, she pulled her sticky shirt over her head, exposing her blood-stained bra. She turned to Madoka. "I might need a little help."

"What can I do?"

"We're going to need a lot of rags and a lot of soap."

-

Naru sighed, massaging his temples. John was quietly tending to Masako, laying a cold washrag upon her forehead, as she lie unconscious on the couch while Lin went to go switch out shirts. Bou-san snoozed over in the corner, his arms folded across his chest.

All was quiet until the door squeaked open slowly, revealing Mai clad in pajamas and a long blanket draped around her shoulders. It dragged behind her as she entered. She looked back as she waited for Ayako and Madoka to follow.

"Mai," Naru started, standing up from his chair and offering it to his small assistant; a very un-Naru-like move. "Sit," he commanded.

Ayako raised an eyebrow, keeping her eyes on them as she sauntered over towards the sleeping monk. After elbowing him a couple of times and successfully waking him up, she pointed at the two, smiling.

Her face burning slightly with embarrassment, the brown-haired girl sat down gradually, her body still a little sore from all of the scrubbing they had none. "I overreacted earlier," Mai reasoned, coughing slightly.

"No," her boss said, stopping her. "I think many in your situation would've responded the same."

Madoka smiled proudly at her little prodigy.

"You're not hurt in any way, are you?" he inquired, nearly reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder, but stopped himself.

"The blood wasn't mine, so I'm fine." Mai smiled. "Despite how hard we scrubbed, I still smell a bit like it..."

After a moment of hesitation, Naru took a lock of her brown hair, inhaling deeply when he put it up to his nose. He looked up to see her face as crimson as the blood that previously stained her. "Really? I don't smell anything."

"Ah," was all the girl could reply with as her mouth hung open in shock.

John turned around, directing his attention back towards the sleeping medium in front of him with the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. He shouldn't be invading in their privacy, he told himself, though glancing back every once in a while.

Naru did not linger, however. He stood straight, facing the rest of the team with a fierce glare. "Back to work," he said, "Bou-san and Matsuzaki-san, both of you are up next. But we're done for tonight. Rest up, you two."

The priestess clicked her heel on the ground, her hands automatically fastening themselves to her hips in frustration. "I thought I wasn't going to exorcise?"

"Well, now you are," Naru countered, glancing at the woman with a raised eyebrow. "Do you, perhaps, have a problem with that?"

Blushing, the red-head fumed, gluing her arms at her side in fear that she might punch him.

The monk over in the corner covered his mouth to conceal a grin. "You got serv–OW!"

Ayako smiled smugly.

-

"Here," Mai said as she gently placed the cup of tea unto Naru's desk.

He nodded gratefully, flipping another page of his file. He didn't look up, but Mai knew his appreciation was sincere. She smiled and pulled up a chair, sitting next to him. Ever since their little 'incident' in the attic, he had been strangely nicer towards her and hadn't given any work to her, but of course she insisted on being the one to make his tea.

"You should rest. Do I have to say it again to get it through your oddly thick skull?"

The brown-haired woman sighed. Although she was thoroughly enjoying her time watching everyone cater to her needs, it also bothered her somehow. To Mai, this special treatment proved how fragile they all thought she was which, in turn, bothered her to no end. "I'm fine, though…"

Naru looked up, a frown tugging at his lips. "What's wrong?" he inquired, closing the manila folder in his hands.

Mai looked up, finally snapping from her gloomy daze. "What do you mean?" she replied, though genuinely confused by his sudden question.

Her boss swiveled his chair around to face her, crossing his arms with a look of inquisition upon his face. After taking in her confused features, he ran a hand through his messy hair; a sign that signaled frustration.

He reasoned to her, "You've been sighing a lot lately. Is anything the matter?"

'Besides the fact that you were drenched in blood nearly an hour ago and suffered traumatic shock…?' Naru mentally added, nearly slapping himself for sounding so unintelligent. He clenched his jaw waiting for her to answer.

"It's fun having you treat me nice once in a while," she started, "but I don't want this special treatment any more. I'm fine now. Ayako talked to me and I feel much better, so…"

"I don't need you to lie to me, Mai."

She stood, protesting angrily, "But I'm not–"

Naru then slammed the file he had previously been reading onto his desk, raising up to loom over her and hopefully send the message that she could not win this battle. Mai jumped a little, surprised by his suddenness as she watched ripples travel throughout the fresh tea. "Does it look like I'm in the mood for an argument, Mai?" her boss questioned tightly, a scowl gracing his handsome features.

"Well, you're never in the mood–!"

The door clicked opened, cutting off the brunette abruptly. Lin stuck his head in cautiously. "Naru, it's time to call it a night."

