Beneath the Lilac Tree

by archangelBBQ

"Been there, done that." It's been many years, but Mai and Naru finally meet again. Or has it? Moving forward this time, Naru is determined to change the past, even if he cannot predict how it will shape their future. Together the twins, Mai, and Lin will create SPR from scratch, though things are certain to be much different this time around.

11. Part XI

Part XI

They were standing in the school hallway once again, though the atmosphere from Mai's dream was completely different than Gene's had been before. It appeared to be the end of the school day; students were talking and laughing in the halls as they made their way to their after-school destinations, whether it be school clubs or cram school, a part-time job or simply going home.

Naru looked around, frowning at his surroundings. The vivid colors were a strong contrast to the muted, washed-out colors that Gene's dream had presented itself in. "This is Mai's dream?" He asked. "Where is she?"

"I don't know. She must be nearby, but I can't seem to find her." Gene lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I hoped you'd have better luck than me."

Naru glanced at his brother, the frown still set on his features. "I thought you'd outgrown sneaking into others' dreams, Gene."

Gene rolled his eyes and let out a huff. "I didn't sneak in," he retorted, hoping his twin wouldn't ever know that he had, in fact, spied on Mai in her dream when they first met, not to mention that he'd met her in her dream after they had returned from Nagano. "I felt the link and I followed it. Mai definitely created it." He frowned slightly. "If the events from earlier were any indication, though, she may not even be aware that she did."

"But you created the link for me from here? You can do that, even from someone else's dream?"

Gene turned his head away, evading his twin's gaze. "I thought it would be better this way," he muttered as the two walked forward down the hall, weaving through the students.

"There's Kaori there," Naru suddenly said as he spotted her. He shook his head, immediately correcting himself. "No, it must be Natsumi." She was holding a violin case and was talking with another girl, laughing with bright eyes. Natsumi suddenly looked across the hall, her eyes connecting with those of a boy. He grinned at her and she smiled back, excusing herself from the girl and hurrying over to meet him.

"Yoshimasa," Naru said as he saw him, nodding. He understood exactly what Mai had meant earlier when she was talking about the couple, though she had been unable to completely articulate the feeling. Natsumi was obviously head-over-heels, clearly willing to do anything for Yoshimasa's affection, even if his own fondness was clear to see. And yet there was something about the couple that was not right; they were not a good match for each other, no matter what their feelings were.

"You got my text, right? You coming tonight?" Yoshimasa asked Natsumi, who smiled as he reached toward her and tucked her curly hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I gotta practice first, though.."

"You and your violin," he teased. "Of course. We'll be there at seven. Don't worry about dinner; we can get food there."

"Okay. I'll be there."

He grinned at her. "I'll be waiting for you."

"The same club as last time?"

"Yeah. I got something special for you, though, this time."

Natsumi blushed, looking up at him curiously. "Something for me? Like, a present?"

"You could say that."

Gene saw movement out of the corner of his eye and touched his brother's arm to get his attention. It was Mai. It was no surprise he hadn't seen her earlier. In the brightly colored hallway, where every color on the moving student's clothes or satchels screamed for attention, Mai was so pale and translucent she was all but invisible within the crowd. Beside her stood Kaori, the twin's eyes darkening when she saw her sister and Yoshimasa together, standing so close in the crowded hallway.

"Natsumi," Kaori called and the twin stepped away from her boyfriend. Yoshimasa, however, closed the gap between them by putting his arm around her, narrowing his eyes and glaring at the other twin scornfully.

"What is it, Kaori-san?" Yoshimasa said coldly. "Don't you have club? Or are you missing cram school? Whatever it is, I'm sure there's someplace you're supposed to be."

"Regardless of where I should be," Kaori lifted her chin defiantly. "I would just like to speak with my sister. Not a crime, is it?"

"She's busy—" Yoshimasa bit back, but Natsumi silenced him with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"It's fine, Itaru-kun," she said, lifting her hand to remove his from her shoulder, stepping away from him. As she did Naru saw the flash of light refracted off a shiny bracelet on her wrist. It was the bracelet she had received from Yoshimasa—it was after Christmas, then, he thought to himself. "I'll see you tonight, ok?" Natsumi said to Yoshimasa.

He scowled slightly at the sisters. "Fine, see you later."

"He's jealous of their bond." Mai suddenly mused, speaking quietly to herself. "It's like a competition. He's been trying to monopolize her time so she can't spend it with her sister."

Naru glanced at her, but her eyes were still on the twin sisters. Natsumi spoke first.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't know why he's so rude sometimes. He's never like that to me."

"He better not be," Kaori said with a huff, frowning. "I still can't see what you see in him."

Natsumi sighed. "Don't start this, Kaori. Not now. I gotta go practice." She turned down the hall to leave but her sister followed her. Mai drifted close behind with the twins in tow.

"Wait, Natsumi.." Kaori sighed. "Sorry. I really am. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come do karaoke tonight. Since Mom and Dad are out tonight and we don't have to worry about curfew, we thought we'd go out. Chihiro and Sachie and me."

Natsumi was clearly torn. "I.. can't," she sighed. "I'd like to, but... Not tonight."

"Going out with him?" Kaori asked, her voice bitter.

"What about tomorrow?" Natsumi said quickly. "Why don't you ask Chihiro and Sachie if they're free? It's been so long since I've hung out with them. We'll go again tomorrow."

"Really?" Kaori sounded dubious. "What about Mom and Dad?"

"It'll be fine! I'll think of something." Natsumi smiled at her sister. "I'm gonna go. See ya later, okay?" She waved at her sister and hurried down the hall. Kaori simply watched her, a forlorn look on her face.

"Poor Kaori-san," Mai murmured. "You think your sister's left you for him. You just don't know..." her voice trailed off and she didn't finish her statement.

"Know what?" Gene prompted but Mai didn't seem to hear him. She walked forward dreamily, almost gliding in her footsteps and the twins followed.

The dreamscape shifted then and the twins followed Mai through a loud, crowded club into a private room. There were empty glasses and an ashtray full of half-smoked cigarettes on the table. The table was pushed toward the wall and chairs were overturned. Beside the plush sofa, Natsumi was lying on the floor, her eyes closed. A desperate Yoshimasa was leaning over her, his hands on her cheeks.

"C'mon, Natsumi," he pleaded, over and over, his voice shaking as much as his hands. "Wake up. Wake up, please."

The boy didn't seem to know what to do in his panic. He shook her shoulders to no avail and sat back on his heels, staring at her and looking around the deserted room. "I'll.. I'll go get help," he suddenly said to her and ran from the room, closing the door behind him.

The room was still but for the sound of the outside club through the thin walls and doors. The three visitors stood silently, looking down at the girl on the floor.

"It's too late now," Mai whispered. "Her heart stopped."

A figure had appeared in the room, a pale shadow of her living self. She was crying. "Itaru-kun? Itaru-kun, where are you?" She called forlornly, searching the room. She suddenly saw her own body on the floor and screamed. "How could this have happened? I didn't... I didn't want..." She wept, falling to her knees and covering her face with her hands. "Sis... Kaori! Help me! Kaori!"

Mai turned around and the twins followed suit. Behind them they could see a private karaoke room. It was a stark contrast to the dim room of the club: brightly colored lights were strung along the wall, posters of both popular anime figures and idyllic beach scene beer advertisements for the varied clientele. The three girls were drinking soda, talking and laughing as they paged through the song catalogue.

"Sachi-chan, let's do Boys and Girls," a girl laughed.

"But that song's so old now, Chihiro. I want to do Ayu's new hit Evolution."

"No way, I bet you can't sing that," Chihiro laughed. "It's so fast! I wanna see you try!" She turned toward the third girl, cocking her head. "Kaori? Kaori, are you okay?"

Kaori's eyes were glazed over and her hands were shaking. "Ah, sorry," she said, blinking and shaking her head as if to clear it. "I just had... a really weird feeling."

"She could feel it," Gene whispered.

"She knows," Mai agreed. "But she doesn't know."

Naru couldn't stop himself from remembering when he had felt his own twin's death and he closed his eyes, trying to forget. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

"Noll," Gene said quietly, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"I must just be tired," he could hear Kaori saying. "Can I have some of your water?" The mere word caused the rushing sound to fill his ears and he opened his eyes to avoid the sound. Coupled with the darkness, it was overwhelming.

Naru turned his head, not wanting his twin to see that tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. In the dark room of the club behind them, the spirit of Natsumi was gone. All that remained was the body of a girl in the aftermath of a party. When he returned his gaze to the karaoke room, the girls seemed farther away, as if the three were standing in a void between the two rooms.

"This must be the end of the dream," Mai suddenly said ruefully.

"Why do you say that?" Naru asked, but she didn't answer him. He frowned, perplexed. "Gene, do you think—Gene?" He turned his head, but his twin—who moments before had been standing beside him—was gone.

...

Gene opened his eyes in the dark room. Beside him on the futons set out on the tatami, he could feel the presence of both his brother and Mai, still sleeping deeply. He exhaled and sat up, feeling alert. The pertinent part of Mai's dream vision had passed and the certain knowledge of the fact had woken him abruptly. Turning his head, he found his twin's sleeping form in the darkness and gazed at him, wondering if Naru was still in Mai's dream or if the vision had released them back to a peaceful slumber. He suspected the latter and knew Mai would not have any further dreams that night.

He rose silently, pulling his sweatshirt over his shoulders to guard against the cold air and left the room, crossing the short hallway to the base. Lin sat still and silently at the computer, turning his head as he entered.

"Gene," he said, looking somewhat bemused. "Can't sleep? Or did you have a vision?"

"More of the former, I'm afraid," Gene said dryly. "Though Mai had a dream and managed to share it with us." He recounted the dream and how he and his brother had witnessed it.

Lin frowned. "You're certain Mai created the link?" Gene nodded, and Lin's frown deepened as he mused. "Unconsciously?" He tapped his fingers against the desk. "Why today, of all days..."

"What do you mean?"

Lin blinked and when he opened his eyes he seemed to be gazing on a different scene entirely. "Aahil," Lin said, and the shiki appeared. Lin's eyes returned to the base, raising his eyes to meet his shiki's. "May I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, my lord."

"Why did you decide this morning would be a good time to see if Mai-san could see you?"

The shiki shrugged. "You may call it instinct. Or luck. I did not know for certain she would be able to."

"There was nothing that led you to believe she would be able to see you today?" Lin asked, his frown deepening again.

The spirit familiar paused. "I did know it was greatly more likely than yesterday, just as yesterday was more likely than the day before," he began. "I have noticed.. some similarities in Taniyama's aura." He nodded at Gene. "Similar to yours."

"Similar how?" Gene asked.

Aahil paused again, considering him. "Like a mirror," he finally said. "It's the same but it's also completely reversed. An uncanny imitation that many would not even notice the difference. But one who notices such things... would surely see that they are not the same."

Gene felt suddenly bewildered and glanced at Lin, but the sorcerer was leaning back calmly in his chair. "Thank you, Aahil," Lin said, nodding at him. "That will be all. Please return to your post."

The shiki dipped his head as he disappeared. "Always at your service."

Gene looked back at Lin. "You understand," he suddenly said, his voice accusing.

"Not exactly," Lin said, shrugging. "It only reiterates what Naru's been speculating for years. He has never been able to definitely say why Mai is so receptive to your abilities. If you have similar auras, that may explain why she's able to imitate you."

"I don't get it. Why my abilities, then, and not Noll's?" Gene asked. "If she's having dream visions because of me, she should be poltergeisting because of Noll."

Lin shook his head. "I don't think Mai has the capacity for that. Obviously your spiritual fingerprint complements Naru's, which is why you are able to absorb his PK. If Mai's is like a mirror to yours, that would explain why she's incompatible with Naru." Seeing Gene's eyes darken, he held up his hand to placate him. "Their spiritual auras only, of course. I'm not questioning their compatibility as a couple."

Gene sighed. "So it's just happening again, huh? I mean, after all, it happened before."

"It's no surprise that Mai should be picking up your abilities again," Lin agreed, "but I don't imagine we can expect it to be anything like last time."

"Because I was dead," Gene said flatly.

"Well.. frankly, yes." Lin sounded uncomfortable. "And your own abilities continue to progress through your life. But I can only imagine that there are only certain.. skills, shall we say.. that are within Mai's capabilities. She has never had formal training to learn to control her abilities and it doesn't seem to come naturally. At some point Mai will not be able to progress any further."

"Unless we teach her." Gene frowned.

Lin raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I imagine so."

"Why didn't Noll train her before?" Gene demanded. "Obviously she's able—"

"He did," Lin sighed and shook his head. "Or at least, he tried. And he wasn't the only one. Madoka had extremely high hopes for Mai's progression. But any spiritual sense Mai had had before seemed to have vanished. Her abilities completely disappeared when she came to London."

