Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters.

Warnings: The violence and injury descriptions have started - you've been warned (don't like, don't read).

Author Note: Phew, this has been a year. Don't worry, there's a lot more Houshou-whump coming up!

Thursday Morning - The Grove Hotel

Houshou stared at the ceiling, eyes burning with the need to sleep, and yet, here he was wide awake. John was whistling softly next to him and Osamu was snoring; so why couldn't he be doing the same?

Too much stress. Just a little. He snorted at that. They were all angry at him, absolutely furious. Mai hadn't talked to him when they'd returned to the hotel last night. Osamu was quiet, sending him hurt looks, and though Ayako continued to chat with him, there was something wrong there as well. The only person who hadn't been acting strange had been John.

He sat up and let his legs dangle off the side of the bed.

Maybe I'll go down to the lobby, see if Rose is on duty. Warn her if I can.

That was a good idea, so he snagged his shirt from earlier, putting it on and biting his lips from out his muscles ached. His jeans weren't too much trouble, and in about five minutes he was dressed enough for the front lobby. He slipped past John and Osamu, checked to make sure he wouldn't be tripped by anything this time, grabbed his slippers and let out a sigh of relief when he closed the door behind him.

The early morning was cool and dim, even in the corridor. Houshou went to reach for his phone, but remembered Naru still had it.

"Damn it. And it's probably in his room too." Houshou rolled his eyes. "He'll give it back to me later I'm sure, after any questions he has about everything that happened yesterday."

And a LOT happened. His footsteps slowed down as he remembered the ghost in the House of Mirrors, the yakuza grabbing him, and the promises he'd been forced to keep, with how they'd know he kept them. Fuck. How did I forget that? His hand went up to his ear lobe, then, slowly, came back down. He shouldn't touch it; they might think he was trying to get rid of it.

Be very, very careful he told himself as he crossed the last stretch of hallway and entered the lobby. You won't be able to talk to Rose about it, and if you write a note, you're not going to be able to look down while you're writing, or even be here when she reads it.

Which left... nothing, as far as he could tell.

"Shit," he muttered to himself, half turning around where the corridor morphed into the edge of the lobby. "This was a bad idea, maybe I—"

"Hello!"

Houshou let out a shout and jumped, his back hitting the wall at the same time his right arm smacked into the stack of magazines and sent them to the floor.

"Sorry, Rose," he said, gasping, "you scared me."

"I noticed!" the words came from below him as she knelt on the floor. "But no worries about it. Are you okay? Do you need some medicine to help you sleep, or some tea?" Rose began scooping pamphlets into her arms, which made Houshou feel bad, so he knelt down to help.

"I don't need anything," he started, a confused look crossing his face as Rose began to giggle, arms full of paper.

"I'm sure you don't," she said, smiling, "but coming down here when you can't sleep at least means you need someone to listen, or even talk to. What's up?" She snatched the last piece of paper from his grasp, then rightened the holder and started sorting them into the correct areas. Houshou stood out of the way, shifting from foot to foot.

"Just... couldn't sleep I guess." He ran a hand through his hair. "A little too much on my mind."

"You're little bear friend not helping you out?"

Houshou froze for a few seconds, then gave her a head shake.

"Ah, not so much, no."

How can I get her to understand not to say anything about the drugs she found?

The bell to the door rang, causing the two of them to see who was coming into the hotel so early in the morning.

"Oh, hey Ichiro!" Rose beamed, dumping the pamphlets on the desk counter as she rushed over to... Houshou breath caught as he saw the same guy who'd been with him and Ayako earlier that day. Ichiro held out his arms and gave Rose the hug she was coming in for, twirling her a little bit off the ground. When her giggling became too high pitched, he put her back down with a laugh much lower in tone.

"Hey Rosey Poesy!" They looked over to Houshou, a smirk on his face.

Fuck. He knows what I wanted to do.

"And guest. Sorry man. Just wanted to see my girl for a little bit before I headed home."

"Uh, yeah..." Houshou nodded, a bit stiff. "I'll just head back to my room then."

"Are you sure?" Rose turned back to him, concern in her eyes. "I can get some warm water, or warm milk for you if you think it'll help you out."

Houshou saw Ichiro's face shake ever so slightly.

"No. I think I'm good to sleep now. Just needed to stretch my legs." He turned around, flipping a hand up to wave goodbye.

