Chapter 26: Chapter 26
"Wake up Onee-san" The group around the door heard one of the boys whine.
"Naru." Lin ordered. Noll looked at him then moved the parents away from the door. Lin placed a firm kick on the door at the same time his Shiki slashed through the door. They fell in instantly, he whistled, and his shiki slashed around the room while Lin moved toward where Mai slumped against a wall, holding the two boys protectively close to her.
The two boys were crying, trying unsuccessfully to wake Mai up. Her arms were in a death grip around them; although she had passed out, she still guarded them. Lin approached and loosened Mai's grasp and let the boys get up. They ran to their parents. Gibbering a unintelligibly about Onee-san.
Lin and Naru examined Mai; her shirt was severely torn, with slash marks across her back, and arms. Moving her shirt from her side revealed one of several large bruises forming that would mottle her skin.
"Lin," Naru motioned to the bed although the man had already started moving. "Put Mai on the bed, Matsuzaki-san should be here any minute." Lin carefully placed his arms around the girl, picked her up, and laid her on one of the beds in the room. Most of the cuts were on Mai's back and side so Lin laid the girl on her stomach. He swiftly took out his cell and dialed Matsuzaki-san.
"Matsuzaki-san" Lin paused as she responded.
"How far away?" again he paused.
"Taniyama-san will need your assistance when you get here." Lin moved the phone away from his ear as others heard screaming coming through the earpiece.
The boys walked over to Naru and tugged on one sleeve. "Sir, will Onee-san be ok? Is she hurt?"
Naru looked down at the boys, gave them a rare half smile. "Onee-san?" he smirked, "She will be fine, the clumsy idiot is always getting hurt, but it never stops her from doing it again." the boys looked up at him confused. "She will be fine, she just needs some rest." The boys walked back to their mother, who led them out of the room.
"Thank you," Lin said when she had quieted for a second and then flipped it closed.
The others looked at him expectantly until they heard the squeal of tires. Then a series of doors opening and closing until the Miko appeared in the doorway holding her first aid kit. She gave Naru and Lin a glare as she proceeded to examine the girl on the bed. First feeling of her head, then checking her pulse and breathing. Satisfied she wasn't in any danger she proceeded to check the cuts. Slowly removing part of Mai's shirt, cleaning, and bandaging the wound. At some point, everyone left leaving the Miko to attend to Mai. A short time later Lin returned with some water and fresh bandages.
"Lin-san, how did this happen?" The Miko's hands shook in rage as she placed a bandage over a deep gash in Mai's arm. "I thought you would be more careful with her not having active abilities."
"We were interviewing the parents. Mai went to play with the children and we heard a scream. All notes showed the ghost only appeared if the boys were alone and only attacked them. We have no clue why it appeared and attacked Mai. We are going to review the tapes from this room but the camera was damaged." Lin gestured toward the wall where remnants of electronics could be seen. "We may need to rely on the boy's and Mai to explan."
"What happened to the spirit?"
"When we got to the room one was about to attack Mai, but it was weakened. It fled as we entered. Mai might have defended herself and the boys."
"She always worries about everyone else. How are the boys?"
"Shook up, but fine, a couple scratches."
"Would you stay with Mai, While I look over the boys."
Lin pulled a chair up next to the bed, and sat. "Of course."
"If she wakes up give her two aspirin, I will be back." She set the bottle on the stand by the bed and left the room.
Lin waited patiently by the bed. His mind wandered, he wondered why she had passed out; her injuries were not that severe. She would have hurt, but not that much. Slight blood loss but not devastating. She had only been gone ten minutes, after the scream there had only been 2 minutes before they came in the room. What had happened? His hands itched to get on his laptop and get the recording working of what happened, but he held still, waiting for Taniyama to wake or Matsuzaki-san to return.
"Uuuh," mumbled Mai. Her eyes slowly started flutter and open. "huuh?"
She questioned what her eyes saw.
"Taniyama-san," Lin turned toward her and bent so she could see him without moving her head.
"Lin?" she blinked, then her eyes went wide, "Ahhh!" she pushed herself away from him, and rolled onto her back. "Oww!"
"Taniyama-san lay still." Lin pulled her one shoulder down and back onto the bed to where she was laying before.
"Lin?" she stared at him again. "Oh, it is only your shiki…" Mai reached out in front of her and traced a line. Mai's eyes closed and she passed out again.
"Shiki?" Lin had watched as Mai traced the edge of one of his shiki. Had she seen his Shiki? Was that even possible? Few people could sense their presence.
"Lin, what happened?" Matsuzaki-san rushed in followed by Naru.
"She woke up and I scared her," he looked a bit ashamed. Naru and Ayako looked at him skeptically, Since when was Mai afraid of Lin? However, when waking up you aren't always yourself and Mai was no exception.
The boys came running in next, with the mother behind them. "Onee-san Onee-san!" they called entering the room. They went right up to the bed looking expectantly at the girl. Mai's eyes fluttered open again, much to the joy of the boys who cheered again.
"Onee-san, Onee-san!"
"Boys, Onee-san may not be ready to see you yet."
"Haku, Minoru are you ok?" Mai groggily asked.
"Onee-san you saved us,"
"You hurt them,"
"They are all gone now!"
The boys excitedly clamored on about her heroics.
"I am glad you are safe, how about you go play with your mom and dad?"
"But… we want to stay with you."
"Come on boys let's let Mai have some sleep?" the mother pulled them away from Mai.
"But…" the boys complained.
"Haku, Minoru can you get me some milk?"
"Hai!" and the boys ran out of the room. The mother smiled at her.
"Thank you," Mai smiled, "Thank you so much for saving them."
"Hai," the mother followed the boys out. Mai finally started to realize the soreness of her back and sides.
"Mai, tell me how your feeling. What hurts?"
"My back and side hurt, my arms are sore. And my head is pounding, my eyes feel sore also a bit blurry."
The miko turned Mai's head toward her and examined her eyes and head carefully; she found no wounds, or anything. She would be fine. "You need to rest, but you should be fine, when the boys come with your milk take these and then more sleep."
"Hai," Mai had already settled herself in for once again being injured and useless. The miko helped her to sit and made sure none of the bandages had worked loose. Mai did not have to wait long until the boys came back, one holding a glass of milk that had half spilled on its way and the other holding a plate of cookies.
"Onee-san, we brought you some cookies!" Mai gladly took the milk and cookies. She took the aspirin with the milk and shared the cookies with the boys. She yawned and thanked the boys for the cookies then lay down to take a nap. The boys did not want to leave so they lay down together and took a nap in the other bed. Ayako was left to watch over all of them.