Hey, hey, hey! :) I just want you all to know that I love when you guys review my story. You should see the goofy grin that I have on my face whenever I read one of them. So, thanks for that! :D
Anyhoo, here's Chapter 14! I think this story will be ending. Soon. And soon could mean in like, many more chapters. I dunno yet. We'll seeeee. :P R&R?
I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT!

The Black Cat: Chapter 14

Mai's eyes once again opened, welcoming her into the dream world. She sat up and was surprised to see that she was sitting on the floor in front of the staircase located in the Takumis' house. Hesitantly glancing upwards, Mai was relieved to see that Mamoru wasn't at the top. She would never be able to sleep again if he happened to have been there, staring down at her, with that crazed look in his eyes. All of a sudden, a scraping noise met Mai's ears. She turned her head left, the direction in which the noise was coming from. What she saw made her heart stop.

Mamoru was dragging a black garbage bag – the same one that Mai had seen in her previous dream – across the floor. Straight towards her.

Mai's body, however, refused to move. Her thoughts screamed at her as he drew nearer. MOVE!

Suddenly, Mai felt herself jerk backwards, just as Mamoru was about to run into her. As he passed, Mai noticed that the glint in his eye was still there. Except now, he had a shiny, red dagger in his free hand to make it seem scarier. The one holding Mai released her, causing her to look up in alarm. Gene's face smiled down sadly at her.

"Gene! Thank you for, well, you know…" She gestured at Mamoru, who was well across the room by now. Gene gently nodded.

"Anytime, Mai. You need to go now, though. This is an important thing for you to see." Mai's expression faltered, fear glowing in her eyes. Gene helped her up, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I would go with you, but something's making it hard for me to remain in your dreams recently. Probably whatever is here. I'm not sure." Gene's uncertainty made Mai nervous. She was about to point out that he was there right now and that he could probably walk with her for a little bit, but she stopped herself. Gene's figure had begun to fade away. Nodding her head, Mai placed her hands on top of Gene's fading ones.

"Alright. I'll be okay. But, um, I'll see you later, though… Right?" She smiled slightly at him, and he smiled back.

"Of course, Mai. Most likely as soon as this case is over. If we're lucky, before that." Gene's words echoed in the air as he disappeared. Mai's hands dropped back down to her sides. She sighed. Seeing Gene had reminded her of Naru. Angry Naru. The Naru who would fire her as soon as he saw her face again. Mai sighed again, looking towards the door that Mamoru had walked out of. Warily, she began walking towards the door, guessing that it was time that she found out what had happened to that poor, poor woman.

It wasn't long until Mai caught up with Mamoru. Although the man was completely terrifying, he wasn't exactly the most athletic. When Mai walked up to him, he was sitting at the edge of the forest, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Mai fought the urge to roll her eyes. After a couple of minutes, he continued trekking on with the bag, dragging it deeper into the forest. Walking slowly behind him, Mai stared morbidly at the black bag, tears coming to her eyes as she thought of what lay within.

After about five minutes, Mamoru stopped for another break. Then, he walked for about five more minutes, before stopping for yet another break. This cycle continued on for at least thirty minutes. Mai was about ready to call for Gene and make him press the fast-forward button on this dream. Obviously, this guy didn't know that the sooner he hides the body, the less chance he has of someone finding him.

Finally, the trees began to thin, and a small clearing appeared before them. A long, rectangular shed made of concrete stood in front of them. Mai peered around Mamoru, confirming what she already knew would be there – a blue door. The two of them stopped in front of the door, Mamoru fishing in his pocket for something. He pulled out a small gold key, opened the shed door, and dragged the bag inside. Mai was about to follow him when he suddenly shut the door. She put her hands on her hips. Rude much?

She raised a hand and went to knock on the door. Next thing she knew, her hand was through the door. She sat there for a moment, before she mentally smacked herself. Duh! I can go through walls here! Plus, he wouldn't have even answered anyway! This is the past!

