(A/N): Well, it is unfortunate that I have to start my A/N talking about the plagiarism matter, but it cannot be helped. I have decided to remove the flame reviews, as advised by my followers and my sister, but I'd like to speak about a select few. Firstly, the one stating that I had copied from KawaiiJutsu, or CuteKyo as she calls herself now; I'm afraid you've been lied to, as CuteKyo did not upload her work in March but in April, 20 days after mine. I have several followers who saw the time stamp and can testify to this. Another review by an anonymous review was actually left on my sister's story, stating it was stupid or some nonsense like that. First of all, how dare you? How can you sink that low, that you have nothing better to do than post nasty comments on people's work? And on my sister's, not because of the quality of her story, which is very good, but because she has been thrashing your 'arguments' with strong evidence that you are denying. 'IsTooLazyIsLogon', this just shows you are not a pleasant person. Please refrain from this. Also, 'MyNameIsUnknown' or whoever, who tried to slander my story by stating it had spelling and grammar issues - try to spell your own review right before posting such a thing.
May I point out that, if I had stolen KawaiiJutsu's work, then why is it that she has changed the chapters, changed her username and changed the name of the story in order to avoid me? If that's not guilty, then I don't know what is. Also, I was the one who first pointed out the situation and reported the story to wattpad, and it was taken down. Why would I point it out in the first place and cause all this drama if I was the one who stole it? That's completely irrational and proves that KawaiiJutsu is the plagiarist, not me. Furthermore, the wattpad team wouldn't remove a story for no reason - they can check the time stamps, they know the evidence. So the fact it was taken down means that I am telling the truth, and wattpad knows this. I have made all this so clear, that even now if people are saying "You stole it" or whatever, you are a lost cause.

Moving on, it's the end of my mock exam week :D No more exams! (For a while :/) Also, I did my Grade 6 piano exam, and I passed! I was so happy about that, it was really hard.

Here is chapter 29. Wow, soon we'll be on 30...time flies, huh...Well, I'd like to thank you all for your support against these horrible reviews that I received. Thank you NightOfTheWriters, thank you Good anon, and thank you Wolfstadt. It was great to know I had people keeping an eye on things while I was revising for exams - it was a lot off my already stressed mind.

I know I normally do a review answer time, but unfortunately I have to be quick, so I'll save that for next chapter (which I am about half way through writing) Oh yeah, about the Ireland thing...that is going to be an unanswered question for quite a while, so I'm afraid you'll have to entertain that in the back of your heads for a story or so...which brings me onto saying, in response to a few reviews asking if or asking me to write more stories (thank you very much for those kind words, by the way :)) I will be writing some more stories, maybe three more, I'm not sure, and they will be connected to Amnesia.

Chapter 29 awaits...


When I woke up, daylight was pouring through the car window. I had been lying down on the back seat, and Takigawa had covered his jacket over me. For a moment, I lay there silently, eyes shut while I took comfort in the warmth. Then I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and glanced around. Takigawa was not in the car. A quick look outside showed he was standing by the car, looking at a map.

Before opening the door, a remnant of memory flashed in front of my eyes once more. I could remember that last night, I had a dream. A repeat of the memory in solitary isolation. Already, I was pushing it out of my mind. To my embarrassment, I could remember Takigawa being in the dream. I could remember desperately calling to him for help, and him comforting me when I was branded. All I could hope now was that I had not called out in the night, and that Takigawa had no idea about this dream.

Opening the door, I joined Takigawa outside. He had placed an open backpack on the hood of the car, and was looking at a map.

"What is it?" I asked, making him jump.

"O-oh, I didn't see you there." He had been too engrossed in his map to notice me, it seemed. "Good morning."

"Good morning." I peered at the map. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, I was just trying to find any high ground, high enough to be a cliff, and if there's a forest nearby. Ever since we first started investigating, I decided to bring some basic supplies around in the car, like a first aid kit and a map. Just in case, you know?"

"Mm." We really should have checked a map to begin with, I thought. "Wait. Let me have a look." I studied the map.

"We're here." Takigawa pointed to the map. I scanned the surrounding areas, until my eye fell on what I had been searching for.

"There." I pointed at the small settlement. "Shiroku."

"Huh?"

"I remember, at the beginning of March, I found an article. It said that there had been ghost sightings in Shiroku, ghosts of the patients from a certain mental institution only half an hour away from the village."