"After my funeral," Gene muttered. He looked up. "But I was still there. So why?"

Lin shook his head. "I don't know, Gene." He smiled slightly. "It could have been intentional, either on your part or even Mai's, unconsciously. You can imagine that Naru wanted to explore Mai's abilities, for his own curiosity, but Madoka was... relentless."

"Why? Surely not..." Gene's voice trailed off, afraid to say what he already knew.

"She only wanted to ensure his safety," Lin said. "I don't want to sound as if I'm justifying her actions, but that's all it was. Madoka was convinced that Mai could—somehow—absorb his PK the way you could. She refused to give up."

"What happened?" Gene asked quietly. "When I saw Mai's memories of that future... I didn't see anything about it."

"I'm sure she wants to forget. It was painful, physically and emotionally." Lin exhaled. "We didn't realize just how awful it'd been on her until it was over." He shook his head. "Of course, Mai doesn't—or didn't—blame Madoka for the way the training ended. But Naru did."

"If it hurt Mai, he must have been furious."

Lin nodded ruefully. "Yes," he agreed quietly. "He was."

The room was quiet for several moments and both watched the readings on the computer screen. As before, nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening at the house. Lin broke the stillness and spoke again. "But it's only a memory now. We don't have to worry about the future repeating itself." Turning his head back toward Gene, he smiled slightly at the younger boy. "Go back to sleep, Gene. You should get some rest."

...

"Mai. Wake up. Wake up, Mai."

Someone touched her shoulder gently and Mai opened her eyes blearily, groaning. "It can't be six already," she muttered. "It's too dark."

"It's already six-thirty," an amused voice told her and her eyes shot open as she processed the words. "It's only dark because it's raining."

"What?" Mai all but launched herself from the futon, scrambling to find her bag of personal items. "Six-thirty? Gene, why didn't you wake me up before?!"

"Noll wanted you to sleep," Gene said calmly, handing Mai the bag for which she was looking. "Kaori brought us breakfast. Well, she brought bread and jam. There's a toaster, so I'm not complaining."

"Is she here?" Mai asked, smoothing her hair, suddenly concerned about her appearance.

Gene shook his head. "No, she went back to the house. Said she wanted to practice, but she'd come by before she left for school."

"Oh," Mai said, closing her eyes in relief. They immediately popped open again and her mouth formed into a silent 'o'. "I had a dream! Last night. About Kaori and Natsumi." She pressed her fingers against her temples. "I can tell you during breakfast. As long as I don't forget."

He smiled and passed her the hanger with her uniform. "Then you'd better get changed. Kaori brought some tea but I think Noll would prefer if you made it."

Mai looked down, suddenly noticing his attire. "Wow! That uniform looks good on you!" She blurted. She blushed and looked away. "It's funny, but I always thought Naru would look good in a school uniform. I always kinda wanted to see it."

"This is as close as you'll get." Gene laughed and did an outrageously flamboyant turn to show off the clothes. "What do you think?"

"I bet all the girls are going to be interested in you," Mai said dryly. "How Naru thinks we're going to keep a low profile and infiltrate the school without anyone noticing with you, I don't know."

Gene grinned. "If they're lucky I'll give someone one of my buttons before we leave."

"It's the second button, actually, Gene, make sure you get it right." Mai laughed. "Nobody wants the first or the third. Now get out of here so I can change." Gene paused but didn't leave, clearly hesitating to say something. "What is it?" She asked.

"You remember that time... I had the dream about your apartment," he started casually. "And how I shared the dream with you?"

She tilted her head as she looked at him, curious. "Yes," she said. "Of course I remember. Why?"

"Well," he paused, licking his lips. "It seems like you can do that too. Your dream last night. You shared it with me. You brought me into your dream."

At this Mai looked rather surprised. "Oh?" She frowned. "I don't... I don't remember at all. You were there?" He nodded, his lips thinning as he realized what he'd suspected all along—that Mai had not been aware of his or his brother's presence during the dream. "Oh." She looked at her hands. "Then I guess I don't need to tell you about it. You already told Naru, then? And Lin-san?"

Gene nodded again, rising to his feet. "Get dressed, Mai. I'll see you at base for breakfast."

...

Rain streaked the window panes of the room, the drawn curtains revealing a muted and dark world outside. The twins were seated at the table and Lin was standing at the printer, collecting pages from the tray. The room was quiet but for the sound of the printer feed and the rain on the roof.

Mai entered the room, carrying a steaming pot of tea and a plate of thick slices of toast. Naru glanced up at her, his eyes following her as she crossed the room. A bright smile lit up her face as she met his gaze. He raised an eyebrow and a small smirk lifted the corners of his lips, his eyes pointedly dipping down as he examined her in the uniform. You look nice, his eyes seemed to tease and Mai felt a flush rise to her cheeks.

"I brought tea," she said, setting her plate at the table and pouring tea into a cup, which she then passed to Naru. "Gene, would you like some? Lin-san?"

"Yes, please," Lin crossed the room, passing Naru a sheet of paper and accepting the steaming teacup from Mai. "Here's the data analysis from last night," he said, sipping the tea. "There were two small spikes in temperature within the night that weren't noticeable unless compared with the 12-hour data as a whole."

"Where?" Gene asked, craning her head to look at the paper. "Kaori's room?"

"In the hall outside it," Naru mused. "Any sound or movement on the cameras?"

"Nothing whatsoever."

"While we aren't actually in the house, I suppose she knows something's different. She may be able to sense the equipment—probably not what it's for, but at least that her environment has changed." Gene tapped his fingers against the table. "Plus, her encounter with Mai in the kitchen..."

Naru nodded, considering. "It may have been enough of a surprise to disrupt her usual habits."

"You think the spirit is Natsumi, then?" Mai asked.

"I'm not going to rule out other possibilities, but it seems likely," Naru said.

"What about the brother?"

Naru's hand stilled, his teacup halfway to his lips. "What?"

Mai waved her hand, gesticulating. "The younger brother, the one that died in the traffic accident?"

"The what?" Naru repeated. "Kaori had a younger brother? She hasn't said anything about that."

Mai paled. "I didn't tell you?" She whispered, looking mortified.

"The spirit's not the brother," Gene interjected. He glanced at his twin. "Don't be angry, Noll, I didn't say anything either. I heard," he explained to Mai. "I wasn't going to say anything with John around, and I didn't want Kaori to know I'd listened in. I'd already ruled it out as a possibility and after the spirit showed up in the kitchen I just forgot about it."

"Not angry, just... annoyed," Naru said sullenly, lowering the cup. "I'd just like to have all the facts."

Mai cringed, obviously as upset as Naru was with her mistake. "I know. I'm sorry."

"These things happen," Lin said, knowing that Mai was more likely to berate herself over the mistake than Naru was. "Now we know. Why can't it be the brother?" He asked, turning his attention to Gene. "You're certain about that?"

"It's been too long." Gene shook his head. "Eight years? A spirit can't hang around that long and then all of a sudden find itself searching for revenge."

"It was that long ago, then..." Naru frowned. "It's not likely. And if it was an accident, there's no reason it should suddenly start attacking Kaori."

Mai lowered her gaze. "Kaori didn't give any details about it. We don't know what happened."

"Then why the visions of Natsumi?" Naru asked. "You have to admit the evidence—though perhaps still inconclusive—is pointing toward her."

Mai pursed her lips. "I.. I don't know," she conceded. "I just don't get the feeling it's her, is all." She turned her attention to her breakfast, though she could feel the weight of Naru's gaze as he studied her in silence.

"We'll find out soon enough, I'm sure," Lin mused, sitting down at the table between Gene and Mai, refilling his teacup. Naru and Gene nodded, and they continued their breakfast, accompanied only by the sound of the rain and the almost inaudible hum of the equipment.

Naru was still looking over the data analysis when Gene suddenly spoke, breaking the stillness. "Did a boy ever give you his second button?" He asked Mai.

Mai almost choked on her tea in surprise, a blush coming over her cheeks. "What?! Why are you asking that, Gene?"

"Just curious," he said casually, glancing at his brother to see if he was listening.

Mai's blush turned deeper as her own gaze also went toward Naru. "If you must know, yes." She said primly, taking a sip of her tea. "But I didn't accept it because I didn't return his feelings and I couldn't encourage him."

"What about the second time?"

Mai's blush—which she had almost managed to quell—came back in full force and even redder than before. "What makes you think it was different?"

"Just wondering." He grinned at her and then at his brother. "Well, it was, wasn't it?"

Mai covered her face with her hands. "Fine, yes, it was different," she muttered, annoyed.

"Well?" Naru asked, turning his gaze on her.

"Two boys the second time," Mai said quietly, still hiding her face.

Naru looked amused. "I didn't know that." His amusement seemed to grow as he watched her. "Why are you so embarrassed?"

"Maybe because you're all looking at me," Mai said grouchily, but she had uncovered her face and had picked up her toast. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Don't worry, I'll tell you about all the girls that have confessed to Noll," Gene said.

"I really don't think that's going to make me feel any better," Mai muttered.

"Why not just tell her about all the girls that have confessed to you?" Naru retorted to his twin. "There certainly were more of them."

"Like I said, that's not going to make me feel better," Mai groaned.

"As entertaining as this is, we need to get a move on, unless you want to be late for your first day of school," Lin said calmly, glancing at his watch.

Mai nodded and stood, quickly downing the last of her tea and collecting the empty plates. Naru took the teacups and followed her to the kitchen. When it was only the two of them, he smirked at her as she turned on the hot water tap.

"Confessions from two boys, then? Should I be worried about you going to a new school with new potential suitors?" He asked, placing the teacups by the sink.

"You never need to worry about me," Mai said, taking a sponge and beginning to wash the plates. She sighed as his hands settled on her hips, his chin nestling on her shoulder and his lips against her neck.

"I always worry," he said quietly, and Mai felt as much a thrill from his words as she did from his hands, sliding around her waist. He kissed her neck as she finished washing the dishes. As she finished placing the last rinsed cups into the dish drainer she turned her head to meet his lips with hers.

"At the very least, I always seem to be thinking about you, even at the most inopportune times," Naru said, his voice barely above a whisper as he kissed her. His hands slid under her shirt against the smooth skin of her stomach.

Naru distinctly heard someone clear their throat and he stepped away from Mai jerkily, dropping his hands. Mai opened her eyes with a questioning look as Kaori appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning," the girl said cheerfully. Mai answered the greeting just as brightly but Naru watched the girl closely. He knew it had not been she whom had made the sound—and clearly she hadn't seen what they had been doing together or she wouldn't be chatting with Mai so casually.

"Sleep well?" Mai asked. "I heard you came by before I got up with breakfast. Thanks for troubling yourself over us."

"No trouble at all," Kaori insisted, waving her hands. "I slept great. I was up early."

"I'm glad you slept well." Mai said honestly. "Nothing happened, then?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," Kaori said, shaking her head. A huge yawn suddenly overcame her and she grinned sheepishly, hiding the yawn behind her hand. "Sorry. Isn't that funny? I slept better than I have in weeks and I'm even more tired than usual." She shook her head. "I feel guilty, though. Because nothing has happened I'm afraid you'll think I was lying about it all along."

"Of course we believe you," Mai said. "I saw the spirit in the kitchen, after all."

"Yeah..." She nodded slowly. "Thank you." A smile spread over Kaori's lips as she turned to greet Lin and Gene as they appeared in the hall.

Naru slid into step beside his brother as they left the house. "That was you, I presume?"

"You heard, then?" Gene asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't sure if it would work."

"I'm glad it did. How did you know..?" Naru asked stiffly.

"I saw Kaori coming and knew she was going to the kitchen first... I thought it'd be better to give you a head's up in case you were talking about anything sensitive." Gene shrugged.

"Thanks," Naru said, feeling relieved as well to know his brother wasn't watching what he and Mai had been doing. Most certainly his twin knew the extent of their relationship but he felt uncomfortable to be seen in such a compromising position. Gene seemed to understand the implication of gratitude in his voice and gave him a knowing look but said nothing, and the brothers followed the others outside into the dreary, rainy day.

...

In all the cases SPR had done over the years there had been many at schools, but Mai had never once pretended to be a student and she felt terribly self-conscious as she stood in the front of the class as the teacher introduced her to the group of wide-eyed staring students. A new target, she thought dryly, fresh meat. She was surprised to find her fingers were trembling. She did not, as she feared she would, stumble in her introduction, and was grateful to take a seat near the back of the class. Fortunately, Mai was placed in Kaori's class and she found herself watching the girl throughout the morning from her seat behind her, but nothing unusual seemed to occur. The morning passed quickly and without incident and Mai was yawning behind her hand by lunchtime. The classroom was bright in artificial light, but the windows showed that it was still dark outside as it rained steadily.