Mai took one long step through the door. After a couple of steps, she stopped and looked around. The inside of the shed was just like the outside – gray concrete being the only material used to make the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Turning her head, Mai noticed that Mamoru was standing in the corner, right by a whole, square slab of concrete that he had taken out of the floor. He dropped the black bag into the hole, along with the bloody dagger, and then slowly hauled the concrete back into place.

When the hole in the ground was no longer extinguishable, Mamoru rubbed his hands together and disappeared. Mai blinked a couple times after he had left. She glanced around. Usually, when the main focus of her dream disappeared, she would wake up. Why wasn't she waking up? Unconsciously, she walked back outside, her gaze wandering back and forth, trying to see what she still had left to see. Her steps halted as her eyes resting on something.

About three feet away from her, sitting on the ground, was a black cat. Kazuha's cat? It had to be. It just sat there, staring at her. Not moving at all. Mai felt uneasy under its gaze. She cleared her throat.

"M-Momo?" She asked cautiously. At its name, the cat's tail flicked, sharply smacking the air. Its eyes flashed red, once, twice, three times. Instantaneously, Mai felt pressure on her chest. She stumbled backwards, falling onto her rear end. The cat began to stalk towards her, and ice-cold fear coursed through Mai's veins. Please stop, she thought to herself. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!

Mai inhaled deeply and realized, as she did so, that the pressure on her chest was still there. Ever so slowly, Mai opened her eyes. Green eyes shone in front of her face. Her heart started to race. What is this cat doing here? I haven't seen it until now. There's no way it just happens to appear right after I see it in my dream! The cat blinked twice before jumping off of Mai and onto the floor. Mai sat up, looking down at it. It stared pointedly at her, then began to saunter away, its tail swishing in the air.

Setting her feet on the floor, Mai glanced at the clock. 11:58 P.M. Seriously? I dreamt all that in ten minutes? She shook her head and transferred her gaze to the doorway, where the cat was now sitting. Obviously, it was waiting for her to follow. But should she? Maybe she should go tell Naru first…

Her heart sank. Yeah, right. As if he would even care. Besides, it's about time I do something on my own. Mai's feelings propelled her actions. She stood up and silently glided to the doorway, careful not to wake Ayako. The cat flicked its tail, as if approving her decision. Instead of going left, which Mai thought it would, the animal went right, straight towards the end of the hallway. As the two neared the end of the hall, a breeze ruffled Mai's hair. What in the world…?

At the end of the hallway was a window, one that Mai didn't even know existed. The window was open all the way, made evident by the curtain that swayed as wind blew into the house. A particularly strong gust of wind blew the curtain high into the air, and the cat leapt through the curtain-free window. Mai quickly walked up to it, holding onto the window's ledge. The cat was sitting in the grass of the backyard, a few feet away from the house. Just as Mai was about to climb out, worries began to nag at her consciousness.

Maybe I should go tell Naru after all. This isn't exactly safe. I mean, the ghost could be doing all of this for all I know! And the cat in my dream, the red eyes, the fear… She shook her head. No, I have to do this. It is the only thing I can do to prove to Naru that he shouldn't fire me, that I am an important asset to the team. Taking one last look down the hallway, to where she knew the safe room was, Mai ducked her head through the window, the rest of her body quickly following suit.

Mai trailed the cat, the only light to guide her coming from the moon and the cat's eyes. She stumbled through the forest, hoping with each passing minute that she wouldn't regret doing this. That she would survive to not regret doing this. After a short period of time, the trees thinned, and the moon shone down, revealing the rectangular house of concrete. The moonlight made the door shine a ghastly blue color. Mai had stopped walking and was now staring at the building. She knew what was in there. She didn't really want to see it.

