AN~ Thank you guys for the reviews! Since Sevearpeach was not logged in I will respond here! Anyways, I appreciate your nice and long review. I agree, I don't see Mai as the type to become too depressed over it, maybe a bit of moping and nursing of her wounded pride, but really what influenced it was my own experiences. Throughout the series I felt really connected with her character and I am not the type to become too depressed over such things, maybe for a day or two, but never for a whole year. As far as the horror goes, I need to mention that I already have 70,000 words on this story and the scary stuff starts in this chapter. It will get progressively darker as time goes on. I hope it is to your liking.
Until about half way through this chapter I am actually really unsatisfied. I wanted to give Mai a break, hence the return to the normal world, but in order to work her back into the mansion a lot of light stuff was required and it frustrated the hell out of me. But I hope you guys won't mind and possibly enjoy it!
Another thing I would like to point out is Next Big Thing. For all you people not native to Florida or the radio station known as 97X, Next Big Thing is, well, a big thing. It is an all day event that used to be held in Vinoy park but recently switched venues and is now held in an arena in Tampa. Typically there are about ten or so large up and coming bands with a few smaller ones scattered about. Last year's had Twenty One Pilots, Andrew Mcmahon in the Wilderness, Walk the Moon, Of Monsters and Men, and a bunch others. Obviously Linkin Park has not been to an NBT in a while, lol, but I wanted a band that I both liked and knew Japan would have heard of.
He wanted her to what now?
Mai blanched even as she reached her hands up and mushed them into the dog's fur on each side of his head absently. He panted and closed his eyes, enjoying the ministration, while his tail continued to flop about happily.
"What kind of dog is he anyways?" Mai asked in hushed amazement.
"He is an Irish wolf hound," the woman answered distractedly, happy to see Rocco was getting some attention.
It was another thirty minutes while Naru filled out paper work and selected the necessary items needed for the dog, while Mai kept Rocco company and sat just outside with his leash wrapped around her wrist, and the man could not help but find the sight amusing. While she sat on the curb and Rocca next to her, the dogs head towered over her own, and his tail had yet to stop wagging.
"Hey, Naru?" Mai called as he approached, finally finished gathering supplies and paying for everything. The lady had even given him a little cart for them to tote everything around in. A large bag of food, treats, a handful of Rocco's favorite toys, and the bed he had refused to give up filled it. It should be noted that the bag of dog food alone weighed fifty pounds. The woman had just been so happy to see her little Rocco get adopted that she had been all too happy to assist in any way she could.
"Hm?" he responded while he read through the dog's paperwork, he had come to a stop on the other side of Rocco, though he refused to sit on the curb like the two next to him.
"Are we going to bring him on cases?" she asked quietly.
"Maybe," he answered as he turned the page.
"I think we should repaint the van then," she mumbled thoughtfully and scratched the happy dog behind his ears with a smirk.
Naru lowered the papers and dropped his eyes to her in confusion before it dawned on him and he huffed out an irritated sigh that Mai knew was meant to cover a snort of laughter. As if to prove it Rocco bumped his head against Naru's thigh and caused the man to roll his eyes. They were most certainly NOT the Scooby Gang.
"Will they even allow dogs in the hotel?" Mai asked as she stood and brushed off the seat of her jeans. Rocco hopped to his paws and followed after her as she trailed after Naru.
"Of course, he is a part of our team after all," Naru answered carelessly and glanced up and down the streets in search of a restaurant with outdoor seating. "He is to stay by your side at all times," he added lowly and pulled Mai along across the street, not even bothering to dodge people as he led the way, and ignored the annoyed glares they sent him as easily as he ignored Mai's. "If they have a problem then we'll leave," he answered with a shrug.
"Naru!" she admonished and nearly tripped over the curb and blinked in surprise when Rocco navigated it gracefully and hopped up onto the sidewalk. "You only knew it was there because I tripped on it," she muttered and poked Rocco in the nose. He licked her finger in retaliation.
Naru shot her a glance from the corner of his eye, "I was only kidding," he answered quietly. "We'd just have to figure something out." He stopped at a table and pulled out a chair for Mai to sit, once she had claimed the seat, all flustered like, he sat down across from her with a sigh.
Rocco rested his head atop the table and gave a gentle woof for attention and Mai giggled. She scratched him between the ears while Naru watched with his arms crossed. He was glad to see that Mai was looking much more cheerful now that she was out of the mansion but he had to warn her of the events that may come to pass and so he leaned forwards and rested his crossed arms on the table.
"Mai."
"Hmm?" she responded absently and wiggled a finger just above Rocco's nose, smiling when he managed to find it with his tongue.
"The reason I brought you out here was so that I could warn you," Naru continued darkly and narrowed his eyes while Mai turned to face him in confusion.
"Warn me about what?" she asked wearily and was thankful when Rocco dropped his head onto her lap. She took comfort from the reassuring weight and settled a hand on the top of his head.
"My father," he stated simply. He watched her while several different emotions flickered across her face, the most prominent being confusion, before he continued. "I didn't tell him about your growing abilities because I knew they would intrigue him but it's become quite obvious that your powers are continuing to expand and if you are not careful . . ." he trailed off and watched as her eyes widened in understanding and she lowered her gaze to the table between them in thought. "He believes that you are a danger to yourself and should be properly trained so that your abilities may be honed and used," he fell silent at the distressed look that consumed her face and he sighed. "I told him you already had the best teacher there was but he won't hear any of it," he added irritably.
"You told him about Gene?" she pondered.
Naru shook his head, "No, I didn't tell him who it was."
Mai's expression fell flat and she sighed, he could probably clear up the whole situation if he told his father about his late brother, but she understood that Naru did not feel comfortable with doing that. The Davises had just buried Gene and she highly doubted they wanted to hear that his spirit was still wandering the Earth. Especially given the field they were in. Spirits, no matter how jovial in life, could easily be affected by the negativity around them. The longer they lingered the more likely it would be that they would turn. But Gene was different, Mai knew, as he claimed to be 'asleep' whenever he was not assisting them in a case. Her intuition told her so.
"He will try to persuade you," Naru added quietly and clasped his hands together in front of him while he organized his thoughts. "What I want to know is what you think about the situation. If he asked you to return to England with him, what would you do?"
