Chapter 46

Hello readers! Back again with another chapter! Let me know what you think. Thank you all for the fantastic ratings and reviews. Keep them coming because they keep me motivated. Hope you enjoy!

The sun straddled the horizon on another exhausting day.

Mai's back rested against a large hollowed out tree trunk. Her blanket was wrapped gingerly around her body in an attempt to stave off the chill that descended onto the forest floor. Regardless of the fear that skirted the edges of her thoughts; Mai could feel her eyelids starting to close.

'No, I can't go to sleep yet. I have to keep going until I can find help. If crazy mask guy finds me I'm toast. Mmm.. don't think about food either.' Mai's scolded herself.

She knew that she was doing a terrible job at rationing her food, but it wasn't that much to begin with. Even when Gene combed the cabin for food there was another bag of bread, rice balls, some raw meat that they didn't bother with, and assorted condiments.

'There wasn't that much food in the cabin, and from what I've noticed we're in the middle of nowhere. There also weren't any vehicles around the cabin either. So either mask dude gets regular deliveries or he knows how to live off the land. Neither of which is good news for me.' Mai deduced. She'd done a pretty good job covering her tracks behind her, but that cost her time, distance, and worse of all energy.

Mai knew it was highly probable that her other kidnapper knew the area well and in order to escape she'd have to outsmart him. The only thing she could think of was astral walking the area to find her best and most direct escape route. That also meant she'd have to sleep and be vulnerable to whatever else was out here with her.

She could distinctly hear an owl in the distance as she weighed her options.

'I've got to astral project and hope for the best. It gives me the best chance of surviving out here with my limited resources and mobility. And if I get eaten by wolves, well then at least I tried.' Mai thought morbidly.

She'd long since removed her necklace after Eugene departed. Though it only increased her growing fatigue; it meant she couldn't be blindsided by anything the wilderness had to offer. She wouldn't necessarily be able to do anything about it, but she'd at least see it coming.

She began to meditate as dusk crept into the space around her.

Her exhaustion made it easy to fall into her spiritual plane as illuminated souls joined her. Once all the pain dulled, she knew that she was no longer in her body. Opening her eyes, she did notice a distinct absence on her plane. Either her spirit guide was still stalling for her or he was exhausted from their escapade and needed to recharge his energy.

'Take me to where my body is.' Mai orchestrated her will onto her surroundings.

Soon her own ghastly figure came in to view. She'd been fortunate to not see her reflection these past few days. Her face was bruised and swollen and so were her arms from shielding herself from the terrible blows Kasai delivered. Her under eyes were swollen and her cheeks sunken. If it weren't for her rising and falling frame, she would have thought she was dead.

'Go. You're not dead yet.' Mai told herself. She floated upwards and took in the vast canopy of trees surrounding her location. She was surprised when the mountain peaks and town below looked familiar. Mai also noticed an ornate bridge and shrine decorating the landscape.

There was a postcard on her fridge when she was in middle school that bore the exact skyline before her.

'Mount Atago?! We went here in middle school on a trip and it was nearly a three-hour drive to the Tochigi Prefecture?! I take it back. I'm dead. How did I get so far from Shibuya without waking up or realizing it that I'd been in a car?! I must have been drugged at some point. What if it's still in my system and it's some slow burn fatal poison?!'

Mai didn't know she could feel short of breath in her nonphysical state.

In better circumstances, she'd be able to admire the beautiful sunset behind the picturesque landscape.

'Well, it shouldn't matter how far I am as long as I get help. At least I know which direction civilization is. Hopefully, from there I can get a phone. And a hospital bed. And food. And a shower. In that order.' Mai continued to memorize the best route ahead as she floated over treetops. Even though she knew she was a spiritual being; being this high above ground was a bit unsettling.

Unfortunately, much more terrifying things were happening.

'Luckily I wasn't being kept near the peak of the mountain or I'd have much further to go. If I keep heading down the mountain south-east it should only take me tw-… no more like five hours at my pace before I reach some houses.' Mai deduced factoring in her handicaps and abysmal pace.

She floated back down to her body with new resolve. She steeled herself for the pain that would inevitably creep back into her bones.

The shadows around the team had grown dark and dense in the few moments since the encounter began. Both Ayako and Yura were shaking with determination, but it was clear that Ayako's energy was draining fast.

Monk spared a glance over to the priestess as he and John continued to chant furiously to break the barrier that sealed away the souls of the formerly missing students. The briefcase began to jostle from side to side feverishly, but all too late. Ayako's legs buckled beneath her and her vision was speckled with dark specs.

Blood began to trickle from her nose and it mingled the sweat the pooled on her upper lip.

