Gene was furious with me. I had only to close my eyes for him to be standing there, glowering at me.
"Why are you being so stupid?" He shouted at me. "And why did you lie to Noll?"
"I didn't lie!"
"Really? 'It's my intuition'!" He imitated a high voice. "It's bullshit Mai."
"It'll be better this way." I said quietly.
"Better? Noll is down there locking himself away again, how is that better?!" The anger in his voice was frightening.
"I can't hurt him this way!" I shouted back. "We can't argue and break up and…"
"Mai, you've literally just broken him. And I'm not talking to you again until you've fixed it."
"Gene! Gene no! Wait!" I shouted after him, but he didn't listen. I woke a second later panting. Light was streaming in through the cracks in the window and by the looks of it; everyone else had already got up.
Was I being stupid about this? I wanted to keep him safe and despite what Gene had said, I did have a nagging feeling that everything was going to go wrong. Was I wrong to assume that everything going wrong would be to do with Naru and I getting together? Or was the situation now, where he hated me, it going wrong?
Groggily I got up, showered and dressed. I felt physically and mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home. The apartment that would only be my home until the end of the week. I still hadn't found somewhere to live; perhaps Yasuhara would let me kip on his sofa…
When I entered the base, I studied Naru's profile. He was sitting up straight, still staring at the screens though his shift ended at least an hour ago. I thought of what Gene had told me; that he was locking himself away again. Was I imagining it, or did his eyes seem glazed?
I found myself some breakfast and took a seat on the sofa. There wasn't much we could do until we experienced some activity. The sofa was quite comfortable and I found myself drifting off.
When I woke, there had obviously been some activity, as Lin, Madoka and Naru were replaying the same bit of screen.
"What's happened?" I asked, yawning. None of them answered me, so I looked to John.
"Something was scaring the cows." He said. "Picked up on the thermal imaging, but not the normal cameras."
"Do we have any ideas what it is?"
"Taniyama-san if you are not going to pay attention and just make noise please leave the room as some of us are working." Naru said. I registered the use of my surname and the insult. Fine. If he was going to be that way.
I stood up and made my way out of the room, closing the door firmly behind me. Had we been at the office, I would have slammed it, but it was not fair of me to break Utsumi-san's door.
I walked around the little house and saw the barn where Utsumi-san kept the cows about to calve. I started walking towards the barn and the gate out into one of his many fields. There were many calves and their mothers grazing happily in the field, a sight which relaxed me somewhat after Naru being an arsehole. A big black cat jumped up on the fence beside where I was standing. It was watching me with interest, but I ignored it.
An urge led me into the barn. It was oddly cold in here, though it was a warm day outside. There were several pens inside with heavily pregnant cows eating from troughs standing alone in each one. I could see one of our cameras, but doubted they were watching this feed. The activity had been in one of the fields.
Then something strange happened. It was like I could see it before it happened. Running around two lengths of the barn were gas pipes that supplied the heaters. I saw the pipes break open and a fire catch. Fire running up the walls of the wooden and highly flammable barn with pregnant cows inside.
Then I blinked. And it was gone. But the unease in my heart had not. I had to get these animals out. I ran to the other end of the barn, which led out into the field and pushed the door wide open. Then I started undoing the pens and trying to pull the cows out. Once one or two had the idea, the others followed. I had managed to get about half out when I spotted the flame.
"Help!" I screamed at the camera, hoping they would see me waving my arms. The fire was spreading up the walls and the remaining cows were beginning to panic. I rushed back to my task and noticed the black cat had somehow crept inside. "Get out cat!" I shouted it, worried it would be trampled by the cows, but it seemed reluctant to move.
I could feel the heat from the blaze and shouts from outside. I knew somehow without even touching the door I had entered through was locked. This ghost was a bastard.
"Mai! Mai!" I could hear voices yelling from the other side of the door and banging noises. I finished letting the cows free, who stampeded towards the clean air and the exit.
"The other door!" I yelled. "I'll go out the other door!" The fire had spread up to the roof and I could hear an ominous cracking sound. I started sprinting towards the open door and could see a figure rushing into view. Then I heard a mewing. The cat! I turned and spotted it. Why hadn't it moved? Was it stupid?!
I started running towards it, ignoring the shouts behind me. I scooped up the cat and turned once again back to the open door. Then a beam fell in front of me.
"Shit!" I yelled in fear, my heart was racing. But adrenaline was pumping through my veins. I took a crazy leap and landed badly on the other side of the beam. My ankle hurt and I tried to get up, still clutching the terrified cat, which was scratching at my grip. But my ankle collapsed beneath me. "Argh!" I screamed as I fell. Then I felt strong arms pulling me up and yanking me towards the doorway. I scrambled forwards, leaning heavily on my saviour. Another beam fell just behind us.
The door seemed so far away. I could vaguely see Madoka's pink hair in the distance and hear her screaming. My ankle was agony but I kept moving, desperately aware of the painful grip my saviour had on me.
