Well… This isn't how I usually start these out… But I believe it is necessary.
To my dearest guest Reviewer,
I am NOT about to go batshit crazy on you. I'm just replying since you didn't log in (and for good reason). I completely understand cowardice… I mean, come on, I replied to plagiarism with an author's note instead of actually PMing them. I hate hurting people's feelings so trust me when I say I am not intending for that AT ALL.
So thank you for the compliments on my writing style—I try to be correct.
Heck, thank you for even reading Blind at all!
I am prolonging Naru's reveal, but this is a pretty damn good reason for it… Which I can't say now, I'm sorry.
I know that it usually isn't much different from the storyline, and I'm glad you at least skim it, even if it is in vain.
Other reviewers HAVE said I follow the anime plot closely and they hate it too. I think I've addressed that before…? But I'll address it again. I'm SO SORRY OKAY?! (I don't mean that sarcastically, I mean it sincerely.) I know it's like reading the script of the anime but honestly half of it is pointing out little things I noticed and getting more in depth in things I noticed… But there is a HUGE, HUGE thing happening in this case. I obviously can't say what, and I hope you're reading this and that you pick it up in your skimming (though, I get a feeling it may be hard to miss. It will more likely be in the next chapter, not so much in this one).
… That is ironic, huh? I know it's hard to read this sometimes, and honestly I sometimes feel like making Mai take a class trip to that campsite with the lake, have Gene's death vision, then call SPR in a frenzy because she isn't sure what the HELL just happened. But, alas, I don't. My first original case should either be after Silent Christmas or Yasu's school case (which I obviously can't remember the name of right now). So I know it's a while BEFORE I actually do one, but it's not at the very end of the series. Again, I apologize. It does drag. AND I SWEAR, YOU GUYS BETTER NOT REVIEW 'IT DOES NOT DRAG' BECAUSE I SWEAR, I KNOW IT DOES. And why are other people reading this response anyway…? Oh, and as for 'It is much more rewarding to do by yourself'… The only complaint I have with that was that was addressed to a PLAGERISER. COME ON. GEEZ. It's not like I look up the scripts and copy-paste it… Speaking of plagiarizing, dude, I know you're doing it again. I just decided I don't care, and that I have OTHER ways of making it end. I use concepts from all forms of the series, therefore it is unusable for script purposes such as you have been using. As such, it's pretty obvious what is happening.
Er… I got sidetracked… sorry.
I'm sorry that it's frustrating. Like I said, I honestly wish I could move up ALL the reveals, but, alas, I can't, I'm not leaving out cases just to do it, and if Naru would find out now there would be a big mess later on that I'd rather not deal with.
I'm also sorry that this has lead you to remove my story from your alerts. I sometimes wonder if people do that, as I obviously won't get an email about it. So I'm sorry, and I hope that maybe you see this before you leave. Again, I'm sorry.
Er, with the Mai still sees some things…. I do have a case where that doesn't happen and her blindness comes in handy. Well, right before she ends up… anyway, so I do know that on occasion that gets irritating too.
As such, I'm glad that you think highly of my writing, but also have alerted me that you think my story plot is lacking.
I'm so sorry about that. If I could tell you EVERYTHING I have planned for this story, I would. I promise, it gets a bit more interesting (or at least I'd like to think so) and deviates A LOT from the original… well, anything really.
As such, I will continue writing and hope that one day you'll not think that the plot line sucks.
Perhaps that sounds shallow, but it's true.
AH, but you were halfway right on only one thing. Everything else was completely true.
I don't write just for my enjoyment and because I love writing. I do that too, but… I work so hard and bring these to you because I love all of my readers. I hate thinking that one day they'll all leave, but when that day comes I'll drop the story, seeing as they are no longer interested and nothing I can do is going to magically bring them back.
PS- if any of my other readers see this and my Reviewer here logs on and reviews and somehow indicates that s/he made this review above, I want you guys to not PM them on anything. No hate mail. Actually, that goes with any negative reviews I may-or-may-not get. I did something to get them, and I can take care of myself. It may sound shallow to some to think that someone would do that for me, but I do have friends on here and I know that my friends that I have met face to face don't take anything from anyone regardless of who it's from or who it's towards. So I put this here just in case. Just excuse the possible holier-than-thou Naru-channeling-ness vibes you might have gotten from it.
God bless all of you, but especially you, Dear Reviewer. I really wish both of us were less like cowards so I could just PM all of that to you instead of author's –noting it. Then I wouldn't have made it public.
