"We're all in this together you know" Matsuzaki gave an assuring pat on his shoulder which Naru accepted gladly.
"So, when do we start? What should we do until beads arrive here?" asked Masako.
"We have to prepare for the ritual. And for that we need Akai San's help. I suppose he has gone to the shrine to prepare?" Naru looked at Takigawa to confirm.
"Oh yes, I managed to get his consent you know." He gave a wide smile with much pride.
"Hmmm" Naru nodded, "Then the shrine would be the site of summoning rites."
"Umm...Naru.. but can she survive till then? I mean Mai san. What if Kuroyasha attacked before we can summon the spirits?" asked John anxiously.
"Yes Naru, what will we do then?" Takigawa also got reminded of the problem.
"I'll place my Shiki to guard Taniyama San." Lin has just gotten back from some works that were assigned to him by Naru earlier.
"But are they sufficient? I mean we are up against Kuroyasha here."
"I can't guarantee full safety...the shikies of mine may not be able to hold for enough time."
"Then how are we gonna keep her safe...beads won't arrive until very morning and we still have 13 hours to go." Matsuzaki was staring at her wrist watch and visibly panicking.
"There's no need to panic Matsuzaki San, I have a plan ready for that. You all know how Akai san brought Mai back with some talismans. We shall use them with Lin's shikies and of course I'll be with her all that time." Naru's statement calmed them down a little.
"Okay so now should we start? Naru boy assign us to our tasks and for god's sake explain this time as to why we should do them." Takigawa stood to go right at action.
"Shall we now?" smirked Naru.
Naru's not so modest smirk took out the depression from the atmosphere, they finally began to see light of hope and slowly but steadily confidence was coming back in the SPR.
Naru and Lin left for preparations.
"But one thing I couldn't understand." Stated John confusingly.
"What?" asked Yasuhara.
"Now who is this Akai san?"
"Oh it was that old monk...Takigawa san's father." Yasuhara said sweetly.
"What..." Matsuzaki looked shocked.
Takigawa started laughing.
"You didn't think oyaji's original name is 'old monk' right??"
"Of course not you bakagawa. But I didn't...he is..." Matsuzaki murmured last part and got lost in her thoughts.
"Noll, I have instructed my shikies and talismans are ready too." Lin informed Naru.
"I'll take it from here." Naru stood to go back to Mai.
"Remember, no psychometry...at least not without Gene."
"I know." Was all Naru said to Lin's warning and got out of the waiting room.
Mai was awakened when Naru entered.
"You aren't fully awake yet, yet your eyes are already shooting questions." Naru took seat besides her.
"Say Naru, what is happening...you all were here...what was the outcome of the meeting...did the old monk tell everything??..Are you angry I slept while talking..? I want to know all that happened...just why did I sleep through it all... it's just like..." But Mai couldn't complete her overwhelming sentences because of the extraordinary thing Naru did just then.
He had put his index finger on her lips.
"Shhh...just go back to sleep Mai. Everything is alright. You should just concentrate on recovering."
"Naru..." the whole index finger thing was again not so Naru like and it made Mai blush heavily.
A smile broke on his face. Of course this the effect he has on Mai. And definitely she loves him like she always did.
With everything that happened in previous day the whole stupid resignation day was already forgotten. Just that how Mai is. Always loving. Always forgiving.
Now watching Mai trying to gain her serious posture and failing miserably he can't hold himself back.
Should I kiss her?No it'll startle her.Oh God...Just one hug maybe.No. She is injured.Then just a peck on chick.Hmmm. That would be good.
Naru, satisfied with his plan, tried to put it in action.
But Mai has regained her seriousness.
"Ahh...you are exhausting me already" he bickered out loud.
"What?"
"Oh.. No Mai... that was not.."
"Leave it Naru. I have something really important to tell you."
Mai let it slide...she looked determined to tell him.
"Tell me then." And Naru was ready to hear anything Mai has to say.
"It's about that creature Naru. I already told you it was eating a human."
He indicated that he remembers.
"I screamed when I saw that. I was terrified but still I couldn't possibly sit there and saw all that."
She looked like even mentioning of that moment was unbearable for her.
Despite that she continues.
"My scream, he already heard. He was staring straight at me. I tried to stop him."
"And he actually communicated with me Naru. God My dream was so wild."
Naru nodded in agreement. The dream was in fact so wild, It's making them fight Satan's son.
"I said to stop, but he smiled with his bloody canines protruding out."
"He said he won't. Unless I gave him something else to eat."
"How could I answer him. I didn'tknow what to do or say. I stood there silently."
"I see you don't know what to do. Then how about you give me yourself. He spoke again."
"I was astonished, things were getting out of hand. The dream was really weird."
"He said he'll give me some time to think."
"After that I dreamed about that almost every night Naru. And number of days were always running down."
"But that was just that. It didn't put me through any difficulty or anything so I thought that it was just a dream in starting."
"And one day, It came back again to that scene. But this time he was eating that child from the store. I was shocked Naru. I had to save him but I was powerless. The boy was screamed in agony but I couldn't do anything."
"But then I remembered, if this is astral plane, I thought, then only Gene can help me. I was desperately calling for Gene in my mind. Mai started to sob.
This made Naru realize, what might have happened.
To be continued...