"I'd tell him no," she answered without even bothering to think the question over. She only shrugged and continued to pet Rocco lovingly while Naru stared at her blankly. "I just got everyone back and I'll be damned if I let someone else drag me away," she muttered and blushed at the anger that seeped into her tone, not sure if Naru would appreciate such emotions being directed towards his father, and scowled. "Anyways, I already have the best teachers around, I've already learned so much . . ." despite the conviction her words were meant to inspire she seemed worried.
"You're going to get wrinkles," Naru observed dryly.
Mai lifted a hand to her forehead and rubbed the skin between her brows with a frown, "Don't say that," she hushed him.
They were greeted by their waiter soon after and the man was happy to meet Rocco and bring him a big bowl of water after he had taken their orders. Mai just ordered a bowl of soup, as her stomach was in knots and she didn't think she could stomach anything greasy or too filling, while Naru ordered some kind of fancy salad from what Mai could gather.
They ate in relative silence until Mai pulled a piece of chicken from Naru's plate and fed it to the dog without so much as asking for permission. Naru had looked at her flatly before rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"You're going to spoil him," he said in warning.
"Of course," Mai answered with a laugh.
The walk back to the mansion was peaceful, though it did start to rain as Naru predicted it would, and he opened the umbrella and held it over their heads while he pulled the cart and Mai held onto Rocco's leash.
Mai stared down at the horse of a dog walking calmly beside her and she had to admit that his figure was a reassuring one. It was nice to have something big, with teeth and claws, prowling along beside you. But she glanced sideways at Naru and wondered what in the world he had been thinking by adopting a dog. Sure, the experiment was a plausible excuse, but any trained dog would have done, and he had to pick out the largest one who was blind on top of it. A Chihuahua would have been easier to handle and sneak around with on cases. But there was no hiding Rocco.
"We should get him a little SPR vest so people will think he is a service dog," she voiced her thought with a giggle, turning to look up at Naru from under the umbrella, and laughed when she noticed the thoughtful look that had developed on his face.
"That's not a bad idea," he mumbled quietly and turned his eyes on to her as if he were reappraising her intelligence level, slightly impressed.
Rocco perked his ears upon hearing the soft chittering of a squirrel and he strained against the leash, nose pointed in the direction of said woodland animal, and whined.
"No, Rocco," Mai warned and pulled back on the leash.
"In English, Mai," Naru reminded blandly and paused to pull at the wagon that's wheel had gotten caught up on a tree root. It crept across the gravel drive way innocently and Naru grunted.
"Ah, you're right," Mai agreed before turning back to Rocco, "No, Rocco!" She admonished in english and was satisfied when the dog lowered his ears and ceased struggling against the leash. But then there was the sound of a dog barking in the distance and Rocco was off, pulling Mai along, and racing down the gravel path with his tongue rolling about in the wind.
Mai cried out upon being pulled from out beneath the umbrella and laughed when the rain drenched her within seconds and yet Rocco continued to pull her along. The dog refused to give up the chase, even Mai could no longer hear the dog barking, until Naru's voice called out after them.
"Rocco, Sit!"
The dog slid to a stop and Mai tumbled over him and rolled onto her back before the dog that barely budged under her weight. He leaned forward and sniffed at her face before laying down over her chest and wagged his tail. Mai laughed despite the weight on her chest and the mud on her clothes. She had played with so many dogs in the past year that the rough treatment barely phased her. She had once been toppled by a mastiff, his weight nearly too much for her to bear, but had laughed it off when he sat down next to her and licked her face. She had gotten plenty dirty then too, as she recalled, and had spent the rest of the day playing outside with all the other dogs since her clothes were already ruined.
"Rocco," she whined through her giggles and tried to roll out from under the dog but he only shifted his weight and cocked his head towards Naru as he approached. Mai wound up on her stomach while Rocco had shifted so that his top half rested on her back and he panted heavily. "This is my Mai," he seemed to say and claimed her as his by sitting on her.
"Don't let him pull you around, Mai," Naru admonished lightly.
"Like I can help it! He's bigger than me!" She cried but it soon turned into laughter when Rocco dropped his head and licked her neck. She finally managed to roll out from under him and stood, attempting to brush the worst of the dirt and mud off of her jeans and jacket while Naru lifted his eyes to the skies above.
They continued on down the drive but as they walked Mai noted the black vans and RV's that flew down the road, barely avoiding them, and stopped at the Vinoy mansion with no time to spare. Instantly people would pour forth from every vehicle and move inside, carrying tons of luggage, while the RV's spit out a handful of people at most.
"Those must be the bands," Mai observed curiously while Rocco trotted at her side.
"Hm," Naru hummed in agreement but made no comment as they climbed the steps and breezed through the main entrance.
They didn't make it ten feet in before someone called out, "That's a huge dog!"
Mai turned nervously to watch as a young man, only a few years older than Mai herself, approached wearing black jeans and a grey t-shirt. He seemed jovial enough and when he drew close to them Rocco turned his head and wagged his tail, taking a few excited steps in his direction while he sniffed the air.
"What's his name?" the man asked curiously as he crouched down in front of Rocco and offered his hand curiously. His blue eyes immediatly landed on the sightless ones of Rocco's and he frowned before ruffling the fur atop his head and smiling.
"His name is Rocco," Mai answered with a nervous chuckle and crouched down next to the two to act as a sort of mediator.
"Rocco, huh? It suits him, a nice big strong name for a big strong guy," he chuckled and continued to scratch the dog.
"I thought so too," Mai agreed with a laugh, glad to see the man was familiar with dogs by the way he treated Rocco, "He's part of our team."
"What kind of team?" The man asked curiously and shot Mai and amused look.
"Paranormal investigators," Mai answered nervously with a chuckle and a shrug.
"No way, like those TAPS guys who have their own show?" he exclaimed and dropped his hands from Rocco to fully face Mai, still crouched in front of her.
"Well, we don't have a show, we are more like researchers," she answered, surprised by his excitement and turned to glance over at Naru, who was standing with his arms crossed and looking away. She scowled at his unsociable attitude but returned her attention to the gentleman next to her. He seemed so generally interested by the topic and she could not deny the energy that she unintentionally fed off of.