As I will always say, Thanks so very much for reviewing! :D
-SabastianScott
GOOD LUCK GETTING BACK TO SCHOOL! I FINALLY got my schedule, I started way back in August, and son of a B**** am I gonna miss not having to actually sleep at NIGHT. And I mostly was in school (more or less) during the summer anyway, so it's not like I had much of a summer at all…
AND HOLY CRAP THIS THING IS A YEAR OLD NOW. SHIIIIIIII…. (I published this on August 19th last year, I've never been so committed to a singular project… nor has one lasted this long.)
As for why I am so late in updating… well, it has a lot to do with more sleeping than being awake due to my hectic schedule, and I am going to a doctor on Tuesday to get my brain checked, if that tells you anything. (I am mostly fine, we're just making sure I don't have some serious issues going on.) In other news I have not one but TWO main parts in a play. Okay, so there are only four parts and only four actors showed to auditions but still. Mark Twain's Adam and Eve. I am one of the lovely couple and I am Snake (we switch parts for each performace). Ironically I have found I am asexual, but have had my personality as Snake described as 'Seductive'. How the hell does that happen?!
Ah, so, I'd better get to the actual chapter, huh?
I don't own Ghost Hunt.
BLIND
"Are you ready?"
"Are you ready yet?"
Come on… I'm right here.
I'm ready…
Come and find me...
December 24
Well, that was… eery. I shook the faded, echoing laughter out of my mind as I got up.
It's Christmas Eve!
…But as usual, Naru and Lin were just as grumpy as they are usually, if not more so… Or, okay, they are a lot grumpier than usual.
So while I figured I'd either be ignored or scolded for it, I got out the fake unused Christmas tree from my apartment to the office. All of Shibuya seemed to be excited and festive, and though I couldn't see the colors, non-the-less the actual purpose of any of the decorations, passing people with Christmas cakes and those collecting for charities just gave me a warm feeling inside.
… But then there was the SPR office…
The same old dreary workplace I've worked at for around nine months now. Not even a smidgen of the outside Christmas cheer came in. That is, unless Naru and Lin decided to paint the walls or exchange the pictures on the wall. Knowing them and the fact there wasn't some surprised reactions from the others, I would take that no, that had not happened.
And thus, that brings us to how I, the blind girl, ended up having to set up and decorate a Christmas tree before Naru and Lin even came into the office.
How did said blind girl get into the office without a key? Well, lock-picking happens to be rather useful for various reasons, especially when you constantly forget your own keys inside your house, at school, or, God forbid, in the SPR office. I'd hate if one day Naru or Lin found out about how I've forgotten my own keys on the table…. Naru would never let me live it down and Lin just scares me.
Speaking of Lin and Naru… They're coming in now,
"Hey! Naru, Lin, good morning," I said as the two stopped in the doorway to take in the scene of little me decorating a Christmas tree.
"What are you doing?" Naru asked in his ever-so-grumpy tone. Go figure.
"It's Christmas Eve silly, and I think this room is in dire need of some festivity," I said. Though, for all I know, the walls could very well be bright pink….
"Take it down," Naru said.
"What? I've spent the last hour putting it up!" I complained.
"Take it down," Naru repeated, seeming to be trying not to growl at me.
Eh? Is something wrong?
"Come on," I tried to persuade him, though I already figured it was probably a losing battle.
…But maybe, just maybe I can figure out why Naru didn't even seem remotely… well anything except for completely sour for the past couple of days.
Then the door opened again to reveal a certain TV celebrity. "Hey, Masako!" I greeted as she came in.
"Oh, what a beautiful Christmas tree," Masako said as she came in. She walked closer to see the tree in more detail. "It really looks great, Mai." Wow. Score one for the (literally) blindly decorated Christmas tree for getting a compliment from a TV star.
I grinned at my achievement towards Naru, who just seemed to grit his teeth irritably.
Then a double greeting of 'Heys' came through as Ayako and Monk were the next to enter.
"Oh, you have a tree," Ayako said happily as Monk trailed behind her straight to the tree.
"Nice job. It really puts you in the Christmas spirit, doesn't it?" Monk was all smiles.
"You're a monk who celebrates Christmas?" Ayako asked with a raised brow.
"Look who's talking, Ms. Priestess," Monk joked back.
Lin decided he had something to say as well. "Why are you all here? There's no work at the moment."
"We're just spending some time with our dearest friends. After all it's Christmas Eve," Ayako replied as she examined an ornament.
"What do you say we through a little office party?" Monk suggested.
"If you're so desperate to celebrate, then find yourself a church. I don't throw parties in my place of business," Naru bit.
Someone is a REALLY sour mood… How many tea calls am I going to receive today…?