I don't want to say anything in front of him... I don't care what he said about Ayako, I still don't trust him.

Houshou stepped back into the corridor and slowed down, not quite ready for bed, when a hand was put over his mouth.

Who?

"Don't move, don't make a sound," a low voice whispered in his right ear. "We're going to go outside, together, and you're not going to give me any problems."

Hell no. Houshou kicked back, the heel of his foot connecting solidly to the foot of whoever was holding him. There was no yelp. No lessening of the grip around him. The opposite, actually. The hand over his mouth tightened, fingers and thumb digging into the hollow of his cheek.

Fuck.

"You're going to regret that," the voice whispered. "Let's make sure you understand me. If you don't come with me, right now, I'll take my pound of flesh out of your friends."

Houshou stopped struggling immediately.

"Thought that might get your attention. If you obey me though, then it'll just be taken from you." The hand gripping him gave a shake. "Got it?"

Yeah, I get it.

Houshou gave a hesitant nod, then dragged in deep breaths when the hand was removed from his face. He turned to turn around, but the hand just transferred to his neck, pinching as an ever-present warning.

"I'm going, I'm going," the monk muttered, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and moving toward the distant exit.

I could kick my slipper at Naru and Lin's room he thought to himself, watching as the numbers climbed upwards. And if they even hear it, then what? Naru would ask what's going on, this guy would let go and claim to have been walking down the corridor when I randomly flipped out. Can I trust Naru to trust me? Each step took him closer to the room, to possible salvation... and then they passed it. Naru had made it perfectly clear that he didn't trust Houshou to be telling the truth, and that, in turn, had shaken the bedrock of trust between the two of them.

Damn it His mind screamed at him. I wouldn't have had this problem before Kiryu! Osamu and John were different, but if they came out and started yelling, that would bring Lin and Naru out as well, which just went back to the original problem. Might as well see what's going on. Maybe it's something I can talk to Naru about, bring him back to trusting me. He tried not to think about how they were going to take their pound of flesh. Hopefully, it would just be proverbial.

Doubt it a small voice whispered. Sure, it was a long shot, but that's all he had left. Houshou pushed the bar and the door opened to the night's crisp air, much much cooler than the inside of the hotel.

"What do you want?" He asked, keeping his voice down. "Aren't I obeying your orders? Doing everything you've told me to do?"

"Yeah, you're fine. Your boss, on the other hand, is causing us some problems."

"Naru?" Houshou stopped, half-confused.

What the hell's the kid doing? The thought disappeared as he was shoved forward, an unspoken order to keep moving. He hadn't been able to check out the backyard of the Grove, but he knew from the brochures that there was a pond back here, a miniature maze full of flowers, and a rose garden for lovers, weddings, and flower enthusiasts to enjoy.

"Where are we going?" Speaking rewarded him with another hand pushing his back and he stumbled, catching himself at the last minute.

"You'll know when we get there."

It could be the maze... easy enough to get lost in there and for him to beat me up. The idea didn't please him. On the other hand, he might be able to escape and lose his pursuer if needed... Houshou stopped as he saw the people waiting for him up ahead. Colored lights were enough to show him that there were three others, plus the fourth one behind him. He didn't recognize any of them except for the one cupping a cigarette in his hands, the glow marring the beauty of the pale lights.

"Oyabun..."

"Good, you do remember me." The man took a drag and stepped forward, blowing the smoke into Houshou's face again. This time, the monk didn't cough—he'd known what was coming and had held his breath. Oyabun frowned. "Smart. Or stupid. I'm still unsure as to which you are."

"Smart," said Houshou, exhaling to blow the smoke away as he talked. "I never threw my life away by joining antisocial forces*."

"No, no. Not in that specific way, that's true." The smile Oyabun made gave Houshou the chills, along with the insinuation that he was still throwing his life away. Images of the cave, of the thirst and pain he'd experienced here, flickered through his mind and made his heart pound harder. "Bring him to the pond."

What? Fear grew and Houshou began to push back. No thank you, I'd like to go to sleep now.

"Move!" snarled the voice behind him, something firm digging into his back.

...that's not a gun, that's not a gun, they wouldn't shoot anyone here it'd be too loud.

No matter what his mind told him, Houshou was pretty sure that was a gun, and that worry alone was enough to make his legs move. They arrived at the pond, people in front of him fanning out, which allowed him to see rippling water, dim shapes moving underneath the surface, and a metal bouquet of golden roses letting water trickle down their petals and stems so it could feed back into the lake. It was nice.

