It pains me so to see that my brother doesn't believe in ghosts. I mean, it would be chill and all if he hadn't seen a video that he recorded on his own phone of an apparition of a transparent fox running across the ground and disappearing into thin air. Plus the fact either of us might have some sort of psychic ability (no matter how null) doesn't help. Nor the fact that my house is possibly haunted.
Did I mention I live near a graveyard?
Meh, but I don't want to sound nagging about it. I just felt like getting that off my chest to the people that will -most likely- believe in the paranormal.
On that note, I've been reading through the original series, translated. It's so freakin awesome, but when I go to reference something I want to know more about in the paranormal field, I find that Ono Fuyumi-sensei rrreeaaallllyyy did her research. There's also more info in general in the novels (which was kind of obvious, but still, there is) and I feel so informed now…
I might add a few elements from there to here, just to inform you guys.
I'd also like to point out that in the novels Mai calls Naru a bastard…. A lot. And to his face. She really is fearless. She also curses really badly in her subconscious, it's so funny, considering how sheltered things are here…
As always, enjoy, I don't own Ghost Hunt, have your protein, and take LOTS of naps.
PPPPSSSSTTT- the Ghost Hunt manga has a sequel! It's called Akumu no Sumu le
Only a couple of chapters though, sadly, but it is amazing! Go check it out! It gives a subconscious hope for another season…. Though I guess they'd have to make the Forgotten Children case and the lake and all of that jazz into a movie, so it would transition easier…. Eh, just ignore me and my fantasies…
HAPPY READING!
Diary entrees look like this.
BLIND
July
Day 6
In the background of the monitor, behind Monk, stood a dark, shadowy figure of a woman. Her eyes glowed against the rest of her, and I couldn't look away, no matter how hard I tried.
"Monk there's something behind you," Naru yelled. The mics patched it over to Monk, and he stopped his chanting and looked behind him, straight at the shadow woman.
"What? There's nothing in here Naru!" I heard Monk say. I gasped. I was literally BLIND and I could SEE the woman, and yet he, who has practically perfect vision supposedly, can't see her when looking her in the FACE?!
"Damn, I guess he can't see it," Naru cursed. … Thanks for stating the obvious, Naru. Aren't you a genius?
I ran for he door-if Monk can't see that thing, he needs to get out of there, fast.
"Mai, wait!" I heard Naru shout behind me. I ignored him and rushed out of base. … I never said I was a genius like him. Smart, but not a genius.
I ran straight to the living room, and opened the door to find the whole room glowing with streaks of white ghosts everywhere. At this point, I stopped caring when these things showed up, and would probably freak out later. "Monk, look out!" I yelled at the figure.
"Go, right now!" Monk yelled as soon as he noticed me. I turned my attention behind him.
… Nothing. Why oh WHY did I expect something? Stupid stupid STUPID!
"But, we can see the ghost on camera!" I yelled, well, at least Naru and Lin can. I still don't know what to call it when I see a monitor light up.
"Don't just stand there Mai, get out of here!" Monk yelled again when I hadn't left the room.
"Come quick you're in danger!" I yelled, taking a few steps forward. Well, I think that goes without saying when you go ghost hunting, but we need to get out!
I felt a chill go through me, or rather, it passed through me.
No one can interfere with me! a raspy voice said, practically into my ear.
Then, I felt hands on my neck, choking me. I grasped at the invisible hands to no avail. Suddenly I thought of Kuroda and her story from the old schoolhouse about getting choked.
Can't breathe, can't breathe!
Thanks, karma, but I wasn't the one who made fun of her, dammit! I can't breathe!
Monk seemed to notice my struggle, or at least the ghostly hands around my neck, and rushed over.
"Mai!" he yelled, before chanting his mantra again, warding off the hands. I gasped for breath, coughing as Monk came up to me. "Mai, Mai are you okay?" he asked, grabbing my shoulder.
Just dandy, just got choked, no big deal. Sarcasm, anyone? Instead, I simply muttered a weak "Yeah" in response.
"Come on, let's go," Monk said, and started leading me out. I grasped my neck slightly, it still hurt a little.