As they had discussed previously, Mai sent regular texts to the others with updates of the situation in the classroom, or rather, confirmation of the lack thereof. She felt rather sorry for Lin and Naru, waiting for something to happen. As the teacher dismissed the students for lunch, Mai retrieved her bag with her bento and saw that Kaori had stood and was making her way toward her. "Uh, hi," Kaori said as she approached her, making a clumsy attempt to pretend they were speaking for the first time. "Want to eat lunch with me?"

"Sure," Mai said, smiling brightly. As Kaori sat down next to her she studied her carefully. Mai lowered her voice, opening her store-bought bento. "How are you doing? Has anything happened?"

"I'm okay," Kaori said, shaking her head. "Nothing's happened, still."

"Is it unusual? For it to leave you alone for this long?"

Kaori paused, pondering the question. "Maybe a little bit," she started slowly. "At least recently. In the beginning it wasn't that often, but lately it seems like something would happen two or three times a day." She shrugged and ate a small portion of her lunch. She then closed the lid on the bento box again as she looked up at the clock. "I'm going to go visit my friends in class B."

"Chihiro-san and Sachie-san?" Mai asked without thinking. In response Kaori shot her a questioning look. The suspicion dropped quickly and Mai had the impression that Kaori had decided that she'd told Mai the girls' names before, even if she couldn't remember the circumstance.

"Yeah." The girl stood, idling, as if trying to decide what to do. "See you," she finally said, and left the classroom. As soon as Mai was alone, a group of four girls approached her.

"It's Taniyama-san, right?" The first girl asked.

Mai nodded. "Are you friends with Kaori-san?" She asked the girls.

"Oh, Murata?" The girl standing in the center of the four shook her head, tossing her long hair over her shoulder as she spoke. "You shouldn't get close with her, Taniyama-san. She's been weird ever since her sister died."

The girl next to her, with wide eyes, said in a conspiratorial whisper: "They say she might have driven her to commit suicide. People think Natsumi's haunting Kaori for revenge."

"Her ghost follows her around the school," the last girl said.

"That can't be true," Mai said, deciding to play the skeptic. She tried to laugh casually. "Has anyone ever seen anything?" Obviously, someone had seen something or the rumor never would have started.

The central girl looked annoyed at the two girls who had spoken about the ghost of Natsumi. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. I just wanted to let you know, for your own good. You shouldn't talk with her. Don't let her hang around you."

"I appreciate your concern," Mai said dryly.

The girl looked at Mai with narrowed eyes, studying her. "I'm sure you'll catch on soon enough." She suddenly smiled and sat next to her. "I'll introduce you to our class. I'm Kataoka. These are Takaku, Yamano, and Tajima." She nodded her head to the girls standing behind her before directing her attention back to the class. Mai could see that several of the other students were watching them now, obviously curious to see if she was going to be accepted into Kataoka's clique. "Over there, those three boys? Isobe, Soga and Kuratsune. Their friends are coming in the door, Watanabe and Sakakibara. They're on the archery team. All five are absolutely off limits. Don't even think about getting interested."

"Don't worry, I'm not looking for a boyfriend," Mai said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes and wondering if Kataoka seriously thought she would remember any of the names she was rattling off.

"Hatakeyama, Sano, Machida and Komiyama," the girl continued, pointing to four girls sitting with their lunches, laughing together and ignoring Kataoka and her group. Mai could see the class's social structure coming together. "You probably don't want to associate with them, either. Those two nerds over there are Takeda and Iwata," she continued, the boys looking away as she named them. "Let's see. There's Hamada and Misumi. Hamada's nice, but quiet. Misumi can be really annoying. Over there, Horie, Yachi and Hoshiba. There're all on the kendo team." She glanced around. "That's almost everyone. The rest must be out of the class. Who am I missing, anyway?"

"Just Yamanaka and Handa," one of the other girls supplied. Mai couldn't remember if she was Yamano or Tajima.

"Oh, well, they're basically nobodies, anyway," Kataoka said dismissively. She stood, looking pleased with herself, and Mai was suddenly grateful this classroom was only temporary. "Well, Taniyama. That's everyone." She turned as if to leave, but stopped. "Oh," she said, as if an afterthought. "They said there's another transfer student today, in the upper class. You know him?"

"Yeah," Mai said. "We're related."

"Well, you'll have to introduce us sometime, then," the girl said. As she spoke, Mai noticed that Kataoka and her friends were the only girls in the classroom to be wearing any noticeable amounts of cosmetics. "I'd like to get to know him too."

"I bet you would," Mai muttered, but luckily the bell rang, signalling that lunch was over and her words were masked by the sound.

...

As Mai had predicted, Gene seemed to rise to instant popularity within the class. Of the names Kaori had given him for Yoshimasa's friends, only one was in his classroom. When he finally got away from his new group of friends to talk to him, the boy was reluctant to speak.

"Kinoshita-san, right?" Gene said. "I heard you're friends with Yoshimasa Itaru."

"More like was," Kinoshita snorted. "I haven't heard from him in months. Basically since that girlfriend of his up and died, he's disappeared off the map." He looked at Gene suspiciously. "How do you know Yoshimasa, anyway?"

"My friend does business with his older brother," Gene said vaguely. "We've met a couple times. I heard he was out of town, in Kanazawa, right?"

The story seemed to satisfy Kinoshita and he nodded. "Yeah, he went to stay with his mom for a while. Nasty business with Murata, you know? His family didn't want the police asking questions. Last resort if you ask me, to send him to stay with his mother. Even his brother's been laying low. I heard he left town, too."

"You talk to him since he went to Kanazawa?"

"No, not since he left. I tried to contact him again a little while ago but his phone wasn't on. We tried to call the house of his mom's family, too, but the girl who answered the phone said he didn't live there." He snorted slightly in disgust. "But the Kato family—as far as I could tell, when he would speak of them—were real uppity sorts and just the kind to lie about something like that. His mom was a real bitch and so was everyone who worked for her. His parents divorced a long time ago and I think his mom didn't want him to associate with anyone connected to his dad or his life here."

"He didn't want to go and stay with them, I bet."

"Yeah, I think so."

It was this hesitation in Kinoshita's voice that caused Gene to pause. "Did he say he was going? I mean, did you guys talk about it before he went?"

"No, it was too sudden. We only heard afterwards." Kinoshita shrugged and looked at him closely. "You trying to get a hold of him?"

"Yeah," Gene said. "I have a friend in Kamakura I think he'd like to meet. You have his number?"

Kinoshita nodded and pulled out his phone. After he relayed the number he shrugged. "Let me know if you get a hold of him, so we know he didn't go the same way as that girl. Honestly, I can't believe he hasn't called. Just to let us know he's all right. I haven't been able to get a hold of his brother, either. Those guys won't even return a text message."

"Thanks, man, I appreciate it," Gene said, and Kinoshita nodded to him as he left the room. Gene turned his phone over in his hand thoughtfully, wondering. He turned when another classmate came over to him.

"Class is going to start again soon, Ichirou-kun," the boy said. "So, you know Kinoshita? You guys were talking for a while."

Gene shrugged. "Just have a mutual friend, is all."

A girl had joined the boy and was smiling brightly. "Ichirou-kun, is that new transfer student in class 2-A your sister? You two don't look a bit alike, I was so surprised. And isn't her name Taniyama?"

Gene was spared from having to elaborate as the bell rang, signalling that class was about to start.

"Tell me later, okay?" The girl asked him, smiling flirtatiously as she returned to her seat.

Gene had sat down in his desk, watching as the teacher returned and called for their attention, beginning the lesson. His mind was elsewhere, however, thinking about what Kinoshita had said about Yoshimasa.

Gene pinched his nose with his fingers, frowning as he concentrated. Noll, he thought. Feeling nothing, he closed his eyes and tried again, reaching outwards toward his brother through their psychic connection. Noll, can you hear me?

He felt a twitch that could only be his brother's reaction to his thoughts. A second later his phone vibrated in his palm. I hear you, the text read. What is it?

Yoshimasa's phone number. Ready? He thought the numbers out slowly and distinctly.

Got it, the next text read.

His mother's family name is Kato, Gene thought. Sounds like the brother might have gone down to Kanazawa as well, but I'm not sure. Could be that he's just distanced himself from his younger brother's friends. He relayed the main points of the conversation quickly, trying to illustrate the distance he felt between the mother and father's families. I didn't get any more than that, but it's a start. I'll help you look into things later.

The next text took longer to arrive. We're on it. And we're going to have to talk about this, you know, this new development. Gene read the text and then glanced sideways to make sure none of the students sitting around him had noticed his attention to his phone. He needn't have worried and at the front of the classroom the teacher continued on without glancing his way. You could talk back, you know. You don't have to text. You're holding the connection closed, he thought. Now that his mind knew the route to his brother it was easy to communicate his thoughts.

This isn't exactly an ideal time for us to start experimenting with our psychic connection, the text read. He could feel the hesitation around his brother's mind even as his twin shielded his thoughts from him.

Gene exhaled silently. I don't know what could constitute a good time, Noll, but I'll let it go for now. We'll talk about it later. He allowed his reaching connection to his brother slip away.

He hadn't been expecting a return text from his brother. I'll think about it, the words read, and he knew he meant it.

...

In a quiet and otherwise empty café, Naru and Lin were seated at a table, the surface crowded with their laptops, notebooks and papers, not to mention cups of tea and the remains of a light lunch. Lin had cast a spell to obfuscate their conversation should anyone listen in, but so far there had only been two other customers to this café that day and they hadn't lingered. The two men had briefly considered staying in the van—parked near the school to be at the ready, should anything happen—but it was a cold day, both men wanted a hot cup of tea and the café's location was surprisingly convenient. The single woman watching the shop didn't seem to mind that they'd been there for hours as they were easy customers and made no indication that they would stop buying tea.

Naru leaned back in his seat, exhaling audibly as he set the phone on the table, feeling somewhat drained even though he'd only been on the receiving end of his brother's telepathy.

"Anything?" Lin asked, noting to himself that at least one of the twins appeared to be communicating telepathically. He wondered if Naru would be inclined to share the fact later but decided not to press for answers.

"It's not much," Naru said, shaking his head. "But it's something to start with." He reached for his phone and dialled the number. Setting the phone on speaker, he set it back on the table. "I really hope we don't have to go to Kanazawa to track this Yoshimasa Itaru down."

The line rang only once before it stopped. There was a short pause before the automated message began. "The number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please check your directory and try again."

Naru frowned at the phone. "That's inconvenient," he muttered.

"Do you think Gene had the number wrong?"

"No... I think Yoshimasa's number has been actually disconnected. He didn't want any connection to Natsumi's death; it's not far-fetched that he would change his number. Gene said even the older brother has distanced himself from it all." His frown deepened. "Gene said his mother's name was Kato. Without a given name, we won't be able to find her easily—at least it won't be very straightforward. How many Kato families there must be in the Kanazawa area, I don't want to even hazard a guess." He tapped his fingers on the table. "As I see it, there are two approaches we can take. We can look up marriages between Yoshimasa and Kato families. Or we could look into birth records to find either of the brothers and get the mother's name from that. And of course we can take those routes either by a municipal office or try to find other public news records."

Lin nodded his head with a slight sigh. It was a roundabout way to find a woman in order to talk to her son, and neither of the men were particularly looking forward to navigating through marriage or birth records. "You're set on finding him, then?"

Naru pursed his lips together. "I think it would help. The situation might become clearer if we could speak to him."

"You're still not certain the spirit is Natsumi?"

"Not.. certain," Naru said. It was Mai's uncertainty that caused him to hesitate, as she'd been right about these sorts of things on more than one occasion. "If the spirit is truly Natsumi, we should be able to find evidence why she is tormenting Kaori. Kaori hasn't been able to explain why her sister has targeted her. True, the spirit could simply be lashing out irrationally in anger over death, but it's not likely and it's not something that we can use to persuade her to move on peacefully. Yoshimasa was the last person to see Natsumi alive. What transpired in the last hours of her life may illuminate her motives."

Lin nodded in agreement. "I'll see if the school will release any of their records on Yoshimasa. If we could find just the father's name that would shorten our search considerably." He paused. "Are you against contacting his father's family? Certainly the father would have the contact information for his own son."

Naru whet his lips. "Yes, I considered that. If there's no other way… perhaps. But my impression is that the Yoshimasa family is not one we want to become involved in. No doubt the Kato family will be enough trouble for us."