More than just nice, it's beautiful. Ayako would love this.

And that last thought solidified him; Houshou turned to his captors, ignoring the lake.

"What do you want with me?"

"I'd like what I told you already," said Oyabun, pushing his hand into a black glove. "Stop getting in my way."

"I haven't had anything to do with you since the first time we met."

"Mmmph. Maybe." The man cocked his head in acknowledgment. "On the other hand, your friends have been meddling in my affairs. You were supposed to keep them from doing that."

"Really? I don't remember that promi—" A fist slammed into his stomach, cutting him off and making him fall to his hands and knees, wheezing. Grass crumpled in his hand as his fists clenched.

Shit... he's not playin' 'round this time.

"Don't talk back to me. I remember quite well what promises you made to me. First. Tell no one about us for three days. Just three days. I was a fool to think you could handle that."

"I did—" This time someone kicked him in the stomach, and after being lifted in the air for a few seconds he crashed back down.

Ugh... fuck you.

"Second," continued Oyabun, his voice the same as if nothing had happened. "Tell no one. Not your friends, which we know you haven't, but that also means not the fucking owner of this fucking park!"

"Wha—?" Houshou raised his head in confusion, the action allowing him to avoid the next kick. A hand on both sides grabbed his arms and lifted him up again, though he was weaving slightly on his feet.

"Not the face."

Another fist drove into his stomach and Houshou dry retched.

"At least you weren't stupid enough to remove your devices." Oyabun snapped his fingers and the same woman from earlier came up.

"Bend over."

Before he could react, the men on his arms put a hand on his back and pushed; Houshou grunted, struggling in their arms and stilling when the girl reached for his ear.

Is she taking the camera off? Why? It hasn't been three days.

Sure enough, she pocketed the camera earring and stripped the recording device from his neck as well.

They're going to kill me.

"Three rules, and then late today I get a frantic phone call from one of my underlings. What does he tell me? That the owner of this park knows he's continued working here, even after she fired him." Oyabun let out a whistle, and two more men came over, a wriggling bag slung over their shoulders. A wriggling bag the shape of a body...

Oh holy fuck please tell me that's not what I think it is.

The bag was thrown to the ground and Oyabun stepped to its side, zipping it open. Houshou met a younger man's terrified eyes and saw the duct tape over his mouth.

"Hello Ken. Boys, get him ready."

Ken shook his head, making muffled noises of protest as two others came over and maneuvered him out of the bag.

"This little shit was working for me, and then he fucked it all up. The teddy bear was his idea, and so was taking you down into our hideout. What did that gain us?" Oyabun spun around and slapped Ken. "Nothing! In fact, thanks to your incompetence, we're now out a place to sell our wares. Ken... you know the price of failure."

The noise from behind the masked tape grew higher; the monk's heart leaped into his throat.

"You can't—" he choked on his words as someone punched him, but tried to continue speaking. One person's life was worth more than a little bit of pain.

Besides, there's been worse.

"You can't kill him."

"Oh?" Oyabun sounded amused, almost as if he would start laughing at the idea of not murdering a man. "No no, don't hit him again, let him talk. I'd like to hear his reasoning."

Keep me away from psychopaths, give me ghosts any day of the week. Houshou felt the grip of the two men at his sides loosen, so he yanked his arms away and stood up to address Oyabun.

"You still need two days to get out of here," Houshou said. "If you kill him now, the police will be swarming over the theme park and looking to find who killed him."

"If they find the body." Oyabun looked over as Ken frantically shook his head no. "Though, I do see what you're talking about. I should wait a little bit before I kill him. Savor the moment."

Nope nope nope not what I was suggesting at all.

"Or, hear me out, you don't kill him." Houshou's smile didn't reach his eyes. "How 'bout that?"

The next several minutes in the garden were silent, except for the crickets chirping and cicadas screaming. Ken even stopped whimpering, his head whipping back between Houshou and Oyabun.

"You've got balls, I'll give you that." Oyabun nodded, hesitantly at first but then as if he had made a decision. "Fine. Ken, you get a reprieve. I'm not even going to take your finger."

Yay? Houshou narrowed his eyes, surprised at how generous the crime boss was being.

