Pain.

That aspect was becoming more than predictable.

This pain was different, however. It wasn't a headache, this felt like my skull had been cracked.

It was a miracle it wasn't.

I feel a wet and sticky substance tangling in my hair and dripping down my face. I had no idea how big the wound was, and most of the blood wasn't fresh. I was still actively bleeding by the heat on the side of my head, but it was small. The good option was that the wound was small and I had just been here for several hours, long enough for it to bleed this much. The bad option was that I hadn't been here very long and the wound was large enough to bleed this much in a short amount of time.

Either way, I was losing too much blood. I was so weak I could hardly move, but I needed to. The blood made it almost impossible to open my right eye and I couldn't hear out of my right ear, but my left side still worked decently. It was so dark eyes are useless anyway. I could hear faint shuffling, whoever attacked me was still here. I needed to move fast, quietly, and smartly. I could feel myself fading even faster than how fast I would need to move, not good.

I had been in worse situations.

Well, not really, but being optimistic is one of my qualities.

I slowly began to move my arms. Sharp pain. Broken ribs, most likely. I needed to be even more careful, then, I couldn't tell how or where they were broken, only that it hurt. I didn't need a punctured lung on top of a head wound. Slowly, I began to move my arms again, at least they weren't broken. I touched something wet and sticky, more blood.

I had lost more than I first thought. I felt myself begin to panic, no, if I panic now I'm definitely not going to get out of this. No matter how long I had been here, the other would have noticed by now and are looking for me. I just need to survive, easy enough. I began to inch towards a corner, away from the noise of feet.

I touched something familiar and had to cover my mouth to stifle a scream. In the dim light, I could see the outlines of skeletons, a female and two children. They're bones still stained with blood, scraps of clothes dangling of sharp spike like bones. The dust around here could be bone dust, just what I needed. Keeping my mouth covered, I struggled to move away, separate myself from the toxic air, only to freeze when I heard the shuffling get closer. A lot closer.

…..

It had been an hour since it was discovered Mai was missing, a potential 3 hours since she was taken. The police had been called, but they couldn't find any traces of her. Despite Lin's plea, Naru had had enough. It wasn't long before he lost his patience, and he was quite fearful when angry. Ayako and Masako rushed to find something significant of Mai's that Naru could use to find her. It didn't take long for Ayako to dig up a necklace with a small silver flower covered in small bright jewels, one that Naru had given to Mai himself. Naru almost lost it when Ayako found it, but it was more than enough to track Mai down.

Naru went to work and had been sitting silent for about 45 minutes, something was blocking him. He opted to sit in front of a mirror, hoping it would draw out some help from Gene. Lin was also sitting silently, his own Shiki hunting down any sign of Mai.

After an hour, Naru finally stirred, shakily standing, causing everyone else to rush to him, "The closest I can get is a picture of a shack behind the building."

Lin was the first to speak, having gotten up without anybody else noticing, "There's a few of them, but not too many."

Monk nodded, stretching out his arms and cracking his knuckles, "They're so old it won't be a problem to break them open." Yasu awkwardly cracked his own knuckles.

Masako glanced at a concerned looking Ayako before frowning and speaking in a quiet voice, "There's a good chance there will be a fight. Whoever took her is likely still with her, and if it is Fujino, it could be a bad one."

Ayako nodded, "Yeah, he's a big guy and pretty strong. If he's possessed by a really angry ghost, that'll make it even more difficult."

Naru went quiet for a moment before turning to Yasu, "Go and call Mr Yukiyama, tell him we found Mai and we need back up." Yasu nodded and pulled out his cell, walking away a bit while it rang as Naru turned to John, "Get your exorcisms ready, you too Ayako. Masako, there'll most likely be other spirits, I want you to keep watch and warn us if any other spirits get aggressive." The three of them nodded quickly as Naru continued, "Monk, after Lin's Shiki stun Fujino you'll hold him down."