The door opened yet again. John peeked in, not fully coming into the office just yet. "Let me guess, you've come to join the 'party'?" Naru said over his shoulder.
"Uh, no, no," John said nervously, seeming to sense Naru's foul mood as he rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I came by for something else entirely. I was wondering if you'd be interested in a case. It's for my local parish…?"
Naru finally stopped his little fit, as I am going to call it, and turned around to look at the young priest along will all of SPR.
"A case? On Christmas?" I asked.
Well… this should be interesting…
BLIND
"Wow," I couldn't help but say when we arrived. "Check this place out you guys. It's amazing!" We were all standing outside of a church. While I was not able to see, churches amazed me by the fine details that I felt were sometimes underappreciated. Not that I really went to many at all, but… Still, it was quite a place. "Christmas at an actual church, how cool. It sure beats out an office party."
"We didn't come here to goof around, Mai," Naru interrupted my thoughts.
"I know that we're here to work. I'm just excited," I defended.
"This is fantastic," Masako said. Apparently those three—as in Monk, Ayako, and Masako—weren't really paying attention to what I was saying as they were also taken in by the building in front of us.
"It just doesn't get better than celebrating Christmas at a church," Ayako commented next.
"Yeah we get it," Monk said, obviously downtrodden that his office party idea was more or less completely shot down.
"Look we have a job to do," Naru said. He really is in a really sour mood, huh?
"That's why we're here, to work," Masako said, "but you have to admit, it is tough working on a holiday."
"That's true," Ayako agreed.
Wow. It only took the birthday of one-third of a trinity God to make Masako agreeable and for both Ayako and Masako to actually agree. Not to even mention the fact that everyone except for Naru and Lin both seem to be in agreement with me when usually whatever it is I do is rather foolish and they therefore ignore or scold me.*1
Monk went over to where John was wisely not saying anything and staying rather neutral on the matter by not mentioning his opinions. "We're gonna have to try and wrap this up quick today," Monk whispered (loudly). "There's a party later on and you will be there."
"Great," John said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Monk hadn't actually given him argument room. "Sounds fun."
Aaaannddd Naru is probably gritting his teeth again.
Without further ado, our little group stepped forward to go into the church, following John's lead.
A man walked out of the large doors as we proceeded and walked down the small set of steps towards us. "Ah, Father Brown," the man greeted.
"Goo' day, Father," John greeted back.
"I appreciate your coming by," the man said in gratitude.
The group stopped in front of the man and John turned towards the group. "Now Kazuya, I'd like you to meet the pastor of the church, Father Toujo, and Father, this is my associate. He's the head of Shibuya Psychic Research, Kazuya Shibuya," John introduced the two.
Father Toujo bowed and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Naru copied his bow in response.
While those two were greeting each other, I decided to try and sense more of church while we were up close like this. "Wow," I said as I found the three statues up high above the doors. They had such beautiful detailing, and the middle one was Mother Mary while the other two were angels holding a harp and some sort of horn, respectifully. "So pretty."
Wait, er… is that a skull at the base of the angel with a the horn insturment…? Creepy. *2
It was around then that we heard some kids in the background.
Walking around to another side of the church, we found a playground full of kids. "You see that? There's a kid for about every country in the world on that playground," Monk said admiringly.
"Father Toujo helps run a daycare service out of the church for experts that work here in the city," John explained. "A majority of these children are foreigners whose parents are over here on work visas. The rest of the kids are either orphans or those awaiting placement in a foster home. They really love it here as you can see."
"That's so nice," I said with a smile.
"Wow! It's that lady!" one kid said, leading the others to look over where he was looking and to say similar expressions of astonishment.
It appears that Masako has been spotted and was now surrounded by some of her youngest fans.
"Wow, I've seen you on TV," one little boy said.
"You're that psychic," a little girl gushed.
"Oh, hello children," Masako said. Aw, it seems she not entirely sure of what she's doing.
"Come on, why don't you talk to the spirits for us, huh?" another little boy requested.
His friend nodded. "I want to see a spirit!"
"Oh, me too!"
"Can you do that?"
… Let's hope that they don't have to see one… it's scarier than you think it might be…
Masako looked at the children with a small smile on her face. It appears that she's dealt with her tiny adoring fans before… but perhaps not completely by herself.
"It's not that easy kids," I said gently, hoping to help Masako a little while simultaneously NOT having several kids have a huge fit. "Maybe some other time, okay?"
Of course, it appears that they were ignoring me. "Settle down, children, settle down," Father Toujo thankfully came to our rescue. "I'm so sorry about that," he said.
"It's fine," Masako said.