"Half an hour…" Takigawa's eyes widened, and he clicked his fingers. "Wait, that autopsy report! Didn't it say that woman was found in the woods near Shiroku?"

"Yes…the woman with the brand…" I studied the map more. Near the village, there was a large area of woodland, in which a big, vacant space resided there. On the other side of the forest, the ground's height dropped suddenly, and a river ran by.

"There." I pointed to the area. "It has to be there."

"That's quite a distance from the location where you were found." Takigawa mused.

"The river was running very fast. Didn't you say it was very rainy last month?"

"Yeah, why?"

"If there was a lot of rain, then the river will be faster, especially if it was rainy at the source. And the trees cut down to make room for the ward and the village will add to the run-off effect of the water flowing into the river instead of being absorbed."

I glanced at the river. I really had been lucky. What were the chances that I survived the fall itself, let alone that the river brought me to a place with people to find me? Moreover, it had carried me fast enough that I could still be saved after I had stopped breathing and wasn't long gone.

"Well, let's go over there, then." Takigawa folded up the map. "It will be quite a drive, though. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." We were getting closer.

Mai was getting worried.

John had not been found. And now, Takigawa had failed to report back. She hadn't heard from him for a day or so. What had happened to them? Had colleague-san…?

She had been waiting in the office for everyone to report. Stifling a yawn, she poured herself some tea. She had tried to fall asleep last night, in hopes of gaining more information, but it had been useless. Now, all she could do was wait.

Before long, just as Mai was drifting off, Naru appeared before her.

"N-Naru-kun!" Mai scrambled to her feet. "You're back!"

Naru smiled, and Mai's heart thumped loudly. But when she realised it was a sad smile, she faltered.

"Naru-kun?"

"He's not here."

Mai realised with a jolt of guilt that it was Eugene, not Naru.

"O-Oh…I'm sorry…"

"It's fine." He assured her in a kind voice. "We are twins, after all."

Mai nodded, and swallowed painfully. "Eugene-kun, I need to know…is John-kun…"

"See for yourself."

Mai looked around, finding herself next to a river. Takigawa's car was parked a few metres away from her, and Takigawa was standing outside, staring, troubled, into the darkness. John was sleeping restlessly in the car.

Relief washed over Mai with more strength than a wave. "They're safe."

"Yes. This is the river where Brown-san was found. They're trying to find the site of Mattaku Psychiatric Ward." Eugene looked grim. "It was a terrible place. This matter needs to be resolved. The souls of many rests on Brown-san."

"How so?"

"There's important information he knows, but it's trapped inside his mind. It is vital that he remembers."

An idea sparked in Mai's head. "I know! What about the hypnotic suggestion? I mean, it did work last time, until the music began to play…"

Something caught her attention. John had been stirring, and Takigawa was sitting next to him in the car. As she watched, John began to cry out. He was crying for help. Takigawa wrapped his arms around him, and tried to calm him down. Mai watched anxiously, and Eugene placed a comforting arm around her. The scene was upsetting. What had happened to John, to make him this scared? And who would do such a thing?

"…You see the problem now." Eugene spoke up. John had calmed down and drifted to sleep again, and Takigawa remained sitting there, arms still around him and a worried look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Hypnotic technique could very well work. But delving into someone's mind and trying to select memories is tricky. The last thing we want is to dredge up unpleasant experiences, and that's what will happen if we're not careful. It would be like forcing Brown-san to walk a very thin line in darkness, with one side resulting in obtaining the right information, and the other side unlocking these disturbing memories. Pushing him the wrong way could scar him and break him beyond repair."

Mai nodded solemnly. Eugene was right. No matter the stakes, hypnotic technique was not a good idea, especially after last time. If they did uncover the wrong memories, it could shatter John's peace of mind completely, and they would never be able to forgive themselves.

She watched Takigawa stroking his back absentmindedly, staring out to the river. A new determination seemed to overcome him, and Mai realised that maybe John wouldn't be broken beyond repair.

"There something important I need to show you." Eugene announced suddenly, and the scene changed once more. Mai did not recognise it. It was some kind of room in a house, very bare and basic. There was a sofa, and a man was sitting there. Immediately, the sight of this man made Mai tense and shiver. Worry gnawed her. The man was dressed in a black suit. His face was mundane and not very distinguishable. But his cold, black eyes displayed a clear cruelty.