"On the other hand, you need to learn your lesson. And you," Oyabun turned to speak to Houshou, "need to get your friends out of my hair."

"I have no control over them."

Hell, if I bring it up Naru's the type of person to do the exact opposite of what I ask.

"You're smart. You'll think of a way." Oyabun smiled and the sight made Houshou's stomach roll.

This isn't over.

"For now though, I want you to be thinking something else." He drew close enough the monk could smell cigarette smoke. "Mostly, how you must do everything you can to not fail me."

Wha- Houshou's arms were grabbed again, and this time he was turned around to face the pond. No!

He pushed against the ground, but all he did was delay the inevitable. Step by step they took him to the ground, then someone swept his feet out from under him. Houshou landed on his knees, sinking into the shoreline's mud and feeling the cold wet seeping into his jeans.

"Listen well and listen good, smartass." Oyabun's voice was whispering into his left ear. "Don't tell anyone about us, and don't interfere with how I discipline my underlings. You think you saved Ken's life? No. You've just bought him a few days of fun."

He opened his mouth to reply and that was when they struck. A hand cradled the back of his head, a fist sunk into his back, and as he twisted away from that pain he was shoved forward. Cold entered his mouth, his nose, his ears, and Houshou struggled to get out.

Don't breathe don't breathe don't breathe!

The hand forcing him down tangled in his hair and jerked him up, where he coughed, spluttered, and gagged, trying to clear his lungs of the pond water.

"Oyabun..."

"You can join him Ken, just say the word."

Houshou looked up, his sight blurry due to the water dripping down his face, but he saw enough that Ken was raising his arms and saying nothing.

So much... for help...

"That's what I thought. Dunk him again."

"NO!" shouted Houshou, his arms already being twisted behind him.

"Awww... what a loud voice you have. More than a little annoying. Boys, shut him up."

Big breath!

Houshou took a gulp of air before his head was jammed under the water again.

Don't move, don't struggle — just wait, they'll have to let you back up again, they're not going to kill you, they can't. His lungs began to burn, squeezing to get air. A few bubbles leaked out, then several more, and finally a whole cascade went to the surface and he quickly pretended to breathe, sucking in water and spitting it back out in an attempt to trick his body. It worked... for a few more seconds. Finally, just as he was about to breathe water in a desperate attempt to get air, he was lifted from the pond.

"There." Oyabun swam in front of his face, and a warm hand grabbed him by the chin. "You're looking as if you'll listen."

Houshou groaned, coughing and spitting water to the ground.

I was... listening before... you jackass.

"You. And you. Give him a few reminders for the morning."

Reminders? The thought was barely complete when the first punch hit him in the back and knocked him half-in, half-out of the water. He tried to curl up, but protecting his stomach made them hit his head, covering his head and bringing his knees up to shield his stomach made them concentrate on his back again, and finally, in the midst of pain, he finally gave up. Hit after hit landed and he didn't care. Didn't block them. After a bit, the pain stopped growing and stayed a permanent fixture.

Houshou lay flat on his back, gasping for air with a rattling breath.

Ow... damn it... feels like... Kiryu again...

"We'll help you back to your room, so you can get there quietly. Take a shower and get the smell of pond scum off you." Oyabun crouched down, flicking his cigarette ash over Houshou's face. "Never, ever disrespect me like that again. Are we clear?"

I will see... you arrested... asshole...

"Yeah," Houshou coughed out, the words raw and painful in his throat.

"I won't give you such a lenient warning next time."

Lenient?

The woman came back, kneeling next to him and slipping the necklace back over his head, then adding the earring.

"You can shower with the earring, but don't hold it underwater." She went away too, then two of the bigger men picked him up and slung his arms over their shoulders.

Come on Houshou, wake up! The room!

He tried to keep his thoughts together but they kept sloshing around, never staying still for any of the time he was dragged back to The Grove.

"What's his room number again?"

"Card's probably in his pocket."

A hand rummaged through his pants pockets, then found the card and pulled it out.

Shower... and the clothes...

Houshou hissed in pain as one of the men pressed hard against a spot on his back.

"That'll wake you up for a bit. Go take a shower. Anyone says anything, tell them you tripped taking a walk outside. You know, clearing your head at ass early o'clock."

...gonna make sure... you go to jail too...

They opened the door quietly, made sure his hands were against the wall and the card was back in his pocket, and then melted away into the night, leaving a shaking Houshou leaning against the door jamb.