Yura's laughter bubbled with mirth as she wiped her brow, and made sure to kick sand down at the wilting priestess.

"Sorry, children. It seems I won't be done in with your silly parlor tricks, but thank you for holding my belongings for me. Such gentleman." Yura cooed as she quickly snatched her briefcase and dusted it off. Monk immediately stopped his incantations to see to the priestess leaving a disheartened John and a seething Masako facing the witch. Yura reached down to stroke the briefcase, which was still moving like mad, even without the Monk and priest's assault.

"Can't you hear them? Begging to be let out? Do you feel nothing!?" Masako screamed her face burning with anger. Yura's smile finally faltered for the first time and a look of true evil beset her poreless face.

"Power is the only thing that matters in this life. Those who have it, and those who do not. We are no different from the animals. And given the choice, I'd much rather have teeth and poison than feelings and flesh." Yura hissed and turned her back to the investigators.

Lin whistled and his shiki mad dash for the briefcase battering against it like mad. Yura matched his assault with her own sending on of her shiki gami to coil around Naru's neck.

"Constrict!" She commanded and Naru was brought to his knees as air continued to be squeezed from his neck.

"Kazuya!" John screamed and his moved aside to help his friend. Blood vessels bulged from his neck and eyes. Lin immediately called back his shiki, but not before a wind sickle breezed through and sliced his shoulder blade.

"Please spirits! I know you want to be free! You must fight her! Do not let her take your chance at freedom! PLEASE! FIGHT BACK!" Masako yelled at the top of her lungs as hot tears rushed down her face.

No one else could hear the anguished cries of those young souls whose lives were taken from them.

The briefcase continued to jostle as Yura cackled turning back around to call back her shikigami.

Once Naru's throat was finally released he inhaled so swiftly it hurt.

He fell into a coughing fit as John began to rub his back. A look of relief fell onto Lin's face, but he brought his eye back to the venomous woman before them. She was still laughing loud as blood began to trickle from her nose and down her face too.

'A tough opponent, but her body is beginning to buckle under the pressure of reigning in so many souls.' Lin thought to himself as she retreated into the parking lot away from the ailing team.

This had been a crushing loss for SPR.

Humbling and bitter.

Yasuhara's first lead was the car that Mai had been kidnapped in.

He knew there was a slim chance that the perpetrator would still have the plates on the vehicle. Especially if he had the skills to change the vehicle registration.

His second clue was that Mai was still missing.

Apparently, the officers were still tailing Kasai and his routine hadn't changed. He also wouldn't be able to keep Mai anywhere near his home if he wanted to get away with his crime.

Both of these facts led the young investigator to believe that Kasai had an accomplice.

'From Kasai's father's ludacris testimony footage at the police station, it seems like this kid is a master manipulator. Never getting his hands dirty, but finding allies to work for his 'just cause'. Even poor Keiko was fooled by him to her extreme detriment.' Yasuhara reflected grimly.

He sat alone in his bedroom.

The computer screen illuminated his surroundings and reflected off of his glasses.

He'd dug up as much background as he possibly could on the boy and his record was squeaky clean. Not even a jaywalking citation.

That was the mark of a puppet master.

The ability to remain unscathed even when everything is burning around them.

'His partners will have to be the smoking gun. Surely the people he manipulates will not be as lucky. So I'll figure out his pattern and find his past accomplices. This should lead me to his latest accomplice and hopefully Mai.' Yasuhara planned as he continued to compile a list of jobs, school activities, addresses, and internships he or his mother held in the past twenty years.

And few articles popped up that set of his radar.

Summer Camp Counselor Falls to Death Over Cliff

Student Struck by Fallen Flower Pot, Dies from Concussion

… and more recently…

Student Stabbed to Death Outside a Baseball Team Party

It seemed at most of the locations he'd spent an extended period, these accidents would occur one after another. Of course, there were no direct links to Kasai and these crimes. He always remained just outside the spectrum of guilt time and time again.

'It'll take more than a simple arrest to get this guy behind bars. He's more than likely ten steps ahead of us and concocted plausible deniability for every possible scenario. So how do you catch a puppet master? Either make one or more of the puppets turn against him or yank him onto the stage.' Yasuhara paced over to his pin board with a map of Japan.

He began to pin all the towns Kasai had ever lived.

He then began to list all the other people included in the crimes and accidents that took place at each location. With the exclusion of those who were dead, in prison, or otherwise indisposed because of extenuating circumstances; Yasu comprised his list of potential accomplices.

'Right now, his mother is definitely at the top of this list. They've moved so many times, from prefecture to prefecture, she must know something. Though it may be related to their money situation and the inconsistency of his father.' Yasu surmised as she topped the list with three other gentlemen.