Then, we heard loud thuds behind us. We turned around. What we found made us gasp.
A large hole was in the middle of the room.
BLIND
"Looks like the house was built over this well, must be pretty old," Monk said, kneeling beside the thing. Naru, Ayako, Masako, Monk, John, and I were circled around the well later that day.
"There's the spirit of an Oshima here…" Masako said, hiding her mouth behind her kimono. "She's lurking deep down inside the well, calling to the children's spirits and pretending to be their mother. The children only want to return home. They're lost and can't find their way out."
"Is Minnie there too?" I asked, staring down into the well. I couldn't actually see it, but the well was relatively deep… I turned to Masako when she began speaking again.
"Minnie, who is actually Yuki Tachibana, acts as ringleader of the children, but in reality, she is so much pain and sadness that she just wants all of this to stop," Masako informed the group. I turned to the well again. I could practically hear the children crying from down there.
It was… disturbing.
"It appears to me that this well bores deep into the earth, and at the very bottom lie the spirits of the children, trapped in the dark," Masako said as she stared down into the well.
"Who is this Tomiko?" Naru questioned her, leaning against the mantel.
"It's Oshima's child," she turned her attention to Naru, "She's looking for her child. Tomiko is her daughter, that's why she's gathering the children."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Naru said. He started walking to the door.
"Naru," I questioned as he walked past.
"I need to take care of something," he responded nonchalantly.
"Naru! Don't leave yet!" I shouted.
He simply let the door close behind him. Jerk.
"Naru! Where are you going? Why does he do this every time?! It's starting to get old!" I yelled at the door. Seriously, he just goes and disappears, AGAIN.
"He does that so often I just expect it now," Monk commented. "How 'bout we work on driving out the spirits until he gets back?"
"You're right," I said. Naru'll be back eventually. "Okay, guys," I turned to Ayako and John, "who wants to go?"
John made a curious noise-he's confused. Geez, this guy's seriously 19?
"Which of you two is up to the challenge?" Monk smirked largely. "I'm warning you, it's intense in there."
John seemed to get it now. They both looked at each other, and John gave a hopeless expression to Ayako. Ayako sneered. "Fine, I guess I'll do it, but if I go one of you 'brave' men will have to watch Ayumi for me," she said, and I could practically hear the quotation mark around 'brave'.
"Sure thing," said Monk.
"Of course," John shyly said.
BLIND
She began her exorcism around the time of sunset.
"May the heart of this house be cleansed…" Ayako began, holding her stick-and-paper thingy again.
Ayako is so lame, the only reason I'm here is because she was scared, and she calls herself a spiritualist?
I suddenly gasped and sat straight up.
I just felt a chill, where could it have come from? I checked left and right. The windows and doors were all shut. Then, that just leaves…
The well. The foggy streams started to appear again, this time I didn't see them, rather sensed them. It felt like condensed fog…
Ayako simply kept praying, calmly either ignoring the streams or not noticing them.
Then, a large, house-shaking thump resounded throughout not only this room, but no doubt the rest of the house too, cutting Ayako off in the middle of her sentence. We searched around from where we sat for a source as footsteps started resounding around us.
"What did you stop for?" I accused. She's supposed to be a shrine maiden; she shouldn't be affected by this that much!
"Take it easy," Ayako was about to begin her prayers again when she gasped loudly, and curled herself slightly to her right side.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I just felt something touch me," Ayako said shakily.
"You need to stay focused," I said sternly. "You're a professional, remember?"
Then, something grabbed my ankle, sending chills throughout my whole body.
"Mai, what's wrong?" Ayako turned back to look at me.
I took a few shaky breathes-the thing still had my ankle! I wasn't a professional, I don't know how to handle this! "I can feel a… a hand on my…" I didn't to finish my statement as I was suddenly pulled by the icy hand across the floor-straight towards the well.
"HELP!" I yelled, dragging one hand and foot across the floor trying to slow myself down as the other foot was dragged helplessly and the other hand stretched out to grab something-anything that could stop me!
"Mai!" Ayako yelled, and started to get up from the floor.
"I can't stop!" I yelled, sensing back to well again. It's getting closer fast!