"Agreed," Lin said. "I hope the fact that the son is from a yakuza family doesn't complicate matters too much. If we contact them, we'll have to be cautious." He suddenly tensed.

"What is it?"

"I've had two of my shiki patrolling the area all day," Lin started, turning his gaze toward the school, his eyes narrowing. "Keeping an eye out for anything unusual."

"Well?" Naru tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, knowing what had happened and waiting for Lin to say it.

Lin pressed his lips together. "A spirit has manifested at the school. It's very angry."

...

Mai had been lazily doodling in her notebook when she suddenly tensed, feeling a chill sweep into the room. Her eyes moved around the room and finally settled on Kaori, but no one—not even the girl herself—seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. The teacher continued to talk, explaining the equation written on the board as the students took dutiful notes. Carefully, Mai retrieved her phone from her pocket and beneath her desk wrote a message to the other members of SPR. It's here.

Naru's reply was immediate. Can you see it?

No, Mai started to write back, her eyes still sweeping the room. She could not see but she most certainly felt the presence, and she could tell it was focused on Kaori. Can't see it but know it's

Mai jumped when Kaori cried out, her fingers slipping but she somehow managed to send the message anyway. Kaori slumped forward onto her desk. Mai slipped the phone into her pocket and gripped the edge of her desk, ready to rush over to the girl. As she stared she felt the spirit turn its gaze on her. Suddenly, she could see its eyes. The dark eyes bored into her with such hatred and malice that Mai gasped aloud.

You again, it hissed, and disappeared. The chill lifted from the room.

The entire class was still, staring at Kaori. "Murata? Are you all right?" The teacher asked.

Kaori lifted her head from the desk and pressed her hand to her temple, where the spirit had struck her. "Ugh, sorry," was all the girl could manage. A drop of blood fell from her face onto her notes.

"You have a bloody nose," the teacher said. "Will someone please go with Murata to the infirmary?"

Even in the split second that Mai hesitated she knew that none of her classmates would volunteer. For heaven's sake, she thought, and raised her hand. "Sensei, I'll go."

The teacher nodded gratefully, no doubt aware of Kaori's ostracization from her class. "Thank you, Taniyama. You are excused."

Mai hurried over to Kaori's desk and helped the girl stand, passing the girl her own handkerchief to catch the blood on her face. "Let's go," she murmured, and hurried the girl out of the room.

Gene was waiting for them in the hallway and instantly helped Mai support Kaori with his arm. Kaori was weak on her feet and it was obvious she would stumble if not for the extra support. "What happened?" Gene asked. "I tried to see but I couldn't see anything at all."

"It hit her," Mai said. "On the head this time. But it saw me and left shortly after."

"Did you see it?"

"I saw its eyes," Mai said. "It looked straight at me." She couldn't help but shudder. "It was really angry to see me. It was already angry though. When it saw me, it was furious."

"Ugh," Kaori said again, looking up. "Where am I?" She turned her head toward Gene, looking surprised. "When did Shibuya-san get here?"

"I was outside the classroom as you left," Gene explained calmly, even as Mai dipped her head down to look at Kaori's eyes.

"Her pupils look too dilated. I think she has a concussion." Mai said quietly. "We're going to the infirmary," she told Kaori clearly. "You hit your head."

"Oh... yeah. I think I... remember that," Kaori said, dazed. Her hand had dropped away from her nose but Mai lifted her arm by her elbow to put the handkerchief back against her face, catching the dripping blood.

Gene pushed open the door to the infirmary. The room was empty and he breathed a sigh of relief. Mai helped Kaori sit down on the narrow bed and Gene passed them a box of tissues. Mai took a tissue and held it to Kaori's bloody nose, pinching gently until Kaori's hand reached up to take the tissue herself.

As Kaori came to her senses, she began to cry. "She must really hate me, doesn't she?"

"It's not Natsumi-san," Mai said, trying to sound reassuring. "I know it's not."

Gene frowned. "Mai, we can't say that yet. I'm sorry, Kaori-san, but we don't know that."

Kaori simply nodded slightly, crying quietly and holding the bloody tissue to her face. The girl was a complete mess. Mai pulled a new tissue from the box and passed it to the girl. She turned toward Gene. "I saw its eyes, Gene, and I know it's not her sister," Mai said, her voice vehement despite her whisper. "I saw Natsumi in her dream and they weren't the same."

"You know you can't compare a spirit's physical appearance to that of when it was among the living," Gene hissed.

"I know, but..." Mai stamped her foot in frustration. "Just trust me, Gene."

"If it's not the sister, who is it?" He asked, his voice low.

"I don't know: the younger brother, Yoshimasa, anyone. But it's not Natsumi." She turned her head away from him, clearly unsettled and pouting. "Why don't you go update Naru and Lin-san. I'll stay with Kaori-san."

Gene arched an eyebrow. "And if the spirit returns?" He asked, even though his instincts told him quite definitively it would not.

"It won't. And if it does I'll use the Nine Cuts," Mai said shortly. "Just go."

He could see there was no use arguing with her and certainly when the nurse returned she'd just make him leave anyway, so Gene shrugged and left the room. As he slid the door shut behind him he saw a figure standing vigilantly in the hallway. Aahil nodded at him.

Gene frowned. "Did you see it this time?"

The shiki shook his head. "One of my Master's other servants sighted it but could not identify it."

"It won't return, will it, if you're here?"

"Probably not." Aahil said, following Gene as he turned down the hall. "But that's not why I'm here. My Master assumed you would not be interested in returning to class just yet. I'm to take your likeness and sit in class for you."

"How convenient." He raised an eyebrow at the spirit. "You'll probably do your best imitation of an attentive student and all-around good boy, I imagine."

The corners of Aahil's mouth lifted in a sly grin. "Unless you'd like me to make things interesting for you."

Gene paused, finding himself grinning as well. "Tempting, though my brother would chew my ear off for something like that, no matter how amusing it may be. No doubt Lin wouldn't be too pleased either."

"Perhaps."

Gene shrugged and grinned, stopping in front of the door to his classroom. He turned to face the shiki as Aahil's features slowly transformed to reflect his own, until he was looking at a mirror image of himself. "Some other time, then. Though you may want to discourage that girl sitting in the front row. She's got her eye on me." He cocked his head. There was something strange about seeing his own likeness that was not his reflection nor his twin. "Good luck, I guess."

"The same to you," Aahil said in his own voice, and he watched as an image of himself slid open the door and bowed politely to the teacher. It was, Gene knew, only a facsimile of what others wanted to see. The door slid closed and he was alone in the hallway.

...

Gene pushed open the door of the café, shaking his umbrella outside quickly before folding it and sliding it into the umbrella stand. Inside, both Naru and Lin turned toward him expectantly.

"What happened?" His brother asked, passing him a steaming cup.

"It hit her again," Gene said grimly. "But it didn't hit her arms or legs as it has before. It hit her right in the head. She has a concussion."

"Where is she now?" Lin asked, face a mask of serious concern.

"In the infirmary. Mai's staying with her." Gene paused, pursing his lips. "Mai's convinced it isn't the sister."

Lin frowned. "Then who could it be?"

"That's what I said," Gene said, frustrated. "I know I should give Mai's intuition a chance, but I just can't see where else to look. And it's so frustrating that she knows who it isn't but she doesn't know who it is. She said it could be the spirit of the younger brother or Yoshimasa, for all she knew. And we know it can't be the younger brother. Why now after all these years?"

Naru had gone very still. "Of course," he finally muttered. "We hadn't even considered that."

"What is it?" Lin asked.

Naru pressed his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was calm and confident. "Yoshimasa. It could be Yoshimasa."

His brother looked dubious. "Yoshimasa may be missing as far as we know, but we don't know if he's dead. And if he was, why go after Kaori?"

"Because he thinks Kaori is Natsumi." Naru said simply.

"But why hurt her? He was her boyfriend. He was devastated when she died, right?"

His brother shook his head slowly. "We're still missing something." He turned to Lin. "Lin, you contact Yoshimasa's family in Kanazawa. Whether the information comes from the school or elsewhere, we need to speak with someone at that house to verify if he is or was in Kanazawa." The man nodded shortly. Naru drummed his fingers against the table slowly. "Mai still didn't see the spirit."

"She said she saw its eyes," Gene said. "I got the impression that when the spirit was focused on Kaori, Mai couldn't see it at all. It was when it noticed her that she could see it. Mai said it became even angrier when it saw her. And it was seeing the eyes that convinced her it wasn't Natsumi."

"Hm," Naru said, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Would you like me to make a hitogata of Natsumi?" Lin asked. "If the spirit is Yoshimasa and he is truly mistaking Kaori for her sister, we might be able to prevent it from attacking her again."

Naru paused. "Not.. yet. If we're wrong we'll have to destroy it ourselves. And if the spirit's actually Natsumi, that would complicate things a bit. I'd rather verify the identity of the spirit first." He nodded toward his twin. "I don't think there's much we can do until the school day is over and we can return to the Murata house. But when we do I think it would be wise if you stayed with her, Gene."

"You mean instead of Mai."

"Yes."

"Kaori's comfortable with Mai, though, Noll. Maybe just because they're both girls, but I think Kaori would prefer Mai to stay with her."

"No doubt." Naru pursed his lips. "However, it would seem the spirit's developed an aversion to Mai. It recognizes her as an outsider that is meddling in its affairs."

"That may prevent the spirit from attacking," Gene interjected.

"Conversely it may also become even more violent—toward Kaori or to Mai as well." Naru shook his head. "Mai's not trained for this sort of thing, Gene, and we don't have any data from prior cases to stipulate about her current capabilities. Next time she might be able to see, identify and talk with the spirit. Or she might not. I don't think we can take that chance, considering the spirit in question attacked our client and gave her a concussion today."

Gene pressed his lips together but said nothing. His shoulders slumped and he lifted his cup, sipping the now only lukewarm contents.

Lin watched the brothers for a moment and then stood. "I'm going to the school office first to track down Yoshimasa," he said, picking up his jacket, and Naru nodded.

"I'll start searching public records for birth or marriage documents," he said, glancing at his brother, who remained silent.

Gene did not speak until Lin had left. "Do you want me to go back to class?"

His twin raised an eyebrow. "I know you don't want to go. Do you think anything useful could come of it?"

Gene paused, considering. "I doubt it," he finally said. "I already spoke to Yoshimasa's friend. The spirit isn't going to return before the end of the day. And honestly, there's a girl in my class who seems to be interested in me, so I'd rather avoid seeing her. I don't want to deal with that."

An amused smile crossed his brother's lips. "Not surprising."

Gene ignored him. "Speaking of, I was a little surprised that Aahil's able to sit in class for me. The impersonation must take a lot of effort, right?"

"I asked Lin that earlier," Naru said, nodding. "You're absolutely right. Lin said Aahil will probably have to rest for the remainder of the day. But I thought it would be better if you could concentrate on the case."

"So I can corroborate your theories," Gene mused, picking at the remains of a sandwich on a plate.

"Or tell me when I'm on the wrong track." His brother watched him. "Are you still hungry?"

Gene frowned but didn't answer him. "I haven't had any strong feelings either way about this case, Noll. Besides that first dream, I haven't had any visions, either. Not like Mai." He paused, picking up his empty cup and looking inside before setting it back on the table. "Lin told me last night about what happened with Mai when she went to London with you. The last time around. That Mai was training and Madoka tried to... use her abilities for you as a replacement for me."

Naru kept his eyes steadily on his brother's, though his lips had thinned into a tight line and his hands had tensed. Gene shook his head, hoping to alleviate some of his brother's apprehension. "Well, not really—I mean he didn't really tell me what happened. Just that it didn't work. Or end well."

"No," Naru finally said, exhaling. "It didn't." He lifted his own empty cup, turning it in his palms. "You saw enough of what happened before to know that Mai showed remarkable potential. Her abilities may have been a bit rough around the edges—unpredictable at best—but both Lin and I thought that with a little formal training she could easily control them. She'd done a jourei exorcism once; with training she could have been one of BSPR's lead investigators and mediums."

"And considering your relationship, no wonder Madoka thought Mai could do it."

Naru nodded. "While discreet at first, it wasn't something we could hide. Of course Madoka didn't fail to make the connection. Even Martin brought it up once, at the beginning."

"And?" Gene prompted.

"I told him it was out of the question." His brother said flatly. "I wasn't going to ask that of Mai before she was ready and she wasn't ready." His lip curled slightly in anger. "Madoka didn't ask my opinion on the matter because she already knew what it was and didn't want to hear it. She told Mai my life was in imminent danger unless there was someone immediately present who could absorb my PK."

"And you weren't?"