The cat glanced at her one more time before running and leaping onto the door. It burst open, the hinges creaking, and a huge cloud of dust billowed out. Mai uncovered her ears and squinted through her eyes. She opened them completely, turning her head left and right. Where did the cat go? She stepped towards the open door with careful, slow steps. Mai took one last look around before walking into the shed. Her head whirled this way and that, making sure that nothing was in the shed. Her eyes paused as they noticed something on the ceiling: a single light bulb with a string hanging from it. Mai walked towards it, turning around in a full circle as she did so.

When she reached the light bulb, she grabbed the string. Okay. On the count of three, Mai. One. Two. Three! She yanked down on it. A dull, yellow light emanated from the bulb. The walls now looked like murky, yellow water. Mai let her hand fall. She started to feel uneasy as she accessed her current situation.

So… I'm in a concrete shed in the middle of a forest, around midnight. I wouldn't know how to find my way back, even if I tried. Not to mention that there is a dead body in the shed I'm in, as well as a freaky ghost haunting the grounds I'm standing on. Plus, I lost my only proof that I'm not going insane. The cat. It's gone! Mai covered her face with her hands.

Things could not get any worse.

SLAM!

Never mind, they just did.

Mai spun around, dashing to the door, only to discover what she already knew had happened – the door had been locked. And to add to this, the temperature in the shed began to drop considerably. Mai turned and kept her back against the door, all the while watching the room for a form of movement. Suddenly, the door behind her grew colder and colder, until she could no longer feel the back of her body. She stumbled to the center of the room before turning to look back at the door.

Why is the door turning cold, she wondered, when things touched by ghosts are supposed to be warm? Unless…. This thing really isn't a ghost? She looked at the floor, racking her brains for a possible answer, the cold starting to muddle her thoughts.

Mai was so absorbed in finding an answer to the cold door that she did not notice the black mist that had begun seeping through the door. Only when she realized that she was supposed to be watching the door did she look up to the see the mist swirling its way through the air… straight towards her.

Mai gasped and stumbled back once more, coming to a stop as her back hit the wall of the shed. The mist sped up, as if it knew that she was attempting to get away. It shot through the air, and Mai leapt to the right as it made contact with the spot on the wall that she had been leaning against. Mai ran to one of the other walls, just as it began to glide in her direction.

Well… I don't know how long I can keep this up, but at least I can dodge it! Mai's thoughts practically screamed at her, trying to provide some sort of reconciliation. She frantically glanced around the shed, her eyes widening. Holy…

The mist had started to spread to all of the corners of the room; it was no longer a single strand of mist, but a whole mass growing in all directions. Mai shrunk into one of the corners, tears stinging at her eyes as she closed them tightly. Obviously, the mist was trying to harm her, just as it did Mitsuki and Haruhi. She did not want to die because of a stupid cloud of mist! But what could she do? No one knew where this shed was! Everyone was sleeping, anyway, so there was no way that she could communicate to them. Well, Naru and Lin would probably be awake.

Naru… Tears began to run freely down her face. She was the one at fault. She should have never considered going out here by herself, something only an idiot would do. Even if she was the one who caused this to happen, Mai knew that everyone else would think that they were at fault, and that was something that she did not want to happen!

It was just horrible, waiting there, having these thoughts right before she was about to be attacked! Why hadn't this thing just finished the job already? She glanced up, trying to wipe her tears to see where the mist was. Her heart practically stopped.

The mist had halted its movement, forming a small half-circle around her. She stared at it for a couple of minutes. Finally, she hesitantly stood up, with her back pressed firmly into the corner. As if to respond to her movement, part of the mist contorted itself into the shape of a hand, which started slowly floating towards her. Something inside Mai snapped.

"I don't w-want to die! P-Please, just let me go!" She cried, tears streaming down her face, "I'm just here to help…I-I swear…" She covered her face with her hands, sobs wracking her body. Suddenly, Mai felt something extremely cold wrap around her left wrist. She flung her hand away from her face, staring at the black mist hand that had a hold of her wrist. Mai felt her heartbeat increase, and she stared, wide-eyed, as neither of them moved.