"Mai!" Ayako yelled again as Lin burst through the door, undoubtedly having seen what was happening from base.
"Taniyama!" he yelled and ran to try to catch up.
"HELP ME!" I yelled. I don't care at this point the man still probably hated me-I was being dragged by the FOOT by an INVISIBLE FORCE towards a freakin WELL!
"QUICK, grab my hand!" he yelled, extending his arm really far to try to grab mine.
I reached as far as I could. Almost got it….!
With a shriek, the hand tugged even more forcefully than before, pulling me out of Lin's reach…
And straight down into the well.
"MAI!" I heard Ayako shriek before it all went blank.
BLIND
I could clearly hear a drop of water splash on what I guessed was more water. It echoed, like the inside of a well…
… Birds? I could hear birds… chirping happily. It felt warm, and I opened my eyes to find that I could see. Another dream, I guess. No way I'd be able to see otherwise… I couldn't sense anything, and it made me a little cautious.
As I blinked away the fuzziness, I found myself staring at a wooden ceiling. I scanned the room, finding the wall, looking down it, then getting to the floor and examining the rest of the room. It was a tradition Japanese-style room, sliding door and tatami mats and everything.*
The whole room was pretty big, but something was off…
… Shouldn't there be more color than this? Everything was a muted color, like when I watched an old fashioned film from before I became blind.
"Where am I?" I asked out loud as I sat up. I looked around more. The birds kept chirping throughout the whole scene, giving it a surreal and calm feel. I found that when I looked at myself, I was more brightly colored than the rest of the scene. Weird…
Then, I heard a light thump. I turned to look behind me to see the door leading outside left open, and out in the yard a small girl in a kimono was playing with a ball. She faced away from me, so I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was about eight, give or take a year or two…
That's not Ayumi… The girl's hair was short and styled like Masako's, while Ayumi's hair was quite long, and so far Ayumi hasn't worn a kimono so casually like this girl was. Who is that?
Then, a man came up to her. Again, I couldn't see him clearly, but he obviously was talking to the little girl. No, get away from that man! The girl was being lead off by the man, carrying her ball under her arm. I don't know why but that man is dangerous! I couldn't find my voice as the pair disappeared beyond into the horizon. No! Stop!
"Tomiko!" I heard a woman's voice yell as a shadow appeared in front of me. The scene changed, and I could see a woman in a kimono running off, searching in the now dark scenery. The serenity from before was gone. "Tomiko, Tomiko!" she yelled more.
… Is that the girl's mother?
"Tomiko!" she yelled again before stopping suddenly. In front of her- er, us?- there was a pond, just like the one in Noriko's backyard. On its surface, the ball that had belonged to the girl floated, seemingly innocently, but held a much darker meaning. When the mother saw it, she gripped her head and screamed. "NO!" was her distressed cry.
I looked away; the little girl was gone now, forever. It wasn't right to look. I looked to the side to see the scenery change yet again. The woman from before stood, gripping the edges of a well. She was crying, and I heard as her tears hit the water. It was the distinct sound I heard before I started this dream.
Then, as I looked at her stare at her reflection at the bottom of the well, I realized what she intended to do. "Don't!" I yelled as I ran forward a few steps before someone grabbed my arm. I looked back to see the guy from before, all in black. You again… does this mean something? He had a sad look on his face, and didn't say anything as he shook his head 'no'. The meaning was clear-I couldn't do anything.
"Tomiko…" the woman's voice whispered. I looked back to see her throw herself down the well. Don't do it! I tried to yell, but I still couldn't find my voice.
Next thing I knew, it was blank again.
BLIND
This time when I opened my eyes, I was greeted with a familiar darkness, and my senses blearily making out the things in front of me. I was at the bottom of the well, laying on the boards that had previously fallen down. How did I get here again…? It's all blurry.
"Mai," I heard from the top of the well, "are you hurt?"
"Ayako?" I asked warily as I sat up. Yep, there was Ayako, carefully leaning over the top of the well, watching me. Did I fall unconscious, and she watched to see if I would wake up? Of course you fell unconscious you idiot! Maybe Naru's right, I do lack in brain capacity.