Mai stared at the Chinese onmyoji, her eyes filled with resentment.

He raised an eyebrow. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything too…important?"

"No," Mai countered, blushing as red as Ayako's hair.

"Yes," Naru had said the same time as his assistant, glaring at her when she didn't agree with him.

With a knowing smile on his face, Lin nodded, taking his leave. After Lin had dismissed himself, Naru sighed. "I'll take you to your room. Everyone else should probably already be asleep."

Mai nodded, keeping her head down like she did when she was sad or upset. Impossible for Naru not to notice, he inhaled deeply attempting to ignore her. How could he possibly apologize for what he had not done wrong? He was just…slightly irritated. He hadn't even raised his voice! It's not like there was even a need to be upset. What was so wrong about caring for your assistant.

Naru stopped, causing Mai to pause in her stride. She looked back questioningly realizing they were already at her door.

"Oh," she murmured, embarrassed. "Well, good night, Na–"

Before she could finish her statement, her boss's lips landed on hers almost hungrily. Mai stared at him in dubious shock, but her eyes eventually closed as she decided to enjoy their proximity rather than question it.

Once he finally released her, Naru gave his assistant a peck on the forehead said his quiet goodnight, leaving the girl speechless. After he had retreated to his room, Mai sighed, sliding onto the floor. Her legs felt so much like noodles that she could no longer stand.

A small, stuttering voice at the end of the hallway caught her attention.

Tetsuya stood, his finger pointed at her accusingly as he tried his best to hide the red in his cheeks. "I knew it! You two are having an affair behind that Medium's back!"

"Y–Y–You saw such an intimate thing?!"

The child smiled deviously, his grin nearly reaching his ears.

"I saw you~" he sang playfully.

"B–Be quiet!" Mai whispered urgently, running towards him to cover his mouth. "You absolutely cannot say a word about this, understand? Masako would be furious! A–And I hardly even know what's going on between Naru and me, so…"

"Love triangle?" the boy questioned himself, forcing her sweaty palm away from his face.

Mai made a face. "No–Anyway, it's nothing for you to be concerned over."

"Oh, but it is," the small child said wisely, nodding to himself. "Remember my promise to help you win your boss over? Though it's almost as if your boss is already attracted to you–"

Mai glared. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, I–"

"Are you saying that there's no way that Naru would like me?" she whispered harshly, knowing that if she didn't keep her voice down she'd get some strange looks in the morning, especially from said boss.

He laughed nervously, 'Oh, boy…'

-

Mai was awoken that morning the sudden coldness of the wooden floor beneath her. After recovering from the large bump that soon formed on her forehead, she looked up at whoever had disturbed her sleep and glared at them with the fierceness that she had only used on Naru before.

Ayako glared back, sticking out her tongue as she rolled up the brunette's futon, sticking it in the closet of the guest room.

"What the hell as that for?" Mai exclaimed, rubbing her throbbing head.

The miko looked down at her exasperatedly, her hands finding her hips as she stood in her usual condescending manner. "Well, you wouldn't wake up no matter what any of us did, so I resorted to this. Plus, Naru has asked us to 'pick up'. We're leaving tonight."

The shock on Mai's face was not concealed. "But…why?"

The red-head shrugged nonchalantly, going back to packing her clothes.

-

"I thought you were smarter than that, Mai. Do you not know what 'leaving' means?" Naru inquired, slowly wrapping the cord around the plastic part of the charger that went with Lin's computer.

The girl shook her head in frustration. "You know what I mean, Naru!" she cried, her arms flailing around in the air as if they would get the point across. "Why are we leaving? I mean, the case hasn't even…We aren't ready!"

"I thought Matsuzaki-san had informed you, but since you're so incompetent, I'll put it in simpler terms: we are solving the case tonight."

That was all the girl needed to hear to allow her to fall back into Lin's comfy chair. "What–? But how?"

After finally wrapping up Lin's pesky charger, Naru set it down on the desk, smiling smugly. Suddenly she remembered the way he had gotten so mad last night, but then gently pecked her forehead as if he was apologizing. Her face then flooding with red, Mai backed up cautiously, fully aware of her boss's predatory gaze.

"Wh–Whoa, Naru," she whispered. The pitch of her voice was raised in nervousness as she began to feel around so that she wouldn't embarrass herself by tumbling over backwards.

"Don't worry, Mai," Naru straightened himself, his once amused expression now changing into a look of all seriousness, "My only concern is with work right now."

Mai breathed a sigh of relief, holding a hand to her heart as if to still its rapid beating. This gesture, as always, failed to work, but at lease it made the brunette somewhat calmer than she had previously been. "You really shouldn't scare a girl like that, you know."