"I'd think I'd be worried if the kids weren't so excited, you know?" Ayako said. Ah, true… Usually the kids we deal with on cases don't get excited at all.
"You have a point there," Masako said while I nodded in agreement.
"While Father Toujo briefs us on the details of the case, I'll need the rest of you to play babysitter with the children until we return," Naru said.
All three of us girls looked at him in shock before looking at the happily cheering children in front of us.
You want us to babysit kids? Aren't we a ghost hunting group? I mean, it's not like I dislike kids, but…
Of course, Monk had no qualms about it at all. "Alright! Who's ready to have some fun on the swing set with Takigawa?" Monk excitedly asked the kids.
"Monk, you're just riling them up!" I scolded.
Of course, now the older members started ignoring me. Monk then marched off a group of kids to the swings as he had promised. "Follow me!" he laughed along the way.
Masako was literally dragging behind him as some of the kids pulled her aside to take this unique chance to talk to a celebrity. Then again, it's not like either Ayako or myself WEREN'T being pulled by our own set of children.
And naturally, Naru was probably now well in a conversation on the actual case at hand… Then again, the thought of either him OR Lin dealing with children is a scary thought… After all, Naru had made Ayumi cry in one of our other cases. She had a possessed doll, for heck's sake!
Well, not like the rest of SPR minded. I certainly didn't.
"There you go," I heard Monk say to a kid as he pushed him higher on the swings with a bunch of other kids watching in anticipating wait for their turn. "Wanna go higher? Just hold on tight now, okay?"
Then there was Masako and Ayako on a nearby bench.
"You're that psychic!" an excited girl said to the young medium.
"So, are spirits scary?" a little boy started out with a question.
"Show us one, show us one!" the girl from before asked.
"I wanna see!" another young boy said.
"Well," Masako said with a bit of a practiced voice, "believe it or not it's much harder than it looks."
I can attest to that one…
"Honey, I don't think you'll be seeing any ghosts today," Ayako tried to save Masako as the kids continued to excitedly whisper about seeing a ghost.
"What do you know, grandma?" the little boy who spoke last turned to Ayako.
"Oh," Ayako reeled back, a bit insulted. "Isn't that sweet?"
I giggled to myself as I finally noted that the ball had come back near me. Right, I had been dragged into a game…
"Nice pass there," one of the boys said as the ball came to him. "Mai, ball's coming to you now!"
"Bring it on!" I said excitedly.
The boy kicked the ball hard…
"Here goes!" I yelled.
…And I might have kicked it a bit too hard in response, because next thing I knew the ball was soaring into the woods and I was on the ground.
"Are you okay?!" one of the older children I was with asked.
I got up quickly. I just fell, nothing serious. "I'm fine. Er, sorry about that…" I indicated in the direction the ball went. "I'll go get it."
"Eh? We have several extras," another kid said.
"Still. You guys carry on. I'll get the ball back in the meantime, okay?"
The kids nodded, and one of them ran off to get another ball while I went off to get the lost ball out of the woods.
It was about five minutes of searching later that I began to feel like giving up. "Oh where could have that stupid ball have gone? It could be anywhere!"
I'm really good at finding things, usually. I had my limits, of course. I could not sense as far as someone could see, I couldn't sense pass glass, water, fire, and certain smokes and gases, I couldn't always sense around all the leaves in a tree or bush, and I couldn't exactly sense around things completely as a whole, but since I didn't have light or darkness to affect me, and I could tell if a door was creaked and if dust or carpet was recently disturbed if I decided to check, plus other factors of shape and size, I could usually be pretty successful at it, especially if compared to others at nighttime.
Plus the fact that I didn't forget to check above me. That always helped.
But this stupid ball was alluding me!
"Oh wait," I sensed something weird and round beside of a root. "There it is!" I ran over and grabbed it. "Alright." Then I sensed something else out of place among the trees.
A… little kid? He was hugging his knees to his chest with one arm and grasping a stick with the other.
"Excuse me, are you lost?" I approached the kid carefully so I didn't scare him. He didn't answer me, so I kneeled down a bit to try and get closer to his level of sight. "Are you okay? What are you doing out here?"
The boy didn't respond at all, and just sat still. It was like that for a few awkward moments before the kid got up and ran off. "Wait, come back!" I chased after him. If you work as a ghost hunter, you learn that fast running is a requirement, not a choice… but this kid obviously knew the land better, because while I was still fast in my stumbling hast, he was just booking it without tripping even once.
What's wrong with him? Why is he running? I didn't somehow scare him, did I?