"Of course not. But the fact of the matter was that Madoka used Mai's guilt for her own selfish reasons. She manipulated her." Naru retorted. "And of course Mai would believe I was being stubborn and would refuse her help. That's what Madoka told her."

"Weren't you?" Gene muttered, but his brother ignored him.

"The two began sneaking away to attend additional practice sessions. Anyone Madoka could find who could manipulate PK—no matter how sloppy—would batter Mai with it, session after session, hoping that she'd be able to shape it. All in the name of Mai's so-called 'training'. Madoka was always certain that the next time Mai would reciprocate the way she wanted her to. But she never did. If anything, Mai's abilities retreated even more. She stopped having visions. She couldn't sense danger the way she'd been able to before. After a couple mishaps and putting herself and others in peril, Martin removed her from the cases on which she'd been assigned to accompany me." He shook his head. "I can't say it was all Madoka's fault, what happened. Mai could have said no, but she never did. And she was under a lot of stress—moving to a foreign country, speaking a foreign language and trying to make sense of things. She was homesick. Perhaps her abilities would have diminished anyway, even if they hadn't done what they did."

"You say that, but you still blame Madoka." Gene said quietly.

Naru exhaled. "No. I can't... I can't blame Madoka. After all, none of this has even happened." He gazed at his hands, folded neatly on the table. "It's like being angry at someone for having an argument with them in a dream. No matter how angry you were in the dream, that's all it was."

"What happened in the end?"

Naru raised his eyes calmly to meet his brother's gaze. "I could tell you, but would you rather just see?"

Gene looked surprised. "You mean let me look into your memories? I can't assure accuracy, Noll. Just like with Mai... I'm sure I'd see a lot more. Are you sure you want me to do that?"

His brother shrugged. "I have been thinking about it, lately. Opening our psychic connection and removing the barriers between us."

Gene's surprise had turned to alarm. "You mean completely."

"Yes. Just as when you manipulate my PK, only sustaining the connection. Obviously, it's already partially open." He gesticulated vaguely with his hand. "Your earlier telepathy is evidence enough."

Gene scratched his head, ruffling his hair. "Yes, but," his voice trailed off and he didn't know what to say. "You wanted to wait. Earlier. You said it yourself. Now is not a good time to start experimenting."

"And you said a good time probably won't present itself," Naru countered. He sighed, looking away. When he turned his eyes back to meet his brother's, he was struck by how uncertain his twin's gaze was. "I was apprehensive at first, too much so to try to send my own thoughts back to you. Perhaps I just wasn't prepared. But this is exactly what I've been thinking about, what I've been trying to research. Obviously, there isn't very much documentation on twins with psychic abilities, so there isn't a precedence." Naru mused. "Theoretically, we should be able to do much more than communicate telepathically."

Gene snorted. "Always you and your theories."

"You already use our psychic connection to read my facial expressions. If we completely opened it you would be able to navigate my thoughts and memories with ease. I would only have to think of the moment to communicate it clearly to you. Not to mention you'd be able to tap into my energy, and I can only guess what you could do with that." He watched his brother's reaction to his words. "I know you can do it. Doesn't your intuition tell you the same thing?"

Gene exhaled and bit his lower lip, knowing his brother was right. Keeping their psychic connection open was something they'd thought about for many years, ever since they were children and even in the last year, before he'd gone to Japan—but they had never really considered it to be an option. "Could it be dangerous?"

"I suppose it's possible," Naru admitted. "But not likely. Not between us. Our energy is so familiar to each other's. You've been absorbing and manipulating mine our entire lives."

"True," Gene's voice trailed off and he thought in silence for several moments. His twin waited patiently. "I don't know why I'm apprehensive," he finally admitted. "A week ago, two weeks ago, this is what I would have wanted." He shook his head. "Even if I just looked into your memories, it wouldn't be like when I looked into Mai's. She wasn't prepared."

"No."

Gene pursed his lips. "Maybe not dangerous, but there would be repercussions. It would mean... losing some of your privacy. Your memories... with Mai. Even more so if we kept the connection open. And the present would be difficult to shield from each other." He closed his eyes, remembering. It had been a long time since they'd done energy manipulation together, but the feeling of his brother's energy, thoughts and feelings bleeding into his own being was fresh in his mind. The experience of being so closely connected to each other mentally was deeply personal and somehow comforting. After the session, the connection between them would always diminish. Gene likened it to water that varied between a steady stream or a roaring, overflowing river. Sometimes the barrier resumed slowly and sometimes it was immediate. It was always afterwards that the brothers would speculate about keeping it open, wanting to stay on that energy high.

Naru nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps at first, but I have no doubt you'd learn to control it. Once you became accustomed to it."

"I'm not as good at this as you seem to think I am," Gene said, frowning.

"You give yourself too little credit," Naru said. "What you've accomplished in the last weeks... it's unheard of, Gene. Your psychic progression is unrivalled in scientific literature. It may be prudent to be wary but I'm confident you can manage the connection."

His brother rolled his eyes. "The same goes for you too, Noll. Neither of us would be standing here today if it weren't for your bloody genius recklessness."

Naru frowned. "Even more reason for you to look into my memories. I'm tired of this space between us of non-existent time. I know you've seen a lot, remembered much of what happened. But there's still inequality."

Gene closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was calm and steady. "Only what happened with Madoka and Mai. Don't show me anything else. Not now." His brother straightened and nodded. "And then we return to Kaori's case. No more distractions."

"Agreed." Naru nodded again. "I'm ready."

Gene lifted his hands slowly, his brother mimicking his actions. They placed their fingertips together and with a steady exhale, Naru began to release his psychic energy into his brother. The stream of energy grew between them slowly, until their fingers and then hands glowed a whitish-blue.

Closing his eyes, Gene felt his brother's psychic energy wash over him. It was comforting in its familiarity and he felt a smile tug his lips. It's been a while, he thought with a sigh, turning the energy over in his mind before passing it back to his brother. Their hands were now pressed completely together. Feels like coming home.

His brother did not answer him but gave a short nod, and even though Gene's eyes were closed he could sense the movement and knew his feelings were reciprocated.

The stream was now a river around him. Gene slowly allowed his mind to drift with the energy. Snippets of memories surfaced around him: voices, laughter, silence. He could also feel his brother's emotions; the feelings as strong and clear as if they were his own. Had Gene had doubts before about their own relationship being replaced by the relationship between his brother and Mai—it would have seemed laughably foolish now, as his brother's attachment and love toward both of them was palpable. His feelings toward him were different, but no less diminished.

Let me show you what happened, he heard his brother say in his mind and the scene formed before him.

He was striding down a hallway, stopping as he saw a piece of paper taped to a closed door. Reserved - M. Mori, it read. Gene recognized the hall, the door, and he knew the room inside. It was one that he and his brother had spent countless hours in themselves, doing exactly what they were now only under the watchful gaze of paranormal researchers. He flung the door open. Gene could feel the dark frown on his features.

Inside the room, Madoka swung around, her eyes wide. She looked stunned, though whether it was because of his presence or for another reason, he did not know. Naru turned his gaze on the other figure in the room, a teenaged boy with guilt and apprehension clearly written on his face.

His brother returned his furious gaze to Madoka. "I heard what you've been doing," he accused. "Where's Mai?"

Madoka could not speak but her eyes darted behind him. He turned again; it was then that he saw Mai's collapsed form on the floor behind him. "It just... it just happened," Madoka managed, her voice tight. "We'd only just started... she just..."

He had rushed to Mai immediately when he saw her. "How could you let this happen?" He demanded of Madoka, kneeling beside Mai and cradling her head in his hands. Her breathing was slow and shallow; heavy dread dropped into his stomach as he felt her erratic, fluttering heartbeat. "Get Lin!" He shouted. He turned his furious gaze on Madoka. "Go!"

Madoka bolted from the room. Gene could not tell how much time had passed before Lin arrived, though he suspected it could not have been long as the man had already been en route before Madoka left to find him.

"Her pulse is weak," he told Lin. His voice was steady but his fingers were trembling. "It was too much. She wasn't ready."

Lin's face was a serious mask as he reached his hand forward to touch Mai's neck gently. Naru and Gene both watched as he unzipped her sweatshirt and unbuttoned the top buttons on her shirt, pushing the fabric aside to place his ear directly on the skin of her chest. Lin raised his head and began to murmur quietly in Cantonese, eyes pinched closed in concentration. He placed one hand on Mai's forehead and the other upon her sternum. When he had finished he opened his eyes and placed his fingers again on her neck, feeling her pulse.

"Weak," Lin said, "But steady. She'll be fine; she just needs to rest."

Hours had passed before Mai regained consciousness. She'd been moved from the facilities at BSPR back to her room at Martin and Luella's house. He was sitting by her side, resting his head on his hands when she opened her eyes. Compared to the other memories Gene had seen, it surprised him how young Mai appeared. Her hair was a little longer but otherwise she looked exactly the same as she had only an hour ago. This must have happened shortly after Mai had gone to London, he reasoned. She hadn't been in England for even a month.

"Naru," Mai began timidly, tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

What happened next caused Gene to start in surprise. He would have thought his brother to be angry and to chastise her—after all, he could feel the feelings of frustration and anger. But he did not. Exhaling deeply, he simply smiled wearily. "You had us all rather worried."

"Really," she cried, covering her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I feel so ashamed. I should have... I should have told you. I'm sorry."

He smoothed her bangs away from her forehead, wiping her tears off her cheeks. "I'm sorry too, Mai. Just don't make me worry like that again. Okay?" She managed a nod and he smiled wryly. "You must be hungry. You missed lunch and dinner."

She laughed weakly, sniffing. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Too bad we only have cabbage and liver left." He teased, and Mai groaned.

"Naaaruu, please tell me you're joking. You're joking, right?" He simply shrugged as he stood, a smile twitching his lips as he left the room. Gene knew, as he did, that the food he brought her would be hot ramen, the comfort food she most craved.

Gene opened his eyes to connect with those of his brother's. He exhaled deeply and he felt the stream of energy slow to a trickle before stopping completely.

"Thank you." Gene said quietly, as his brother set his hands back on the table. "For showing me." He exhaled deeply and a wry grin formed on his lips. "I'm surprised you didn't chew her out."

"Hn," Naru snorted. "Me, too. I fully intended to. Later after Mai had recovered, Luella gave her a hard time about it. It must have been the only time Luella ever raised her voice at Mai. She yelled at her and then they both cried about it. I couldn't bring myself to bring it up again."

Gene raised an eyebrow. "Think Luella did that on purpose to spare Mai your lecture?"

"Wouldn't doubt it." He exhaled noisily, the sound almost like a laugh. "Luella's punishment was for Mai to do chores around the house, but even that was a blessing in disguise. Since she'd moved in Mai had wanted to help out but she still felt like a guest, not knowing how things were done. After her month's 'punishment' was over she just kept doing the dishes or sweeping up. I think she appreciated the routine. And Luella got to spend more time with her and got to know her better."

"They must've spent a lot of time in the kitchen together."

Naru nodded. "They liked cooking together. Mai learned a lot from Luella. And she taught Luella how to cook Japanese food."

"Luella would have loved that." As if reminded, Gene looked down at the table, his eyes searching for food. "I'm famished. You? Let's get something to eat."

"You always are." His brother smiled wryly.

"Fresh tea, too. For you. Coffee for me." Gene stood and glanced over at the woman standing behind the counter. Obviously Lin's spell was still in effect or she'd have noticed the twin's peculiar activities by now. "What do you want?"

"Maybe just a sandwich or something." Naru turned back to the computer. "I'm going to search the online records for Lin. If we can access something online it'll save us a trip out in this miserable weather."

Later the old dishes had been cleared from the table and were replaced with fresh ones. Gene had already eaten his sandwich and was starting on a piece of cake, savoring the semi-sweet dessert with his coffee. In contrast, Naru ate his sandwich slowly as he sat at the computer. He'd also declined his brother's offer of dessert.

"Find anything yet?" Gene asked his brother as he finished his coffee, setting the cup down and stacking the empty plates.

Naru shook his head. "Not yet."

"Let me know if you do." Gene leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, a smile twitching his lips. "I'm going to concentrate on the case for a little while."

...

The nurse had never returned. Kaori had calmed down and the nosebleed had finally ceased. It was evident to Mai that Kaori was not eager to return to class, so she had refrained from mentioning it. Remembering something in the back of her mind about keeping a concussion patient awake and alert, she began to talk.

"Feeling a little better?"

Kaori just shrugged. It was obvious that trying to talk about her condition would not help, so Mai walked over to the window, sighing and gazing outside at the rain. "Still raining, huh," she murmured. "There's just something about a dark rainy day, where it feels like morning even in the afternoon. Days like this always make me feel so nostalgic."

"Nostalgic?" Kaori asked, looking up.

