"Do you think that john-san and mia-chan are ok?" the monk asked as him and ayako were huddled next to each other for warmth. It was there turn for 'shifts', naru had divided it up, in two hour blocks in which they would work with a partner.
The temperature had dipped to an unpleasant level, during the night, and they were both not happy about their current situation. They had laid all the flashlights that work, around them in a circle, it created at least a 'perimeter' as the young boss put it.
Over the course of the painstaking hours, three of the batteries had died, and they were now down to four remaining. They had tried calling someone on their cell, but they received just static yet again.
"What time is it?" Yasu moaned as he sat up dark rings forming around his eyes.
"3:02 am" the red head flashed the barely lit screen of the dying cellular device his way.
"Ughhh..." he just moaned as he laid back down, next to masako who uncharacteristically had moved closer to his warmth.
"I don't know houshou, I do hope that they are ok, but I have a bad feeling about this place don't you?" she leaned into his chest as she felt sleep trying to tug at her consciousness.
"Yah I got the same feeling.." he stated to no one as she was fast gone. He gazed out into the dark, watching the shapes, move and settle, over and over again. It reminded him of a tide, a tide of nothingness swallowing up everything it came into it's path.
"Gene! Where are you?" mai called into the darkness of her dream scape, "Gene, I need you!" she screamed louder his time, she had been wandering for who knows how long in this place, looking for an exit. She found that every tunnel was covered by a barrier, figuring it was his fault for doing it she had started calling for the young ghost.
"GENE!" she bellowed out once more, as she collapsed to the ground, this was not good. She was worried about john who had been left to deal with that horrible twisted child, who seemed determined to end her life.
"Mai?" Came the echoic voice of the man she had been screaming for, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you it was dangerous?" came the reprimanding tone of the gentle eyed man.
She turned to face him, "There you are, I was wondering if you would ever decide to show yourself? Geez I had been calling you for hours..." she mumbled in relief.
He was peturbuded with her lack of normal enthusiasm, and her lack of caring for her health as well. "You know the reason why I was not coming..." he trailed off guiltily, in truth he had been listening to her the whole time, he was hoping she would go back to reality, but she had stayed, and it was killing him inside, that she sounded almost desperate.
"You know I don't care about that!" she spat bitterly, as she gave a naru-like glare to the boy.
"Don't you mai? Everyone would and should care about their life!" he said with a hint of agitation in his voice.
"Well I don't think you've noticed but I don't! I got to many other things to think about than forgotten dreams!" her voice was raised as her cheeks turned red with anger.
"What about john? Are you going to forget about him?" he glared icily towards her.
"WHY the crap do you think I am currently talking to you?" she yelled this time, "Gosh your an idiot like your brother! I wouldn't be asking for help, if it was just me!" there was a quiet tense silence that passed between them, as they were locked in each others glares.
Finally the young man sighed, why does she not care? She really was to kind hearted for her own good. "Alright mai tell me what is going on?"
She exhaled slowly before she started to explain the circumstances, to the boy, after she finished, he looked at her with a troubled face." It started at the orphanage you say?" he asked more to himself than to her. She just nodded her head in confirmation, once again, as gene started to pace back and forth, thinking out loud as he went.
"He said that he was related to the spirit that was haunting there?"
She blinked a bit, "Well kind of, maybe? I don't known it was the impression I got, but I guess we should make sure, right?"
"Correct, Mai I am going to give you a secret mission, yes you can tell john," he answered when he saw that her face had fallen a bit, "I want you to investigate the spirit that you encountered at the orphanage, find out her family tree, we know she was an orphan previous, but we need to find out if she had any children, focus on that. When you do figure it out, come and find me..." his voice started fading, she felt the familiar tug, as the darkness was now being swallowed by light.
Slowly blinking she readjusted her eyes to the surrounding area, light was streaming through the cracks of the curtains that were hanging like veils on the window. She tried to remember what happened before she blacked out, there was john, and tea..."the little boy" she whispered to herself.
She tried sitting up to search for the murderess child, but in the process she found something heavy on top of her.
"John-kun, John!" she whispered, shaking him slightly, "Wake up I hear footsteps.."
"I don't wanna get up.." he mumbled into her shoulder, how the hec did she end up like this, she would definitely have to ask. Last thing she could recall was being held by the young man, sitting up, now she was laying down on the couch, with him on top of her, like a shield she supposed.
The footsteps were getting precariously closer with every passing second, "John what would the others say if they found us like this?" she groaned as she tried pushing him up, so at least she could get away. In the exact moment the door was sliding, she found an opening and slid herself out from under the man, and onto the floor next to the couch.
"Jou-chan!" came the voice of a very tired looking monk, followed behind him was the rest of the gang, who all looked equally tired as well.
"Mai, tea, NOW!" naru grated, not wanting to stick around to explain what had transpired over the course of the night, or invoke the wrath of her exhausted boss, she scrambled out of the room as fast as she possibly could.
After a few minutes John stirred, due to all the commotion that everyone was making, and immediately looked up, "Mai-chan, what is going on?" he asked rubbing his weary eyes, trying to come back to reality.