"Oh thank goodness you're okay, Mai!" Ayako sighed. "Just sit tight, Lin's coming right down to help you," she said as Lin, almost on cue, appeared with a rope.
"Oh yeah, that's right, I was dragged down into the well…" I remembered as Lin came down on the rope.
Soon enough, I was out of the well and in base. Ayako checked me over while Lin watched the both of us. We were the only ones there. Ayako had just finished checking my head as I started to tell them my dream. It seemed important enough to mention.
"Really, a kidnapping?" Ayako asked as she was about to put a bandage over my knee.
"That's right," I said shakily, "at least I think so." I didn't trust my voice, it felt ready to give out. Guess I screamed a bit too much earlier… "It was a vision. A man just strolls up to the girl and then walks away with her, so that's why I believe her mother threw herself down into the well."
"Hmp," Ayako replied. "You have no experience as a medium so how could your dream possible hold any weight?" she said, putting the bandage over my scrapped knee. "There," she said as she hit my knee to put the adhesive in place.
"Ow!" I yelped, "That hurt!"
"Surprisingly enough, I think she may have hit the nail on the head," Lin interjected.
"Wait, so you agree with me?" I asked excitedly. Lin didn't like me, was this a sign?
"I wouldn't go that far, but it is a possibility," he said. Well, there goes that. I sighed, at least he listened.
I laid down on the couch after that. Ayako had told me to rest up, so I would.
I heard myself sigh as I put my head on the pillow. I know that was no ordinary dream. It seemed so real. And that guy showed up, that must mean something! Next thing I knew, I was asleep.
BLIND
I woke up, again, to a light-filled world, and there, in front of me, was Mr. Shows-Up-Randomly in all his dark-dressed glory.
Hey you, who are you?
He smiled. Now this is a dream I've had before… back in the schoolhouse when the shoe shelf fell on me… I still was laying on the couch, but the rest of the base disappeared. I faintly noted that, once again, I couldn't sense my surroundings. It didn't bother me this time.
"So you again… Ayumi, you really think we can save her before it's too late?" I asked. It felt like the right question to ask, even though I barely knew him.
"She'll be fine," he said softly.
"Really?" I smiled. You're right, as long as we do our best, everything will work out.
"Are you sure that's a good idea Naru?" I heard faintly. Was that Monk?
I sat up, wide awake. I was blind, again, but my senses were now alert after the nap, and I found Naru to be taking off his jacket. He's back! …wait, why am I so excited about that? Whatever!
"Lin, play back everything you've recorded thus far," Naru said, leaning over Lin's chair a bit to look at his computer.
"Right," was Lin's simple reply as he started typing into the computer, I guess to pull up the video files? I was never good at computers.
"Hey Naru, you're back!" I happily walked over to them, feeling better than before.
"Yes, thank you Mai I knew that already," Naru's voice dripped with sarcasm and a tone that said 'You really are an idiot'.
Why can't he ever act that guy in my dreams. They have the same voice, that's HAS to mean SOMETHING, right?
Then I noticed something. "What are…" I started.
"Hey," Monk waved. Next to him was Masako and Ayako, and next to Masako was John.
"What do you mean 'hey'? Aren't you two supposed to be watching Ayumi?!" I questioned Monk and John. "She could be in danger right now for all you know!"
"Naru said there's no use guarding her anymore," Monk replied lightly.
"So we came to help!" John added in.
"Wait," I turned to Naru. "Are you positive that she's okay?" I asked. No way would I let that creepy ghost get Ayumi!
"She's fine," Naru said confidently. "Everything will be over tonight."
Everyone stood in shock for a moment before Naru had us up in gear again. We formed a semi-circle around Naru as he gave us orders.
"Ms. Hara, can you see what the spirits are doing?" Naru asked.
Masako concentrated for a moment before replying. "They're in the living room. There's no indication that they've gone to the hotel yet," she reported.
"Matsuzaki, start making charms that will stop any spirits from passing," Naru held out papers for Ayako. "I want the rest of you to post them throughout the house. We're going to raise a kukkai in here."