"Funny," Mai mused. "I don't know what exactly it makes me think of. Maybe... memories of being with my parents. Or maybe Na.. Kazuya and Ichirou." She shrugged.

"Have you worked at Shibuya Psychic Research for very long?"

Mai laughed. "Sometimes it seems like forever."

"Are you... dating? Kazuya-san? Or Ichirou-san?" Kaori asked cautiously. She looked abashed, perhaps surprised by the directness of her question. "I mean, I would've thought you and Ichirou-san were together. Except yesterday, when... you fainted in the kitchen..." Her voice trailed off. "Kazuya-san was there first, I think. He seemed really.. really worried about you. I mean, obviously Ichirou-san was worried too. But Kazuya-san... he was different."

Mai felt her face flush red. "Well—" she started, not willing to lie but also hesitant to come out and say it. Naru wouldn't want her to, she knew—he would have no qualms about lying. She was saved from answering when the door opened. To her surprise, it was Lin who entered.

"Oh, Lin-san," Mai said, relieved. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come to the school office, anyway, so I thought I'd check on you." Lin said, and turned toward Kaori. "Feeling better?" He asked and she gave a small nod. "Where's the nurse?" He asked Mai, who shrugged.

"Dunno. Out, I guess."

Lin frowned slightly and bent slightly toward Kaori, murmuring "Excuse me," as he gently touched her head where the spirit had struck her. "You have a rather large bump," he said, and Kaori winced, nodding. "I imagine you have a headache, but otherwise, how are you feeling?"

"Um, a little dizzy, maybe," Kaori said. "But I feel better now than earlier."

"Can you stand?" Lin asked. Taking her hand he helped her to her feet. She seemed a little unsteady at first but Lin seemed satisfied, nodding to himself as he assessed her condition. "Do you want to go back to class? Or would you rather sit out the rest of the day?"

Kaori hesitated before glancing at Mai. "Well... I'd rather not go back. If that's okay."

Lin nodded. "If you'll accompany me to the office for a bit, then we can go back to where Kazuya-san and I have been working." He glanced expectantly at Mai.

Mai sighed. "I'll go back to class. I'll text you guys when class is over."

...

Back in the classroom, Mai found herself growing sleepy as the teacher droned on about the historical significance of Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji. She would sit up straight for some time before her body curved into a slouch, her elbow resting on the desk and her hands supporting her chin, and then jolting herself awake in her chair. After what seemed like an eternity of moving back and forth between wakefulness and almost-sleep, she found herself drifting into quiet slumber.

Mai opened her eyes to someone shaking her shoulders and calling her name; but it wasn't her own name the boy was calling so frantically.

"Natsumi," the boy implored. "Open your eyes."

Against her will Mai found her eyes closing again—after all, it seemed her eyes were supposed to be closed, even though she wasn't sleepy. The vision behind her closed eyelids of a vast darkness filled with distant points of light was cold and unwelcoming, and the longer Yoshimasa called her name the more fearful she became. She was aware of her own existence within the dream vision and then oblivious the next, living the death of a girl while the boy's frantic voice grew more and more distant. "Help me," Mai suddenly whispered, afraid the blue lights would make her forget herself and she would be lost in the monstrous darkness forever.

"Mai," a familiar, calm voice suddenly said. As he said her name she immediately relaxed and the fear that had paralyzed her seemed to disappear. She opened her eyes.

Gene offered his hand to her and pulled her to her feet, up away from the cold floor on which she'd been reclining. Turning her head, she saw the lifeless form of Natsumi laying behind her with a near-hysterical Yoshimasa leaning over her.

"Careful," Gene warned. "It's a strong memory and the spirit has only intensified it by latching onto this moment. Don't let it cloud your mind."

Mai nodded, but the terror was as palpable as if it were a blanket that draped over the room and it was hard to ignore. She was trembling and sweating even though her limbs felt like ice.

Gene took her hand. "Keep yourself separate from it, Mai. Remember who you are and hold onto that in the back of your mind. Don't let it pull you in again." Hearing him say her name seemed to help and she nodded again. They followed the boy from the room when he left his girlfriend there, watching as he weaved through the crowded club and out onto the street. He ducked into an alleyway and was shaking as he dialled his mobile phone.

"Shin," the boy whispered. Both Gene and Mai immediately knew that it was his brother whom he had called. "Shin, I don't know what to do."

"What happened, Itaru?" They could hear his brother's voice through the phone.

"She won't wake up," the boy blurted. "I must've gotten the dosage wrong, Shin, she won't wake up."

"Calm down." It was astounding how steady the brother's voice was. "I've sent a car to pick you up. Should be there in just a couple minutes."

"What about Natsumi?"

"Nakanishi will take care of everything. He'll get her to a hospital and she'll be fine. Trust me."

"Shouldn't I stay here—?"

"Nakanishi's going to take care of her," the brother repeated firmly. "I can't have you accompany him to the hospital and get involved in whatever happens."

"But—"

"If you go in with her they're going to run a blood test, Itaru, and whatever's in your system isn't going to help her. Nakanishi's clean. He'll take care of it."

"She'll... she'll be all right?"

"She'll be fine, Itaru, that stuff isn't illegal because it's that dangerous. And remember, what happened was not your fault. Everything's going to be fine."

Yoshimasa peered into the street when a black sedan pulled up in front of the club. A man with a cleanly shaved head stepped out of the vehicle, glancing around. Yoshimasa heaved a sigh and lowered the phone, leaving the shadows of the ally and stepping out onto the lit street.

"Yoshimasa-san," the man said politely and opened the car door for him. "I'll take it from here. Your brother instructed us to take you back to the house."

At his words the boy visibly tensed. "Is.. is my father home?"

The bald man smiled wryly. "Your father is out."

Yoshimasa sighed in relief and nodded as he climbed into the car. "Thank you, Nakanishi."

"Goodnight, Yoshimasa-san," Nakanishi said and closed the door of the vehicle, stepping back onto the sidewalk as the sedan drove away. The man turned his gaze toward the club.

Mai felt the vision fading and she tried to follow the man back into the club, but her feet were stuck fast on the pavement outside. "What happened?" She asked Gene. Their hands were still clasped tightly together. "Natsumi doesn't go to the hospital tonight."

"In fact, she's already dead," Gene agreed quietly.

"Does he leave her there? He must," Mai wondered aloud. She bowed her head and tears fell from her eyes onto the pavement. "It's sad. It's too sad."

Gene was silent beside her and she suddenly turned toward him, her eyes still wet with tears and she tried to smile. "Thank you."

"For?"

"For.. being here. Helping me."

Gene shrugged, averting his gaze. It wasn't something he could put into words, but he knew with certainty it was his duty to guide Mai through her visions. He would be her guide in life just as he had in his death. And now that his brother wanted to completely open their psychic connection would only complicate matters. But he would say none of this to her. "It's nothing, Mai. I heard you call. What else could I do but come?"

...

Gene opened his eyes and sat up straight, running his hand through his hair and shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. Retrieving his mobile from his pocket, he keyed in a short message and sent it to Mai. Class is almost over, it read.

His brother glanced at him, puzzled. "What was that?"

Gene shrugged silently and glanced at Kaori, who did not seem to be paying attention to them. Mai's sleeping. I just wanted to wake her up, he thought toward his brother. Naru's eyes narrowed slightly as he deciphered the meaning behind his words. "Class must be almost done for the day, right Kaori-san?"

"Sorry?" Kaori looked up from the notebook she'd been drawing in and then at her watch. "Oh, yes. I suppose I should go get my books…" she frowned slightly and bit her lip.

"Maybe Mai can pick them up for you," Gene offered, but Kaori shook her head.

"No, I should probably go." She sighed and folded the notebook closed. "Excuse me."

After Kaori had left, Naru turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow. "What was the vision?"

"What happened when Natsumi died." Gene frowned. "Yoshimasa called his brother and was picked up at the club. Supposedly, someone related to the family—I can only assume an associated member of the yakuza—was going to take Natsumi to the hospital. That's what they told Yoshimasa, anyway. But Natsumi was already dead."

"And she wasn't taken to a hospital," Naru mused.

"No," Gene agreed. He tapped his fingers on the table. "The memory was.. really strong. And really distressed. It was probably Yoshimasa's."

Naru's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Then—?"

Gene shook his head. "I just don't know. I still don't know why he could be haunting Kaori. What's the connection?"

"From what we saw there was a certain level of animosity between them."

"But enough to come after her after his death?" Gene shook his head. "You may be right, about him thinking she's Natsumi."

Naru settled back in his chair, resting his fingertips together. "The messages say You killed me. Or it's all your fault. That's what Kaori said. Whoever he thinks it is, he's seeking revenge for his own death."

The twins sat in silence for several moments, thinking. Both twitched when Naru's mobile rang. It was Lin.

"Yes," Naru said, setting the phone on speaker and holding it in front of the two.

"I've confirmed that Yoshimasa Itaru is deceased," Lin said, sounding tired.

Gene's eyebrows shot up. "Already? How did you—?"

"It's rather a long story. I'll tell you when I return."

"Do you know how he died?" Naru asked.

"The official ruling was suicide." Lin said. "He jumped from the roof of his school in Kanazawa. Two weeks after Natsumi died."

"What did Kaori say? That things started happening about a week after the funeral?" Gene asked, and Naru nodded. "It's likely they would have held her funeral about a week after her death, so the timing works out."

Lin continued. "I'm heading your way to pick you up to return to the Murata household. Before I do, I need to know if you want a hitogata made. There are several things I would need to do in preparation."

Naru looked at his brother. Gene spread his hands helplessly. "I don't know."

"What does your intuition tell you?"

Gene paused. "I don't think you should make it, Lin. Not... not yet. But I do think you should be ready. Do whatever preparations you need to do."

"Understood."

...

Mai had just finished emptying the classroom waste bins when Kaori approached her. The girl smiled apologetically. "Thought I might find you here... I thought you might take my class duties. Thank you. Sorry again for making trouble for you."

"It's nothing," Mai said, waving her hands quickly. "Nothing at all." The two walked back to the classroom together. "Well, you missed a boring afternoon," Mai laughed. "Well, maybe not if you like history. But personally I can't keep all the different shogunates straight." She made a face. "Anything interesting happen while you were with Ichirou and Kazuya? Or was that boring, too?"

Kaori giggled slightly. "Yeah, actually, it was a little boring. Kazuya-san just worked on his computer. He called Lin-san a couple times; they were working together on something. And Ichirou-san spent most of the afternoon thinking, though I think he fell asleep." The last part she said with an abashed whisper, afraid to sound as if she was tattling on him. Mai simply smiled, knowing she could not explain to Kaori what Gene did as he slept.

The two were passing the school office when figure waiting at the school's entrance caught Mai's eye. Her eyes widening impossibly large, she couldn't help but stare. "No way," she muttered. "I don't believe it."

Kaori turned toward her. "What is it?" She questioned.

Mai shook her head, turning her gaze away. Standing in the hall was none other than Yasuhara Osamu. "It's nothing," she said. "I just thought of something is all."

The young man looked up as they approached and actually hurried toward them. "Excuse me, ladies," he started, flashing a charming smile. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for someone. Neither of you would happen to know Yamano Saori, by any chance?"

"Oh, she's in my class," Kaori said. Mai remained silent. "Not your... is she your girlfriend?" Kaori asked.

"Not at all," Yasuhara laughed. He opened his schoolbag and took out a notebook. "We attend the same cram school and she left this. I was in the area, so..." He smiled at Kaori winningly and Mai groaned inwardly. "Can I ask you to return it for me?"

"Of course," Kaori said quickly, taking the notebook.

"Well then," Yasuhara said, dipping his head to her. Mai had not said anything throughout the entire exchange and he looked at her curiously as he turned. "I'll be on my way. I appreciate it."

"Yasuhara-san, wait, please wait!" A girl called and Mai turned. Behind them from the direction of their classroom, one of Kataoka's friends was running toward them. Yasuhara turned at her voice. "Yasuhara-san," she said breathlessly, stopping in front of them.

"Oh, Yamano." Yasuhara said. He took the notebook from Kaori and held it toward her. "Your notebook."

"You didn't have to come all the way here," Yamano said, though it was obvious she was grateful he did. "Thank you so much," she said, reaching to take it hesitantly. "Do you... do you have plans this afternoon? You're already here. Want to get tea and study together?"

"Sorry," Yasuhara said. He smiled apologetically but his eyes were cold. "But I'm busy." He nodded his head to Mai and Kaori, his gaze lingering on the two girls. "Nice to meet you. Until next time."

The three girls watched him leave. Mai titled her head, gesturing for Kaori to follow her back to the classroom.