Fuckers. Couldn't even... put me in... the shower.

He listed to the right, wincing at the small thump of his shoulder against the wall. For a few seconds he waited, covering his mouth with a hand and listening.

I don't think I woke them...

John was still whistling; Osamu was still snoring. The only difference was that the light was slightly greater than it had been when he'd left. And he was in a world of pain.

Good. He inched his way to the bathroom and it took four attempts to get over the step, but he finally did it. Then he pulled the door shut behind him, locked it, and turned on the lights.

Well... at least they didn't... punch my face...

His back though... Houshou twisted himself out of his shirt and sucked in a breath. There were dark bruises already forming at the top of his shoulders, the sides of his ribs, and right above where his jeans started.

Damn it... I can't let Ayako... anyone, see this.

He put his hands face down on the counter and breathed in through his nose—that was a mistake. The scent of pond water made him push backwards, where he thankfully sat on the toilet instead of braining himself on the edge of the bathtub. The cold wetness pressing against him woke him up a bit further.

"Aw, man..." his pants were absolutely soaked, and even worse, there were smears of green scum and dirt all over them.

Gotta hide the evidence. Can't let them see.

Because if they saw his clothes there would be questions. Questions that he couldn't answer, questions that he'd have to lie about... and that would be the end of his time at SPR.

If Naru thought I was lying, I'd be off this case in a heartbeat. If he knows I've been lying, I'm out of SPR.

His heart constricted.

I can't leave them. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes. Damp hair with green bits in it. His body was trembling, and there were little rivets of water trickling down onto the floor. Even if I could still see them outside of work, I want to be there for them when they need me. I want to protect them as much as I can.

He turned away from the mirror and started the taps, soaking in the clean steam as it covered the mirror.

Yeah, fuck you. No free show tonight.

Houshou unbuttoned his jeans and slipped into the shower, letting the hot, clean water chase away the lingering cold of the pond.

The clothes... I can hide them in my suitcase. Wash 'em when we finish.

He took some of the soap and squirted it into the palm of his hand, running it over his legs, neck, and chest.

Gotta get rid of the smell...

Which led him to the shampoo, then the conditioner.

The slippers! His eyes widened and squeezed shut very quickly as shampoo washed in them. The slippers he'd worn down to the lobby were probably coated with grass and dirt, the biggest indication he'd been outside at night. Trash. No, I can't trash them, the hotel will notice they're missing. I'll have to take them to Rose. He frowned. And say I was taking a walk.

Time was strange in the shower. There was no clock in the room, so he wasn't sure how long he stood there, but there was comfort. He was safe here. Safe from strangers grabbing him as he walked around the park, safe from raising his friend's suspicions that things weren't good, safe from everything. He looked down at his stomach and prodded the purplish skin. And they'd done so much more.

"Just keep them safe," he said to himself.

That's all that matters.

Sleep was beginning to pull at him again, so as soon as the conditioner was rinsed from his hair and no matter how much his battered body was complaining, he shut the water off and snagged a towel from the nearby rack, wrapping it around his waist. Turning off the light again, he picked up his dirty clothes and left the bathroom, stepping down to snag the slippers and inch back to his bed. His suitcase was on the side, and Houshou let out a sigh of relief as he realized he'd left it open from this morning. Shoving the damp clothes all the way to the bottom of a separate inside pouch, he laid back down on the bed, sound asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow.

Later Thursday Morning - The Grove Hotel

"Hey, Bou-san? You awake?"

Houshou's eyes flickered open and he groaned at the thought of moving. John moved into his view, eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"Are you sick? You're looking a little pale." There was a pause. "Should I go get Ayako? I'm sure she has a thermometer."

...huh...no, she'll see the bruises!

"Ah—" he started coughing, his throat a little sore from his early morning dip in the pond. A glass of water was pressed into his hands, and after a few mouthfuls he felt well enough to talk. "Thanks, John."

"Glad it helped." The bed creaked as John sat next to him. "Anything else?"

Bruises and muscle pain. Houshou took a deep breath and was oddly pleased that it didn't start him coughing again. Yeah, that seems to be enough.

"Must have been a tickle at the back," he said, saluting John with the cup and finishing off the water. "Thanks again."