"That's so cool, I had heard this place was haunted but to find out it's actually being investigated during our show is awesome," he admitted with an excited laugh and pushed himself into a standing position. He brushed off the knees of his jeans and offered Mai his hand to shake. "I'm Tyler," he said with a grin.
Mai jumped to her feet and shook his hand, "Mai Taniyama," she greeted in return and shook his hand. "Are you part of one of the bands?" she asked curiously and slightly excited. She would love to tell Monk that she had met and spoken with one of the band members that would be playing tomorrow.
"Yes, I'm the lead of Twenty One Pilots," he answered, not the least bit surprised that she did not know who he was, "We're still a little new to the scene so this past year has been a rush . . . But we made it to Next Big Thing!" He explained and laughed excitedly again.
"Well congratulations!" Mai exclaimed and awarded him a bright smile.
Tyler was pulled away after that by another man around his age but they could hear him talking about the encounter he had just had and while Mai watched him go with a laugh, she felt a shiver travel up her spine. She ignored it though as Naru ushered them along through the main foyer until her eyes landed upon a figure standing at one of the windows. He was standing with his arms crossed and staring straight at her with pleading eyes. But he was wearing the wrong kind of clothes. She did not have time to ponder on his appearance, though, because someone walked in front of her and blocked her vision of him and when her eyes returned to the spot he was gone.
She glanced down at Rocco to find him staring in the same direction, tail between his legs and ears down, and growled lowly in his chest. She tugged at his leash worriedly and pulled him away after Naru who had already moved on.
Just behind the stairs there was an elevator and they utilized this while Naru pulled the wagon behind him.
"I hope we don't get in trouble," Mai mumbled as they stood in the elevator patiently.
"Who would we get in trouble with?" Naru asked with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
Mai shrugged and lifted her eyes in thought, "The hotel manager, the staff, your parents . . ." she listed off and clasped her hands in front of her, Rocco's leash still looped over her wrist. "We'll have to let the airport know, and I'm pretty sure my apartment won't allow me to keep him so I'll have to hide him . . ." she rubbed her neck and looked down at the dog who was currently sniffing around the elevator.
"If it comes to that I am sure Monk will jump at the chance for you to move in," Naru commented dryly and smirked when Mai blushed and threw what he was sure was an internal fit.
The elevator binged and the doors slid open. Rocco felt the rush of air and sniffed the now open space curiously. His tail fell as Mai led him out of the elevator and it was something Naru noticed with pleasure. Clearly, Rocco was not happy with this establishment. Which meant he had a useful subject to study.
"Hmm," he hummed in thought as they trailed down the hallway.
Mai was day dreaming as they walked but when she came to the base door she waited for Naru to open it. The genius paused to roll his eyes before he stepped around her and opened the door, pulling the cart behind him, and held the door for Mai once he had moved it out of the way. It was obvious that she did not want to be the first to walk in and wanted Naru to act as a distraction. But no distraction could hide the presence of Rocco, such was his sie, and Mai knew it.
"Oi, Naru, what's with the dog foo- holy shit!" Monk exclaimed as Mai sidled into the room dragging Rocco with her.
"What the hell, you guys leave and come back with a horse," Ayako squawked from where she sat on the couch.
"Noll!" Luella reprimanded but Naru only closed his eyes against their questioning and pushed the cart up against the wall out of the way. It was just another pile of clutter within their once pristine room. He recalled a time when base had been organised a quiet, just him and Lin, broken only by the sound of them typing away on their laptops. But now he stared out into a sea of cluttered equipment and research material, personal bags and articles of clothing, shoes, books, and the remainder of their coffees and doughnuts from the day before . . . and sighed. The dog's belongings were just another added mess.
"Was there any activity while we were away ?" he asked, ignoring the excitement behind him as the team huddled around Rocco and gave him adoring pats and cooed over his obvious happiness upon receiving attention.
"Temperatures dropped in a few rooms while Monk and John cleared out some, but nothing major," Lin answered as Naru joined him at the bank of monitors. Lin had managed to record the temperatures of every room on his own in record time but he had always been the more efficient out of the group when it came to such menial tasks and it was no surprise. What was a surprise was the lack of activity even as the members of the team attempted to exorcise the property.
"Hmm," Naru hummed but did not share his thoughts with Lin. He had little more than suspicion to go on and he tended not to voice his opinions until they were fact, lest he altered the opinions of others, for fear of ruining a potentially interesting idea from another angle voiced by someone else. Rare though it was.
"I always pegged you as a cat person," Madoka commented from next to Lin and laughed when Naru sighed.
"I'm working on a theory and I required an animal for said theory," he explained coldly.
"You mean the theory that animals can sense spirits?" Madoka questioned curiously. She herself had never delved to far into the topic, assuming it be fact as she had seen it occur herself on many of her own cases, but it would be interesting to study. She wondered if he planned to study young children as well and she pondered the idea of Naru working with small children and laughed again.
"Yes," he answered and straightened from where he had been leaning over the table to look at the screens.
"Then why not just use Mai as an example."
Naru turned an icy glare on Yasuhara, who had appeared out of nowhere, summoned by the opportunity to make a joke.
Lin snorted and Naru turned away, "She's has too much conscious thought to use, my experiment would not be credible."
Yasuhara guffawed and covered his mouth with a hand before turning back to Madoka, his partner in crime, and whispered "I bet he just wanted to get her a guard dog so the men would leave her alone."
Madoka giggled into her hand and nodded.
"Now that all the bands and their crews have arrived, we probably won't see any activity," John said aloud while he thought. He was seated on the couch with Rocco sitting in his lap and the image was one none of the SPR team would ever forget because Rocco was so large that his front paws were still on the floor in front of him, yet John seemed not to notice.
"I was thinking that as well," Martin muttered with a sigh while he eyed the dog critically.
"Don't jinx it," Monk muttered. He had yet to change out of his robes and it was obvious he was tired from the day's event.
"You might be right," Mai replied thoughtfully. They could hear the sounds of shouting, luggage being dragged up the stairs, and doors opening and slamming from their room even with the doors shut. It almost sounded like the hotel was being haunted by hundreds of poltergeists at that very moment. They would have had their hands full if it were so.
"That means Linkin Park is here!" Bou-san cried and leapt to his feet.
"Oh no," Ayako exclaimed, "He is going to embarrass us and go knocking on every door until he finds them and gets their autograph."
