Chapter 43

A multitude of souls illuminated the spiritual plane, and Mai just continued to lay on her side and float among them. She had no interest in creating any surfaces for her to walk on and seek out her answers.

For now, she just wanted to watch the souls floating.

'If these really are all souls, they must have abandoned all their earthly ties. That's the only way I could be so close to them and sense only peacefulness. It must have been so difficult… to just cut themselves off from everything they once loved for continuous peace. Could I do that?' Mai thought to herself as she floated along; not really sure what made her mind wander to the topic.

"You could, but it most definitely won't be easy." A voice interjected and Mai looked over not surprised to see the sad smile of her spirit guide. He walked over, took her hand, and pulled her down to sit beside him.

"Is that what you did?" Mai wondered sadly to embarrassed by her own insensitively to look into the eyes of her spiritual link. She was surprised to hear the boy laugh aloud in response to her question.

"No. That isn't what I chose to do. It is most likely the exact opposite. I still cling to my memories of you and Noll, and I'm lucky that my connections are my spiritual abilities. Ahh yes… definitely better than being stuck in my house in England or even at that lake in Japan." Gene admitted generously smiling over at his pupil.

Mai simply nodded and placed her head delicately on her knees. It felt good to feel something resembling a routine amid the chaos that had somehow become her life. Mai could feel her eyes welling up as she took in the image of the ageless boy. Gene slid in closer and placed one arm around her back and rubbed in circles.

"It's going to be alright Mai. Noll and I are going to find you. I'm pretty sure that idiot already knows that you're missing. It's only a matter of time until he finds you with his psychometry. Just stay strong Mai." Gene comforted wishing he could be there to comfort her himself.

"That's just it, Gene! I don't always want to be waiting around for your brother to rescue me. This time I want to save myself! But …before he… when it was just my ankle, I still thought that maybe if I was smart, I could manage it on my own. Now…I … even here I can still feel my skin burning…like a dull ache. I just want to get back to them." Mai whimpered feeling quite pitiful in her desperation.

A tense silence filled floated between them.

"There is a way, but it could be dangerous. There's no guarantee it will work, and if we fail you could get really hurt." Gene explained slowly looking off as if still weighing the decision. Mai uncurled herself and placed a hand on her guide's shoulder. Her eyes didn't reflect her broken voice but burned with determination.

"Gene, I'm already hurt. We have to try." Mai reassured squeezing his shoulder blade which drew his gaze back to her.

"Yes, but your odds are much higher if we wait fo-" Gene started but Mai cut him off.

"I can't wait there anymore! I don't know what he'll do to me next. He already knows the police have a file on him. He's going to reach desperation soon, and I can't wait around until your brother gets a clue. Tell me, Gene. What's our plan?" Mai commanded and her guide nodded slowly.

"Alright. Now listen carefully because we'll only get one shot at this." Gene explained.

Things were progressing well, but nowhere near the speed that would have appeased the Great Oliver Davis. The charms had been made and placed around the school, and their list of viable suspects of over one hundred had widdled down to four. He eyed the short list that the Monk had come back with and his suspicions began to confirm themselves.

"You've got that look in your eye. Do you know who it is?" Monk wondered aloud his eyes shifting from the paper to his boss.

"Not quite, but there are two students and two staff members this list. The length of time that the disappearances have been occurring removes these two students because they are both freshmen. One of the staff definitely holds a more advantageous position for getting to know the students on a more personal level." Naru evaluated and Monk nodded in agreement.

"I agree with you there, but even if our evidence is correct, we still have quite the ordeal awaiting us. We've got to figure out a way to test her or make her reveal herself to us. To be frank, we're at a clear disadvantage. I bet that she attacked us the other day to test what we could do." Monk determined crossing his arms over his chest with a furrowed brow.

"Once John and Masako return from their walkthrough then I'll determine our next plan of action." Naru returned as Monk walked off to join Ayako.

Naru's eyes skated over the monitors and he noted Yasuhara, John, and Masako all approaching base from two separate directions.

Naru could feel his heart rate increase in anticipation.

He knew that his answers would be with whatever item Yasuhara had chosen to carry with him. Naru heard the base door open and his team exchanging greetings with one another.

To him, it was all muffled with the expectancy of what was to come.

"Boss." Naru felt Yasuhara's hand on his shoulder and at first, he didn't turn around. He wasn't quite sure what he would see and he had to admit to himself that he was afraid to find out.

"Naru, please. It's time." Yasu said again and this time his boss nodded and looked over at the team. Lin too had removed his headphones in cognizance of the situation.

"Father Brown, Hara. Report." Naru began.

