Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, and never will! Yay :P
Chapter 13: Bathroom Creeps
"Mai, are you ready to go?" Naru asked, poking his head around the door into the bathroom. He glanced towards the mirror where I could be seen through a crack between the fake tiled wall and curtain.
I met his eyes in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "I'll be done in a few minutes, don't worry," I told him letting my eyes slide shut as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. I didn't hear the door immediately click shut so I mouthed the word, 'Pervert,' with a small grin. I heard a chuckle, and then the door clicked shut. Letting a laugh slip past my lips, I left my eyes closed and let my mind wander.
Immediately, my mind drifted to my dreams. I groaned, letting my head fall back so that the shower pelted my face with warm droplets. "This sucks," I muttered, but sighed, "I should just tell him before something goes wrong, and inevitably, something will." My voice faded, pushed down by the running water, leaving my sucked in silence.
It was no issue for me to hear as the door quietly creaked open. Frowning, I called, "I am no more done than I was two minutes ago, Naru." I received no answer in return. Poking my head around the curtain, I found the door wide open giving me a perfect view of the sink and random hygiene products spread across the counter. "Rude," I muttered, pulling back into the steamy warmth.
The silence pressed in around me once more, but this time it wasn't as comfortable as it had been before. The feeling of being watched washed over me. My blood turned to ice despite the heated water.
"Time to get out," I murmured, shutting off the water. I pulled the shower curtain against my chest, reached out my hand and padding it around until I felt the fluffy material under my hand. I pulled it into the shower with me, tightening it around my body, tucking the tip into my cleavage. I flung back the curtain, and clambered out. "It'd be a good time to come back now, Naru."
I pushed the bathroom door shut, locking it securely as it clicked shut. Feeling no better than before, I squirmed. I'd need to get dressed at some point, preferably sooner than later, but I felt the need to wait for Naru. Would that make the feeling go away, though? Hm, probably not.
Sighing, I pulled my clothes across the counter towards me. I wiped of the water still clinging to my skin and dropped my towel. I picked up my panties and held them up, examining them. They looked perfectly fine, not tampered with. Making a noise of acceptance in the back of my throat, I pulled them on.
I was just clipping my bra into place when a pair of icy hand gripped my hands with bruising force, pulling me against something hard and cold. I let out a screech of pain and fear, spinning around to face the person behind me. There was no one there.
Hands clamped around my wrists, yanking me forward. I pulled against the invisible grip, but it only gripped my hard. Tears stung my eyes, threatening to make an appearance.
A short, harsh, male laugh echoed quietly around the bathroom.
"Mai? Are you alright? Mai, what happened?" Naru and Gene both called, banging hard against the bathroom door.
Ignoring my half-nakedness, I pulled the door open and flung myself into Naru's arms. Keening noises squeezed between my lips as my hands tightened on his shirt.
"Gene, go get a blanket or something," Naru ordered, not taking his eyes off of me, "Mai, what happened?" He ran his hands along my skin checking for any open wounds. His hands ran across my hips causing me to wince. He paused, frowning, his fingers held just over my hips. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"I-I think I'm bruised," I murmured into his shirt, my grip tightening around his shirt do that my muscles and tendons pushed out against my skin. I winced again.
"Where?" he asked, sharp and insistent. The itchy woolen blanket from the bed dropped around my shoulders, covering any uncovered skin, which was nearly all of me.
"My wrists and my hips," I whispered, my shoulders tightening at the thought. My fingers went slack and my knees buckled.
Naru caught me easily in his arms, holding me tight against his torso. He pulled me up higher, and pulled me over to the bed. Tucking the blanket around me, he set me on the edge of the mattress. "Let me see," he murmured, tugging at one of my hands.
I let it fall forward limply, grimacing as the bruise bumped against my knees. A dark, almost black, purple bruise wrapped around the whole of my small wrist. Just the sight of the bruise had me shivering with fear.
Pulling my hand gently into his palm, he ran his fingers gently across the dark purple smudge. He turned my wrist this way and that, examining it from every angle. Placing my hand back in my lap, he looked up at me. "Your hip," he said simply.
I turned my legs sideways on the bed, letting the half of the blanket falling open to expose one side of my body. Gene, standing stiffly against one wall, gasped audibly, his eyes roaming over the spot. I dropped my eyes to the bruise and felt my own gasp catch in my throat.
The bruise spanning my hip was worse than the one around my wrist. This bruise was black, slowly appearing from deep under my skin. It was forming in the shape of a large, very male hand. Half moons were dug into my skin at the fingertips of the hand.
"Mai, what happened? Who did this?" Naru asked quietly, rage roiling beneath his words.
"I-I d-don't know. I w-was getting d-dressed when… when hands grabbed me," I whispered, my voice cracking and stammering as I tried to explain what had happened, "They pulled m-me against something, or someone. I p-pulled away as quickly as I could, but the h-hands g-grabbed my w-wrists instead and tried to pull m-me forward a-again. That was when y-you and Gene s-showed up." My lips trembled as my words died. "Naru, I'm so scared. What just happened?" The tears finally fell, dropping down my face in hot streaks. I fell forward, wrapping my arms around his neck.
He pulled my tightly against his chest, wrapping his arms around my. "I don't know," he murmured, "But I'll definitely find out no matter what it takes. I will get to the bottom of this." He pressed his lips to the hickey that still marred the inside of my neck sending a pleasant, calming wave through my entire body.
"Do you think it was the ghost?" I whispered, wishing silently that he'd kiss the mark again sending through emotions through me again. I barely registered the sound of the door clicking shut as Gene left the room.
Naru was silent for a moment. "I don't know, but we won't take any chances. Don't leave my side for anything. Promise me." He pulled back, staring into my eyes sternly.
"I promise," I murmured. My stomach dropped as I thought about how mad he would be after my next explanation. "Naru, I have to tell you something."
There you go, guys! I hope this chapter was better than the proceeding ones. Look at that! Chapter 13! This is crazy! Well, anyway, sorry that I didn't post this yesterday, but I really really wasn't feeling it after giving blood, so yeah. But I got it today! :D Review for your dear poor author in training, yes?