"I'm just trying to help you! Stop!" I yelled as I started to lose sight of him. "Hey kid!" I stopped to catch my breath. "That's weird. Where'd he go?"
I sensed around before sighing.
Great.
I lost him.
I turned to try and retrace my steps when I sensed him peeking around a tree. "Oh, hey, there you are."
I had barely taken two steps towards him before he started running again. "Please don't run, there's nothing to be afraid of!" I yelled after him.
Then the sound came.
A weird tapping sound.
Just one.
I stopped. It seemed to echo, and I had a funny feeling that this sound, the kid that was running, and the reason we were called to the church anyway were somehow connected.
The sound came again. This time is was… three taps? Is this some sort of signal? "What is that sound?" Five taps this time. Then four taps. "Why is it so hard to tell where it's coming from?" I asked myself.
Oh whatever! I need to find that kid. I can worry about the sounds after the kid is safe and sound.
Things were starting to get weird a few minutes later as the sounds continued to echo around me as I searched.
"Hey, where did you go? I can't find you!" I yelled as I ran around.
Eventually I made it to the side of the church after figuring that the boy must no longer be in the woods. "Where could he be?" I whispered as I slowed to a stop to catch my breath for a second before running off in search of the kid again.
At some point, I found a fenced-off water duct in the back.
… no signs that he fell in… and that sound was still echoing everywhere.
"I'm going to find you eventually," I said as I turned and ran from the fenced area.
As I passed a certain walled-off area the sound changed. I stepped back to inspect more when I found that the boy was there, hitting his stick against the ground. "So this is where you've been." The kid stopped tapping and turned his head over his shoulder to stare at me quietly.
There is no way that the stick was making all that noise… right?
Suddenly it wasn't just me and the kid. Naru, John, Lin, and Father Toujo showed up behind me.
"Mai, are you okay?" Naru asked. Weird first question…
"Hey Naru!" I said instead of answering. "I found this boy in the woods…"
The kid suddenly darted up with a laugh and ran past us. "Wait a second!" Father Toujo said, and it seemed like we were going to have another 'fun' chase…
But the kid simply was running to… Lin?
The child hugged him and yelled happily, "Daddy it's you!" before continuing to cling onto the tallest member by far of SPR.
…Daddy?
"Huh?" was all I could really manage.
"What did he say?" John said as confused as the rest of us were.
And then there was Lin who seemed more lost than I think he's ever been.
Well… this may complicate things…
BLIND
We ended up indoors in a play room with a bunch of other kids. Normally that wouldn't be all that weird if, for one, we were not on a case, and two, Lin, the ever-silent assistant, was playing with a boy who was currently possessed.
"He really likes Lin…" Masako said as she observed the rather odd scene.
"At least somebody does," Ayako said. Who was it that said that he was handsome again?
"Tanatte, come over here for a second," Father Toujo approached the strange pair. *3 The boy stopped playing with Lin and instead hid behind him, away from Father Toujo.
Lin only looked at the boy for a second before facing Father Toujo. "It appears as if he's mistaken me for his father," Lin said. "Would you mind telling him the truth?"
Father Toujo looked at the two before adopting a small smile on his face. "Funny thing is, you bare an uncanny resemblance to Kenji's father."
Lin looked over at the boy in a bit of shock. Tanatte simply looked up at him and smiled happily, truly believing that his father was with him.
… Wait a second… "Who's Kenji?" I asked, mostly to Naru.
"According to Father Toujo there used to be a boy here named Kenji," Naru answered as we watched Lin get dragged by the possessed Tanatte to a blocks set. "One day he disappeared. Shortly after that, the possessions started occurring." Lin was handed a triangle block by the boy. The tall man kneeling on the floor simply put it on the top of the already fairly tall tower, which caused Kenji to cheer and hug him again.
We watched him a bit longer in silence before a voice broke in. "Hello," a woman who I assumed to be the wife of Father Toujo came up to us with a tray of cups. "You must have gotten a chill while you were outside. I made some of my famous hot tea for everyone. Would you all care for some?" The smell of peppermint was sharp, and I already knew that we would all probably be drinking the delicious-smelling tea in seconds.
So I went ahead and answered. "Oh, yeah, that sounds wonderful." As predicted we ended up all taking some of the tea. We sat around a low coffee table. I turned to the woman who oh-so-graciously made us tea. "Thanks a lot," I said in appreciation.
"Yes, thank you," Masako echoed as we both sipped the hot and sharp tea.
"Ah, now that's good," I said. You didn't often get peppermint to taste so good. If it got cold, it just starts to suck. *4 "So Naru, do we know anything about this boy that went missing?"