"Who is this?"

"That is the man you refer to as colleague-san."

Mai froze. "W-what?" This was the colleague?

A door opened, and another person walked in. He was tall and well-built; Mai recognised him as the man who claimed John had schizophrenia.

The man stood in front of the colleague and said nothing, shame on his face but his head held high. The colleague also remained quiet for a long time, and when he finally spoke up, there was a dangerous edge to his voice.

"You let him escape. Again."

"Yes."
"How exactly did this happen?"

"I was drugging him, at the site, when…" The man trailed off.

"What happened, Saburou?"

Saburou exhaled. "I don't know. There was this whispering. But no one was there. And I couldn't breathe. It was like someone was choking me, but…"

"No one was there." The colleague finished off. He chuckled.

"Four times." His smile was not pleasant. "Four times you have let him escape."

"He got lucky four times." Saburou defended himself. At the remark, the colleague chuckled harder.

"Luck." He spat. "Luck. He was lucky to have survived the fall. He was lucky that the dosage was too weak. He was lucky you hadn't locked the door of the van or taken his mobile." He stood up and walked very close to Saburou.

"This 'luck' cannot continue. I really should have killed you by now, for all these failures, but you're my best man. Keep in mind that this does not make you indispensable." He took a breath, and stepped back. "The bug from the monk's car has revealed that he no longer believes the rouse. He and John are going back to Mattaku." He paused, and smiled maliciously.

"And we shall be waiting there for them."

Mai jolted awake. This was bad. This was really, really bad –

"Mai-kun."

Naru, the real Naru, was standing in front of her, arms crossed

She stood up quickly, knocking over a stack of books form the desk as she did so.

"Naru-kun! I had a dream! About John-kun and colleague-san and –"

"Calm down." Naru put his hands on her shoulders. She took a deep breath.

"…I had a dream." She explained. "Bou-san has found John-kun. They're at the river where John-kun was found. And they're trying to find that ward."

Naru nodded slowly, frowning. "Lin." He turned to the Chinese man, who was standing a few metres away. "We need to go find them."

"Wait, there's more." Mai's tone was grim. "Colleague-san is planning to ambush them at the site! We need to find them and warn them!"

Naru inhaled sharply. "Lin, we have to go now."

Lin was already walking to the door. "No. I'll go. Stay here."

Naru sighed exasperatedly. "Lin…"

"No." Lin gave him a look. "It will be too dangerous."

"And what, going by yourself isn't?" Naru argued.

"You are staying here. End of conversation." Sure enough, he left the room without another word.

Naru sat down on the sofa, scowling. Mai ran over to him.

"Naru-kun, we have to do something!" She insisted.

"There is not much we can do." Naru crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as if in deep thought.

"But –"

"Sh. I'm thinking."

Mai nodded, and the two of them lapsed into silence. Soon, Mai suggested,

"Should I call the others?"

"No. I think it's best we get everything under control first."

"Oh, ok…but what should we do now?"

"We need to try and figure out how to stop colleague-san. Permanently."

This had sparked Mai's interest. "Permanently? How will we do that?"

"We need to force colleague-san to drop his attack against John-san. So we either have to make a truce with him, or scare him off."

"Scare him off?"

Naru nodded. "Yes. Colleague-san has a clear self-preservation instinct. If he realises that there is no longer anything he can do to prevent us from finding out the truth, then there is a chance he might panic and chose to flee rather than keep on attacking. Either that, or we could make a truce with him. We could promise to stop looking into the matter if he promises not to attack John-san again."

"But we can't turn our back on everything that's happened!" Mai argued. "What about everyone who died?!"

"Neither option is particularly favourable."

"Huh?"

"The chances of colleague-san agreeing to a truce, or sticking to his promise afterwards, are very slim. The same applies to this self-preservation instinct – after what I've heard about him, he's more likely to keep on trying to stop us, even if it's clear that there won't be much he can do, rather than run away. He'll only do that if we have a great deal of authority on our side, which we don't. And even then, it won't guarantee that he will leave us alone."

"Why not?"

"Above everything, he has a sadistic nature. He likes toying with people. It will take a lot to stop him from playing with us. We just have to hope he will scare. There is one other option, of course."

"What would that be?"

"To kill him. But somehow, I think that would just be sinking to his level."