Monk turned to his girlfriend and arch enemy with a scowl, "I am not," he muttered and sat back down on the chair he had claimed as his days ago.
Mai jumped at the chance to infrom Monk that they had run into one of the band members and the man practically squealed.
"Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day," Luella said quietly.
"Yes," Naru agreed and moved to the center of the room. "I have a plan for tomorrow but it will only work if you are all on your game so pay attention."
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to their leader.
"There will be hundreds of people in this park tomorrow, and every victim has gone missing during large scale events, we will be acting as guards," Naru explained. "Everyone will have a walkie-talkie on them at all times. I want Mai and Masako to stay within the mansion and monitor the spiritual movements from here. Martin will remain in base to monitor the equipment. Everyone else will be in the park stationed around the surrounding area to watch and make sure no one goes missing." It was obvious that Naru was taking the situation very seriously and did not intend on the perpetrator adding another victim to their list any time soon.
Everyone nodded their understanding, satisfied with that, Naru turned away and sighed when there was a loud thump from the room above theirs.
Mai took the chance to slip away into her room and shower. She was still covered in dirt and mud from her tumble in the park. She checked the stitches on her hands and knees, glad that none of them had ripped open and scrubbed her hair free of the rainwater before she scurried to her suitcase and picked out an outfit for the night and hurryied back to the bathroom, not about to be caught by a peeping Yasu again.
It was a simple cotton black dress that fell around her knees in gentle folds. She had pulled on her green cardigan over it before pulling on a pair of black flats and stepping through the door into base. The others were talking amongst themselves and Mai took the opportunity to dig some dog food out of the large bag for Rocco who, upon hearing the sound, hurried over with tail wagging. She watched him wolf down the food with gusto and chuckled when he whined for more. He nosed her stomach and pushed her about, following her as she claimed a seat on the couch, and dropped his head into her lap with his ears down and tail wagging.
"You're such a moocher," she exclaimed with a laugh.
Rocco barked and licked his lips.
Mai glanced around the room, spotting the usual two in front of the monitors talking quietly between themselves, Masako was sitting at the table by the window, and Ayako was sitting across from Mai on the couch looking through her phone.
"Where is everyone else?" she asked curiously.
"Meh," Ayako answered with a shrug. "Getting cleaned up and changed into nice clothes. Martin, Luella, and Madoka went back to their hotel for the night."
"Aw," Mai whined, she liked Leulla a lot and enjoyed having her at the table during meals. She was such a mother hen, not as loud or angry as Ayako, and brought a certain kind of brightness with her that she admired.
"Your mother-in-law will be back tomorrow," Ayako drawled dryly and lifted her eyes to watch as Mai spluttered and blushed.
Naru did not react to the comment, but he did fall silent, and Mai wondered what that meant.
"I just like it when we're all together as a big group," Mai muttered and scratched Rocco behind his ears.
"Uh-huh," Ayako responded and dropped her eyes back to her phone.
They all spent time in the base, lounging around and waiting for the rest of the team to assemble, and didn't talk about anything particular. In fact, Mai even took a short catnap dream free whole Rocco laid on top of her on the couch. Although, she had a feeling that he only hung around because he still wanted more food. She hugged his head to her chest, ignoring the smell of his doggy breath, and blushed at the memory of Naru forcing him onto her. She wasn't quite sure what his reasoning for that had been but she was grateful because she had found another family member to add to her collection. She chuckled in her throat and squeezed just a bit harder when Rocco licked her cheek.
When she woke Monk was standing over her and scratching Rocco behind the ears and talking over his shoulder to who she assumed was Naru about going down to the restaurant for dinner that night. Naru had agreed, knowing the Monk wanted a chance to see if he could spot a few band members, and mumbled something to Lin.
"I'll come," Lin responded just a bit loud and stood from his chair, attempting to hide the stretch that was meant to relieve the tension in his shoulders, before he let out a small sigh.
Mai pushed Rocco off of her and sat up on the couch before letting out a yawn and doing her own stretch. Everyone stood and they shuffled out the door down to the restaurant. Rocco was left behind to guard the base, though Mai felt bad about it, the dog seemed content within the charm sealed room. When they had left he had claimed a spot on the couch while chewing on one of his toys happily.
Monk seemed to be teeming with excitement and would not stop talking about the other bands he knew were at the hotel and practically threw himself through the restaurant doors. Yasuhara chuckled and turned backwards, still walking, to look at Mai with fake longing.
"My love has left me for other men," he cried and Mai laughed in response. "Will you stay with me tonight, Mai?"
Mai's laugh turned awkward and she pulled her hand out of Yasuhara's grasp, which he had latched onto in his act, "Probably not, Yasu." He always had to take it a step too far, that damn Yasuhara.
"Even after I worked so hard to save that pretty face of yours," he bemoaned.
"Hmm," Mai hummed in thought and lifted her eyes to the ceiling, "Maybe, as long as it's just cuddling."
Ayako snorted into her hand and Naru sighed.
John, on the other hand, had leaned against the wall with a blush.
"Will they never grow up?" Masako pondered out loud.
They reclaimed their table by the window, though there were several seats left empty, and had greeted their waiter cheerily enough but the man seemed flustered and somewhat stressed. Indeed the restaurant, usually filled with hushed conversations and sat tables sparingly, was packed.
"So, are we going to address the fact that Naru got Mai a dog?" Yasuhara started them off after clearing his throat and clasping his hands together on the table and turned to look at the stoic man curiously. He looked like some kind of counselor as he spoke and the others snickered while Mai laughed.
"Yeah, isn't that like, something you do after you've been dating for a while?" Monk questioned as he too, leaned forward and clasped his hands.
Mai blushed under Masako and Ayako's scrutiny and sank into her chair.
"It amazes me how little work is discussed on these cases," Naru commented while he scooped two spoons of sugar into his tea and studiously ignored the imploring stairs the two men were sending him. If they thought their drilling holes into his face would make him crack then they were sorely mistaken as he had grown up with Eugene Davis for a brother and was quite used to the tactic. That boy could stare people down like no tomorrow.
"Well, all we know is that Prudence had a crappy life and that William is a douche, we exorcised most of the house today and nothing happened, what more can we do unless something else happens?" Monk defended seriously.