Suspect 1: Mother

'Next is his coworker at his current job. Renkotsu Nanastu. Been to a juvenile detention center as well as been arrested for a few petty crimes. They currently work together at BAMBOOH retail store'.

Suspect 2: Renkotsu Nanastu

'It seems that the assistant camp counselor from the boy scout troop also taught at the middle school where Kasai went. Hakudoshi Warui. Not only was this person there when the head counselor fell to her death; he was also involved in a few domestic abuse charges that were all dropped by his ex-wife. That usually means she was threatened.'

Suspect 3: Hakudoshi Warui

'Finally, Byakuka Hidoi. Family friend and secondary emergency contact to Kasai in lou of his Mother. Not much else information about him except he left his job as a construction worker about four years ago.' Yasu concluded his list and looked over the list once more.

Suspect 4: Byakuka Hidoi

He removed all the pins that didn't also coincide where each of the suspects lived currently.

'That leaves a dense forested area, this city, or a seaside town. If I could get any clues at all on the location where Mai is currently I'd be able to not only close in a likely suspect. More importantly, narrow the search.' Yasuhara let his eyes wander over to the bright red numbers that glowed near his bedside.

7:29

He wordlessly walked over and turned on his TV and shifted it to their local news program.

Good night Shibuya. Our top story tonight is a missing teenager's case that has the city on the search for the victim. We obtained this exclusive video of the perpetrator picking the lock and entering the apartment a few moments before the victim, and exiting with a large suitcase. It is believed that this man violently knocked out the victim and took her out of the apartment in this suitcase before driving off in this vehicle. The victim Mai Taniyama, a young orphan earning her own living and attending school. Her graduation is in two months and which she applied to a few universities in the area. If you have any clues or spot the victim, please contact the police. If you recognize the subject, do not approach since they are assumed dangerous. In the meantime, police are warning all parents to be wary to lock all windows and doors and ensure the location of their children at all times.

"Turn on the lights and let the roaches scatter." Yasuhara mumbled as a reel of Mai's photos skated across the screen.

The two sat at the dinner table as a tense silence pierced through the room.

Kasai let his eyes wander over to his mother's hands and he noted how violently they were trembling. Some of her tea was beginning to spill over the sides of her cup. He smirked and continued to eat wordlessly.

"Please son. Don't tell me you had another accident. Please." Her voice coming through weak and defeated. They'd both were watching the nightly news and heard the familiar name that he had not long ago uttered in her kitchen.

"Whatever do you mean mother?" He spoke in jest as he looked over the week's forecast.

"Did you take her? Did you kill her? Please son, just tell me this is just another misunderstanding like Keiko? You've been crying, actually crying, so I thought…." His mother stumbled over her words trying to find the strength to ask her truest question.

"So I could fool even you? My own mother? Well, this is truly an accomplishment. Or were you just believing what you wanted to believe?" He spoke dully. She slammed her tea cup down and met his eyes with fire in her own.

"We have moved so many times, and you've lost so many friends… aren't you tired of living like this Kasai!? Aren't you tired of running constantly?" His mother pleaded tears appearing in her eyes.

"Yes. I am tired of living like this. Pretending that I'm not who I truly am. Playing house here and playing a student at my school. It doesn't thrill me like my true passion does mother. You've known from a young age that I was different and yet you chose to ignore that, even now. This is who I am. It's time for you to figure out who you are. Are you going to turn me in? Remain here and be my mother? Or neither, abandon me and run away somewhere you think I can't find you like father did? "Kasai proclaimed plainly. He watched as all the color left his mother's face and her eyes became dull.

She rose from the dinner table and place her dishes into the sink and retreated to bed.

He shrugged and continued to watched the news. Kasai couldn't fathom why she was so upset. Even as a child he had never been caught in the act of committing a crime. Even as the unmarked police car remained outside, he felt no worry that he'd escape this crime as well.

He could only daydream about the treatment Mai was receiving from his counterpart and silently wished they could trade places. He had been planning to set up a camera in her room, but their reunion at her apartment happened sooner than he expected. Thankfully he had most of the preparations completed.

He sighed loudly.

"It's not easy being this brilliant." He shared aloud as he finished his dinner.

The ache returned all too soon, but she had to admit that she was a bit less tired.

Mai must have been out for at least three hours because the sunset had turned into utter darkness. Mai considered heading toward the town below, but the dense darkness made her reconsider. It would be counterproductive if she just got further from town by traveling in the wrong direction. Especially because she didn't want to waste energy astral projecting again. Opening her eyes, she could have almost sworn that she was still on her dream plane.