"Murata," Yamano called after her. "What did you say to him?"

Kaori turned, looked surprised. "Nothing, Yamano-san. Nothing at all."

Yamano clutched the notebook tightly, her face oscillating between anguish and anger. "You better not have," she hissed. "Or you'll regret it." She stalked past them into the classroom. As they entered Kataoka turned her narrowed gaze upon them. Mai ignored her.

"Thank you for offering to help me get caught up with my schoolwork," she said to Kaori, creating a pretense for the two to leave together. "I really appreciate it."

"No, it's nothing," Kaori murmured automatically, picking up her school bag. "I'll see you outside, Taniyama-san." She left the room quickly to escape the gaze of the other girls. Mai didn't blame her; she had a feeling Kaori would visit her friends from the other class before leaving school for the day. A melancholy smile came to her lips and she wondered if Kaori had to make up stories to tell her friends, just as she herself had been doing.

"Mai," someone called her name.

Mai looked up quickly to see Gene leaning in the doorway. She was not fooled by the image; it was clear to her that it was Aahil in Gene's likeness. "Oh, Ichirou-kun," she said.

"You have your books? Let's get out of here," he said, ignoring the other girls in the classroom.

Mai picked up her bag, hoping that the case could be resolved tonight so that she did not have to return to this classroom. She had a feeling that would not be the case.

...

Lin picked Mai and Kaori up a block away from the school, away from the gaze of other passing students, and then returned to the café to pick up the twins. From there the group returned to the Murata house. Kaori followed the others to the guest house, though she did not take off her shoes but rather stood in the entrance uncertainly.

"I'll start the review of the footage from the day," Lin said, nodding to the group and heading toward the base.

Naru hung his own coat on the hook before taking Mai's. "Would you mind making dinner again? Or we could go pick something up. Either's fine."

"No, of course I don't mind," Mai smiled. She rubbed her hands together. "A rainy day like this just calls for hot soup, don't you think?" She grinned at Kaori. "You wouldn't mind, Kaori-san?"

Kaori shook her head. "Not at all. Do you want to come to the main house? The kitchen is fully stocked."

"I'll tag along," Gene said. He glanced at his watch. "Suppose it's a bit early for dinner though."

"I need to change first," Mai said, stepping out of her shoes and up onto the raised wooden floor. "Oh, by the way, what time is John coming?"

Naru nodded. "Within the next half-hour, I imagine."

"He'll eat with us?"

"I don't know." Naru exhaled audibly. "I'll text him and invite him to join us. As long as you don't mind, Kaori-san."

"No, not at all. Well, I'll be at the house," Kaori said, nodding to the others. "Please come over when you're ready."

Mai bowed politely to the girl as she left. "Thank you very much, Kaori-san."

Gene followed his brother down the hall to the base, allowing Mai the privacy of their shared room to change her clothes.

"Anything so far?" Naru asked Lin, setting his notebook down on the table and pulling out a chair.

Lin shook his head. "There are some minor fluctuations, but it's hard to say definitively. I don't see much. Not yet. There wouldn't be, anyway, if the spirit is truly only following Kaori."

"Not much reason to go to the house when Kaori is out," Naru agreed. He frowned slightly, pointing to a screen on the right. "This is the current temperature data?" His eyes narrowed, watching the temperature dip in the entrance hall.

Lin nodded, turning away from the graphs and readings toward the screen on the left that displayed the camera feeds. "She just entered the house. It's possible that was just a draft from outside."

"Yes," Naru said slowly. He turned as Mai entered the room, having changed out of her uniform and into casual clothes. "Gene, change and go over there as soon as possible," he instructed. Gene nodded, already halfway out the door. "Lin and I need to bring Mai up to speed. And we need to look into Yoshimasa's death."

Mai's mouth dropped open. "Yoshimasa's dead? Then the spirit is—"

"Yes, quite possibly," Naru said, pursing his lips together. "But we still need more information."

...

"Oh, Ichirou-san," Kaori said as Gene entered the kitchen. Kaori had took some snacks from the cupboard, pouring some into a bowl. "Where's Mai-san?"

"Kazuya wanted her to look into something, so she'll be here in a little bit," Gene said. "I thought I'd check the connections on the cameras and the mics, you know, just make sure everything's working properly."

"Oh. Please help yourself," she said, gesturing to the snacks as she took the portion she had allotted herself. "I'm going to study a bit and practice before my drama comes on."

"Mind if I listen in?" Gene asked, following her. "I'd love to hear you play."

"Oh, um, sure." Kaori hesitated, looking embarrassed. "I'm still out of practice. I didn't... I didn't play at all after Natsumi died."

Gene held up his hands quickly. "I'm not going to judge you. I can't play piano so I think what you can do is amazing."

She smiled sheepishly and the two went into the piano room. She looked over her music as she ate her snacks before beginning to play warm-up scales. Gene wandered around the house, listening to the piano music drifting through the walls as he absently checked the equipment. Everything was functioning properly, he knew, but it was an excuse to patrol the halls as he watched for the return of the spirit.

"Where are you, Yoshimasa Itaru-san?" he murmured to himself. "And what do you want?"

...

At the base, Lin was explaining the case developments to Mai.

"The school office did not have any records of Yoshimasa's mother, but it does have the contact information for his father, including his given name," Lin said, nodding toward Naru. "Yoshimasa Hatori. It was Naru who found the marriage record between Yoshimasa Hatori and Kato Yukari, and was able to confirm that Kato Yukari currently resides in Kanazawa. The school also indicated which school in Kanazawa into which Yoshimasa Itaru would have transferred." He frowned. "Upon contacting Kanazawa Prep, however, it was clear that no Yoshimasa Itaru ever enrolled. There was one transfer student at the beginning of this year. His name was Kazushige Hideaki."

"A false name?" Mai asked.

Naru nodded, looking up from the papers he was reading. "So it would seem. Kazushige enrolled two days after Yoshimasa left Arakawa. With only a little bit of investigation we were able to find that Kazushige is the name of one of Kato Yukari's household assistants. She's an elderly woman who has never had children. Kazushige Hideaki was the name of her husband who died more than ten years ago."

"So Yoshimasa enrolled in Kanazawa Prep under the guise of Kazushige Hideaki..." Mai started slowly, her voice trailing off.

"And he committed suicide a week and a half later." Naru shook his head. "We haven't been able to find an obituary yet."

"You're sure it's the same guy?" Mai asked dubiously.

"Yes. I called the Kato household." Lin said. "The first woman I spoke with would not admit that Yoshimasa Itaru had ever come to their house, not until I told her his father's family was looking for answers. I told her if she didn't tell me what she knew I would go to his father. It was a bit difficult... but I managed to ascertain that Yoshimasa came to Kanazawa but left soon after. His departure was so sudden that she likened it to a disappearance. There are rumors around the house regarding what happened." Lin shook his head. "Later, I spoke with another woman, and she herself knew what happened. Not many at the house do. She admitted that Kazushige Hideaki and Yoshimasa Itaru were one and the same. That he had jumped from the roof of the school. He died immediately at the scene."

"So, wait, the father's family doesn't know?" Mai asked, incredulous. "How could they possibly keep his death a secret?" She stared at Lin. "How... how did you get them to tell you all that?"

Lin smiled thinly. "Not methods I usually employ, I assure you."

"We need to close this case as quickly as possible," Naru said, frowning and resting his forehead in his hands. "Not only to protect Kaori from this spirit but for but for our own sake as well. We're walking a thin line between two powerful families. I sincerely hope that word doesn't get out that a Shibuya Ichirou is asking questions about Yoshimasa Itaru. The last thing we need is for his family to come asking us questions... especially if his father's family doesn't even know that he's deceased."

Mai nodded, her eyebrows knitting together as she thought. "So Natsumi died of an accidental overdose," she started slowly, thinking aloud. "Yoshimasa leaves Arakawa and goes to Kanazawa, but commits suicide." She frowned. "Is it possible he didn't kill himself? Could... could Natsumi's spirit have gone after him in retribution? And in turn, he seeks revenge from Kaori?"

Naru gazed at her, contemplating her words. "You think Natsumi would force him to jump from the roof?"

"He did kill her, even if it was an accident," Mai said. Her face saddened. "She... she didn't want to die. She was really looking forward to spending time with her sister." Mai looked away. "Just when they were about to make up. It's too sad."

...

Gene and Kaori were watching television together when they heard the front door open. "It's me, Mai," they heard her call. "And John-san."

John entered the room, smiling brightly. "Mai-san's going to start dinner," he explained. "Mind if I join you in here?"

The smell of food soon filled the house. It was a simple dinner: Mai made a vegetable miso soup with potatoes, burdock root and steamed greens, rice and pickles on the side, but she still blushed with delight when both John and Kaori complimented her on her cooking. John had brought a cinnamon cake from the store and they drank tea with their dessert.

After dinner both Lin and Naru returned to base while Gene, Mai and John stayed with Kaori. The four played a card game together before Kaori got out her homework. John helped Kaori with her English homework while Mai and Gene read quietly. The peaceful evening ended when a loud noise from the other side of the house caused all four to jump.

Noll, Gene thought. Did you hear that? What are the readings?

The thoughts returned to his mind almost instantly. It's coming from Kaori's bedroom. The temperature already dropped five degrees.

"The bedroom," Gene said, rising fluidly to his feet. Mai and John both stood quickly after him, with Kaori rising slowly, hesitatingly. She jumped again when the noise sounded again, a soft cry escaping her lips and clutching at his arm instinctively. Her hands were shaking.

Gene stepped forward toward the door, John closely behind him. "Gene," Mai called after him in warning, and he could hear that she was nervous.

Kaori let go of Gene's arm as she stopped walking forward, staying behind the other three. She cringed when the sound echoed again through the house. It was louder and closer. They could feel the vibrations in the floor. "What is that?" The sound repeated itself. Mai frowned to herself, thinking it sounded as if someone had dropped a large sack of heavy books on the floor. Whumph. Whumph.

"Please," Kaori whispered.

"Mai, stay behind me. Stay with Kaori," Gene instructed and reached forward to slide open the door.

Kaori screamed.

All four could see the spirit to varying degrees. Kaori and John saw a dark, hazy shape in the hallway, an arm raised and a finger clearly pointing directly at her. "You," it hissed, "are mine."

Mai could again only see its eyes, red eyes that burned with hatred. Despite her fear she stepped in front of Kaori, her right hand raised.

"What do you want with her, Yoshimasa?" Gene demanded. He could see the boy's shape clearly, though it was distorted through death and the singular desire for revenge.

The spirit swung his murderous gaze onto Gene. Mai licked her lips, finding that she, too, was trembling. John's face was pale, standing with his arms somewhat akimbo in a ridiculous-looking pose.

Gene stared at the spirit, unflinching. "Leave her alone," he commanded. "Your time has come to pass."

"Or?" The spirit laughed, mockingly. The sound they'd heard earlier resounded again, louder. "Or what?" It stalked closer into the room, advancing on the four.

Kaori was shaking, clutching Mai's shirt. "Natsumi," she whispered, pleading. "Natsumi, please…"

"Now, John," Gene said, nodding at the priest.

"In the beginning was the Word," John began. Despite his pallor his voice was loud and the words he spoke were calm. From his pocket he had retrieved a vial of holy water, the open container now in his hand. He spread the droplets of the water slowly and methodically in front of him, moving forward to stand first next to Gene and then in front of him. "And the Word was God."

The spirit hissed and leapt away from the water as if scorched.

"Heavenly God, your soul becomes our heaven and our earth," John continued and the spirit retreated into the hallway.

"I'll have that bitch," the spirit spat, "if it's the last thing I do!"

"No," Gene said calmly, "you won't." He raised his hand. "Rin—"

The spirit howled in anger.

"—pyou—"

"For the life was manifested and we have seen it. We bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us," John continued.

"—tou—"

The plates and cups on the table began to rattle, adding to the din. "You won't drive me away! You will pay with your blood and your flesh for what you have done!"

"—sha—"

The spirit lunged forward but did not cross the threshold into the room where John had sprinkled the holy water.

"—kai—"

"And God spoke unto his children," John said, raising his voice above the rattling sounds. "Making unto them a promise."

"—jin—"

"It's all your fault and I'll kill you for it!" The spirit shrieked in anger and Kaori's eyes rolled backwards as the girl fainted. Mai struggled but caught her, slowing her body as it collapsed to the ground.

"—retsu—"

"Murderous bitch! Filthy whore!" Mai turned her head away from the sight and closed her eyes, wishing she could cover her ears to stop the awful shrieking sound and the hateful words.

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men." John's voice was nearly at a shout to be louder than the spirit, and yet his expression was still calm. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it."

"—zai—"

"Begone," John said finally.