Mai scowled over at him, irritated that he would simplify what she had experience to something so trivial, but sighed, knowing that he didn't mean it as an insult. He too was frustrated by their lack of progress. She felt as if they usually had a bit more to go on by this point but their previous cases had not been so, well, secretive. It was like someone had gone behind, after all the events that had taken place to leave the property, and cleaned house. There was barely any information to gather and they were relying heavily on Mai's dreams.
"Mai and I have known each other for over two years, surely it's not so strange for me to do something kind. She's always complaining about how empty her apartment is," Naru deflected the question and returned to the previous topic as easily as one would turn the page in a book.
Monk grunted and sat back in his chair, "Alright, alright, Mr. too good to admit when he's wrong."
"I'm never wrong, just yet to be proven right in this case," Naru shot back and took a sip from his tea.
Yasuhara snorted and turned his eyes to Mai but before he could say anything else their food had arrived and everyone was promptly distracted. Except for Monk, whose attention was turned onto the rest of the restaurant in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of the many band members that had arrived that day. But it seemed it was only their crews and assistants who were dining downstairs that night.
"Can you calm down," Ayako muttered from where she sat next to Monk. His leg was jumping up and down at the speed of light and knocking into hers irritably.
"No," Monk answered defensively.
Mai dropped her eyes to the plate of pasta in front of her with a grin just as the lights in the restaurant went out.
Everyone froze. The silence that befell the previously loud room was deafening as voices were caught in their throats in surprise. It was just the power, they all reassured themselves. Well, all but the group of people sitting at the long table by the window, who had all grown pale and nervous.
"Nobody panic!" a voice rang out over the crowd of guests who had immediately started talking amongst each other in hushed and frightened tones. Everyone knew of the stories that surrounded the old house, indeed, it was part of the reason many of them had decided to stay at that particular hotel as opposed to the much newer one across the street from the park.
Then the scratching started. It sounded like the claws of some small animal scittering across the hardwood floor of the restaurant, but there were hundreds of them, clambering under the chairs and tables. The crowd grew panicked, unable to see what was causing the noises, and someone screamed. Masako stiffened in her seat as she felt something wet and slimy glide over her foot and brush up against her ankle. She dared not move as the others at the table threw their eyes about the dark room in hopes of catching sight of what it was.
Above their heads the chandeliers and light strands swayed, their light creaking causing the hairs on the back of Mai's neck to stand on end.
Someone from one of the tables stood, shoving their chair back, and fled the room in fear.
One of the wait staff had pulled out a flashlight and was talking about finding some candles to set on the tables while they searched for the breaker when Mai happened to catch sight of her plate of food during a broad sweep of his flashlight and she latched onto the person sitting next to her.
Lin sent her a curious glance, finding her death grip on his arm rather uncomfortable, when he too saw it and he froze.
"Close your eyes, Mai," he said in a low tone but his voice alone was enough to alert the others at their table.
"What are you talking about, Lin?" Ayako questioned nervously. She had grabbed Monk's hand when the lights first went out and he now gave her a reassuring squeeze back in return but he too was looking in the direction of Chinese man.
Mai covered her mouth with one hand and gagged, the sound alerting the others to her disgust, "I'm sorry," she muttered in apology before frantically pushing the plate off the table. It shattered on the ground as she scrabbled to get out of her chair.
"Lin," Naru snapped, demanding to know what was wrong with Mai, when the lights flashed back on and all chaos broke loose.
Screams pierced the air and the sound of furniture clattering to the ground, dishes breaking, and gagging could be heard coming from every table as people scrambled to get away from the plates that had moments ago held their food. But were now dishes filled with wiggling worms and questionable red masses that looked suspiciously like flesh and organs.
The members of SPR stared down at their own personal plates of horror with wide eyes of appalled disgust.
Ayako leaned over her chair and vomited up whatever she had already eaten of her meal while Monk, ever the gentleman in any situation, held her hair back and covered his own mouth. John had grown extremely pale but he set his silverware down gently and pushed himself back into his chair. Yasuhara was fighting with the bile he felt rising in his own throat and choked. Lin had already turned his plate over before the lights had even come on and he sent Naru, who had not visibly reacted in slightest besides the grip he had on the edge of the table, a dangerous warning look.
No one dared voice what it was they were looking at but Mai could not deny what she had seen. Her plate of pasta had become a mass of wriggling larva covered in dirt and blood and in the very center had been what she was certain was once a beating heart. The blood had pooled to the edges of the dish and dribbled over onto the white table cloth, towards the edge, and into her lap where the cold and sticky substance had splattered and first drawn her eye to her plate.
"Everyone out," Naru ordered and stood from his chair and in one graceful sweeping motion had pulled the table cloth with him. It all went crashing to the floor and the image was shattered. It was their original food that splattered across the floor but the damage had been done.
Monk stood and scooped Ayako up into his arms while John placed a hand on Masako's shoulder, the woman had not even blinked since the lights had come back on, and guided her up out of her seat and followed Monk out.
"I'm going to run to the bathroom," Yasuhara muttered and hurried after them.
Lin pushed himself out of his chair and turned to look back at Mai who had pushed herself up against the wall with a hand clutched to one of the curtains that hung between the windows. Her other hand was still covering her mouth, staring at the broken plates on the floor, before she lifted her eyes to Lin.
"Mai, it's alright," he muttered quietly and reached a hand out for her.
"We left Rocco alone," she whispered and suddenly she shot off like a dart, stumbling through the destroyed restaurant and leaping over fallen chairs.
"Mai!" Lin shouted and rushed after her but paused halfway to the door and turned back to look at Naru who had yet to move from where he stood, staring at the table cloth in his hand.
Naru lifted his eyes to his assistant, stared for a few seconds, before dropping the cloth and following after him.
They chased Mai up the stairs and down the main hall to their room and made it to the door just as she threw it open and a frantic Rocco knocked Mai to the ground. He sniffed her up and down, whining and chuffing with his tail between his legs, and refused to settle until she had lifted a hand to his head and hushed him. The relief she felt was immense and she brought the dogs head to her chest and squeezed him for all that he was worth in happiness. His warm body was the biggest comfort she could have asked for and she buried her face and hands into his fur to hide the tears and trembling.
Lin sighed in relief and turned to look at Naru who was watching the scene with narrowed eyes. He did not return his look and instead clenched his fists and crouched down next to Mai.