"The spirits are now avoiding us. Every time we would get close to one of them, they flee. I was able to corner one of them, but it refused to speak to me. They seem to be afraid of anyone who can see or sense them. It definitely has something to do with our confrontation with that strange shiki yesterday." Masako reported out.

"It seems that this master person may be the one who spooked all the ghosts here. No pun intended." John said with a short laugh.

"Right. Monk has also narrowed down our list, and we have a number one suspect, but before I get to that there is some…more pressing information that must be communicated to all of you." Naru let his eyes meet Yasuhara as they shared a knowing look.

"Right well, I guess I'll start from the beginning then. Although, this will have to be the quick and dirty version. I'll keep it PG for you John." Yasuhara tried to joke, but it fell flat in the tensing atmosphere.

"As I'm sure all of you know Mai lost one of her close friends a few weeks ago. What you may not know is that she has been secretly attempting to prove that her ex-boyfriend played a key role in her murder. She did share with me a few occasions when her abilities may have led her to find answers. Unfortunately, Mai does have a knack for being right in these situations. Following the advice of her teacher, she approached me about doing a background check on Kasai, the suspect in question. It turns out that Mai's father was intimate with his mother for some time, and there is a possibility they could be siblings. Because of this Kasai might harbor a deep jealousy or hate for Mai because her father, in the end, returned to Mai and her mother. Kasai's alleged father was hardly in the picture but always wanted to reconcile their relationship. Kasai may have been dating Keiko to get close to Mai, and used his father's guilt to make him execute the crime. This is where the real problem starts…" Yasuhara started and removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"I-I informed big boss about this and he tried to call Mai. She hasn't been picking u-up. We called her school and she hasn't been in since Monday." Yasuhara heard some of his teammates gasp while he cleared his throat in an attempt to prevent himself from getting caught up in his own emotions.

"I just came back from the apartment and the door was left open, and th-there was blood….bl…blood on the floor. I ca-called the police and reported her missing. I should have told you all sooner, but she said she would w-when she was ready. I wa-wanted to give her space, but I…" Yasuhara continually wiped away tears.

Takigawa walked over and embraced the young kid, and Ayako looked to be in utter shock.

"Is this why you are rushing the case?" Ayako asked her quiet words betraying her nature. Naru nodded and approached the two embracing men. Yasuhara noticed and pulled away from the Monk who ruffled his hair, his own eyes tempted to release tears as well.

"Here, I brought her keychain." Yasuhara reached into his bag and handed the items off to their boss.

"Kazuya, are you going to use psychometry to find her?" John asked and Naru nodded again and took a seat by the monitors again.

"Why didn't you tell us the minute you suspected something! Are you an idiot?!" Ayako suddenly screamed her quiet shock long gone. Naru looked over at her, his expression blank, and his eyes hollow.

"I was only informed of this background information yesterday and only confirmed that she was missing this morning. I didn't want to make unnecessary judgments." Naru replied letting his gaze fall on the keys.

"That isn't good enough! She- she could be anywhere, and this insane kid could be... what if she needs us and-" Ayako herself getting a bit carried away when John put a hand on her shoulder and shared a sad smile.

"Please Ayako. Let him try. Then we will know how to proceed." He offered and the miko closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself.

"Fine. Do it then." Ayako muttered and Naru didn't need to be told twice. He closed his eyes and held the keys between both of his hands as if he was praying for her safety.

Naru could see it all like a silent film, but in over-exposed colors with the edges blurred out.

She was opening the door and placed the keys on the counter. From that point he watched her walk further down the hallway only to stop in front of her open bedroom door. She looked afraid. She was touching the charm on her neck and entered the room cautiously.

Suddenly he could hear a crash and yelling and a large thud coming from her bedroom. Someone was in there with her.

Another loud thud hit the floor and Mai was splayed out on her doorway floor, half of her body still in her bedroom. Suddenly someone was over her with a gun, and her eyes looked terrified. Suddenly the intruder said something, but the words were muffled. He heard a crack coming from Mai's body and saw the man place a hand over her mouth.

More muffled words from the man and he pinched a nerve in her neck and Mai fainted. The man lightly slapped her face to make sure she was out before getting up himself. He walked around for a bit wearing a frantic yet excited look on his face.

This was when the man's face drew recognition from Naru's memory.

Kasai looked positively insane laughing to himself as he strode about the apartment looking for something. He came from Mai's room, stepping over her unconscious body, and over into Naru's room. It was then the man came with the large suitcase Naru recognized from when he first left England. It had held everything he thought he would have needed in the search for Eugene, and now it was where some deranged man was attempting to stuff Mai's body into.

She was so small it was nearly effortless for her to be stuffed inside and rolled out with the apartment. With the manila folder in tow.