"—zen."

The howling stopped and the house was suddenly still.

Mai opened her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "Is it gone?" She whispered.

"For now," Gene said, dropping his arm to his side and exhaling slowly. "I don't think it'll come back tonight." He turned, noticing Kaori on the floor for the first time, the girl's head propped up in Mai's arms. "Is she okay?"

"She fainted," Mai explained. John knelt by her side, placing his palms on the floor. Mai could see that he was trembling, though she had a feeling it was a combination of adrenaline and exhaustion, rather than fear.

Gene was very still for a moment, his head turned slightly as if listening to something very quiet. "All of the equipment is on the fritz. I'll return to base and send Lin in my stead. He'll be here shortly."

"Is it okay to go by yourself?" Mai protested. She pulled her mobile from her pocket, fumbling with the device and cursing under her breath when she saw it wouldn't turn on. "Maybe John-san can go with you—"

"No, I think you should both stay with Kaori when she comes to." Gene smiled at her calmly. He didn't want Mai to know he'd already instructed his brother to tell Lin to come, nor that his motivation to leave stemmed from his desire to be alone with his brother. Banishing the spirit from the house had completely drained him and knew he was dangerously low in energy. Only his brother could replenish his psychic energy quickly by transferring to him some of his own. "The spirit won't bother us again tonight."

"Are you—" Mai protested, starting again.

"Mai," Gene said sternly, silencing her. "I'm sure," he said. He turned his head to John, a wry smile crossing his lips as he regarded the priest. "Thank you, John-san," he said. "I couldn't have done that without you."

"And likewise," John said, still catching his breath.

Gene nodded at them and left the room. Several moments later, they heard the front door open and then close again.

Mai let out a deep breath. Her arms were beginning to ache from the way she held Kaori, but John seemed to notice her predicament and fetched several pillows from the sofa and helped maneuver the unconscious girl onto them.

"Well, that was… unexpected, I guess," Mai finally said.

A smile quirked on John's lips as he stood. "You could say that," he agreed. He also let out a loud breath, shaking his arms slightly. "Sorry," he said, looking abashed. "I feel kind of restless. I should probably pray to calm myself."

"Shall I make some tea?" Mai asked.

John shook his head. "No—don't bother, I'm okay."

Mai nodded at Kaori. "She'll want some too."

"Well… if you insist," John finally agreed, following her tentatively into the kitchen. He watched as she boiled water and took cups from the cupboard. "Mai-san," he started slowly. "Gene-san and Naru-san aren't Japanese, are they?" Mai froze when John didn't call them by their Japanese names. John saw her expression and smiled. "I understand you probably can't tell me their true identities."

"That's not… exactly it," Mai said slowly, pouring the tea into the cups and passing one to John. After all, they were going by their true, given names. Taking the other two cups, they returned to the living room where Kaori still lay on the floor. Mai took a pillow and sat down next to Kaori, placing her hand on the girl's forehead. She frowned, feeling the heat. "Why… why do you think they're not Japanese?"

"Gene-san spoke to the spirit in English," John continued, speaking softly and seating himself across from Mai on the other side of the unconscious girl. "It was obvious to me before that he's a powerful medium, but to speak in English…" He set his tea down and folded his hands together as he thought, tapping his fingers against his chin. "If he were a perfect medium, of course, the spirit would understand him, no matter what language he spoke in. Choosing his native language would give the spirit no room to misunderstand."

Mai found that she didn't have anything to say and gazed as Kaori's peaceful features. She was trying to remember what John had known about the Davis twins—or if he had known anything at all. Surely he had heard of them, had known something—but she couldn't remember.

"I can understand," John started again, nodding. "Why they would hide their identities. If Ichirou-san truly is a perfect medium—he could be quite famous in some circles. It could be difficult to manage such celebrity. And together, surely, the pair must attract a lot of attention. Kazuya-san is incredibly brilliant."

"Please don't say anything to anyone," Mai whispered, knowing how important their anonymity was to Naru.

"Of course I won't." John said quickly, shaking his head and waving his hands in a reassuring gesture. "That's not my intention. And I doubt Kaori-san noticed. She was… very distraught. Understandably so."

"Thank you," Mai said gratefully.

John looked at her curiously. "Mai-san, you've been with those brothers for a very long time, haven't you? They both love you very much." Mai blushed, avoiding his gaze and picking up her tea. John too looked flustered. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so direct. It's just that the office only just opened. It seems unlikely you came upon this job by chance."

"It was chance," Mai said honestly. "It was completely an accident. But you're right. It was kind of a long time ago. But," she sighed and shook her head. "It also wasn't that long ago at all."

John regarded her curiously for a moment and then shook his head, chuckling. "Mai-san, I don't know what to say. You say such peculiar things so seriously."

Mai shrugged and averted her gaze. "Sorry."

"No, no." He shook his head again. "I don't mean that."

"When did you first suspect that they weren't Japanese?"

"Yesterday," John started slowly. "After I left the house. I recalled how you reminded me of where we had first met," he said, nodding at her. "Actually, I don't think I would have even remembered you at all except you spoke excellent English." He smiled wryly. "No one ever speaks to me in English, you know? Even when I visit the international church where I know many of the parishioners speak English. They only speak to me in Japanese, even when I can't understand them. So I was very surprised when you spoke English to me on the street. It had never happened before." He smiled again. "I would be happy to speak English with you anytime, Mai-san. If you ever want to."

Mai suddenly realized how lonesome John must have been, always speaking with his friends in a foreign language. She had never thought of it before and she bit her lip as her eyebrows knit together.

The blonde priest did not notice her expression, instead gazing into the liquid of his teacup. "And when Kazuya said "Gene"… the way you both tried to cover it so hurriedly," John said. "That was when I first suspected." He shrugged. "That and I saw Kazuya-san had a notebook full of English scribbles."

Mai giggled. "Yeah," she laughed weakly. "His handwriting is atrocious." She turned when she heard the front door open. "Lin-san?" She called.

"Yes," Lin said as he entered the room. The man looked exhausted. "Sorry I'm late. I needed Gene to.. explain.. a few things to me." He frowned, kneeling next to Kaori. "She's still unconscious?" He rubbed his fingers in front of her nose and whispered something under his breath. Kaori's eyes opened and she started, smelling something that John and Mai could not.

"Are you alright?" Mai asked.

Kaori smiled weakly. "I'm… I'm fine."

Mai smiled as John passed her the tea. "Let me help you sit up. Here. Have a cup of tea."

"Did you… did she go away?"

"The spirit is gone for now," Lin said. "Kaori-san, you may be glad to know that it isn't your sister. Definitely not."

At his words, tears filled Kaori's eyes. "Thank god," she whispered, covering her face and she began to weep. "Thank god."

...

Lin had checked all of the cameras while Mai and John sat with Kaori. When he finished he came and sat with them, accepting Mai's offer of tea. It was some time before Lin told John he should leave.

"Brown-san, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I know you're exhausted," Lin said. "I trust Ichirou's judgment that the spirit will not return tonight. It will likely return tomorrow, and you'll be doing everyone a favor if you're rested and prepared."

John nodded, considering. "Then I trust his instincts as well." He stood and bowed politely. "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded at Mai separately and left.

"Good night, John-san." Lin raised an eyebrow at Mai but said nothing.

Kaori yawned behind her hand. "Is it… is it really not going to come back tonight?"

"I assure you, it will not," Lin said. He reached into his vest pocket and passed her a piece of paper. "Even if Ichirou's suspicion is incorrect, the spirit will not be able to harm you with this."

Kaori held the paper up to the light, examining it curiously. "What is this?"

"A spell of protection. It will last through the night and I should have another ready to give to you tomorrow," Lin said. "Keep it close to you. Place it under your pillow as you sleep. If you bathe, keep it in the room and do not get it wet."

Kaori looked at Lin, mouth agape, and then to Mai. She finally shook her head. "I don't understand any of this, but I trust you." She rose to her feet and suddenly clasped Lin's hands in her own. "Thank you. Thank you very much!"

Lin looked embarrassed and obviously relieved when she released his hands. "Not at all."

"I'll walk you to your room?" Mai asked, and Kaori nodded in response.

...

Gene and Lin were sitting in the living room when Mai returned.

"Did Kaori go to bed?" Lin asked.

Mai shook her head. "Not yet. She's in the bath." She smiled as she sat down on the sofa, picking up her cup of tea. The contents were long cold but she sipped it anyway, settling back into the cushions and tucking her feet underneath her body. "It'll do her good, to relax a bit. She'll sleep well tonight."

"We all will," Lin said, exhaling. "Naru said we should all sleep tonight. He's configuring an alarm to go off should any of the reading spike in any way or if there's movement on the camera feeds."

"Good thing they have central heating and they don't have any pets," Gene said, yawning and resting his head in his hand. "Nothing should trip the sensors."

Mai hesitated. "It's really okay to leave her alone tonight? I can stay in the house." She gestured to the couch she was sitting on. "I can sleep here. I don't mind."

"She'll be okay," Gene said, closing his eyes. "The spirit isn't going to return tonight."

"It'll be fine, Mai," Lin reassured her. His phone buzzed and he lifted it to his ear. "Naru." He nodded once before speaking. "Understood. Let me know when you want me to test it." He closed his phone in his hand.

"To make sure the sensors work?" Mai asked.

"Not necessary," Gene mumbled. "Nothing's going to happen."

"Naru still insisted on taking precautions," Lin said. He glanced at Mai. "What did John say?"

Mai shrugged slightly, not sure what to say. "Not much," she said. "Though he's gathered that we all speak English." Lin frowned and Mai smiled apologetically. "It's my fault. I spoke to him in English when I saw him on the street in Ichigaya."

"Does he know who they are?"

"Well, I don't know about that," Mai started. Lin's frown deepened and Mai continued hurriedly. "Even if he figures out Naru and Gene's identities, I don't think he'll say anything," she said quickly. "He wouldn't do that."

Lin nodded slowly. "I'll have to tell Martin and Madoka if he does, though."

Gene yawned again, his eyes still closed. Mai and Lin were still speaking quietly and he only half-heartedly paid attention to their conversation.

"You don't agree, Mai?" Lin asked. "That the spirit won't return?"

"Hmm... well, I don't know." Mai sighed. "I guess I don't think it will. I dunno. It's funny, right? Earlier I felt so certain. But now I don't know. I don't really have good intuition about these sorts of things anymore."

Lin smiled wryly. "You just need a little more practice."

"Hmpf," Mai frowned. "How do you practice your instincts?"

Lin shrugged. "I'm sure Naru and Gene could come up with a way."

The two were quiet again for some time. Gene opened his eyes when Mai spoke again. "I can't help but wonder what happened to Kaori the last time. She didn't go to SPR."

"It's possible that John performed the exorcism," Lin said.

"I hope so," Mai said, though she didn't sound certain.

Gene's eyes closed again, though this time a vision was waiting for him.

He was standing on the school roof, a crisp spring breeze blowing his hair away from his face. His tie had become loose and it flapped irksomely at his shoulder.

The door opened behind him and he turned to watch Kaori step out onto the roof. She sighed with relief as she looked up at the sunny sky, raising her hand to shade her eyes. Her face began to relax as she stood there, forgetting whatever torment the girls from her class were giving her.

The girl had just sat down and had taken her mobile from her pocket when something grabbed her arm, pulling her forward. She cried out, dropping the phone as her bare knees skid across the cement and she struggled to break free, but the grip that held her was tight and unyielding.

"Let me go," she cried, her ankles dragging across the roof. "Let me go!"

"You should have known better than to come up here," the spirit hissed, though Gene could not tell if she could hear it or not.

Kaori continued to struggle, beating the air desperately. She was at the railing and her toes barely touched the ground, the spirit's grip pulling her against the hold of gravity. Her body slammed against the railing and she whimpered in pain, her struggling ceasing with the shock. The spirit's grip tightened as it pulled her up and over the railing. Immediately it released her and suddenly she was falling.

Gene thought he heard laughter. He could not hear her body as it hit the cement over the roaring in his ears, but he most certainly felt the impact and could feel her bones crushing as if they were his own. His body jerked violently and he gasped for breath.

His brother's eyes were waiting for him when he opened his eyes. Still gasping, he groped for his hand, sending the vision to his brother while trying to prevent the physical pain from traveling with it. This is what happened last time, he told his twin telepathically. This is what will happen again if we don't stop it.

---

A/N: This chapter just took forever to write. -_- I can't apologize enough for making you wait this long. Thank you, thank you for reading, and please leave a review. Let me know my mistakes so I can correct them and let me know if you have any speculations or other comments, I would very much appreciate it!

Thank you again for reading! Until next time - cheers!

-abbq