"Mai," he called her name urgently and once she had lifted watery eyes to look at him he continued, "I don't want you dreaming of this case anymore, do you hear me?" His tone was demanding and she scrunched her brows in confusion at him.
"I don't think I can do that, Naru," she answered hesitantly and pulled Rocco even tighter against her chest at the look Naru leveled at her.
Lin felt the temperature drop and set a hand on Naru's shoulder, though the man ignored it.
"This is no spirit we are dealing with," Naru whispered dangerously and pushed himself to his feet, knocking Lin's hand aside, and practically threw the door to base open. "Gene!" he growled out as soon as he had found a mirror hanging from the wall across from the window.
Lin hurried into the room after him and was shortly followed by a confused Mai.
"You will not let her dream of this case any longer," Naru practically growled.
His reflection did not reflect his angered glower in the least, in fact, he looked sad and sympathetic.
"It won't work, Naru," Gene whispered back.
Lin froze, having not known of Gene's development in the slightest, and stared wide eyed at the mirror.
"What do you mean it won't work?" Naru whispered dangerously low.
Gene shook his head and turned to look back over his shoulder as if he had heard something before turning back urgently. "I can't stop her, she's dreaming right now and I didn't even do anything, this has gone beyond my control," he explained hurriedly and looked over his brother's shoulder imploringly.
Naru spun on the spot and his eyes landed on the figure of Mai, slouched on the floor leaning against the doorframe. "Dammit," he cursed and left the mirror, unintentionally severing the connection with Gene, and rushed to her side. "Mai!" he called urgently and grabbed her shoulder.
Rocco growled low in his chest but Naru ignored him and crouched over his assistant's fallen form. "Mai, wake up!" he ordered. When she did not respond he grabbed her chin in his hand and lifted her face to his. Her eyes were closed and he cursed again before scooping her up into his arms and rushing to the bathroom.
"Naru, what are you doing?" Lin cried and followed after him while Rocco circled Naru, jumping and barking, demanding that he set Mai down.
"Waking her up," Naru answered darkly.
Mai opened her eyes to a dark room. It was the room she, Monk, and Yasu had discovered the day before, now empty of boxes. There were no electric lights nor were there any candles lit to help her but moonlight spill in through the window where Mai saw the figure of Prudence huddled upon the deep set sill. She was crying into her hands, a loose fitting gown that barely clung to her thin frame, while she rocked back and forth.
"Prudence?" Mai called hesitantly and lifted a hand as if to place it on her shoulder but as soon as their skin made contact Mai found herself viewing the scene from Prudence's perspective once more.
"She's pregnant," she rasped with a raw and blank voice. She pulled her hands away and stared at them as if she were seeing them for the first time. They looked like claws in the strange lighting and she imagined that's what they looked like to William on a regular basis. She was nothing but some old hag he kept hidden away in his mansion while he slept around with that woman.
"I thought I was his princess," she mumbled as tears continued to spill from her eyes. Kikio was a real princess. That must have been what he wanted.
Her eyes drifted towards her vanity where a pair of scissors sat and she pushed herself to her feet slowly. If she wasn't a princess herself then she had to make it obvious so no one else would make the same mistake William had. She sat down at the vanity, lifted the scissors to her eyes, before grabbing a strand of her hair and cutting it away. Strand after strand of her golden hair, silver in the moonlight, fell to the floor around her. And with each strand she grew sadder and sadder. There had been a point in her life when he had braided flowers into that hair, she recalled dully.
That woman was going to have his child now.
She didn't want to be around to see that.
She paused, halfway through her full head of hair, and looked at the scissors in a new light. How they gleamed in the moonlight. She grabbed one of the blades with her hand and pulled, ignoring the way the flesh of her palms split, and grunted when the blades came apart. She set one down and held the other in her hand, turning it this way and that in her grip, before bring it to her wrist.
"No!"
Mai gasped back into consciousness, water pouring over her head, and cried out. She was yanked out of the tub by a pair of hands and whisked out of the bathroom before she could even register what was going on. She was shaking so violently that she could not actually grasp a hold of the arms that were supporting her and dragging her out into the room where she was set in a chair and one of the comforters was thrown over her shoulders.
She was staring down at her hands as if she were seeing them for the first time, and noticed there were a few new cuts to add to the collection but they weren't deep, just enough to draw blood.
"Mai," Naru called in a soft but urgent tone.
Mai lifted her eyes to his, surprised to see the relieved expression that flashed across his usually stoic face, and let out a shaky breath. "I'm okay," she answered, just as she always did, and pulled the comforter tighter around her.
"No, you are not," Naru stated coldly. Beside him Rocco whined and set his head in Mai's lap pleadingly.
"I am," she answered back with a hesitant smile.
"You have not been fine since the moment we set foot in this house," Naru continued, ignoring her attempts to reassure him and crouched down in front of her to pull her hands from the depths of the thick blanket.
Mai was silent while he examined her hands, not caring if the blood smeared across his own fingers, and watched wearily. She knew what he was thinking and she knew that he was going to try to argue with her and she twisted her hands around so that it was she who was holding his. Naru lifted is eyes to her questioningly and she frowned.
"You will not send me home and you will not close this case without finishing it," she ordered in a tone so like his that the man was taken aback. "There are lives at risk tomorrow and I will not leave this up to the police who have no idea what their interference could mean," she continued, "This is not like the Urado case. This house cannot simply be burned. This runs too deep." She shook her head as Naru opened his mouth and smiled sadly. "This is not simply the fear of death that has driven this spirit to madness, this is the desperate wish of someone who wants the world to know the truth. If this house is destroyed then it will release whatever it is that has been brewing within these walls." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling slowly as she spoke and the walls creaked in warning, as if they were listening to their whispered argument. "It's in the blood," she finished quietly and squeezed Naru's hands.
"Mai," Naru whispered, "Your life is in danger here. Others have gotten hurt but this spirit seems to have latched on to you . . ." he trailed off.
"I know," she whispered back.
"I can't allow you to risk your life for something that already had a chance at one," Naru said. And it was true. She could clearly recall every case in which the stakes rose too high for Naru to compete with and he would order everyone out. He did not condone the risk of their lives simply to cleanse a building.