Naru turned to Father Toujo, probably because he would be the one that could explain it better. "Actually. Father, didn't you mention that this time of year holds some significance to the phenomenon? Kenji first arrived here at the church around this same time."
"That's right," Father Toujo confirmed. "It was a week before the church moved into this building from another location in the city…"
"You said Kenji was originally brought here by his father, but even though he promised to return for his boy the following Christmas, the man vanished without a trace. It was apparent from the start that Kenji had some sort of traumatic experience, causing a psychological reaction to which he could no longer speak like a normal child," Naru said. *5
"That's terrible," I said, thinking of who could possibly damage a child's psych like that… Hey, wait… "When that boy saw Lin earlier he called him 'Daddy'. Wouldn't that mean Kenji is able to talk?"
"He must've had strong feelings for his dad to notice him through another body," Monk answered.
"I bet that's why he was able to speak up when he saw Lin," Ayako chimed in. "It must've been overwhelming after such a long time."
I nodded. Yeah, that made sense.
Father Toujo's wife decided that she had something to add in as well. "Although he may not have been able to speak like the others, he was happy, and playful. All of the other kids took a liking to him immediately." Father Toujo nodded in confirmation to his wife's claim.
Naru spoke next. "They even crafted playground games to include Kenji, such as the hide-and-seek game called 'Stick'."
"At that time the parish was in its infancy and the building itself under construction," Father Toujo continued from there, "but the children were so happy to be getting a new home, they just chose to play around the construction. They actually found it to be quite exciting. It was around that time that they all came up with the game Stick. It's like hide-and-seek, but instead of saying it, you'd bang a stick. Once for not ready yet, and multiple times for ready.
Naru took over from there. "Apparently Kenji was very fond of this game, and played it quite often." Naru turned to Mrs. Toujo. "Would you say that's true?"
"Oh yes," Mrs. Toujo confirmed. "Kenji was known around the playground for being the best at hiding. The other kids would call him 'The Master of Stick' for that. Even now I can still see the big smile on his face as he would step out of wherever he was hiding, so proud that no one was able to find him."
"Later for his birthday Father Toujo gave him a whistle on a string to wear around his neck. He then replaced the stick for the whistle while playing the game," Naru said.
"Right," Father Toujo confirmed. I guess that this was really stressing him out. I guess that's why Naru was talking instead, having already been briefed on this. "I told him to always keep it with him, and that if ever needed something he could blow the whistle…"
Father Toujo trailed off, leaving Naru to continue for him again. "Unfortunately, not long afterwards, Kenji went missing. This was at a time when the church's construction was nearly complete, and the children were looking forward to having their first Christmas in their new house. The kids came back to report that Kenji couldn't be found, even after they said they were going back to get out of the rain. They searched for hours in the freezing rain. Eventually they found some of the scaffolding had collapsed, but when they moved it all, there was still no sign of him. Rain turned to snow, but after four hours of intense searching, no one ever found a trace of Kenji…"
"And then?" I asked, knowing there was more.
Naru took a drag of tea before continuing. "The next day, the staff began a broader search for Kenji, and found a whistle similar to the one Kenji had behind the church."
"They found it behind the church?" I asked. That didn't make sense somehow.
John spoke up this time. "There's an aqueduct that runs east-to-west back there." Oh yeah, I remember seeing it earlier… "It's quite deep, and at the time they hadn't yet erected the fence that's there now."
"So you believe he fell into the aqueduct?" Ayako asked for confirmation.
"I do," John answered sadly. "The police did an extensive search between the church and river that the aqueduct bleeds into, but they never found one piece of evidence."
"So the police could never find the body," Masako said in a low, sad tone. "Poor child, that's horrible."
Kenji, the kid who loved to play Stick… was too good at hiding for his own good… Stick…. One means not ready… multiple hits mean ready…. That sound in the forest!
"Were those sounds I heard earlier today from Kenji?" I thought out loud. "Is it possible that he could still be playing hide-and-go-seek?"
Naru let out an exaggerated 'Are you an idiot?' sigh. "Anything is possible, Mai."
"I wonder if he's out there still beating his stick because he lost his whistle so long ago? As if he's begging to be found…" I continued my thoughts regardless of Naru's insult.
"It doesn't sound like there's any danger," Monk said.
Why do I feel like there is a double meaning in there somewhere?
"But there is the possibility that this could escalate into something bigger," Naru completed the thought. Right, that's why. Because I work for a ghost hunting company.
"What exactly do you mean by 'escalate'?" I asked. "Are you saying this could maybe turn into something worse?" Naru nodded simply. "I don't know… From what I've heard so far, this is an innocent haunting because Kenji would never do anything to harm the people he cares for."