"Always." The blonde took the cup back and smiled at Houshou. "Our morning debrief with Naru's in the next thirty minutes. I let you sleep in as long as I could—"

"But we've got to get going," nodded Houshou, sliding up on the bed and biting his tongue so he didn't complain at the movement. "Gotcha. Thanks for the extra minutes, I'll be ready in a bit."

"Great, that'll give me more time to wake Osamu." The two of them looked to where their friend was snoring in his bed.

"I'll get dressed if you get him," offered Houshou, smiling weakly at John's sigh. As soon as his back was turned, Houshou twisted to grab a shirt, some boxers, socks, and another pair of pants from his suitcase. He pulled on the shirt first, ignoring the screaming of his muscles.

Can't let the others see my back. With all the pain coming from that, he was sure the bruises would be spectacular. When that was covered he turned to the others, his heart settling down as he saw Osamu blinking sleepily in his direction. Just in time!

"Ready for the meeting?" The monk stood up and changed, then slid into his new pair of pants. These were a little more... comfortable than he'd normally wear on a job.

And I'm sure Naru'll complain about the holes at the knees, but I wasn't expecting my first pair to last two measly days.

He stood up and wobbled at the pain in his back, almost falling down again before he was able to catch himself on the dresser.

"Bou-san?"

Shit.

"I'm fine, guess my leg muscles cramped from sleeping wrong." He turned and smiled at a frowning Osamu. "You just concentrate on getting ready, or we're going to be late."

The kid didn't move, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

"Late to Naru's meeting, kid."

That started him moving, and Houshou was happy to get him thinking about something else.

Okay... day two. Can't let anyone know. They'll be gone on day three, you can do this.

He took a deep breath, then braced against the corridor wall and twisted at the waist, biting his lip so that he didn't curse.

"Sorry, just needed to stretch a little. Guess I slept wrong," he laughed as John poked his head back in to hurry them along. "Same place as before?"

"Yep!" John locked the door as Osamu slipped out with a thumbs up. "Good. The girls are already there so it looks like the meeting will start when we arrive."

Does Naru still have my phone?

John didn't mention it, and neither did Osamu, so he assumed their boss still had it.

I can't remember though... I deleted the video, right? Since I did that, what's on there that's so interesting?

He fell behind the other too, happy enough to let them talk as he tried to sort through his brain and get everything together.

I just need Naru to give me back my phone, and then to make it through another day.

"Right Bou-san?"

Houshou looked up to see both Osamu and John staring at him. He let out a little cough and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, didn't hear the question. What am I agreeing to?"

"That Naru and the other's must have found something in the House of Mirrors. Naru came back late last night, but Masako and Lin were even later."

He turned to John.

"I went to bed pretty early. Were you able to talk with Masako?"

John shook his head.

"No. I was saying evening prayers when she came back."

The three of them walked up the path to the Cloud Forest Cafe, opening the doors and taking the elevator to the third floor, where the rest of their group was waiting. Mai and Masako gave him a brief nod before turning back to their conversation, John walking over to say hello. Osamu took his seat and began pouring himself a cup of tea, and Houshou smiled at Ayako. She moved the seat next to her, but he held up a finger. Naru and Lin were talking in a corner of the room, the two of them lowering their voices as he came their way.

They're not talking about you, he told himself. Probably. There was a sinking feeling in his heart that he'd been the center of the conversation.

"Hey, Naru," he said, nodding to his boss. "And morning Lin."

Both men nodded back to him, Lin with a thoughtful appearance on his face while Naru was hard to read as usual.

"My phone?"

"Of course." Naru pulled the device out of his breast pocket and handed it over to Housohu. "Thank you."

"Thanks for finding it." He didn't open it, just smoothly tucked it in his jean pocket.

If there was something that gave me away, Naru would have said something by now.

"Anything you wish to add to today's report?"

Houshou froze at the question.

Not really, no... is there anything I should say that you already know about?

But that question wouldn't go over well either.

"If I see anything missing, I'll mention it," he said, hoping that would be enough. Naru nodded, and Houshou tried not to let out a giant sigh of relief. He made his way back to the table and sat down next to Ayako, snagging the carafe of coffee and pouring himself a cup.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks for the medicine. It helped me get to sleep." His eyes flickered to the cream and sugar.

I'll probably wake up better with it bitter.

He drank his first sip just as the wait staff arrived with that day's lunch. Ichiro, like before, was one of them.