Mai felt tears brimming and smiled, his strength of will and kindness was inspirational, and it saddened her that so few ever got the chance to see that. "My father gave up his life so that another could live," she began, "and his blood runs through my veins. I have seen what Prudence has suffered and I cannot turn a blind eye to it. If I left now then I would be driven mad."
"Mai." Naru sighed, annoyed with the patronizing tone his voice had taken, but froze when he felt Mai lean forward and place a kiss on the top of his head.
"You know it's true," she muttered and leaned back, "But thank you for your concern."
Naru stared at her wide eyed and let out a breath he had not intentionally held.
"Don't mention this to the others," Mai said quietly, "But I know who is haunting this property, I've known the whole time, and I think it's time for her to rest. . . She's been trying so hard."
Naru dropped his head and sighed, moved by Mai's heart (unwillingly), and stood. How anyone could see the good in a being that had long since been twisted into a monster, killed several people, and threatened their very life was beyond him. But he knew that he could not argue with her. He would send her on the first plane home if he thought it would do her any good but he knew. He knew that if he forced her to leave she would fall into a depression and wither away until there was nothing but that sad smile left. She wouldn't even be angry with him. He lifted his fingers to the bridge of his nose and let out a shaky sigh.
Mai would either wither away from depression, be killed by the spirit that roamed those halls, or . . . she just might get to the bottom of it all and solve the case. He did not enjoy taking chances, only doing so when his hand was forced, but he could not simply ignore her words.
"We will follow through with tomorrow's plans," he said quietly. "But there will be no astral projecting. You'll help patrol the property and John will stay in the mansion with Masako."
Mai smiled up at him so radiantly that he paused. She had smiled at him the same way when he had first set foot back in the office a few weeks ago.
Mai followed Naru back into the base and sat down on one of the couches with Rocco at her side. She felt shaky and scared but also very determined and it surprised her. Slowly, the rest of the team returned and Naru had them all sit down before he spoke. They had all separated to regain their composure before daring to reenter the house, disturbed by what they had seen, but knowing it was their duty to return.
"It may be quite obvious to some of you but I will explain anyway," he began, "What we are facing is no longer a vengeful spirit." He stood leaned against the table where the bank of monitors sat, ever vigilant in their recording, and sighed.
"No spirit would have been able to do that," John agreed quietly and clasped his hands in front of him.
"This is a demon," Naru stated coldly and shut his eyes with a visible wrinkle between his brows. "Be that as it may I am determined to see this through. You all may leave if you wish, I do not want to put you all in danger against your will." He did not make eye contact with them as he let his words sink in. He knew that his stare would only pressure them and he did not need an unwilling team on the case, he needed a determined one, like the one he had spoken with before they had even left Japan. still fresh from their extended break and ready to get back into the fight.
There was stunned silence all around while the team thought over what he had said.
"I'll stay," Monk declared quietly. Everyone turned their eyes onto the now serious man who had pushed himself to his feet. "If Naru-bou it staying than I will as well, Lin can't always protect him."
"I'll stay then," Ayako added quietly. She still looked a bit shaken up from the event but she had regained her color and the angry glint to her eyes. If Monk was staying then she would as well.
"I'll stay," John spoke up from where he sat on the couch. His eyes too had adopted a steely look.
"Me too," Masako mumbled into her sleeve and dropped her eyes to the floor.
"Can I be the waterboy in this one?" Yasuhara asked with a laugh.
"What about you, Mai?" Monk asked quietly.
Suddenly all eyes were on her and she smiled, "Is that even a question you need to ask?"
They all shared reassuring smiles and turned their eyes onto Naru who wore a smirk. He pushed himself away from the table and uncrossed his arms, "This is our biggest case yet and may be the breakthrough of the century in regards to the paranormal field, let's not disappoint."
The others laughed at his confidence and like that the tension was broken.
"I don't know about you guys but I could go for some pizza," Monk spoke up moments later and everybody groaned.
"I'll take mine with a side of meal worms, I heard they are a great source of protein," Yasuahra added and Mai promptly lobbed a pillow at him from across the room. Ayako had turned green.
They were visited by the manager shortly after, distraught after the events of the night, but not angry with them like several of their clients had been on previous cases. Sam asked if they were all alright, flustered that they had had to witness such a sight, and seemed to be assuring himself that they were all in perfect health as he rambled. They assured him they would get to the bottom of the case and were not going to run out on him to which the man was grateful. After that Naru made a call to his father explaining the situation to him and Martin had agreed to return to the hotel and offer his opinion on the matter. He was more knowledgeable than even Naru was when it came to demons and claimed he had a few ideas.
There would be no patrolling that night. In fact, no one even wanted to return to their rooms. Comforters, blankets, and pillows were collected and the base became a camp. Rocco was having the grandest time rolling around on everyone's blankets and ignored their whines of objection. No one had the heart to stop him and Monk even joined him on the floor, roughhousing with him and scratching his stomach when the dog rolled over.
They did end up ordering pizza and everyone but Ayako and Masako ate.
Mai was having a blast, she couldn't help but feel like she was hosting a slumber party, and it got even better when Madoka, Luella, and Martin breezed into the room fresh from their own hotel. She sat on the floor on the other side of Rocco and laughed when the dog instantly sensed her and rolled over so that his head was in her lap. Mai watched from the corner of her eye as Monk, seated on the floor, leaned back against Ayako's legs and the woman dragged her fingers through his hair thoughtlessly as she was once again reading something on her phone. Mai smiled down at Rocco and scratched his stomach. She was kind of glad that Monk and Ayako had become the token couple of SPR. It was perfect too because she had already viewed them as parental figures and for a moment she felt like they were a real family.
Yasuhara came and dropped down onto the floor next to Mai, made no comment on her choice to wear pajamas outside of the girl's room, and bumped his shoulder into hers. He looked down at her knowingly, a serious glint to his eye, and for a moment Mai feared he was going to confront her. As if he was aware that she knew far more than what she was telling them and was letting her know that it was okay, he would support her, and she smiled up at him. And he smiled in return and leaned back against the couch and threw his arms behind his head with a sigh.
"You're a good friend," Mai said quietly, her eyes now focused on Rocco again, and she missed the grin the pulled at Yasu's mouth.