"Care to fill us in on the plan?" Monk asked.
"I'm planning on returning Tomiko back to her mother," Naru said simply. Wait, what?
Everyone collectively gave out confused explanations. "That's impossible Naru," I pointed out.
"Tomiko cannot be returned physically. Her mother will continue to haunt this place until we can at least create the illusion of her return, so we'll need a substitute," Naru said ever so slightly cryptically.
I thought for a moment. "You don't mean Ayumi, do you?" I asked. The others seemed to think the same thing. But, he said illusion… But how does he plan to do that?
Naru gave an answer a few moments later. "The problem lies with the woman. If we leave here without removing her we'll have failed," he said with his head lowered and eyes closed.
"Yes but this woman is dangerous," Ayako interjected. "She nearly killed Mai an hour ago when she pulled her into the well. I think at some point we need to start considering our own safety."
"I guess, but what about Ayumi?" I asked her. Ayako didn't give an answer. John wouldn't look at me. I turned over to Masako and Monk on my other side. They both seem to be thinking. "Come on guys…" I turned away, dejected.
"I must say I'm disappointed in all of you, I expected much more," Naru's condescending tone cut through the tense silence. "If you can't even think objectively, then I don't need you."
… Harsh.
"The risks are high!" Monk butted in. "If we screw this up our spirits could be trapped here as well!" Naru finally raised his head and opened his eyes to look Monk in the eye as Monk glared at him.
After a moment Naru blinked while turning and walked forward. "Whether or not you want to participate is entirely up to you," he said as he headed for the door. "Mai, you're free to leave as well."
"Naru…" Like hell I'll leave behind my own boss! We're friends, well, sorta, right? Naru left the room without answering with Lin in tow. We all sighed as the door closed behind them.
"Oh, you poor thing Mai," Ayako said, "he's quite a handful, huh?" You have no idea…
"If Naru is prepared to go that far then there's at least a chance of success," Masako stated. Why is she so pro-Naru all of a sudden?
"I trust your judgment Masako, and if you think we should then let's do it," Monk chipped in.
"You sure?" I asked.
"Well at this point it's the only option we have," Monk replied.
"I agree, I think it's a good plan," John said.
They're right. Naru isn't someone who would just give up his life or others needlessly. I shouldn't doubt him because when it comes down to it, he definitely knows what he's doing.
Ayako sighed loudly. "If you all end up dead I'll see to your funerals," was her reply.
"Ehe, well how nice," I nervously replied. That settled this then-we would help Naru to the end.
Just like Naru told us, we began putting up charms all throughout the house.
"So, what exactly is the purpose of putting these charms everywhere?" I asked Ayako. Somehow, we had all ended up in the hallway at the bottom of the staircase, near the front door.
Ayako turned and said, "It's simple-"
"To keep spirits from leaving the house," Naru interrupted from behind us. He was on the staircase, at the end of the landing.
"Naru," I noted in surprise.
"Be aware that we'll be leaving the demongate open to distribute the spirits," Naru informed us before walking down the staircase.
"Oh, just get off it," Ayako stated. "Why does he always act like a big shot?"
Me and Monk ended up answering at the same time, "Because he's Naru!"
Ayako simply huffed, her posture and face clearly saying 'Good point'.
"Uh," I turned to Monk, "Did he say demons gate?" I asked warily. Demons were NOT what I signed up for.
"No, demongate," Monk stressed the word. "The northeast quarter. It's the easiest direction for spirits to pass through."
"Monk and Matsuzaki, guard the demongate," Naru ordered when he got down to us. "When the spirits exit , scatter them as best you can."
"So we'll be reducing the number of spirits temporarily to draw the woman out?" Monk asked.
Naru ignored him, probably deeming it obvious, and turned to John. "John, I want you to cover the living room and do the same."
"Piece of cake," John said cheerily.
"Wait, hold on a second, then who's going to conduct the exorcism?" Monk asked.
Monk, Ayako, and I all ended up with the same conclusion at the same time. "You don't mean-!" we questioned him.
Naru simply smirked.