The stars were so bright and beautiful it made her forget about herself for a moment. Mai was reminded of corny lines from all those romance movies about wondering if their significant other was looking up at the same stars they were.

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

Instead, it made her plight feel small and insignificant. Mai knew regardless of what happened to her, the world would continue to turn, even if her life came to a screeching halt.

'Gene...where are you? Is he still trying to hold onto control of that masked guy?' Mai wondered as a list of 'what ifs' swirled her mind into a tizzy. Before she knew it exhaustion began to swallow her up once again.

Suddenly…

A twig cracked.

Mai's eyes shot open a she felt around for an aura.

'Oh, Gods…please no…' She silently begged as her senses confirmed two auras approaching her. She slowly slid down beside the large tree trunk and prayed not to be noticed. More foliage crunching was accompanied by hushed voices approaching. Mai noticed how violently she began quivering as her heartbeat intensified.

'Am I going to die?' She wondered as her breathing became so shallow, she felt as though she might faint. How many visions had she seen of people in their last moments before death? How many times had she experienced this and yet nothing could prepare her for the terror that racked her body.

"You said you saw someone out here? I don't see anything?" One voice inquired as a flashlight skirted dangerously close to her hiding spot.

"Yeah. I've been hunting these woods for years. So when a person stumbled across my hunting camera I was pretty surprised. She looked so young and she was limping. Poor thing could be a lost hiker." Another unfamiliar voice said and Mai's eyes perked up immediately.

'He had a camera in the forest?!' Mai suddenly began to regret even bothering to cover her tracks. She listened in as the voices grew closer.

'W-wait! Those voices….. the auras are different! There's no mistake. These people aren't mask guy or Kasai!' Mai slowly began to realize as she scanned their auras again to be sure.

'No! It's not them… but what if mask guy sent them? How can I know to ask for help? There's a chance they could be just as bad if not worse.' Mai examined every reason these two men could be out in the woods at this hour and few answers came back out with sturdy reasonability.

"Well, we haven't seen anyone yet? Are you sure it wasn't just some local kids messing around up here? It's been sometime since we passed the camera." One male voice inquired seeming more and more skeptical.

"Do you think I would purposely waste a police officer's time? If the young lady in that video didn't look so bruised up and scared, I wouldn't have bothered! I showed you all the tape and everything." The older of the two voices implored.

'A police officer! Oh, merciful Gods. I'm saved!' Mai shot up from her hiding spot scared both men and causing the officer to draw his weapon.

Mai raised both her hands up as a blinding light shown so brightly in her face she lost her vision. She was still shaking unable to shake the anxiety that filled her body only a few moments ago.

"No, wait! T-that's her!" The older gentleman yelled pointing forward.

"P-please! Help! I was kidnapped and- he… THEY HAD ME. .. and I… I'm hurt too." Mai babbled unintelligently as the tears and distress she held back for so long began to pour out of her as she started weeping.

"Ma'am it's alright. My name is officer Lee, and I'm with the Tochigi Police department. What's your name?" He asked turning off her flashlight and kneeling down towards her.

"M-mai Taniyama." She blurted taken aback.

"Hello, Miss. Taniyama. You say that you're hurt? What injuries have you sustained?" The officer pressed further.

"He broke my ankle… I think and I was punched in my jaw. My back, arms, and legs have welts from the lashings." Mai spoke robotically attempting not to relive every injury.

"Alright. It sounds like a long list so I'm going to ask you to stay put. I'm going to radio my partner to get you an ambulance and we're going to help you out. You're safe now." The officer relayed and Mai nodded through her tears. Relief washing over her and she observed the smiling onlookers.

"Missy, you said you were kidnapped?" The older gentleman in the camouflage jacket asked in a concerned voiced. Mai only had the strength to nod slowly as she began to hiccup.

"Mai." An achingly familiar voice called from behind her making her heart sink into her stomach all over again. She didn't even bother turning around as the young medium walked around her soundlessly, his feet almost gliding above the leaves.

"Gene. I'm glad you're back." She recited solemnly as she wrapped the blanket around her further.

"I'm sorry Mai, but the sun should be nearly up now. I wish I was here to stop you from having this dream, but you've got to get back to reality." Gene kneeled down and brushed his hand onto her face. The officer and hunter faded behind him and revealed her dream plane.

She didn't budge or look him in the eye.

It was just a dream.

She had a regular dream.

"I was one who said I had to save myself. I should have known this was a dream. No matter how bad I want to be rescued it's got to be me this time. Thank you for everything you've done until now." Mai resigned herself to her fate as she lay back into the last position she remembered being awake in.