When Hiroto left the room after I fell asleep, he went back to where Lin and Kazuya were. Stepping into the room, he walked over to Kazuya and Lin.

"Well, I'm hating this job already." he murmured.

"Why?" Lin asked, turning to look at Hiroto.

"You saw those bruises on Mai's neck right?"

Lin nodded.

"It's more serious than I had thought before."

"Were there more?" Lin asked.

"Yes. There was a lot on her chest area." Hiroto said softly.

"Her chest area? How do you know?"

"I pulled her towards the bathroom, because I figured she didn't know how serious it was. When suddenly she pulled off her shirt, and there were purple bruises all over. I figured she was also attacked there during the neck thing." he confessed.

"Is she alright?" Kazuya suddenly spoke.

"I don't think so, Kazuya. She seemed really in shock when I left her in the room."

"Tch…"

"It's a good thing that we told Mason and his brother and niece to leave the house, when Mai fainted. Or else this could have happened to someone else." Lin replied.

"I'm going to check on her. Hiroto will do a sweep of the house to see if there's any spirits here." Kazuya asked, getting up from the chair he was in.

"I can do that again, but Mai is asleep so I don't think it'd be a great idea to go check on her." Hiroto said.

Kazuya didn't reply at all to that statement, he just left the room. Leaving Lin and Hiroto standing there. Kazuya wasn't sure why he was worried about Mai, but it was probably for some reason. Considering he never felt protective towards anyone, except for his older sister. She wasn't around anymore, so he couldn't be protective of her. Maybe that's why he felt protective towards Mai, because she might be reminding Kazuya of his sister.

Although, he highly doubted it was because of that. Since he basically laid with Mai the entire night, last night.

After he had seen her move last night, he had been relieved that she was okay. Until he heard that cry of pain that had escaped her lips, he was instantly protective of her. He had rushed over to her, and had pulled her into his lap. When he got onto the couch. He had pulled her up a bit, which is when she had wrapped her arms around his neck. That's when he realized that he was feeling more than just being protective towards Mai.

Kazuya had a feeling that there was a spark between him and Mai, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing though. Considering the last person he loved had died.

Coming to the door of the room Mai was in, Kazuya knocked on the door quietly. Already knowing that Mai wouldn't answer. Opening the door slowly, Kazuya peered inside to see that Mai was spread out on the bed with the covers down at her feet. Stepping inside, he closed the door quietly behind him. Walking over to the bed, Kazuya gazed down at Mai with worry and concern glittering in his pupils. Stooping down, he grabbed the edge of her shirt and began lifting it up some. He wasn't trying to be a pervert, but he wanted to see how bad the bruising looked like.

When he was able to see it, he agreed with Hiroto with his statement. She did get some serious bruising. Laying down the shirt back on her stomach, he was sad that she had gotten hurt once again. It wasn't fair that she got hurt again so soon. He wondered how her parents would find out, they'd hunt him down and hurt him themselves.

Moving his fingers over to her hair, he grabbed a strand and twirled it around his fingers. Mai suddenly moved within his vision, and grabbed his wrist. Startled, he froze. She brought his wrist towards her face, and laid his hand on top of her cheek. Then she placed one of her hands on top of his, stating something. He felt reassured that she was sleeping peacefully, but he couldn't stay in here with her.

As he slowly pulled his hand away from her face, he turned around and started walking towards the door. Just as he placed his hand on top of the doorknob, and was about to turn it…

"Naru…" he heard a whispered voice say.

He knew instantly that it was Mai who said it. Feeling her eyes on him, he turned back around to see her watching him.

"Yes Mai, would you like something?" he asked, taking a step towards her but then decided against it.

"Please stay here." she said softly.

"I can't." he murmured quietly, turning his head away from her.

"Please… Naru, I feel safe with you here. And… I don't want you to leave…" she confessed.

He felt his cheeks light up with embarrassment, even though he didn't say those words. He knew that it took a lot for her to say that. He knew that she knew they had some sort of a connection between them. He could feel it between them. The sizzling connection they felt.

Kazuya nodded, deciding to stay.

He walked back over to the bed, and pulled over a wooden chair to sit in. Mai laid back in the bed, watching him watch over her. Slowly but surely her eyelids felt heavy, and she drifted off to sleep. He was glad she could feel safe near him, no one ever said that to him. Least not in front of him. All he ever did was to be protected, he never did the protecting. Now he knew what Lin felt when he'd want to protect him, and that was a great feeling to have. The need to protect, and the need to be protected. It was powerful, but not as powerful as what love did.

He leaned forward and grabbed ahold of one of Mai's hands, and held it in his. Slowly rubbing his thumb over her skin, making sure that she'd stay safe.

All I could feel was a presence near me. One that had the urge to protect. It was nice to feel that. It had been long since I could feel someone wanting to protect me. Ever since my parents died, I had to fend for myself. I did love my independence, but I did want to depend on someone else as well. To feel loved, and be protected by that person. That was my only wish after my parents died.

It had yet to come true. So I was hoping that Naru would be the one to make that wish and dream come true.

Slowly I opened my eyes to see Naru sitting in a chair next to me, holding one of my hands in his. This made my heart swell with love. I knew that I had already fallen for him when I first met him. But, I wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me. I knew that there was a connection between us, but I wasn't sure how deep it was for us. Or if it was just mutual attraction towards one another. I know that for me, it wasn't just mutual attraction, it was love. I wanted to stand by him, and hold him like he did with me the other night.

Pushing past my thoughts, I gently slipped my hand out from Naru's. I figured he wouldn't like waking to having one of my hands in his, so I was just going to disappear on him. At least from this room that is. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay and work with Naru, considering my feelings for him. I know that if he got himself a girlfriend or tried to reassure someone on a case, I'd be jealous. That wouldn't be professional of me. So after we're done here, I think I'll leave.

I'll stay friends with Hiroto, but I won't work with them anymore.

Getting off the bed quietly, I left the room. Closing the door softly behind me. I remembered where the room that they were in from yesterday was. So I went through the hallway to the living room, then entered the kitchen and quickly left to another hallway. I spotted the room the exact second I entered the hallway, and I walked in. Apparently interrupting something between Lin and Hiroto.

"Oops… sorry, I'll leave now." I said softly, closing the door behind me.

Luckily they didn't hear me, which was good. I assumed that Ayako and Masahiro didn't come to help us, since I still haven't seen them. So I basically had this entire house to myself. Considering that Lin and Hiroto were doing something that I didn't want to interrupt, and Naru was asleep as well. He was cute when he was asleep, so I didn't want to wake him up either. So I had to figure out what was going on here inside this house, while everyone else was busy. I decided to start where I had passed out a few days ago.

Leaving the house, I walked around the house to where I had been before the accident. Sitting down where Celia and Mason had been, I closed my eyes. I started to meditate quietly. Chanting softly in Latin, I began to feel dizzy. I knew that it wasn't from me not eating or drinking much, but it was from something else.

I could feel a presence nearby, no, not just one. There were quite a few actually. The more pronounced one had a more dark energy to it though. The others I could feel were children. Lots of children. At least ten. They had been here for quite some years, they all had died here from illnesses. And this one spirit had kept them here.

It was terrible. These children were filled with pain and terror. All they wanted was to go home to their families and to have peace. But they couldn't because of this one spirit.

I knew I had to help them. Even if I lose my life for this, these children deserve some peace at least. I could at least give them that.

Opening my eyes, I could feel a chill overcome me. Obviously this spirit didn't like me, not at all.