What's…. going on? Why isn't it moving? Why don't I feel any pain? Is it going to hurt me? All of these thoughts rushed through her head. After what seemed like hours to her, but was probably a mere thirty seconds, the hand withdrew. Slowly, but surely, the mist began to dissipate out of the room and through the door.

Mai stared at her wrist, wondering what the whole point of that must have been. Her heartbeat began to slow, but her thoughts were still swarming around in her head. Am I now infected or something? Like the other two girls? Fated to die later on? Maybe this thing liked to have people die slowly and painfully and at random times, too. What was-

Click.

Mai turned so fast that she almost fell over. The door… was open? Without any hesitation, she sprinted through the door, into the forest, and – somehow making it back to the house – across the backyard to the window. She literally dove headfirst into the house, landing hard onto her shoulder. Leaping up, Mai shot into the bathroom in the hallway. She smacked the light on and slammed the door shut as quietly as she could before emptying her stomach into the toilet.

"Ugh…." She rested her head against the tub, trying to stop her shaking body. She was relieved, to say the least. Sure, she didn't know what the thing had done to her, but she was alive for the moment, and that was enough to make her happy for now. She felt a smile - although it was a weak one – spread across her face.

Unfortunately, her happiness and relief were short-lived. The sound of quick footsteps reached Mai's ears, and she felt her heart stop, once again. Oh, crap…! What if that's Naru? She thought. She lunged across the bathroom, hand outstretched, to lock the door, but she was too late. The door burst open, smacking her hand into the wall, which caused Mai to cry out in pain. She cradled her hand, looking at it instead of looking at the one who had brought upon the injury.

"Mai…" She heard Naru say in his dangerous voice. Mai couldn't help it; she started shaking as tears fell from her eyes. She collapsed on the floor and covered her face with her hands.

"N-Naru, I'm s-so sorry! I really d-didn't mean to do it w-without telling you, but I-I thought it w-would help with the c-case! I was trying t-to make it up to y-you for what I said earlier! Please, please, don't hate me…" Mai was scared. She knew how angry Naru was already, and this would send him completely over the edge. She didn't want him to fire her, not now. Nor did she want him to mistrust her and think that she would just do whatever she wanted, on her own. Normally, she wouldn't be so upset, but her nerves were on edge, and she was exhausted. After thinking she was going to die – and still might because of the mist – Mai just wanted everything to go back to being okay. And now…

"Mai." Naru's voice had taken a softer note, which caused Mai to look up. He knelt down to her level.

"Calm down. I don't hate you. And at this point, I don't care about what you said earlier. What I would like to know is why my assistant is making commotion while throwing up at 2 A.M., looking like she had just faced Death himself." Mai's heart leapt at the word 'assistant'. At least he hadn't decided to fire her… yet.

Naru, however, felt his curiosity peak as Mai's eyes showed panic when he had said 'Death'. His own eyes narrowed, "Mai, tell me what happened. Obviously, something harmed or frightened you, given your state."

Mai felt fresh tears cascade down her face.

"Stupid word… obvious…" She muttered through her tears. Naru crossed his arms, giving her the 'this-isn't-the-time-for-that-kind-of-stuff' look. Wrapping her arms around herself, Mai looked at the ground. Of course, she would have to tell him. She took a deep, shaking breath and tried to look him in the eyes. Then, she began to explain.

Woot! Longest chapter ever! :) Soo, I wanted to give you guys two good chapters because my writing might be slowing down a bit. I have a lot of stuff that is going to be going on, so I wanted to make it up to ya'll now! Hopefully, you like this chapter. Half of it was what I wrote when I was starting this story. The mist part? That was the first thing I wrote. I pretty much based the rest of the story off of that. Anyhoo, enough talking from me! I'll see you guys as soon as I can! Thanks!

-Allikitty13 + Tuna =^.^=