"I would like an answer to that as well..." came a chilling response from the young employer.
"Naru!" the caught of guard man practically yelled, as he sat up.
Right then mai returned to the base carrying a tray full of steaming liquid, the aroma filled the room, sending a calming affect to most everyone. She handed the cups out efficiently, then she proceeded to sit next the still alert priest, who looked as nervous as ever.
"Where were you guys, we came back to base, and you weren't there?" the brave assistant started off.
"Shouldn't we be asking you guys that?" came the annoyed tone of ayako, "We were searching for you and got caught up by a...a...thing, I don't know a weird spirit, that was everywhere, we had to wait till morning to come back." she sent a very much naru glare their way.
"Which leads us back to you two," Bou started, "We went to the kitchen and you weren't there..." he narrowed his eyes "What happened last night?"
"Nothing happened last night!" mai tried her best to stop an embarrassed blush that was building fast on her cheeks.
"Judging by the color of those cheeks, I would like to say that something did happen, ne naru-chan?" Yasu started mischievously, throwing the ball back onto the boss's court.
"Mai, explain." he simply commanded.
Mustering up all the face she could save, she bravely stared at the icicle, "Well for one, john-kun wasn't feeling well last night, so I opted to help him back to base,"
"You obviously didn't make it that far.." Yasu sing songed, interrupting her.
"Ahhhem...as I was saying, he wasn't feeling well, so we had to stop somewhere, and the spirit trapped us simple as that."
"Uh huh..." the mocking boy answered, "Like we are going to believe that is all that happened..." he smirked.
"Oh also, the spirit can only control one person at a time!" she added smartly.
"How have you come to this conclusion?" the boss of course had to ask that question, everyone knew he needed proof.
She shot him a I-am-not-telling-whether-you-fire-me-or-not look, before smirking, "I just know, ok, and it is not a hypothesis."
Everyone was looking between naru and his spunky assistant, waiting breathlessly for her to get railed on, or fired, what ever came first. The seconds ticked away longily before he finally spoke, "Brown-san is what she saying true?"
"Hai, what she is saying is true," he looked very uncomfortable at the present moment.
"Very well I will take your word for it, for now, at least. Lin explain what happened last night, after that, the rest will rest presently, while you take detailed explanations from brown, and mai." he commanded like this was a normal office building.
"Not fair we want to hear what happened too!" Ayako whined, only to receive the death stare from not one but three people. "Ok ok geez some people didn't take their happy pill this morning."
"How could we?" the monk angrily spat, "We were stuck outside the whole time, while these two were playing house or what not..." his gesture towards the two was a angry as his words.
Mai couldn't help but feel, somewhat isolated all of the sudden, it was like john and her were on a boat being set adrift, alone. 'Outcasts' she heard a weird voice in her head all of the sudden, looking around suspiciously she noticed everyone seemed somewhat ok, but maybe takigawa.
"Sitting their freezing our butts off, while they got to sleep where ever they pretty well pleased." he growled, ominously staring at her and her alone, or that is what it seemed like the frightened girl.
There was that unnatural hungry look again, this time it had a murderess intent to it, like he wanted blood. 'Betrayed' came another word echoing in the casisms of her mind, 'Betrayed by your friends, outcasts, hated, loathed,' It continued taunting her, she uncharastically took the Australian's hand.
He looked down at her expression before speaking up, "Shibuya-san you were correct on your theory, it doesn't posses people." he took in the look that bou-san was shooting her, and surmised that it was already playing him, and by the way mai was gripping his hand, it was working on her as well. "We can't exorcise them."
Everyone looked up at that statement, "I don't understand, what is going on?" Ayako looked weirdly at bou.
"Hara-san, what are you sensing right now?" The sharped eyed man asked.
"I can't sense a spirit, of any kind, at least not in this room, but I can sense a foreign presence tainting Takigawa-san's aura." Her voice seemed alot like the wind, well at least to mai, coming and going softly.
'Rejected, alone' the voices continued their stream of words, she felt her self being dragged down by the weight of them.
"Taniyama-san's is different," she started, "Her aura feels warped in a sense."
"Warped?" Yasuhara asked inquisitively, he was silently worried about the girl, he had noticed her decline in energy as well as anyone, but he had noticed the ghosts had seemed to be targeting her more and more each case.
'Alone, once you are alone there is no reason to stay anymore..' it's whispered turned into hypnotizing caresses, 'Why fight it, you are almost forgotten at this point..'
"Yes, it is strange, it doesn't feel like her's normally, something has invaded it, is controlling her, or she herself is warping it." she cautiously glanced towards the girl, who seemed spacey.
"How could she warp it? Wouldn't she know?" This time she heard john's sweet voice ask.
'See," she thought to whatever was occupying her, "He cares.." she smiled to herself.
'Does he? What if it is out of pity?" that sentence stung like a thousand daggers, 'don't worry, sleep, when you sleep there is nothing to worry about."
"Sleep" she quietly whispered out loud, as she blacked out against the shoulder of the blond hired man, and at the same time bou-san lunged.
Gomen for the lateness of it, but i was again not feeling well, and i was short on muse as well, but here is another chapter for you all, i will update soon, R&R