Child's Play, Part 6
IFO's
Mai opened her eyes slowly. Sunlight streamed through the open window, making her wince. Something dropped from her chin onto her neck. Water.
She sat up and felt her face. Wet paths marked where the tears had fallen. She looked around blearily, not seeing much through her tears. A pale shape detached itself from the wall and moved closer.
"Argh!" She shrieked and dived underneath the covers. Naru raised an eyebrow.
"Mai, I would expect even you to be able to tell the difference between your boss and a monster." Mai groaned and reappeared.
"Well, to be fair in your case there doesn't seem to be much difference…" Yasuhara had popped his head round the door and was taking in the scene. Naru sent a death glare his way and Yasuhara hastily removed himself.
"He has got a point." Mai muttered. Naru re-directed his death glare at her. She shrank. Naru sat next to the bed and pulled out a notepad and pen from an inside pocket of his jacket, then looked at her expectantly.
"Um, I was the little boy this time. He was in his bedroom, and he was ill. The servant was with him. She was called Taisha. Then it fast forwarded and the doctor was there. The Aunt came and apologised for not playing with him, and then it fast forwarded to when he died…" Tears formed in her eyes. "It hurt so much…" Naru was (yet again) at a loss how to comfort her (you'd have thought he would've learnt by now…).
"Mai, it's alright. There's nothing you could have done." He tried. She nodded.
"That's what you always say."
"What?"
"Oh, er, nothing…" She had stopped crying but had turned so red she was giving a tomato a run for its money.
"Mai" He said warningly, but there was no way she was going to tell him she dreamed about him.
"Don't you want some tea? It's been ages since I last made you some." Mai jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen before Naru had time to react. He stood up and went to base, waiting for her to return.
"Is she up?" Monk asked immediately. Naru nodded, deep in thought.
"What did she dream?" Madoka asked, but he was on a planet of his own. They glanced at each other. Monk shrugged. Yasuhara bounced in next and of course started to tell them everything, earning several laughs. Next came Mai, carrying the tea. She deposited it on his desk and waited for a thank you.
"Next time I'm not making any more tea until you say please!" She said angrily, bringing Naru out of his reverie.
"Whatever." He sipped his tea and ignored her. Steam practically came out of Mai's ears. She ran out while Madoka shouted at him. Monk and Ayako ran out after her. She sprinted into the garden, trying to stop tears that threatened to spill. She turned around as everyone came out of the house, Monk and Ayako taking the lead. She didn't want to talk to them.
She made her way to the other part of the garden where the children where painting the plants red.
"What are you doing? Stop, the plants shouldn't be painted!" She called out. They looked up, past her and ran away. She spun on the spot. Now was really not the time. Everyone had stopped just in front of her.
"What is this?" Ayako asked Monk, pointing a stick at her nose.
"A human child…" He eyed the stick nervously.
"A human child. Well. Tell me, child, do you know how to play croquet?"
"No!"
"No matter." Ayako thrust a mallet into her arms. Mai stared at it. What the-? Everyone had a similar mallet, which they were using to hit little balls round the garden. Ayako seemed to be running round knocking everyone's balls away, but apart from that there was no order to the chaos. Most people where running away from her, and into each other. The only people playing what Mai assumed was properly where Naru and Lin, who were expertly hitting their balls through hoops.
Mai grabbed the mallet and walked away, into the house. She made her way to the kitchen, where she made herself a cup of tea. Before she could drink it an irate Ayako stormed into the kitchen followed closely by an apologetic Monk. The door banging on the wall made Mai drop the cup.
"Did I tell you to drink tea? PLAY!" Ayako screamed at her.
"NO! I won't!" Mai crossed her arms.
"Why won't people play with me? What did I do?" Ayako broke down as the rest of SPR rushed into the room.
"What's your name?" Mai looked up into Ayako's tear streaked face. But Ayako collapsed.
She had landed on Monk. "How does she weigh so much?" He immediately complained.
"I weigh barely anything! You're just weak!" Ayako jumped away from him and kicked his shin.
"Maybe you should try eating less!" That earned another well aimed kick. "How does she hit the same spot twice?" Monk grabbed his leg.
"I've had a lot of practice!" Ayako dusted herself off.
"Most of it on me!"Muttered Monk.
"You ask for it."
"How do I ask for it?"
SPR left them arguing and retreated to the room next door, mostly to stop a headache. Well, 7 headaches.
"Mai what happened?" Naru turned on her. "I believe I said to play along. Or do you not understand Japanese?" Mai was not in a good mood. Yasuhara and John started edging towards the door.
"For your information I speak Japanese perfectly. And maybe next time the ghost should pick a better time! Maybe he should consider other people's feelings instead of just his!"
Just then the house started shaking and rapping noises began. Everyone looked up.
"I think you made him angry…" Madoka rushed to the door. Which slammed shut in her face. She grabbed the door and yanked, but it wouldn't move.
"This way!" Mai had the door on the opposite side of the room in her hand. Naru and Lin where the first people to move and they started to go through it, when the door slammed shut onto Naru. He gasped. The door bounced back slightly and he fell onto one side, then it slammed shut behind him.
"Naru, are you okay?"Lin asked through the door as Mai's large worried eyes looked into his.
"Yes." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the corridor, as objects started flying around them.