"I know," he responded with a shrug and wrapped an arm around Mai's shoulders. "Just remember you don't have to take on everything by yourself," he murmured in her ear and Mai smiled.
Mai had not realized how big of an impact Yasuahra had had on her life until that moment. Since he had become a part of the SPR team it had been his job to crack all the jokes and help to lift everyone's spirits, to distract them from the darkness of the cases they dealt with, and he had done it all eagerly. She admired his strength of will then but it only grew when SPR had disbanded and, instead of focusing on college and making new friends, he had taken it upon himself to tutor her and see to it that she graduated high school. He was her big brother and how wonderful that thought felt as it nestled into her chest and spread its warmth to the tips of her fingers.
"Hey, what are you two doing getting all cozy over there?" Monk exclaimed from across the sea of blankets that had taken up residence between the two couches after the coffee table had been moved.
Yasuhara shot a lecherous grin over at Monk while Mai stuck her tongue out at him and laughed when the man blushed, either due to their combined expressions, or the fact that neither of them denied his statement. He shot curious eyes over to Naru, who was leaning over a table and muttering something to his father while Martin nodded and gestured to the pile of papers between them, and scowled. Of course Naru didn't care what Mai did with Yasuhara, or anyone for that matter, since he was still being an ass and ignoring the obvious tension between them.
Monk's heart was in the right place but he couldn't have been more wrong.
Naru could see the two from the corner of his eye, could hear their conversation and process it even as he spoke to his father and followed the man's every move with is eyes, and it was infuriating. Though his calm and stoic expression never faltered, never broke, there was definitely a kind of energy raging within him. He was only glad his father did not think to comment on it. The man was one of the top paranormal investigators in the world and Naru had no doubt he could feel the emotional and PK driven energy that whipped about inside of him like a storm.
Naru nodded thoughtfully to his father after listening to his suggestions for dealing with demons and or spirits that were far too lost in negativity to be cleansed and lifted a hand to his chin to file away the new information. While it was all useful he was certain that neither of them were quite the solution Mai was looking for. Of course, if it were up to him he would simply tell the manager the property was a lost cause and be done with it, but Mai had something that struck a chord in him. "It's in the blood," she had admitted. The phrase was familiar but he could not place where it was he had heard it and for someone of his intelligence that was extremely frustrating.
His eyes drifted to the figure of his female assistant, curled up under Yasuhara's arm while the man spoke with Monk, before they slid right on past her and he moved over to the table where Lin sat.
The next morning was a chaotic mess of disorganization and activity. While SPR was waking up and getting ready for the day, pulling on a few less layers of clothes as the sky was predicted to be clear and the sun could shine freely, the rest of the hotel was frantic. It was the day of the concert and men had been working all night to set up the large stage across the clearing from the hotel, leaving hundreds of yards of open space between the two structures for concert goers to move about freely, and the noise had not once died down. Well into the night the crews had been shouting, hammering, drilling, and setting up sound equipment and anyone who had been able to sleep undisturbed was considered a god after that night. Of course Yasuhara had no problem as he had a large family and was used to obnoxious snoring and children refusing to go to bed, up late and giggling mischievously, and so had only rolled over once during the night because of Rocco breathing directly into his ear.
The couches had been pushed apart and all the comforters laid out side by side, like mats, and the six members of SPR not including Naru and Lin, had slipped beneath a layer of second blankets to sleep. Martin and Luella had only napped on one of the couches while Madoka took it upon herself to stay up with Lin and Naru in case anything happened.
Mai had just been glad she got to sleep between Ayako and Monk. Monk, of course, would not let Yasuhara anywhere near Mai after their behavior earlier, and Mai could not find it in herself to be embarrassed. She was only amused and happy.
So as everyone collected their blankets and returned to their rooms to get dressed, Mai took a moment to stare out one of the many windows in the base, and take on an impressed expression at the mass amounts of stalls and canopies that decorated the property. Food trucks were steaming away as their owners cooked for the upcoming concert. And she could just barely make out the stage in the distance thanks to its height.
"Wow," she mumbled and lifted a hand to the glass to get a closer look at the ground just below the window where she could see several staff gathered to watch. The hotel would be open to any guests who wanted to get out of the sun but only the bottom floor would be accessible. Drinks would not be allowed inside from outside and vice versa. Mai had a feeling the hotel was going to be trashed by the end of the night but she was certain the manager would be able to handle it as he had to have the past couple of years that the concert took place within Vinoy Park.
"Mai," she heard the voice of her boss call out from across the room, "Tea."
Mai sent him a curious look before moving over to the portable stove to prepare enough tea for everyone. She was just glad that someone had provided them with more tea cups. She had a feeling it might have been the property manager, he seemed the kind type, and he was used to overseeing the care of his employees. In fact, Mai recalled a lot of the interviews she had had with the staff in which the majority of them had painted the nervous man in a favorable light. She smiled at the thought as she waited for the water to boil and sighed. The man was probably only such a nervous wreck because of the spirit that haunted his property. Mai had only been there for going on five days and she was almost at her wits end. If the case wasn't solved soon she feared for her sanity.
When the kettle whistled she quickly filled the cups that she had set up on the table, only a few as some of the others hadn't returned from their rooms yet, and dutifully distributed them. It was only as she was handing a cup to Lin that she realized she was still in her pajamas, a pair of night shorts and a baggy orange t-shirt, and she blushed irritably. Naru had literally demanded tea from her the moment she had opened her eyes! He hadn't even bothered to let her get dressed!
She set Naru's cup of tea down in front of him a bit more forcefully than necessary. "Anything else, master?" she asked cheerily.
Naru took a sip of the tea before returning his eyes to the screens of the monitors. "Hand me those folders from over there," he said and gestured to a stack of manila folders off to his left and Mai stared wide eyed before she scowled and pushed herself away from him with a huff.
"Yes, master," she exclaimed in annoyance and lifted the stack of folders into her arm and brought them over to him. Once they had been rudely dropped onto the table next to him she crossed her arms and asked, "May I be allowed to change out of my pajamas now?"
"If you must," Naru replied calmly and pulled one of the folders from the top without tearing his eyes away from the monitors.
"Gosh," she muttered and turned away from him.
Once everyone had changed into appropriate clothing and had eaten their fair share of the donuts provided by Luella, again, they gathered around the monitors to begin their planning.