Monk grinned and gave a thumbs up, "You got it boss!"

Naru nodded a bit, "Let's go save Mai."

The others gave determined shouts before heading to the back of the building and beginning to break open sheds.

….

Silence.

I didn't dare breathe.

After what felt like forever, the shuffling moved back towards the back of the shed where the light was coming from. Now I could see my attacker's form, Fujino. Definitely Fujino. I finally let myself breathe slightly. I waited for another moment before beginning to move away again, only two bump into something else. It was freezing cold, and my whole body shook in a shiver. I glanced over my shoulder to be greeted by a bloody face.

I was much closer to not catching the screech this time. The spirits dead, frozen hands were the ones that covered my mouth. So cold, I thought I would get frostbite from just the one touch. She had a slight glow to her, but it wasn't enough to attract any real attention from my attacker. She was solid, but definitely dead.

Despite how cold she was, I began to feel warm, almost comforted. I only realized why when I noticed she looked like my mom. Mom? I opened my mouth to talk but she shook her head.

Kaneda.

I could trust her.

She gently moved back before waving me over. I couldn't help but follow her. She led me to a safer part of the shed. I couldn't tell if there was a door, but it was away from both the skeletons and my attacker. She silently sat down next to me and I almost forgot I was bleeding to death.

Kaneda smiled softly at me and patted my head gently. We sat there for a long time, only for her to be the first to jump with a panicked look. I followed her gaze towards where I had been when I first woke up.

Fujino had noticed I was gone.

He was furious.

Kaneda panicked completely, I grabbed her wrist and whispered, "It will be fine."

She nodded and hugged me. She vanished a second later, to reveal that Fujino had noticed me.

Now I was panicking.

God, Naru, where the fuck are you?! You too, Gene! I could really fucking use your help!"

I needed to think of a plan, and fast. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay conscious, and that's if he didn't kill me after he finished walking slowly over to me.

….

Naru wasn't sure how many small sheds and been broken open. There were a lot more than anyone expected, although most of them were too small to be of any use to a serial killer. A loud crash announced another shed that was open. How fast Monk and lin moved to the next one told him it was another bust. He glanced inside to see a large mirror.

And he froze.

His reflection wasn't a reflection. HE knew he was scowling, he couldn't even describe how angry he was right now, but the figure in the mirror was smiling, ever so slightly. His eyes narrowed as he moved into the shed, raising a hand towards the mirror and gently touching it.

A voice echoed in his mind as he closed his eyes. Gene's voice.

"Find her."

He clutched the necklace in his hand and whispered, "I will. I promise."

"North. Potted plant."

Naru's eyes snapped open and he whispered a quick, "Thank you." Before jogging out of the shed and scanning the left over one, focusing on what he assumed was the northern direction. A medium sized shack with two dead potted plants covered in weeds sat. There was no obvious door, but the plants were separated and both sat just near opposite corners. The door was most likely in between them.

He shouted as loud as he could, "Monk! Lin!"

…..

It didn't take Fujino long to get to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled so hard I thought he would rip it off. If there was any good time to improvise, now would be that time. I used all my strength to slam my knee upwards, hitting him in the target place. Even a huge man like him had weaknesses, obviously.

He let out a shout of pain and crouched down, clutching the family jewels. It only bought me a second of time, as a second later he reached out and pulled my hair. If I thought he had pulled my arm hard…

Finally I could let out my screech, and despite my throat feeling too sore to make a noise, I screamed. It seemed to be loud enough to surprise him slightly, this time it was just loud and shocking enough to cover up the sound of a hole being made in the shed. Two white shapes immediately attacked him, knocked him off of his feet and winding him. I heard Monk shout as he held Fujino down, and John and Ayako shout basic prayers.

A shiver went down my spine as I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I smiled softly and whispered, "We're free, Kaneda."

The cold touch turned almost burning hot, and then it was gone. For good this time.