Mai shuddered, and nodded. Even after everything the colleague had done, the thought of murder…

She shook her head. "Ok, but is there any other way we can guarantee to stop him?"

"Yes, and it ties into the plan of scaring him away. Like I said, we would need a lot of authority to scare him."

Mai understood. "You mean, like the police?"

"Exactly. Maybe even bigger than the local police."

"But they didn't believe John-kun about it, so what makes you think they'll believe us?"

"We have proof now. And there's more of us to back up John-san's story. I was contacted by some janitors, who have agreed to be witnesses. There is also the man you spoke with at John-san's apartment, is there not?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah, Yamazaki-san."

"Also, Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san found a broken candle stick at the Church, with blood on the tip, which could be evidence from John-san's abduction. Then we have the note from colleague-san found at the grave, along with the orange lilies. It's not the best, and much is circumstantial, but it's better than nothing. And with so many of us, it will be hard for them to…"

Naru trailed off. He was frowning, staring at the door. Mai tilted her head, confused.

"…ignore us…" Naru stood up slowly and began to walk towards the door. Mai made to follow, but he blocked her protectively with his arm.

Mai felt a jolt of panic. What was wrong?

"Mai." He whispered. "In Lin's room is the candle stick. Go get it, then come back here."

Shaking now, Mai nodded and ran to Lin's room to retrieve the candle stick, where it had been kept in a plastic wallet, like she had seen on those crime shows. When she returned, Naru was at the door, back to the wall and peering in through the glass. For a moment, everything was very quiet, and Mai could hear her heart beating through the tension.

When someone knocked at the door, she almost screamed as she started.

"…Hello?" Someone called. "Is anyone there?"

Naru beckoned to Mai, and she hurried over to him, keeping out of sight from the door. Naru grabbed her hand, and placed his other hand on the door knob.

"One…" He breathed.

There was another knock. "Is anyone there?"

"Two…" Mai tried to lessen her breathing so it wouldn't be so loud.

The knock was more persistent.

"Three."

Naru opened the door suddenly, and a man stumbled in. There was a gun in his hand. Before Mai could so much as make a noise, Naru punched him in the face, sending him spinning.

"Go!" He shouted, running out of the room, dragging Mai with him.

They ran, almost tripping, down the stairs. A voice called after them.

"Hey! Wait!"

Ignoring it, they bolted out of the apartment block. The street was not crowded like it normally was, and those around were not aware of the immediate danger following closely behind Mai and Naru.

"This way." Naru pulled Mai along the streets, away from the office. They were soon sprinting past bemused pedestrians, who only stared and did not ask what was wrong, until Naru ground to a halt.

"What is it?" Mai asked breathlessly. Up ahead, her eye fell on a woman walking steadily towards them, eyes fixed unwaveringly on the two of them. At once, Naru began dragging Mai in the opposite direction.

"I-Is that one of colleague-san's workers as well?" Mai asked, panting. "I thought you said he wouldn't attack us in public!"

"He's getting desperate." Naru replied bluntly. Again, he stopped, and before Mai could glimpse at the new approaching assailant, Naru was pulling her down an alley way.

Mai felt like she was going to throw up. Her grip on the bag containing the candle stick was slipping. Every inch of her was shaking with terror. That man had a gun. The woman probably did too. Were she and Naru going to die?

Just as they burst out onto a barren street, Naru stumbled to a stop. A white van was waiting for them.

Too late, Naru realised his mistake. "Damn…" His eyes took in the scene swiftly. Mai just tried not to collapse. Her legs felt weak. It had been a trap. The colleague had spooked them into leaving the apartment, and herded them here like sheep.

As if on cue, footsteps sounded behind them. People, all armed with guns, approached them from each angle. Naru pulled Mai closer to him.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

A woman stood in front of them. Her posture, cold and demeaning, exposed a cruel mercilessness about her.

"Hello, Mr Davis."

Naru stiffened, his expression suddenly unreadable.

"How nice to see you again."

Did they know each other? The woman's green eyes rested on Mai. "And who is this?"

"What do you want?" Naru repeated, his voice dangerously low.

"The candle stick." Her outfit was black and tight fitting. "And information."

Naru said nothing. The woman's eyes were on the candle stick.

"Where is Mr. Koujou?"

"In the office."

"I know that's a lie."

"Then why did you ask?"