BLIND
That night you could find Masako and myself in the living room, sitting on the floor behind John in his exorcist robes. Naru leaned on the door calmly. Masako held onto my arm timidly for support as the well innocently seemed inactive.
John grabbed his cross before pulling his holy water out. He started to splash it about as he began his prayers. It had begun.
Masako gripped my arm more tightly as he spoke. "Something wrong?" I asked her.
"Cleansings are addressed to the spirit directly to help them with issues they've had in their past lives," Masako explained. "Only a medium can be successful at it." She turned to look at Naru, who simply stared at the well, likely either oblivious to our conversation or ignoring it. "Naru is no medium, so he plans to perform an exorcism."
"What's the difference between an exorcism and a cleansing?" I asked. I honestly wasn't clear about that part.
Masako turned back to me. "In a cleansing you try to persuade the spirits to change their ways. In an exorcism the goal is to destroy or kill the spirit outright," she explained.
"That's horrible," I said. No spirit I've ever heard of deserves that.*
"I wish he wouldn't exorcise her, at least, not in my presence," Masako said, eyes downcast.
Interesting. To Masako, spirits and human beings are one and the same…
I literally got jerked out of my thoughts by something grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward a good bit. John looked back to check, and even Naru looked my way.
"You okay?" Masako asked, arms stretched out to help me if needed. I straightened back up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Something yanked on my arm. Out of all the people in here, why me?
Mist started to form on the floor, and it was getting colder by the second. You could hear voices within the well. John quickly got back to his prayers, now holding his bible.
Apparently, the ghosts didn't take too kindly to that. White ribbons seemed to appear out of the well. Wait… Dammit, I'm seeing things again!
"Ms. Hara, how about now?" Naru ordered.
"They're attempting to escape," Masako reported, her eyes darting this way and that, "Their numbers are beginning to drop rapidly. They're trying to get out of the living room, and they're crying!"
"Hey wait, why don't you go ahead and cleanse the children's spirits right now?" I asked.
"Impossible," Masako stated, "not as long as the woman spirit is here!" Suddenly, she gasped, and looked at the well in slight fright, clasping her hands over her mouth.
"Hey, what is it?" I asked before looking at the well myself.
"She's coming out!" Masako said, her voice terrified. John and I both gasped at her statement. Even I, who definitely isn't skilled in being a medium at all, could feel that something was about to happen. Naru didn't gasp, but he did look ready for action.
We waited in anticipation. Masako was clutching my arm again, and was slightly shrunk behind me. Hey, isn't this supposed to be the other way around? You're the medium!
A drop came out of the well as if the well was upside down and we were at the bottom. A very familiar sound of water dropping rang through the otherwise still room. The woman's tear… she was here.
A shadowy figure came out of the well, much like the one that appeared on camera during Monk's exorcism. This time, though, we could all see it clearly. Hell, even I could see it somehow.
"Tomiko," the woman's voice rang clear. It was dark, and full of malice. She only halfway lifted her head towards us. "Tomiko," she said eerily.
I gulped. Those eyes…! They didn't even look human anymore!
"Tomiko is not here!" Masako said bravely. "These children do not belong to you! Please set them free! Can't you see the pain they're suffering? They just want to return to their real mothers! Let them go!" Masako gasped again.
The woman had ignored her, mostly, but she did send out a bunch of creepy arms out of the well.
They crawled out slowly at first, then went straight towards us. John stood in front of us, holy water in hand. He ended up getting pushed across the room.
I got up quickly. "John!" I yelled as I rushed over to help him. I could see the woman's eyes shift over to the last remaining member of the room, Naru. He simply stood there, staring her down, arms crossed. He straightened up and started walking right towards her.
"Naru! Just give me another minute! Please! Don't!" Masako pleaded.
"Naru, wait!" I tried to get him to listen.
He ignored us, stopping right in front of the spirit. "Your child is right here, look," Naru held up a wooden figure doll. What is that? "Take the children you gathered with you, and leave this place!" he yelled before throwing the doll in the air.
The woman kept her gaze on the doll as it went up, and suddenly, I could see a bright golden light right where the doll was. The light turned into a vision of a little girl. It's the girl from my dream!