"Yeah, but no matter how many times I drive him out, he always comes back again," John said. "Plus, from what Father Toujo has told us, lately Kenji has been appearing a lot more frequently than he used to, which could be a sign for the worse."
"The possessions are… changing him," Monk concluded.
"Really? What'd you mean?" I asked.
"Well," Monk began, "you hear people say that the spirit of their ancestors is haunting them, right? But do you think a spirit would knowingly do something horrific to their own family?"
"No…" I said.
"Yet sometimes that is the case," Monk said. "My point is that dead people who are left to wander tend to change over time… Thought change isn't the right word. Think of it as they absorb the thoughts of those around them and are altered in the process."
"So wait, you're saying that spirits can be influenced by the actions of humans?" I tried to understand it better.
"Um, that's one way of putting it," Monk said. "Otherwise they'd become too attached to something on Earth and would just end up embodying the very thing they've left behind."
"That means… even though Kenji was good while he was alive, he may not necessarily be so nice in the afterlife," I concluded.
"That's pretty much it," Monk confirmed. Ayako nodded in agreement.
"So what'd we do now?" I asked.
"That's simple," Naru answered. "We'll just have to start looking for him." Eh?! I looked at Naru incredulously. "Now let's get to work."
BLIND
Once again we found ourselves in the playroom where Lin had been left behind with a happy possessed boy. Somehow, this probably won't be the weirdest thing that will happen on a case.
For a while Tanatte/Kenji rolled one of the toy cars on the floor. Lin sat there, not really sure what to do. Poor Lin.
"It's so odd," John voiced everyone's thoughts out loud.
"Well that's an understatement," Monk cracked a bit of a laugh, and I had to admit, I had a small smile on as well.
"You know, Lin actually looks like he'd make a pretty good dad," I commented in.
"…You're filming?" Masako turned to Ayako who held a video camera and a small but evil smile.
"Strange scenes like this need to be immortalized on tape," Ayako responded. AKA, she's probably going to hold it over Lin's head.
"Usually Kenji will emerge from the child after playing a game of hide-and-seek," John said, voice slightly concerned about the long possession.
"Maybe he feels more secure thinking his father is around?" I suggested. It was now that Tanatte/Kenji thought that Lin's chest made a better track than the floor…
"Apparently something like this happened before… but Kenji figured out it wasn't his father. He was able to say, 'Bye bye' before his presence went into remission for a few months. Then he went back to his normal hauntings. Although he couldn't speak he never actually lost his voice, so he sometimes would speak in a spur of the moment, which may help explain how Kenji could call Lin 'Father' earlier," John said. *6
"One thing's for sure; shooting video isn't going to help," Naru said before turning to John. "So John, let's see if you can drive him out."
John nodded. "Okay."
We went to a separate room, and I got the task of closing all the curtains. "All the curtains in the room are closed," I reported the obvious to Naru. He nodded as I walked over next to Monk and the rest, away from the exorcism.
"You ready John?" Naru asked.
"Yes," John nodded, dressed in his traditional priest clothes. Seriously, where does he keep those?! Though, he might have borrowed these from the church itself…
John turned to the scared boy who clung to a bored and rather frazzled Lin. The poor boy trembled as John drew a cross in holy water on his forehead. Then came the typical prayers that John used.
It was a strange silence that followed. "I feel bad for Kenji," I said in a whisper. Monk looked at me weirdly so I had to continue my whispers. "He just looked so happy thinking he was with his father… and now he's about to feel alone again."
"Yeah," Monk agreed, "but for Kenji to stay happy Tanatte has to stay possessed… It's not fair to him."
"Yeah, I know, but…" I trailed off. I just felt bad. I wish Kenji could be happy with his father again.
John finished up his prayers to the oddly silence exorcism. "May God have mercy on your soul." Tanatte fell unconscious, to which Lin carefully caught the boy before he could fall. "It's alright," John reported as he looked over the boy. "He's no longer possessed."
Naru nodded. Well, that went relatively well. Monk let out a sigh of relief. I donned a sad expression which Monk apparently saw because he smiled and put a hand on my head in what I guessed was supposed to be a comforting gesture.
Suddenly, there was a change in the air. Maybe this wasn't going relatively well.
"Father…" an echoey voice said. Did no one else hear it?
There was a buzzing noise… was that the lights?
"What was that?" I faintly heard Monk say… everything was fuzzy… I felt compressed, like I was being pushed.
"Can you guys… feel it?" Ayako said nervously. Her voice… it sounded concerned… but so far off… why can't I speak?