The woman nodded patiently. "Well, tell me this. How is it that this young girl seemed to know the exact location of Mr. Brown and Mr. Takigawa without consulting any equipment? How is it that she saw through our entire scheme without so much as a scrap of evidence, when the rest of your co-workers didn't question it?"

Naru froze as the woman continued. "And why is it that you did not fall for it either?"

"I'm smart. Your scheme isn't."

The woman laughed, somewhat bitterly. "I must agree with you, Mr Davis. This entire situation is a bloody mess. Your Australian friend has caused us no end of trouble. I don't know what Mr Osaki and his boss were thinking, but they've messed up utterly. I don't know what possessed the boss to put a psychotic sadist and his pet thug in charge of the situation, but what's done is done. They'll repent for their mistakes, starting with Mr Brown and Mr Takigawa. I know as a fact they're looking forward to killing them."

Mai swallowed. It was true. They were going to kill John and Takigawa.

Naru, bristling with anger, met the woman's steely gaze. "Osaki and his boss? So, you are not under the command of colleague-san?"

Realising she had said too much, the woman looked back at the candle stick.

"Give that to me. Now."

"No."

Another person approached behind the woman, dressed in black like she was and wearing a ski mask. More back up. Mai felt terror seize her. She and Naru were completely surrounded. There was no way out.

The woman aimed her gun. "I can take it by force. The choice remains yours as to whether or not you want to get hurt."

Naru remained silent.

"Your choice."

Mai shut her eyes in terror.

Someone pushed her to the ground. But she kept her grip on the candle stick.

"Stay down." Naru hissed.

Wait…

Mai opened her eyes. The woman was in ferocious combat with someone. Frowning, Mai realised it was the person who had appeared behind the woman a few moments ago. Not raising her head too high, she looked around her. Everywhere, each assailant was fighting with a newcomer. Guns had all but been abandoned.

She looked back to the two people fighting in front of her. The woman received a spinning kick to her jaw. Staggering away, she regarded her opponent.

"Bloody hell." She spat, wiping blood from her chin. "You just can't get rid of them, can you?"

Her opponent did not reply, but stalked cautiously around the woman.

"You and your Aryan relatives. You should all be shot. Shame I didn't do it in Ireland."

The woman lashed out suddenly, punching her opponent in the jaw. Her opponent moved with the blow, and came back around in full circle, kicking the woman in the stomach. Gasping, the woman grabbed her opponent's leg and twisted it, sending them to the floor. The opponent jumped to their feet and moved backwards before the woman could lash out. They stood for a moment, regarding each other and contemplating their next moves.

The woman moved first, striking her fist towards the opponent's head. The opponent blocked that with an arm, and punched the woman in the gut. Taking a breath, the woman grabbed the opponent's shoulders and brought her knee up to their stomach. The opponent doubled over for a second, seemingly fell to their knees, then grabbed the woman's leg and pulled, bringing her to the floor with them as they fell. Then the opponent grabbed the woman's ankle and twisted it.

"Bitch!" The woman shouted, kicking with her good leg. The opponent had to lunge themselves out of the way to avoid it. The woman scrambled to her feet, limping, and backed away.

"Let's go!" She shouted to her comrades, then hobbled away much faster than Mai expected. Looking around, Mai saw many if the others doing the same.

The opponent tutted, and pulled off the mask.

"Violence is so overrated." It was a woman, Mai realised. Her blonde hair was dishevelled, and her jaw had a scrape from the hit she had received. She grimaced, touched her stomach experimentally, and winced slightly.

"I've had worse…" She muttered. Then her blue eyes fell on Mai. She cast a confused glance at her.

"Comfy down there?" She asked.

"Not really." Naru spoke up. He had been lying beside Mai all this time, arm around her protectively. "I just thought it was better than getting dragged into a fight."

"Hm. You haven't changed much since Ireland."

"Neither has Olivia Scutellatus. What is she doing here?"

"Umm…" Mai interrupted their conversation. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The new woman ran her fingers through her knotted hair. "My name is Sinead Brown." She bowed. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Brown?" Mai scrambled to her feet. "Do you know a John Brown?"

"Yes. He is my cousin. I'm looking for him, actually. Do you know where he might be?"

Naru and Mai shared a nervous glance.

"Lin is looking for him." Naru informed her. "But…"

Sinead stared at him. "But?"

"…He's not the only one."