Chapter 30
The weather was getting warmer all the time, but the nights were still chilled.
Mai stood inside the Kinjo home and watched outside through the front door window. Even now with her pendant on, the call of this spirit was strong. The charms were doing well for now, but the fact that this boy's sprit was sill reaching out to her was unsettling to say the least. Mai said that she wasn't hungry and excused herself from the table five minutes ago. It was dark out and they were so far from the city.
Everything beyond the barn lights was pitch black.
'I don't know when I'll be this focused on the case again. I should go out there and help that boy cross over. I could do it.' Mai thought.
"I know I could." She thought again, but aloud.
"I'm confident you could too kid, but it may not be smart to go in alone." Monk said surprising the girl from behind.
"Besides Naru would probably bench you for life if you tried it. Believe in him, Mai. Just give him the information he needs, do what he says, and it'll all work out like it always does." Monk reasoned as he patted the girl's hair. Mai was quick to throw his hand away from her and gain some distance between the two.
"Well, aren't you his loyal little fanboy. Be careful, Lin doesn't look like the type to be upstaged." Mai replied brusquely as she continued her gaze out the door.
'You little- relax Houshou she's just lashing out of anger. You are a Monk. Say something Monk-like.' Houshou thought and cleared his throat.
"I know you're going through somethings Mai, but you have to keep your wits about you. When I'm struggling, I always remember the wise words of Buddha "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path." Monk quoted wisely.
"If that's true then you going all Mount Koya on me is meaningless." Mai bit back.
"That's not true. Though the final decision is always yours, a little guidance is always helpful." Monk finished and left the girl to her thoughts. Mai turned back toward the door and her view of the outside of the house and frowned.
'If the decision is mine then I'm leaving. Tonight.' Mai thought.
She continued ascending the stairs back to base without a second thought.
"Naru, all the charms are in place. What's our next move?" Ayako asked when Monk and John walked into base after their final walkthrough.
"I've checked all the cameras and the temperatures all seem normal for now. Hopefully, this means you aren't a one trick pony, and your charms are working." Naru said and a vein popped out of Ayako's head.
"You little-spoiled scientist." She yelled.
"Mai." Naru called to Mai in her usual perch by the window. She didn't respond in her usual surprised and nervous manner though.
"What."
"Do you sense anything?" He questioned unfazed by her cruel tone.
"With the warding charm, it's faint. Would you like a more precise reading?" Mai asked dully.
"Yes." He replied and Mai reached around her neck and felt the whiplash of spiritual sensitivity. This time it was strong, but not enough to cause black spots in her vision. It took Mai a few moments to disregard the auras present inside the house and to take note off one walking the perimeter of the barrier. Its form was always angled toward the house no matter where it appeared. After five minutes of observing Mai placed her charm back on.
"It's circling the barrier. Probably looking for a weakness. If it doesn't find one it might start attacking it indiscriminately. If it does it get through, it won't take long for it to get past the second layer and get into the house. Its presence is clear and strong." Mai said and turned back toward the window.
"I see. Why didn't you say it instead of he? Do you think it's not the boy anymore?" Naru questioned.
'There goes Kazuya's attention to detail.' John noted.
"It's been a long time and the boy is turning bad. This is the first time I felt him as an it rather than a he. If we want to save the boy's spirit we'll have to act very soon." Mai responded plainly.
"Alright. Rest up, everyone. In the morning, I want Monk and Matsuzaki to check the barrier to make sure it's safe, and then some of us will head out. You're all dismissed." Naru ordered.
"Umm… Naru. Where exactly where will some of us be going?" Monk asked confused.
"I'll brief you all in the morning." Naru replied and joined Lin by the monitors. Ayako got up and stretched out happily.
"Thank goodness. Today sure was a long day. I think I could use a good night's beauty sleep." Ayako said raising her arms above her head.
"I don't think there's enough sleep in your lifetime to make you beautiful you old ha-WHACK- HEY I was just kidding! You're so damn violent!" Monk said after being struck his tone was much different.
"Come on Mai. I know you must be exhausted. Let's get ready for bed." Ayako said reaching a hand out to the girl. Mai took Ayako's hand and the two escorted themselves out of the room. The others followed suit.
Mai knew she was on her dream plane. It was the complete darkness she had become quite accustomed too, but then there was a sound. The sound of footsteps approaching her. She suddenly found herself awake and lying down in bed.
'Wait a minute. Ayako isn't here. I must still be dreaming.' Mai realized and she couldn't look down and the body she was occupying forced its eyes closed.
'Well… go on! We have to do this now. Come on Myoga, be a man for once in your life!' She whispered. Mai couldn't see what was transpiring over her body because the boy she was occupying refused to open his eyes and address the two speaking over him.
"Kagura! What if we're found out! We'll be in a lot of trouble! Then there's our boy. He-" Before Myoga could finish Kagura splashed the kerosene all over the room. Mai could begin to smell the oil and her stomach dropped. It was then that the boy sat up in bed and surprised the two people in front of him.
"Mom…Dad, what are you doing?" The boy asked sounding confused and scared. The couple looked surprised that the boy had awoken. The woman was quick to wipe her hands on her pants and kneel next to her son.
She held the sides of his face and kissed him on the forehead.
"I know this is confusing baby, but Mommy and Daddy have to do this to the entire house." The mother said.
"But why?" He asked his tone a bit more settled now. Mai could feel his body relaxing.