The little girl held her arms open to hug her mother, and the woman held her arms open in anticipation. When the two touched, the woman went from having a dark presence around her, to glowing in the same glowing light as she embraced her child. What a warm light. It's so beautiful. I didn't remember seeing many things before my accident, but I truly don't remember seeing anything so beautiful and warming as this light.
"Look Mai, right there," Masako said. I knew what she meant. The children from before, who all had been in pain, went from having the same dark glow as the woman had before, to glowing with the same light that now enveloped the whole room, and they were laughing. Then, with one final glow, they all disappeared.
Throughout the whole incident, I could only tell the others were in the room because my senses said so. Even with all that light, I hadn't seen a single shadow or dark outline of a person. I wonder why…
"They're all gone now, they've been cleansed," Masako announced officially, breaking me from my thoughts. I smiled, and so did John. It was wonderful.
I then turned my attention to Naru, who simply stood at the same place he was when he threw the doll, not even turning towards us. Typical. But, even though you couldn't really tell normally, my senses betrayed that his muscles were relaxed-he was relieved.
And with that, another case was solved.
BLIND
Day 7
"You have no idea how grateful I am for your help," Noriko said as she and Ayumi stood side by side in the house. We had called them back, and now we were getting ready to pack up and go. "I just heard from my brother, and he said he'll be returning as soon as he can."
"Oh that's great news!" I said cheerfully. This whole time I hadn't seen or heard anything from this guy.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Noriko asked Naru. "I mean, you're sure you got rid of all the ghosts in the house?"
"There's no need to worry," Naru said plainly.
Just in case, we had observed for the rest of the night after the cleansing and all morning after for activity. Naru gave the all-clear around noon, and Noriko and Ayumi came back. I hadn't noticed before, but the blobs had apparently gone with Ayumi when they left, and had been watching her. Even the one that stayed near Naru nearly at all times had gone. When they came into view, I got greeted by one hitting my forehead. Lin gave me a strange look when that happened, but I just brushed it off as the one that sorta liked me made itself home above my shoulder, making my hair swish every now and again.
Soon enough, we were outside, and Monk was helping put away equipment. "Last one," he said as he slid a monitor in place, "We're set to go!" He closed the back of the van and turned towards the rest of us. John and Masako had already left, leaving Ayako, Monk, Naru, Lin, and myself still in the driveway.
"Naru, what was that little thing you gave the ghost?" I asked curiously.
"It was a hitogata," Naru answered.
"What is that?" I prompted for a more detailed explanation.
It was Monk that answered this one. "It's the original form of the straw ethigy dolls. It's made by carving a piece of paulownia wood into the shape of the person you want to put a spell on," he explained.
"You dummy, that's how you put a curse on someone," Ayako smirked.
"Spell-casting has both a light and a dark side," said Naru. "A light spell helps the person, while a dark harms them. Often the casting has a combination of light and dark sides."
"That's right," Monk nodded, "It's just like in esoteric Buddhism, where either approach can be used to confound a sworn enemy."
"The hitogata is simply a vessel used to contain a spirit," Naru continued. "For example, let's say I patterned an ethigy doll after Mai." Hey, why me? "If I were to damage the hitogata, Mai would be harmed as well." I grabbed my shoulder- I swear I just felt a chill! "That's how close the ethigy is to the real person."
"So that one was…" I questioned.
"Made for Tomiko," Naru replied.
"Of course," I realized, "since she thought she had retrieved her daughter Tomiko she was cleansed because her wish had been fulfilled." Naru simply nodded.
"I gotta say, I'm impressed you made a successful hitogata that quickly. Is that why you left earlier?" asked Monk.
"The date of Tomiko's birth and death were necessary for the ethigy to be effective," Naru said. Wait, you didn't comment on the compliment… You're such a narcissist, shouldn't your answer be different? Does that mean you didn't make the hitogata? If so, then who did? "The woman was Oshima Hiro, and Tomiko was her only child," Naru pulled me from my thoughts as he spoke. "The girl had disappeared one day and her body surfaced from the pond about six months later. A couple of years after that, Oshima's house was demolished. The house before us now was built in its place."*
"Tomiko," Lin stated. "Do we know if she was kidnapped?" … Eh? He's bringing that up? His expression didn't give anything away. "Is that why the mother threw herself down the well?" I turned from Lin to Naru to gauge his response.