Naru opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times at the keys in his hands. Dizziness soon followed along with the pit sinking feeling the boy genius had become accustomed to lately. He tried to stand but swayed to the side. Of course, his loyal bodyguard was all too prepared for the outcome, and let him fall into him.

Naru could feel his head pounding painfully, and the use of his abilities was having the effect of spinning a straw in a topped off drink. His body was shaking and he could feel spurts of his PK trying to spill over the sides. A bit surprised with himself that he still was leaning into his assistant waiting for the spell to pass. It was then he could feel himself being forced back into his chair.

Ayako approached with her first aid bag, something she started to bring out of necessity for their line of work. First, she felt his forehead noting a bit of a temperature and the increased pulse in her bosses' wrist. She began to pull out her blood pressure pump when the stubborn scientist began to object.

"I'm fine, I just have to wait for my energy to settle back down. I might have stayed in the vision too long." He analyzed and Ayako merely sucked her teeth and continued.

"You and that bad-mannered brain of yours are our best hope at finding Mai as soon as possible so shut up, and let me check your vitals." Ayako reasoned her eyes clearly red from unshed tears. Naru noted the team was all in base, and he looked at the clock. They had all lost an hour waiting for him.

"Yasuhara, you notified the police. Have they contacted you in my absence?" Naru asked not let his poor condition change his tenacity.

"No, not yet. They actually mentioned that I was pretty high on the suspect list and threatened to bring me in. Hopefully, they have at least retrieved the security footage from the apartment complex. "Yasuhara sighed silently vowing to get the recording himself if they failed to reach out soon.

"I saw him take her. "Naru spoke his eyes glazed over as if he was still there in the vision.

"Go on. Stop being so cryptic." Masako responded knowing the rest of the team were waiting for a similar outcome.

"She walked in, but the door wasn't locked. He was in her bedroom with a gun and a manila folder. She tried to get away but he may have broken her ankle. He knocked her out by pinching a pressure point. Then he placed her inside one of my suitcases, and left with the folder." He reiterated coldly, analytically like he'd done for many clients in England. This time it just made him nauseous, and the prevailing dizzy spell threatened to make it worse. There was a stale pause in the room everyone taking in the fact that there was no longer room for misunderstandings.

Mai had been taken.

"Then it's true… "John said sounded quite out of character and defeated.

"I cannot believe you fools. Always prematurely giving into depression and hopelessness. It's truly pathetic. One thing about Naru's ability is he can immediately know if the person he is trying to find is alive or dead. I surely didn't hear him say that Mai is dead, so I for one am going to put my energy to good use. So all of you quit pouting and let's get to work. Especially you Mr. Davis. Pull yourself together you buffoon." Masako quipped folding her delicate arms across her chest.

Despite her delivery, the team was able to translate the message with ease. Secretly her a tough girl act was her way of displaying optimism in true Masako fashion.

"Yasuhara, in the interest of not losing sight of our leads I'm taking you off of this case, and placing you as the lead on finding Mai.

Everyone else I need you all to rest up because I need everyone at one hundred percent for tonight. You're dismissed." Naru ordered and the team showed they understood.

They were closing this case within their twenty-four-hour goal.

"Are you sure that's something I can do?" Mai asked slowly. Mentally rerunning her plan of escape. Knowing she was a bit worse for wear, and she had no idea where she had been taken to.

"You can, I'm sure of it. The question is just how much time it can buy for you. You'll have to use it wisely." Gene urged. Mai was scared to say the least. Something like this was risky, but it had to work. She couldn't let it fail.

'I have a feeling that Kasai won't want to play this sick game for much longer. The police know of my visit to the station and if Naru really does know I'm missing then he'll use his abilities to find me. Kasai will get desperate soon, and I have a feeling I won't want to be around for it.' Mai thought to herself when she felt a hand slide over hers. Gene tightened his grip.

"We don't have to do this. Like I said Noll kn-"

"Gene. I don't know how much more pressure Kasai can take from the outside. He knew I went to the police so anything else will definitely trigger a bad reaction from him. I can't be there next time he loses his patience. This is my intuition talking." Mai begged for her tutor to understand her.

Gene exhaled and ran his hand through his hair in a very Naru-like gesture.

"Alright, I'll let you know when you're running low on time. Be careful Mai." Eugene advised and hugged her tightly. Mai could faintly feel how sore her waking body was, but she needed this contact right now to prepare her for what was to come.

Mai opened her eyes suddenly and for once wasn't welcomed by the hard, cold cement floor. Instead, she was wrap in the blanket she'd apparently 'earned' from the sicko who was keeping her captive. The warmth however didn't have any effect on the numerous bloody bruises that covered her body.

Her ankle, though she'd done well to keep off of it, was no better than when she first arrived. She slowly sat up and gingerly leaned her back into the wall behind her. The darkness around her once again befuddled her. She never knew the time, or day, or hour.