Then we were in the open air. I let the cat go and it hit the ground running. The hands holding me up let go and I fell to the ground.
"Thank you." I said gratefully, but he wasn't listening. Naru was on the ground too, but facing the blazing fire. His eyes were wide in fear and he was breathing heavily. I watched his eyes dart back and forth from the dancing flames to the floor just in front of him. "Are you okay?"
I reached up a tentative hand and felt his body shaking. He was having a panic attack. Ignoring my own discomfort, I forced myself into a kneeling position and faced him.
"Naru, can you hear me? You are safe now. I need you to concentrate on the sound of my voice, can you do that?" My voice was strong and reassuring, as I had been taught in first aid. I wasn't sure if he was listening, but somehow I didn't think touching him was a good idea. His body was in fight or flight mode and didn't realise that he was now out of danger. "Naru, I need you to slow your breathing down. Can you do that for me? With me now, take a deep breath in 2… 3… 4… And out 2… 3… 4…" I repeated the instructions until they seemed to take hold in his head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Madoka and Lin approaching but I waved them away. I did not need them interfering while he was so fragile.
It took me almost ten minutes to calm him down. Finally, when his body relaxed I took his sweaty hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He did not flinch away, which was a good sign. The fire service arrived not long afterwards and put out the rest of the fire.
"Are you okay?" I asked him. I could still see fear in his eyes, but it was more controlled now. "Come on; let's get you away from here." I made to stand up, but fell almost immediately. I had forgotten my ankle.
"You should put some ice on that." He said quietly. He helped me up and supported me back to the house, which was far away enough from the barn not to be affected. I saw Madoka explaining to Utsumi-san what had happened.
After depositing me on the sofa, Naru disappeared for a moment and then reappeared with an icepack covered in a tea towel. He sat down on the other end of the sofa, lifted my ankle onto his lap so that it was raised and held the ice to my skin. Though the tea towel reduced the cold sensation, I still winced.
"Will you ever stop doing stupid things?" He asked, but his voice was softer than it had been earlier. "I would have hoped after ten years you would have stopped by now."
"If I hadn't done anything, those cows would have died!" I protested.
"So could have you!" He replied.
"So?"
"You're an idiot."
"You came after me, what does that make you?!" I snapped back.
"Clever. Your death would have meant a lot of paperwork and a lot of time with that damn kanji dictionary." He replied softly.
"Cheers." I muttered darkly. "I told you I had a feeling something bad would happen." I added, unable to help myself.
"Yeah, that had nothing to do with us."
"How was I to know that?"
"Does this mean you'll change your mind?" His voice was void of emotion.
"It depends. Are you going to get help?"
"I don't need help."
"Naru, you just had a panic attack."
"I do not think it out of the ordinary for the body to react extremely to such a situation."
"It is out of the ordinary for your body not to recognise when it is no longer in danger." I replied. "Please…?"
"Keep your ankle elevated, and the ice on it. I will go and see if we have any compression bandages in the first aid kit." He said, ignoring my plea and leaving the room again. Damn that man.
Madoka appeared before Naru returned.
"Utsumi-san is most grateful for you saving his cows. John is performing exorcisms as we speak. We agreed he would blanket the area with them in the hope of getting rid of the damn spirit." She explained. "How's your ankle?"
"Painful." I replied, lying back on the sofa and closing my eyes. "It's just a sprain." I told her. "RICE right? Rest, ice, compression and elevation. Naru went to look for a compression bandage in the first aid kit."
"Noll was having a panic attack before, wasn't he?" Madoka asked. "When you told us not to come closer?"
"Yes. I suspect PTSD, though I am no doctor. He needs help but…" I trailed off. "Why is he so stubbornly stupid?"
"I was about to ask you the same question." Naru's voice said. I opened my eyes to see him standing with the first aid kit in his arms. "Now why don't you shut up while I sort your ankle out?"
"Yes Nurse Naru." I replied and closed my eyes again. I heard Madoka snigger and I smiled. Naru's pulled off my shoe and sock and removed the ice. He started wrapping the elasticated bandage around my ankle with surprising gentle hands.
"You will have to remove this and ice it every few hours." He told me.
"I know, I have done first aid." I replied.
"And as you have to rest it, it makes you rather useless for the remainder of this case." He continued, as if I hadn't spoken.
"Well as John is exorcising now, we might not be here much longer." Madoka said. "I'd like you to keep an eye on Mai, Noll. Soon as she can't be on her feet for a while, you'll have to bring her food and things." Although my eyes were still closed, I could imagine the smug look on Madoka's face, knowing the pain she was causing Naru by essentially making him my butler.
"Madoka?" I said. "Please will you make the tea? Naru's tea sucks."
"Oh I have that sorted." Naru said, and I opened my eyes. Before I could protest, he had picked me up the way a groom carries his bride and carried me through to the kitchen, where he sat me on the worktop. He put the kettle on, and then passed me the box of tea and cups. "There you go, you can still make the tea. I guess you are useful after all."
Author's note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Especially those who commented on the artwork I uploaded for the cover. Please review!