Chapter 40

Naru stood from his chair and paced back and forth in front of the monitors.

He was trying his best to focus on his task, but his thoughts kept wandering. It wasn't habitual for him to lose concentration this severely on a case. Especially on the second day of the investigation since that was usually when things, if the establishment was indeed haunted, got interesting. This was usually when the finer details and clues would start to come together, and when he could usually begin to fabricate a solution.

'Where is Yasuhara with those research documents?' Naru pondered letting his eyes wander to the door of their base and back to the monitors.

It was currently lunch time at the school, which was a great time to begin conducting interviews. Monk and Ayako were currently tasked with this effort, while Masako and John were checking out the indoor pool area. The pool was supposedly where most of the paranormal experiences occurred. Yasuhara was out gathering information since first period, and Lin was in his usual seat typing away.

There was another source of his irritability which he hadn't anticipated.

He'd nearly called out for tea several times now, but thankfully he was able to subdue his impulses. Although, he was sure that it hadn't escaped the notice of a few members of SPR.

'Alright, so this school was founded approximately sixty- three years ago. According to the first round of interviews, alumni phone calls, and conversations with the senior staff there have always been strange occurrences at the school. Though nothing to the scale of the reported dangerous incidents where seven students have been seriously injured and every one of these students hospitalized. This strange behavior doesn't seem to affect the staff or the maintenance workers. So what do all seven of these victims have in common? It definitely isn't gender, or social status since only wealthy students can afford to enter this establishment. Perhaps it's something else in their backgrounds. Where is-" Naru's thoughts came to a screeching halt when the researcher in question came waltzing into the room.

"Where are my beautifully stoic heartthrobs?" Yasu sang as he danced into the room with two trays worth of beverages and snacks purchased from the cafeteria.

"Do you have the reports on the victims?" Naru asked not entertaining the boy for a second. Yasu placed his haul on a separate table then rested his back into a chair. He retrieved the files and grabbed one of the cups, and handed them both to his boss.

"Here you go, boss. There's also some tea since I notice your little mishaps this morning. I know it isn't from your favorite little brunette, but it'll have to do. You're a growing boy so make sure to eat some snacks too." Yasuhara teased and went to retrieve some black coffee for Lin, and he seemed grateful.

"Anything interesting?" Naru pressed on.

"Actually, most all of the students seemed to suffer from some form of depression before their incidents. A few of them noted how it grew to the point of considering suicide before they were hurt. I'll bet the other three students experienced something similar but were reluctant or too ashamed to share." Yasuhara said and his boss nodded.

It was then that the other four team members appeared and took seats around the base.

"Help yourself team. I bought your favorite beverages and snacks. Monky-poo! I made sure to put extra sugar in your ice coffee." Yasu said and winked at the Monk who shook his head at the usual antics.

"Brown. Hara. Did you find anything noteworthy?" Naru pressed.

"Yes actually. The presence I mentioned earlier does seem to spend time near the pool, but it wasn't there while we were. It is definitely avoiding me after I noticed it the first time. Something is off about it, but I'll need a chance to figure it out." Masako shared and picked up her green tea and a few cookies. Naru nodded and made notes of the findings in his notebook. He pulled out his phone quickly to note the time and date for his personal record.

His mind couldn't help but become wayward again.

'Mai's is most likely eating lunch right now. Hope that idiot didn't forget her wallet again.' Naru caught himself thinking before getting back to his notes.

"Once lunch is over, Monk and Matsuzaki, I want the two of you to finish up the interviews. Hara and John, see if you can track this thing and mark all of its popular locations. If things go well, we will be doing a seance tonight. I want you all on standby until I decided who will-" Naru started but his phone began to ring. He pulled out his phone and viewed his caller ID.

SANGO

Naru momentarily wondered to himself why she would be calling him, but it was most definitely about Mai. Whatever the conversation was he didn't want to have it front of the entire team. He picked it up and began talking as he left the base to seek privacy. As he left, he could hear Monk and Yasu assuming it was Mai, and whistle after him.

"Yes, Mrs. Kazaana?" Naru began luckily the hallways were empty so he decided to wait outside the door.

"Good afternoon young man. I'm calling on official business today regarding a certain girl we both know. Is she nearby?" Sango asked knowing that if she was indeed close the expression, Mai would no doubt be wearing.

"No, the team is currently on a case and she was granted leave." He said never one for details, and he surely wasn't going to delve any further into her absence with Sango.

"I see well you'll have to punish her the next time you see her then. Mai, Mr. Osamu, and I had a meeting this past weekend. It was Mai's job to inform you of the details of that meeting. Has she done so?" Sango questioned again.

"No. Neither of them has said anything." Naru not enjoying the foreign feeling rising in him.

"Ah… well. We both told Mai to tell you before today otherwise I would." Sango said and began to detail their findings from the weekend as well as Mai's previous encounters with the man in question.

The more information Sango divulged the clearer Mai's behavior had become. He had similarly changed after the death of his brother, although he'd never had the luxury of knowing his killer. He only prayed they were miserable every day of their life.