"Naru!"

The door suddenly slammed open, allowing Bou-san entrance into the room. He was barely even able to see the two surprised teens over the stack of cardboard boxes in his arms. "Why the hell is the second van locked? You said Ayako had the keys, but I can't find her anywhere," he complained.

"I believe that's a personal problem," their boss finished, without even the slightest offer of help to the monk. Mai, being the good Samaritan she is, ran over the man, taking a box off of the top of his load (with much trouble, of course).

"Hey, at least I'm doing something, you–"

"Bou-san, didn't you check in the girl's bedroom? She was in there a minute ago," Mai suggested, her brown orbs innocent and troubled.

"The first place I looked. She was gone; the room was completely empty because John put all of the girl's bags in the van. The futons were put away too."

"Okay," Mai started, but suddenly seemed to be at a loss for air. "First of all, we should put down these boxes. Then we'll look for her." The monk nodded in agreement, gently setting the equipment on the couch.

"I'll look outside," she proposed. "You can look inside."

Naru narrowed his eyes for only a split moment, but then refocused on his work. His fingers ran over the file that lay closed upon the desk he currently stood next to. "Don't be long, and keep an eye open…"

At the tone of her boss's voice sounding like that of a protective mother, Mai turned to face his back, surprised. Bou-san shrugged and went on his search for the red-headed priestess while Mai lingered back in the base.

"Keep an eye open for what?"

But Naru didn't answer.

-

After at least five minutes of thorough searching, neither the monk nor Mai had found a trace of the young woman. To ease Mai's worry, both John and Madoka had joined in the search, but they still ended up with nothing. By this time, Mai had burst into tear no less than about two times already.

Masako had even rested the girl's head on her shoulder in a sisterly way, which surprised the onlookers. To the members of SPR it was a myth, their friendship. They'd often talk about it – how those two would get so catty over the most ridiculous things – and even Lin would join in sometimes. But now there was golden, solid proof and five astounded eye-witnesses.

But neither the sudden change of Masako's attitude nor the astonished looks of their peers would most likely to bring their red-headed miko back. This was the thought that only seemed to make Mai cry harder, her salty tears leaking their way through the layers of Masako's silk Kimono.

Naru finally stepped in, abruptly ending Mai's cry fest with a screeching halt.

"Do you want to find Ayako or not?"

The harsh tone in his tight voice was not the only aspect of his inquiry that had scared Mai, but it was the way he called Ayako by her first name, something they were all pretty sure had never happened before. Meaning Naru meant business.

Mai replied, her answer muffled by hiccupped sobs. "I want to find her," she said.

"Good," her boss then crossed his arms. "You're getting absolutely nowhere by weeping on Hara-san's shoulder. If you want to find her, I suggest you keep looking."

Bou-san seemed about to speak up and defend her, but Mai stopped him, realizing Naru was entirely right. "Okay," she sniffed obediently, lowering her head as she walked off into an unknown direction, somewhere behind a few bushes.

"There's actually quite a bit of unoccupied land back here. I'll search over in this direction."

There was a stiff silence among the rest as Mai began to investigate once more. It was too thick for even a butter knife, Naru mused, sighed. But he had done what needed to be done. If his assistant was no use crying, than he had no other choice, right?

As if reading his boss's mind, Lin (of all people) sighed in dissatisfaction. "There was always the option of comforting her, you know. A lamenting assistant is a useless one."

Naru gave him an odd look. "She stopped crying, didn't she?"

Madoka slapped her forehead, none to gentle, grabbing John and Bou-san to resume their search as well. Masako fallowed behind, grateful not to be mixed up in the situation.

"As far as physically goes, most likely. But you'd better apologize before the wound re-opens in her mental state of being."

Lin and his god damned riddles! The narcissist shrugged off the thought, staring off into a random direction and attempting to focus on something more case-related, but her image would not cease from appearing in his mind. Maybe Lin was right…

"I'll be right back," the black-haired man excused himself, not seeing the ghost of a smile that graced the Chinese man's lips.

-

OMG, so sorry for not updating in, like, a year! School is retarded and I wish all of my teachers died of tooth-decay so that I could throw them in a bay and scare all of the fish away. *Queue frownie-face*

But anyway, I have no clue as to why this holds any relevance to this story whatsoever, but I learned how to sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes' in French yesterday! Isn't that just swell?

So yeah, I killed off Ayako. Any thoughts as to who I should murder next? Nah, nah, I'm just joking. I love that make-up wearing hag all too much (Bou-san too). Anyway, read and review!

…What? You say you don't know how?

Well there's the green button right there! (I think? O.o)

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