"Well Mommy and Daddy did something they aren't proud of and the police know about it now. So we have to pretend that someone tried to burn down our house. I know it stinks in here right now, but I need you to try and go back to sleep honey. As soon as we're done, we'll be back to get you, but it might take a while, okay? Do you understand sweetheart?" Kagura asked and Mai could feel the boy nod slowly.
"I think so. I don't want you to be in trouble. I'll wait here." The boy said and his mom kissed him on the forehead.
"Myoga, we have such a good son. Alright, relax Kohaku. We'll be back for you okay." Kagura said. The boy noticed that his father hadn't said a thing to him before he left which he found odd. He trusted his parents though and knew that they'd done some shady dealings in the past. He just prayed it would all be over soon.
He laid back on his bed and tried to ignore the smell of fuel in the room.
He couldn't get himself to go back to sleep so he just waited.
And waited.
And waited still.
Almost two hours had gone by before the boy decided to go and find his parents. He placed his slippers on and was disturbed to find that they too were covered in oil. He sighed and reached for his door, but recoiled his hand quickly when he found the doorknob to be hot. Smoke began to fill in under the door and the boy started to panic.
'No! They started the fire already! But why?! I thought that they loved me!' Mai could hear the boys eyes water and his body fill with panic. He grabbed a shirt from his drawer and wrapped it around his hand and tried again to open the door. This time a flame licked into the room and his soaked feet quickly caught flame. He tried to stomp out the flame, but soon his entire room began to burn brightly.
Then all the boy knew was betrayal and suffering.
'Why?' He thought before he knew nothing else.
Mai woke up with a start and an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She could feel hot tears running down her face from the traumatic dream she'd just felt. She saw Ayako was still asleep in the bed beside her and she got up.
'Something isn't right. 'Mai could feel the shift in the house that put her on edge. She was even scared to enter the hallway. Mai took off her necklace and was swayed by the influx of spiritual energy around her. Mai soon realized that the spirit had indeed gotten through the first layer of charms already and was closed to cutting through the second one.
'I've got to tell Naru!' Mai ran over to Ayako and shook her awake. Ayako stirred easily and her eyes filled with concern.
"Mai? What's wrong honey? Are you okay?" Ayako asked clearly worried.
"The spirit is about to break through the barrier. Go wake John and Monk. I have to tell Naru." Mai said and Ayako was up in second.
Mai ran into the base to see Lin already standing analyzing the monitors closely.
"Lin, the spirit is about to break the second barrier! " Mai yelled.
"I know. My shiki felt something was off. Go wake up Naru!" He called and Mai was out in seconds. She opened the door to his room and didn't even bother knocking before she burst into the door. She could see her boss's beautifully innocent face as she sat next to him in bed and shook him. He was awake in seconds and his deep blue pools were alert and analyzing his assistant.
"Mai. Why ar-"
"The spirit is about to break through the second barrier and get in!" She explained and her boss threw the sheets off of himself and he was headed into base in mere moments. Mai trailed behind and tried her best to keep up with the young scientist.
"Ayako, I need you to make some more charms and place them at the four corners of the property. John, I need you to go with Mai and ward off the spirit until we are ready. Monk create a barrier around the top floor of the house." Naru spat orders effortlessly to his red-eyed team members.
Monk, John, and Mai leapt out of base and Monk firmly planted his Buddhist knife into the wood of the top stair. John and Mai ran past him and into the first floor of the home right out the door.
"Mai where is it?" John asked pulling his miniature bible and holy water from out of his pajamas. Mai refocused and Mai pointed just a bit right of where they were standing. Then John proceeded to begin his chant.
"Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." John began and Mai could see the spirit was affected, but it was not deterred.
'John may be buying us a few moments, but it won't be enough to make the spirit leave. I have to go with it. Or else it might try to take Kohaku again! I'm most likely going to be benched for the next ten cases, but I have to do this.' Mai thought.
"John don't stop chanting." Mai said and began to walk forward toward the spirit.
"Mai don't!" John called.
"Don't stop chanting or it'll break through!" Mai yelled back and John reluctantly continued.
"Kohaku! Please stop this! I know what happened to you now!" Mai yelled and she got the spirit's attention with those words.
'The spirit has the same name as Kohaku and lived not far from here with his mother and father before he died. He must think that Kohaku's parents are going to do the same thing to him' Mai's surmised from her dream.
"Mai come back now!" Mai heard Ayako calling from behind but Mai couldn't afford to lose the spirit's attention.
"I'm sorry that this happened to you, but you have to move on. You've been suffering all this time and it isn't fair. Let go of the pain Kohaku. Please let it go." Mai begged and prayed the spirit would heed her request.
Mai watched as the thick black mass calmed and its aura's furious whirlwind calmed to a chilled breeze. His human features were visible again, and most notably among them were two very sad looking brown eyes. He raised his hand out to her and beckoned her.
"John. Ayako. He wants me to come with him. "Mai turned her head but remained facing the specter.
"No! Mai stop this! You always do this! At the church, with the museum, the case where you broke your leg, and again now! I know you lost your parents and you've had to do things alone for a long time, but you don't have too anymore. Let us help you! Please, don't leave with that spirit." Ayako pleaded with her friend.
Mai looked back at Ayako with the blank stare she'd become accustomed to.
"I don't have to. I'm choosing too." Mai said and she turned around and took the spirit's hand. Suddenly Mai took off into the darkness of the night.
"Mai!"
"MAI!"
Hey guys. Long time no write I know. Well, I'm in the middle of correcting previous chapters' spelling errors before I start the writing more. You can view my progress will the changing chap titles. Anyway, enjoy.