"Ow, Naru let go!" He relaxed his grip slightly. As he looked around a vase flew towards Mai. Without thinking he pulled her to the floor while ducking. The vase flew overhead and smashed against the wall.
"Next time, when I tell you to do something, do it!" He scolded, knowing full well that she probably wouldn't. Mai nodded and he pulled her up. They turned around, and froze. In front of them stood a little boy, grinning evilly. He was wearing the same clothes he died in, and little speckles of blood covered them. Mai shrank into Naru's side.
"I only wanted to play with you." The boy said reproachfully. "But seeing as you wouldn't…" He grinned wider and the table the vase had been on flew towards them. Mai instinctively stepped backwards, while Naru focused. Mai panicked as the table got ever closer, but she couldn't make herself move. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact.
She opened one eye, and found herself face to face with a table.
"Move, baka." Mai scuttled to the other side of Naru. The table carried on flying forwards until it smashed on the wall. The little boy scowled, but before he could do anything 5 white orbs came from nowhere and swirled around the boy. He eyed them nervously. 2 attacked at once, he dodged one while the other pierced his arm. He cried out.
"Lin! Stop! You're hurting him!" Mai ran back to the door she had come out of.
"Mai!" Naru sprinted after her. He pushed her to the ground as another vase from somewhere in the building sailed over her head. It did a u-turn in the air and made for Mai, but hit Naru, who was covering her.
Lin's shiki attacked again, and the door flew open, as did the door to the kitchen. Monk stepped out chanting, followed by Ayako, who made her way towards Mai and Naru.
"Lin, please stop." Mai's voice was somewhat muffled. Naru groaned and clamped a hand over her mouth. The shiki hesitated. The boy smiled again, and the wall collapsed. He disappeared and the shiki split up and moved away from the corridor.
"Are you okay?" Madoka called. Lin, John and Yasuhara moved forward and started shifting bits of the ex-wall.
"We're fine!" Monk and Ayako crawled out from underneath one end.
"I tin'..ru's faint…" Mai's voice was faint and muffled but they could just about hear it.
"I have not fainted" Naru sounded offended. "Stop licking me." Yasuhara laughed slightly, while Lin raised his eyebrows.
"Y..'ve oved you…nd!" Everyone shared glances.
"You could have not said anything." Naru reasoned. The reply was too muffled to make out. Naru chuckled slightly. SPR stared at the bump in the wall that was Naru and Mai. Suddenly Mai's angry voice filled the air.
"-and you could try to be a little bit nicer next time! My wrist really hurts now! And I am not-" Naru covered her mouth again.
"Shut up." The wall shifted and Naru's hand grabbed the edge of one the pieces and pushed it away. There was a piercing scream from upstairs.
"Seems Lin-san's shiki found him…" Monk murmured. Lin, Madoka, John, Masako, Monk, Ayako and Yasuhara ran towards the stairs, while Mai and Naru both tried to get through the hole at the same time. Naru let her go first, then climbed out. His breath caught as pain laced through his back.
"Naru?" Mai turned around.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not! The vase hit you!" Mai blushed slightly. Naru gritted his teeth. Mai rolled her eyes.
"Let me see." She ordered. Naru walked past her in the direction of the stairs.
"Naru…"
"I'm fine." Mai hesitated, but ran after him.
The others made it to the top of the stairs, following Lin. They found him in a room with the shiki still swirling around him, attacking when he tried to move.
"John!" John nodded and stepped forward. He took out a small flask of holy water and a tiny bible from his pockets.
"What's that?" Ayako pointed at the suspiciously small book.
"Pocket sized edition. I carry it everywhere." He explained, before opening it at the beginning and reciting. The ghost screamed again as a couple of shiki pierced his feet. John splashed the ghost and finished.
"In principio." He shut the book. The ghost faded away. Naru and Mai appeared in the doorway.
"You guys missed it." Monk said, as Lin's shiki disappeared.
"He's gone." Masako confirmed. Naru nodded, and they all moved back to base. Madoka stopped him.
"Aren't you going to say thanks?" Naru sighed.
"Madoka I don't mind. Honestly." John smiled kindly at her. Naru didn't say anything, but turned away from Madoka and stalked back to base.
Wakasa and Ikue were waiting for them there. They stood up as SPR entered.
"The ghost is gone." Naru said. They sighed in relief.
"Thank you so much!"
"However a couple of vases, a table and a section of your wall are broken." They looked at each other, and hurried away to inspect the damage. Naru ordered everyone to go and collect cameras.
"Mai, I'm pretty sure I asked you to go and collect the camera in the corridor. Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No, I understood." Naru returned to disconnecting the monitors. She didn't move. A couple of minutes later Naru looked up and glared at her.
"Well?"
"Anyway, it was more like ordering."
"What do you want Mai?"
"To look at your back. A vase hit you remember?"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. I won't make any more tea." Mai remembered the last time that had worked. Naru gritted his teeth.
"Fine." Mai grinned. Mai: 2, Naru: um…lots. She grabbed the first aid kit. Lin smiled slightly and wandered over as Mai rolled up the back of his shirt (and of course blushed).
The end of this case. Anything not explained will be at a stater lage... Sorry for the wait again, but after all the house is still in boxes so internet wasn't really our priority ^-^ don't be mad :( btw an IFO is the opposite of a UFO - its identified :D