"Today's lunch is a Caesar salad, chilled cucumber soup to take away the summer's heat, and a pesto fettuccine. For dessert, there's strawberry ice cream with fresh strawberries from our private garden. Please enjoy."

The two servers began ladling soups and delivering them; Ichiro and the other woman working well together. Then, with everything on the table, they left to give the room privacy.

"Let's get started on what happened yesterday." Naru was up and out of his seat before the elevator door was closed, impatient to hurry things along. "The debrief will run a little differently today; I collected information from everyone last night so that we can all be on the same page."

Houshou felt a flash of cold fear run through him.

He didn't get me up early for my information... shit, what did I leave on my phone?!

"First of all. There are two entities in the House of Mirrors, and neither of them is the third that we're looking for, the ghost or ghosts that are going around and pinching people." Naru's mouth twisted, unhappy at either the prospect of more work or the fact that they still had nothing on their third problem.

Most likely the lack of progress on the third problem, he's never minded putting more work on the rest of us.

"Seki-san, a worker, has a skill of his own. He uses pathokinesis to draw forth emotional changes from the people he's selected. In his case, he's sworn not to do it again without more training and Masako was able to reach a mentor she knows in Chiba. The woman has agreed to train him, however he'll need to find a job near her. Considering that he allowed Ken back into the attraction, a former co-worker who had been fired for a variety of offenses, I doubt he'll be keeping this job."

"Mrs. Tanaka will be happy to help him," Masako said, taking a forkful of salad. "And if he performs well, he might be able to get a job at her clinic."

"I don't care where he ends up working, I just want him to control himself." Naru cleared his throat. "The new problem with the House of Mirrors involves one of the mirrors that was broken."

Shit. Houshou picked up his cup and took a sip, holding something so that his hands didn't shake. The memories, so far kept at bay by the nice day, had slammed back into him. Ayako, bleeding and dead in his arms. Looking at a sick version of himself... Damn my luck.

"We're not sure what exactly the mirror does or how it was used, but Osamu's working on that." There was a head nod in his direction, and Osamu nodded back with his mouth full of pasta.

Great. I'm sure that won't come back and bite me in the ass. Houshou shoved a forkful of food into his mouth, not noticing the taste at all.

"In addition, we found an area under the House of Mirrors that has been recently vacated, and was used by the ex-employee. While not known by Mrs. Kawai, other staff knew that he helped the local yaku—"

Houshou choked, bringing up a napkin and catching all the food that exploded from his mouth as he desperately tried to draw in air.

THAT'S WHY — LAST NIGHT — ! Ayako leaned over and patted his back, hitting the injuries he'd just gotten earlier that day and sending him into a coughing fit again. Dimly, under the sound of harsh breathing, he could hear voiced concern coming from all around him. Come ON Houshou! He shouted to himself, reaching out for a glass of water. The monk gulped it down, gasping when he finished and the glass thudded back on the table. Ayako was kind enough to pour some more water for him, just in case he needed it.

"Sorry," he croaked out, rubbing his throat. "Wrong tube."

Naru's eyes narrowed.

Fuck. He knows.

But, he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to the paper in his hands and tapped where he'd left off.

"As I was saying, before that untimely interruption. Ken used to work with the yakuza, so keep an eye out for unsavory characters. If you see them, just leave them alone. We're not here for that."

Wait... what does that mean? Houshou struggled to understand the underlying message. Does that mean he won't call the police? That Mrs. Kawai knows now and will call the police? Just give me one more day damnit!

"Houshou?"

He looked up to see Naru looking at him again, an odd expression on the man's face.

"I'd like to talk with you and Osamu later, after the meeting. He's the one researching the mirror and you're the one who saw it last, so he might need your help identifying it."

"Sure. Can do." He nodded and gave a thumbs-up.

"Today's pairs are to work together and focus on the pinching ghosts. Masako, Mai, and John, the three of you will be together. Lin, you'll be with Ayako. Osamu can pair up with Mai later on."

Shit. That pairs him and me together.

"Was there anything missing that you wished to add, Houshou?" asked Naru in a low voice, turning his gaze to the monk. Houshuo forced himself to meet his boss's eyes. He was sure the smile plastered on his face was a dead give-away, but it was better than the alternative, which was breaking down and putting everyone in danger.

Welp, I'm fucked.

"No." He smiled as broadly as he could and took a deep breath, his lungs aching. "Nothing to add at all."