All in all their last job went well. So they decided to spend some time shopping at the town famous festival before going home. The busy market place was loud and colourful. Stalls offered different foods, drinks, and accessories. Masako took the opportunity to ask Naru what he would want for his birthday, a purple and green striped tie or a dark blue one with little love hearts on it. It was clear which one she wanted him to pick. Naru hadn't really agreed to come along, but his team had insisted, and Lin was going too. So he let Ayako drag him along. He walked beside Lin, moody, with his hands in his coat pockets. Mai skipped beside them, wondering what her boss was thinking about. 'I wish I could read minds," she thought. Since the past semester after Naru returned from England, her powers had grown in number and strength. Her newest addition was clairvoyance. So far, she would only get flashes of the future, some useful some not, but Lin assured her under his training she would soon be able to control her ability. Still, she wished she were telepathic as well. Then she could tell why Naru seemed miles away. 'Although it's pretty obvious he's thinking about work', she though spitefully. Little did she know Naru was thinking about her. Worrying about her. Her powers were increasing rapidly. They had no idea what the next one would be and whether it was something dangerous. What if she brought the house down on herself with telekinesis one day?
"All right yall! How 'bout an ice cream?" Takigawa called. "Me! me!" Mai squealed. No one else seemed interested, so Takigawa decided to take Mai for some ice cream. They split from the others and headed for an ice cream stall. Housho got strawberry vanilla and Mai settled on a chocolate and mint. "You know, pink is considered girlish, Monk san," she teased, as they strolled along the rows of stalls licking their ice creams. "So? I like girls," Takigawa argued. Mai giggled, then stopped as a particular token on a stall caught her eye. It was glass bead, faceted to reflect the light as it spun. Rainbow colourer specs of light swarmed across the tent roof inside the stall. "A yes, a beautiful piece…" the shop keeper said, coming up to them. Takigawa distracted by him, noticed Mai swaying a moment to late. She fell against the display table, which broke her fall but spilt every manner of beads and pearls in all directions. Takigawa apologised to the stall owner many times, but he waved it off, more worried about the 'little miss'.
'hmm… Strawberry coated chocolate…, I mean chocolate… coated… uh, Rainbow sheep. Wait! Why the hell am I thinking about rainbow sheep! My head hurts.' Mai opened her eyes to complete darkness. "Hello?" she called. Her voice echoed faintly. Oh. So this was a vision again. Mai did what Lin told her. Breathing deeply she let her mind go blank. White mist came towards her across the plane of blackness. She let it engulf her. Inside, the mist wavered. It formed figures and surroundings, all hazy and dream like. Mai recognized a place. 'The clothes store! Monk san and I walked past it on our way to the ice cream shop!' Suddenly she heard voices, and laughter. Into view came the ghostly figures of Masako, Lin and Naru. After them followed Yasu and John. Mai backed up so as not to get in their way, but the mist-Masako walked right through her, evaporating temporarily and reforming on the other side. Mai ran her hand though Yasu's arm, watching the wisp of whiteness slowly return to the hole she made. "Honestly, where did they run off to?" Ayako was complaining loudly. "I guarantee you they'll be in the last place we look," Yasu informed her, John laughing beside him. "Grrr! Well you-" Her voice was interrupted by the ridiculously loud sounding of a clock, echoing even louder in the mist. *Gong, gong, gong, gong, gong…* Handsover her hears Mai counted. 'nine, ten, eleven tw-' Overshadowed by the twelfth gong, thanks to the sound magnifying mist, she could make out the sound of a pistol. '!' Naru staggered back as if… almost as if…
Lin caught him and lowered him to the ground. Blood was running over his hands as he tried to stop the bleeding with his jacket. "I'll call the ambulance!" Yasu shouted, sprinting to the nearest shop. Ayako bent down panicky beside Lin, unsure of what to do. Naru's eyes where closed and his face was so white! "Lin?" Ayako said softly. Lin gave no reaction. "Lin, I think he's dead."
"NOOOO!" Mai screamed, the mist around her fell away with a *whump*. "NO! NO!" She hugged herself disbelievingly. "Wake up Mai!" She told herself. "You have to stop this! WAKE UP!" She was crying. "Mai" she heard. She turned, tears blurred the figure of light in front of her, but she knew who it was. Oddly, even after not seeing him for almost a year, she felt no surprise. "Gene, you have to let me out! I have to save him!" She implored him desperately. He looked worried. "I will, but I have to warn you, it isn't as easy to change the future as you think." "Wha-what do you mean?" His image began fading away. "Mai, where there is death there will always be death." His word echoed around the darkness over and over. Mai closed her eyes. "I understand," she whispered, and opened her eyes.
Bright light blinded her, causing her to squint. "Mai, are you OK?" Monk san's voice asked her worriedly. Her head hurt even worse that in her vision, but she nodded and sat up. They were still in the bead-stall. Her shirt felt wet. Feeling back she realized someone had placed a cool wet towel around her neck. "I'm fine, really monk san," She answered as he helped her up carefully. "I just…" Her vision! Her heart started racing and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She grabbed his wrist and turned it, so she could read the time of his watch. Nearly twelve! "Mai what are you-"Sorry Monk san, I have to go!" She ran out of the stall, frightening a couple of ladies who were just passing, and bolted off in direction ice cream stall. "Mai?" Takigawa called looking out of the entrance. Despite the crowd he could make out her uneven bob cut moving rapidly, almost out of sight. With a curse he followed her, ploughing into the crowd with determination.
Meanwhile Naru and the others had decided it was time to chase down Mai and Takigawa. It was proving difficult in the mass of people. "They went to the ice cream shop," John stated. "I suggest we search from there." They slowly moved through the crowd, with john mumbling apologies to everyone they bumped, and Ayako glaring at them, for all the world like it was singly their fault. Yasu simply smiled at the passers-by, sure to melt any old- or young woman's heart that saw him. "Oh, look!" Masako cried. Lin and Ayako turned, expecting to see Mai. Masako continued, "What beautiful clothes." John and Yasu laughed at the two, who scowled and looked away. "Stay focused Masako," Naru reminded her quietly. "We're looking for Mai and Takigawa." Ayako sniffed. "Honestly, where did they run off to?" she complained. "I guarantee you they'll be in the last place we look," Yasu informed her, John laughing beside him. Ayako spun to them, "Grrr! Well you-" Suddenly they were startled by a huge gong, like an old-fashioned clock. "What the hell!" Ayako cried covering her ears. Naru was silently counting the strikes. 'ten, eleven-' suddenly Mai flew out of nowhere, startling his count. She rushed in front of him and spread her hands. He was about to tell her off. He opened his mouth, and then the last *bong* sounded, and suddenly he could tell something was horribly, horribly wrong.