'Seeing the plot of Keiko's murder, as well as the execution, must have truly torn Mai apart.' Naru put together mentally.

Naru didn't pretend to be skilled at reading emotions nor at responding correctly in every situation, but the hurt Mai felt he could sympathize with.

"I see. You did well to ensure I received this information." Naru commented once Sango completed her report.

"Just in case all of this mess turns out to be true we'll need an extra pair of eyes on her at all times. Anyway, I only walked away from some business for a second to call. Give those troublemakers my regards." Sango ended and hung up in a very Naru fashion.

Naru wasn't sure he could quite describe the number of feelings going through him. He wasn't sure if he was angry at Mai or just disappointed, she'd hidden so much. He couldn't really dissect it now knowing that he had to figure out how to keep Mai away from potential danger. Again.

Mai had never been wrong about these sorts of things before, especially after having instinctual hints and visions. Naru was not a fan of the odds stacking against his assistant, especially since she had been recklessly walking around Shibuya in this situation last night.

Not to mention the two had already met again after her vision, and he knew where she went to school to boot.

Naru opened the door and immediately caught Yasuhara's eyes and gave him the coldest look he could muster. He said nothing and merely narrowed his eyes, and everyone quickly picked up on the frigid atmosphere.

"Uh… Kazuya, are you alright mate? You seem a bit tense." John inquired trying to break up the darkening mood.

"Alright, break is over everyone report to your assignments." Naru directly ignored the priest and everyone quickly rushed up, eager to remove themselves from the line of fire.

"Not you Osamu. You and I have business." Naru stated clearly. Yasu seemed to mentally click the events the just took place and felt a cold sweat set in.

"Good luck kid." Monk said and followed the rest of the team out of base. The sound of the door closing only increased the lethal atmosphere in the base. Lin even stopped typing to observe the two young men.

"You spoke with Sango I take it." Yasu started and sighed.

"Mai is alone right now. How could you allow her to be left behind under these circumstances? Are you senseless?!" Naru responded, base growing in his voice.

"It wasn't my place to tell you. I only helped her get the information she wanted. It was hers to do what she wanted with it. You know Mai. I suggested-" Yasu began.

"Not good enough! You think that idiot would try to ask for help! You were the one who I entrusted her too, and you let this just slip by me. Did you even consider the gravity of the situation if she is indeed correct?" Naru had yet to notice himself unraveling.

"I wanted her to tell you, I really did, but she had to make that decision on her own. I already helped you once with the tutoring, which I didn't mind, but we can't choose her entire life for her. She must choose for herself as well." Yasu shared but to no avail.

"You've seen the decisions she's made this past month! Is she even in her right mind?" Naru actually yelled at his researcher.

"Were you when you left England to search for Eugene?" Yasuhara stated more than asked.

Suddenly Naru saw red and grabbed him by his collar. Yasu didn't budge and kept eye contact with his raging boss. Lin was out of his chair now ready to intervene, but Yasu put his hand up to stop him.

"Answer the question you self-righteous brat! Everything Mai is going through you know better than anyone else! When you wanted to come to Japan and pursue your truth no one stopped you. Instead, they supported you and let you find your peace with losing your brother. I was merely doing the same for Mai. So before you go playing judge and jury make sure you get your facts straight." Yasuhara jeered and pushed him off.

Naru said nothing and let his words sink in, very much deflated from the change in perspective. Base was silent again and Yasuhara sighed removing his glasses and pushing his hair back.

"Don't get too down on yourself. I just figured this much out myself after Mai yelled at me not too long ago. I know you're in love with the girl, but you've got to let her choose her life. As her new family, we can advise and support, but she must make the final decision. If it makes you feel better, I'll forward you all the police evidence I've collected on the incident." Yasu walked over to his boss and patted his shoulder.

Naru didn't meet his eyes still letting his words sink in. Yasu cleared his throat and straightened up his clothing.

"Well, my fallen angels of ghost hunting I've got to go if I'm going to make it to my afternoon classes. I'll finish up that research I started and send it to you cuties tonight. Toodle-loo!" Yasu giggled and sang his way out the door.

"It seems I've missed something." Lin said and Naru sighed preparing to inform his assistant.

Pain.

That was the first thing to register.

Next in a close second was confusion.

Followed by an amalgamation of panic, anxiety, and…and… she could barely process each sensation. She recalled this discomfort from when she first moved in with her boss after a broken leg forced her onto crutches.

It was a shame that she might need them again so soon.

That is if she got out of here.

Finally, after a few moments of adjusting, she realized she was laying on a very hard and very cold floor. She opened her eyes only to realize she was in complete and utter darkness. She sat up gingerly and tried to quell her panic and prevent herself from hyperventilating. Feeling around didn't help her gauge exactly where she was or if her oxygen was limited. That thought propelled Mai into a deeper sinking feeling.

The more she felt around the more Mai assessed the size of the space she was trapped in. She couldn't get much since it hurt to move her leg too much. She assumed there were no windows and if there were they were most likely boarded up. Perhaps there was a door, but there wasn't any light peeking from under it, or even a draft hinting where it could be. The darkness was so dense Mai could seldom calm herself as time passed.

