James sat on the edge of the small ornamental pond with its Koi swimming through his reflection and he scowled. This was my fault. He thought, watching the ripples spread across the water's surface and he sighed heavily. He looked up at the sky and threw himself back to lie down in the grass.
He plucked a long piece of grass and bit down on it, accidentally breaking the leaf and making him spit out the green crud in distaste. He glared at the sky contemplatively, as the darkness of night showed the haze of Tokyo lights not far off. The Shibuya district would be alive with nightlife at this time, the place where Mai worked was very popular among the younger people and the lights never went out.
How can I put a stop to this? He frowned. The ghosts weren't a problem; SPR were more than qualified enough to handle them... that much he put his faith in completely. So what to do about it? The demon. He narrowed his green eyes moodily. What do you want from me?
What do I want? Is that another deal you're contemplating?
Because that's all you can do now. A deal.
What kind of deal?
Simple really. A two way exchange... James could almost imagine the face behind the voice in his head; an ugly grey visage twisted by malice. Eye for an eye and all of that... I leave if...
If...? He asked, raising an eyebrow; he knew this wasn't wise... he was an impulsive man however... and this seemed like all he could do. He didn't know much about the occult, and he was definitely no Naru but... Demons are pure incarnations of evil. They can't be destroyed with simply a well worded mantra or a good medium... I'm not sacrificing any more people to you. I'm not that desperate now.
No sacrifices? You can't expect me to simply give up this territory for nothing? Kukukukukuku... Foolish child... Nothing is given freely. This will be a high price... For me to leave when everyone here is so complicated? You know that I crave sacrifices with complex emotions... That's why you called for mediums... so many memories of what they've seen and heard.
... Give me a day to think. I'll come up with something just... keep laying low until I contact you.
Is that a command?
No. I promise I will honour my side... I'll give you something to make up for it... I will do the trade. The trade in your favour.
Kukukukukuku...
"But it won't hurt anyone." James added, aloud, once the demon had left his thoughts. He smiled slightly and stood up. "Oliver Davis is trustworthy enough to take care of her when I can't." Though didn't he say... something similar to me? He said... he knew about us? What did he mean by that?
I think he may have seen something, and only half of it.
Sighing heavily at the decisions that lay before him, he got up and headed back to the house; he had 24 hours to sort things out before the sacrifice was made. What can compare to territory?
Naru strode from the building with Lin easily keeping pace; the older Chinese man ran a hand through his hair and putting out a hand to hold Naru back. "Noll."
The younger boy stopped abruptly and whipped round as Lin stumbled into him, resulting in them standing centimetres away from each other and Naru's eyes shocked Lin... Scared him; they were too wild. They didn't possess the deadly calm or the barely held in fury that usually showed the guardian when not to approach Naru... or restrain him instead, but these eyes had not been seen since Gene's death. "Noll. Listen to me." Lin forced, holding tightly onto Oliver Davis' shoulders. "Before you do something rash... Think of why you're doing it."
"I know what I'm doing." Naru bit out, before turning and heading for the fair haired man walking towards them.
"But do you know why?" Lin called as Naru ran the rest of the way to James, who stopped and looked over at Lin in questioning, but Naru whispered something forcefully and the taller boy nodded tightly.
"Then come with me." Naru said, this time louder so Lin caught the words. The three men headed back to the manor house, watched unseen by the spirit of a man.
Masako felt uneasy with the Shiki so close... it was an enslaved spirit after all. She smiled weakly at the man beside her, who nodded sympathetically. "It's an unusual technique." He agreed. "But it will be over soon right Hara-san?"
She smiled behind the sleeve of her kimono despite herself. "Always so polite John-san... It's been a while now since our first case that we worked on together... why not call me by name? And the others too, they'd probably appreciate it." She murmured, looking for any sign of the other Oliver Davis. John nodded slowly, making Masako shake her head slightly; it was a mystery to her how selfless he really was, like Mai, he was very kind and always did his best... though, unlike Mai, he never complained.
"Do you sense anything?" He asked, softly, as they approached the room of the now deceased old woman. Masako shook her head and muttered a negative as John paused by the door. "Do you think we should...?" He trailed off at the look of shock on the young medium's face. "Hara-san? Are you alright?"