"There was no mention of a kidnapping," Naru stated. He turned to look at the house behind me. "The important thing is this house is free of spirits."
I wonder… were you planning on a cleansing from the very beginning Naru?
Soon enough, Naru climbed into the van, the blobs all rushing in after him and Lin. I would be riding back with Ayako and Monk.
"I never would've pegged him as an onmyouji," Monk said is slight admiration.
"Onmyouji?" I said questionably.* "Do you mean like that Abe guy?"
"Fashioning a hitogata after Tomiko and cleansing the mother is pretty complicated," Monk explained. "Only a pro could pull that off." Really? I'm pretty sure he just tossed the hitogata to her and she got cleansed…
"It's amazing, isn't it? With how young Naru is," Ayako commented.
"Amazing?"
"Well, it's definitely cool."
"Hmp."
"Hey Mai," I turned to find Ayumi standing behind me.
"Hey," I greeted, "what's up Ayumi?"
"So do you think…" Ayumi looked a little shy, how sweet! "we'll see each other again?"
I giggled. She really was adorable. I crouched down to her level. "I'll tell you what," I said, "if you ever need me, just call."
"Ah, you promise?" Ayumi happily asked as she held her pinky out to me.
"Promise," I said with a laugh, taking her pinky in mine.
At the end of the day, I'm just happy Ayumi is safe.
I finished writing down in my diary as Monk pulled out onto the road. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. What I woke up to was not pleasant.
Monk had a very serious expression on his face. Ayako was nowhere to be seen-I guess he already dropped her off. In Monk's hand held my diary, and it was opened to the page that introduced John, the one where I said I was blind. "Mai," he said calmly, obviously holding back quite a bit, "we need to talk."
BLIND
Thank you lovelies! Please don't kill me for the cliffie….
*For those unfamiliar with tatami mats, they're basically a type of flooring-rug thing that's made of straw or something like that. You can also measure using tatamis. I forget the exact measurements, but I think it's two or three feet by six feet. Or I completely fail and that's wrong. If so, correct me and I'll fix it. Anyway, for example of measurement, it mentions in the novels that Mai's apartment is a traditional Japanese apartment that has a six tatami room. I won't go into details for the apartment-I'll probably mention it later on. You should know what a sliding door is-it's a door that slides, and is very common in Japan. I think.
*Haha, just you wait Mai… Let's see, the spirits from Yasu's school case, and Urado, and of course the demi-god thing, those are very good examples of spirits that deserve an exorcism. She'll change her tune pretty quick about it soon enough.
*Because of spelling, I had to go through the subs for the last part of the episode. Then I noticed in the sub and the dub that Oshima Hiro wasn't switched. Just thought that you might enjoy that fact. So I think the last name is actually Oshima, not Hiro. But what do I know, eh? Maybe I'm wrong.
*Thank you Ariana Taniyama for correcting my spelling of onmyouji!
I once again request you send suggestions for the reveals. I want to know what you guys want so I can make you happy!
…Please? And also leave comments on what you think of the series and what you want to happen and such. I want to know what people want from this, but I am (sadly) not an over-the-Internet-telepathic-psychic. It actually would be really weird if I was.
ANNNDDD you have no idea how happy I am that I am through the Dollhouse case. I don't really like this case that much… sorry. It just… Bores me to tears? I don't know. Or maybe I just don't like Ayumi's English voice…
Fanfiction Suggestion!
(I decided to start this since, well, I suck at updating)
Here they are- A little one shot called 'And Lin's Just Like Uh I'm Gonna Keep Typing' by Goldfish-Con-Carne, and 'The Transfer' by Malindorie
I do NOT own either. Geez, what do you take me for, someone who suggests their own fics? If you have a Ghost Hunt fanfic that you'd like me to suggest, tell me and I'll check it out (although I suggest using a PM for that rather than a review). It has to be a Ghost Hunt fanfic…. That's really the only requirement.