Only the maddening obscurity around her.

Before she could allow the pain and anxiety to take hold of her thoughts, Mai snapped to it.

She immediately reached around on the floor surrounding her, groaning as she shifted her body until she heard the familiar rustling of a plastic bag. She pulled it into her lap and felt the small quantity of bread that she was trying her best to ration. She began to greedily eat the remnants and even held the bag above her to devour every last crumb.

'Now for the hard part.' Mai thought to herself throwing the bag aside haphazardly. She reached her hands up slowly to unclasped her necklace once again. The influx of sensory information nearly made her lose consciousness in her current state as black dots invaded her vision.

'Come on Mai, focus.' She pleaded with her body to withstand the transition.

Now Mai placed her feelers out to see exactly where the masked man was now. It seemed that where ever she was, once again the closest person was the masked man's aura. It was just the two of them liked she'd hoped. He didn't seem to be too far from the door at the moment, so this was a better time than any.

Mai used her better leg, since neither of them were ignorant of Kasai's wrath, and push herself up against the wall. If she remembered correctly, the exit was elevated from the floor at least three feet, and directly across from where she had been laying previously.

Despite, this her strength alluded her.

Mai fell back to the floor harshly.

'I could walk along the wall, but the door blends in too well. I may not know when I'm there. This darkness isn't doing me any favors, so I might have to walk across. I can barely stand but I still need this to work.' Mai mentally cursed the fact that she didn't study the room more when the light was on.

Of course, there were ample distractions to keep her from doing so, but now she had to pray she could get the masked man's attention.

She decided it would be better to crawl across since she might need to walk if she was able to get out.

Mai mentally counted the number of paces until she reached the wall, and nearly bumped her head once she was about fourteen paces in. Pushing upward, she felt the part of the wall that wasn't cement and she nearly cried out in relief.

'Alright, here comes the harder part.' Mai acknowledged again as she started to bang on the wall.

"HEY! I NEED HELP OPEN THE DOOR! HEY! MASKED GUY OPEN THE DOOR! HELLO? ARE YOU THERE OPEN THE DOOR! HELLO, CAN ANYONE HE-" Mai could sense when he began to approach but was still surprised when the door was violently swung open.

She was a bit put off that even when he was on his own, he still wore the complete freaky garment.

"I need more food please. "Mai replied meekly and the tall figured hovered over her.

He didn't even bother to turn the light on for her.

The low light from the attached room spilled in.

The figure then turned them on and seemed to notice the empty bread bag Mai made good work of just moments ago.

The figure looked back down at her, clearly contemplated whether or not to feed her. Then he spoke in the deep commanding voice she remembered.

"I will leave the door open, but if you try to escape, I have permission to have some fun with you." Was all the masked man said.

Mai felt her heart began to pound as she debated backing out of the plan.

'No, I have to. This is my chance.' Mai steeled her determination.

Just as the masked man began to turn around, she remembered the first time she'd seen Ayako execute this technique.

The seal of the immovable one.

RIN

PYO

TOU

SHAH

KAI

JIN

RETSU

SAI

ZEN

Just like that, the masked man had stopped dead in his tracks.

" I-it worked!" Mai said aloud surprised she was able to execute it without much practice.

Neither she or Gene knew if it could work on people who weren't possessed. Mai leaned herself over onto the floor and exited the room for the first time. Mai cautiously limped toward the frozen figure and moved in front of him. She reached upward and pushed his mask up to see the wild and angry eyes of the masked man. He had deep brown eyes that were almost lifeless and incoming five o'clock shadow around his chin.

She also noticed that he was still breathing despite the mantra she placed on him, which she was strangely thankful for. Just as her spirit guide instructed, she placed her right hand over his heart, and her left pointer and middle finger on his forehead.

"Prepare the worthy vessel, may it house and hold the spirits of the dead. May the body be of acceptable service to this spirit, and may they fuse as a spiritual mind and human flesh to become one." Mai chanted as she noticed the masked man's eyes began to roll into the back of his head, but she didn't lift her hands or stop her chanting, repeating her words.

After what seemed like an hour the man's eyes came back down, but this time they looked at her with a much different expression.

"G-gene, is that you?" Mai asked but there was no movement other than breathing from the figure.

'I'll have to release him to find out if it worked…" Mai prayed that it really was her spirit guide in the masked man's body or else there would be hell to pay.

She made her hands into the symbol of the sword and got back into position.

"Release!" she called and just like that the man stumbled forward and reached to grab her.

Hey readers! This is one of my fastest turnarounds in a while. I've just felt so inspired because so many of my fav GH fics. have been updating as well. Hopefully, I can keep up the good work. Hope you enjoyed and thank you for all the awesome reviews.