Takigawa sat at the edge of the sofa, staring at the sleeping Mai laid across the seat. "Why does she have to look the same?" He asked, aloud. Ayako wiped her eyes.
"I hope that this... Oliver Davis, MP decides that they should move on... I have the feeling that if he wants to stay, the other Mai will stay with him and that would mean..." She swallowed sharply. "Their spirits inhabiting Mai's and... Davis-san's bodies permanently."
She nodded and avoided her teammate's eyes. "He... really cares for her doesn't he?"
"We all do." Takigawa forced. "She is our family... Naru was our family. Dr. Oliver Davis is not. It wasn't Oliver Davis we knew... who knows who Oliver Davis is? All we know is that he's a liar."
"True... But you've been forgiving of others so much before, why not now?" There was a heavy silence, broken only by Mai's breathing as Houshou pondered the question. She sighed in frustration and put her head against the wall she stood resting against. "I know what he did was stupid and disgusting... but for once I'm letting it go, and do you know why?"
He shook his head and looked at her, a frown carving itself onto his lips, twisting them so that he didn't look himself. "Why?" He asked, his voice deadened by some unknown emotion.
Ayako walked over to him and kneeled down, reaching out and resting her hand on Mai's sleeping form, rubbing her knee in motherly fondness. "Because when that little girl wakes up, the man she loves will be forgiven already. If she can understand his betrayal... and don't say anything because you know what she's like. In there, she's already had all the time she needs to forgive and forget, when she comes out of this coma she's in she'll probably even be calling him "Noll" won't she?" The miko put her other hand on Takigawa's and smiled reassuringly. "We can at least be civil to him... for her."
"Yeah... I guess." The monk agreed, nodding reluctantly.
"Hey." Ayako murmured, lifting his chin so that he looked her in the eyes. "It'll be okay. The ghost will leave Mai, or we'll kick it's spiritual ass."
Takigawa cracked a smile and nodded. "Yeah we will."
Mai wasn't sure where she was at first; it felt like she was floating on a water bed in a hazy darkness with tiny starlight pinpricks surrounding her all around... She felt out for something, anything to hold her down; she had the feeling that if she let herself become immersed in this haze, she'd find herself unable to get home.
She reached out desperately to catch hold of something... anything as long as it anchored her to the real world. Her hand flailed uselessly against the emptiness and she closed her eyes as she felt herself fading away.
"No." The voice came through the darkness and a hand tightened itself around hers, she felt herself pulled from nothing into waiting arms. "Thank god." The voice said, gently, its owner hugging her tightly. "For a second there I thought he'd lost you."
"He?" Mai pulled back and looked up into kind blue eyes. Oh... "Oh." She nodded. "Your brother." Eugene Davis smiled sadly, hugging Mai again.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I really am... I shouldn't have kept pretending. But that idiot scientist's wishes can be felt by me too and... I couldn't go against them." He frowned and let her go. "Now the problem is... how do we get you back home?"
Mai blinked. "I don't know... oh no."
Naru pulled James into the kitchen, which was clear of any other human presence. "Are you sure you know nothing else about what's happening in this house?" He asked, glaring at the English boy angrily. "Because quite frankly, I think that you do."
James grimaced but before he could answer, a scream was heard from the room in which his Grandmother had died.
Rin- Ok! So that's that! And our very special Ghost Hunt fanfic guest for this chapter is... YUUKO?!
Yuuko- Hello. Got Sake?
Rin- But- You're from Tsubasa and XXXHolic!!! Not Ghost hunt! Have I run out of ideas for Ghost hunt guest conversations?!
Yuuko- Maybe... Want ideas? They'll come at a price...
Black Mokona (Larg)- Yay! Mokona can see the ghost! It's there! and there's one there next to-
Rin- Shush! You'll ruin the story! No matter how cute you are, obey the spoiler rules!
Yuuko- So do you want ideas for the rest of the Author anotes and story itself or not? The price is 10 reviews.
Rin- Well thats up to that lot...
Points at YOU yes YOU!
Rin- REVIEW OR I GET NO IDEAS FROM YUUKO!!!