She found the closest wall and leaned her back against it and sighed.

'Last I remember...' Mai tried to recall as she thought back to the feeling she had in the hallway.

Then the open window in her bedroom.

Finally, the gun.

And him.

'I should have listened to myself when that hallway felt off. Even more so when I went inside and the apartment felt worse.' Mai thought regretting her misstep more and more with each passing moment. Suddenly a shiver racked her body reminding her she was still in her school clothes. A light sweater, a sailor top, socks, and a short skirt.

'How much time has passed?' Mai pondered with no pieces of the outside world to give her any clues. Her stomach growled suddenly reminding her of other issues soon to arise. Mai had been so busy the previous day the last meal she'd had was lunch and she was seriously regretting it now.

'Its three days without water and a little more without food. How long can I last in here?' Mai thought morbidly. She wanted to search her surroundings more thoroughly, but the pain in her ankle was enough to make her think twice.

Mai pulled her good leg into her body and rested her head on her knee.

'Come on Mai think. What would Naru do? What would Naru do? If he got desperate, he'd probably just blow down the wall and whatever was behind it. Try to get as far as possible before he fainted. Nah… he's much smarter than that. He'd find another way.' Mai thought and was surprised when tears started to run down her face at the thought of her boss.

The sheer trauma of being kidnapped from her own home was getting to her and being plunged into this never-ending darkness wasn't helping. She'd had so many dreams of people's last moments in situations like this she was barely keeping a full-blown panic attack at bay.

'Is he going to kill me here? Or worse is he going to torture me? No Mai! Naru wouldn't give in to those kinds of thoughts. He'd keep trying until he found a solution. Alright, I need to feel around the room.' Mai decided and pushed herself up on her good leg using the wall for support.

'I'm going to get out of here. One way or another.' Mai vowed and began her search.

Abruptly Mai could hear movement coming from somewhere outside the room.

She paused her newly acquired calm quickly scattered as she remained standing, quickly wiping her eyes, and waited. Strangely enough half of a door appeared in the middle of the wall and light poured in. Mai tried her best to see what lay beyond, but the sudden brightness left dark spots in her vision. Still, she didn't dare to close her eyes for too long in anticipation of what was next.

As her eyes adjusted, she met a figure in black boots, black pants, a black hoodie, and a mask.

It slid in from the half door to the middle of the room from a higher floor.

The room Mai was in seemed to be connected to another room with an elevated floor. It was strange, but she didn't dare take her eyes from the figure too long to analyze it. It was then that Mai saw the figure with a bucket in hand which it left on the floor. It also threw half a loaf of bread on the ground as well as a metal can on water on the floor.

Then it just looked at Mai for what felt like ages.

It also wore a ski mask so Mai had no clue of the gender or age of this thing.

'I guess we're sizing each other up.' Mai assumed but was willing to appeal to her capturer better nature if he had one.

"Please. Let me go." Mai begged to it and it only shook its head slowly left to right.

It suddenly turned around and brought in a black piece of construction paper with white writing. This figure went to the side of the room to post it onto the wall. Mai looked over at the door and bolted for the door as fast as her ankle would allow. She barely got her arm onto the ledge before her hair was yanked and she was brought to her knees.

It yanked her head back and she met dark hollow empty eyes.

"Ahh…" Mai whine in pain being dragged further from the exit. She reached both of her hands above her head to try and ease the intense grip. The figure yanked her head again so that she was facing the paper it just posted. Mai recollected the odd resemblance the figure had to the "Noh Mask" character from one of her favorite movies as a child.

'Why hasn't it spoken? Is this even Kasai? If only I could reach my necklace without getting my hair ripped out.' Mai thought as she barely kept her balance with her throbbing ankle.

The Noh Mask pointed again with the hand not holding her hair and then moved her upper lip up and down.

Mai interpreted the strange message from there.

"You wa-ant me to read i-it? Out loud?" Mai said weakly and it nodded very slowly. Not letting up its grip on her scalp she began to read this strange list.

Rule one: No escaping

Rule two: No screaming

Rule three: Repentance will be rewarded

Rule four: Disobedience will be punished

Rule Five: No dying…unless ordered

Mai finished and her small prayer was answered and her hair was finally released.

Mai inched her way back over to the wall and leaned up against it. Noh Mask stared at her once more and Mai took the time to notice the build of this person was somewhat masculine, and beyond the mask were deep brown eyes. Looking didn't tell Mai much about who this person was, but she was getting more and more sure it wasn't Kasai. That thought in itself was troubling that other people may have been involved in her kidnapping.

Noh Mask turned and left.

Mai quickly took off her necklace to answered the burning question in her mind. After the sensory influx daze, Mai could see an unfamiliar hue radiating just beyond the closing exit. Confirming her initial suspicions this aura was much different from her kidnapper's. Before Mai could study it more the lights were turned off once more. Mai prayed silently that she'd find some way out of here.

'Someone please help me.' Mai begged quietly as tears began to pour down her face.

A quick turn around on this one to show some love to my readers, but a short chapter to keep the pace in tune. Hope you enjoyed!