There continued to be strange sounds. Thudding or electrical shortages or something. It felt so near, yet so far. I felt like screaming, though I hadn't the faintest idea why.
"Those are knocking sounds…" Naru's voice was almost non-existent.
Why was everyone so tense…?
I felt a sharp pulling, and suddenly, I was not where I was before.
Lights twinkled up from everywhere. Every color known to man, and probably then some, winked in and out of existence around me. I felt… cold, yet I felt warm.
"Are you okay?" a voice said from behind me. I turned to see the dark boy from all the other times I ended up in this weird tranquil place.
Realizing he had asked a question, I hastily answered. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine… but… what's going on? Who are you?"
The boy sighed, looking a little… upset? "I had to pull you here. Kenji… he's possessed you."
"What?!"
"I had to pull you here so you wouldn't get hurt," the boy continued.
"Get hurt…? How? Other than the obvious 'getting possessed' thing," I said.
"You are blind, correct?" Well, not what I was expecting…
"Not here, but in real life? Yes."
"You were not born blind. That's why it would hurt you, because you were…"
"I was…?"
"You were…." The boy trailed off.
For a few moments, there was silence. "Hello?" I tried to get him talking again.
The boy sighed. "You aren't blind by some accident like you were lead to believe… you were…. " he trailed off, again.
"I was what?" I said, fed up with his lack of ability to tell me.
"You were…. You were cursed."
BLIND
Well… you guys are gonna kill me. I don't think it was the best chapter, but the plot FINALLY made an appearance (you guys are probably like, "THERE'S ACTUALLY A F***ING PLOT TO THIS?!).
*1 Okay, this is just explaining the 'one-third of a trinity God' thing. As most of us know, Christmas in its very core celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, God is monotheistic, as in, there is only one God. So how do you explain Jesus the Son of God, God himself (though some believe it to either be a woman or a genderless being) the Father, and the Holy Spirit? AKA, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Well, this is called the Trinity. Basically they are the same thing, but different forces of it. Kinda how water can be in a solid, liquid, or gas. It's still all the same exact thing. It's still water. So does that make sense now? If not… well… the whole thing is rather confusing to most. If you can't find a priest or church or something like that, you can ask me I suppose… I was born in a Methodist community and was forced into a conformation, so I had to study this for a while. Honestly though, I'd like to think I'm rather open minded. AH! The Trinity thing is also why, whenever there are said to be demon scratches on things, it is three claw marks regardless of how many fingers, claws, hands, or otherwise that said demon may have. I forgot where I heard that from, but I think it's probably true. Probably. Meh. I don't really know. Do I seem like a priest to you? I think I curse way too much for that job…
Moving on…
*2 Okay, so another manga reference… Monk and Mai both saw the skull, but for the sake of this particular story, only Mai saw it. Er, sensed it. Ehehe…
*3 I found the spelling on the manga. It was late and I really didn't feel like looking up the subbed version of the anime to see how the sub-ers spelt it. So… yeah… Tanatte. (personally, I would have probably spelt it Thawnot, but I also put an A where there usually is an E in Sebastian (read-Sabastian), so we'll just go with Tanatte)
*4 I'm guessing it's peppermint—it's the holidays there, after all—and the bit about the cold peppermint tea… That was a person detail. Also, that's part of the reason I don't drink tea as often… you can thank some of my family for that… You would think that you really couldn't mess up tea when in a teabag with clear instructions… alas, some of my family is, in fact, kitchen-challenged… I mean, my own dad screwed up microwaving a hotdog… it sorta… caught on fire…
*5 Anime, it's a mental disorder. Manga, it's a psychological trauma. The sentence could have been worded better, but I chose the psychological one mainly because I liked it better, plus it was the original one. Regardless, it makes more sense than an unidentified disease with no other apparent side effects.
*6 So I obviously added that in, but it did hint in the manga that this happens. Father Toujo says, "When he sees someone who resembles his father he acts this way. For whatever reason you must look familiar to him. It was over 30 years ago so my memory is not so accurate." After that I just put it assumptions of my own.
So… I am not really all that pleased with this… BUT I FINALLY UPDATED, HOLY SHIZNOZZLES. So I guess I'm happy. Sorta. I kinda too lazy to clean it up right now, and can't think of how to anyway. So for now, we'll deal with it, and hopefully I can actually update at a reasonable time for the next chapter.
Or, you know, wait another four months… But for now, I'm going to FINALLY answer the PMs and reviews that have been waiting to be answered. Sorry 'bout that folks, I banned myself from answering until I updated…
Till next time, my readers!
SebastianScott, out!