Chapter 6: Case Closed

In the hospital

The group stares at Mai's motionless body on the hospital bed. An IV connected to her to keep her in a stable condition. The doctor, standing at the foot of her bed, scribbles down words onto his clipboard and turns to the group.

"She is in a stable condition right now. She has minor burns covering her body and some bruises. The one thing that worries me is the gash on her back. It didn't reach the spinal cord but she may have some after effects when she wakes. If she wakes up, please call me." At that, the doctor leaves the room.

"C'mon guys, let's give Naru some space…" He gestures everyone out the door and Naru is left alone with Mai. Naru kneels down next to her and grabs hold of her hand. Damn it! How could I have failed to protect such a fragile girl. He holds up her hand up to his head and droplets start falling from his eyes.

Flashback

Sirens blared, tires screeched, as the ambulance speeded to the hospital carrying the young group of psychics. They arrive at the hospital within minutes and rush Mai towards the hospital doors. "Get her to the emergency room! NOW!"

"Mai!" Naru rushed after them but got stopped by another doctor.

"Sir, I"m going to have to ask you to wait in the lobby."

"But-"

"I promise we will do everything we can to save her." The doctor rushed into the emergency room and the red sign lit up, meaning that Mai was having surgery. Please let her be okay.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Hours passed and still no sign of the surgery ending. Suddenly, the red light of doom shot off, shooting a gleam of hope into the group's hearts. A doctor walked, cleaning his hands with a white towel. They walked up to him with fear and worry in their eyes.

"The operation was a success…" Everyone smiled, knowing that their youngest psychic was alive. "But…" Their hearts dropped. "She's lost a lot of blood. She may be unconscious for a while. For now, we've put her in a room to keep a close eye on her to see if anything changes."

"Can we see her?" Masako asks.

"You may see her, but she is still asleep due to the anesthesia we gave her for the operation."

"Thank you." They all rush towards her room and find her asleep with the IV cords running around her body.

Present time

At that moment, Naru hears Mai begin to groan. He looks up with wide eyes, seeing Mai slowly opening hers. "Na…ru…" The girl weakly squeezes the boy's hand.

"How are you feeling?" Mai gives a small smile, signaling that she was fine. As Mai looks at Naru, she notices his bandages, causing her to become depressed.

"I'm sorry…"

Naru raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? Why are you sorry."

"Your injuries. It's my fault you got hurt on the case." Tears start streaming down her cheeks as she speaks to the boy.

"It's not your fault, Mai. Everything that occurred in that house was the spirit's fault." Naru reassures her. After a few moments of silence, Mai spoke up.

"H-Hey, Naru?"

"Hm?"

Mai's face turns as red as the sunset. "D-Do you r-remember w-what you s-said t-to m-me before I went unconscious?" This causes Naru to also blush hard.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" He quickly stutters, trying to change to another topic.

"I don't believe you…" Startled and cornered, Naru was left with no choice. "Well? Do you remem-MM!" Ma's eyes widened in shock as Naru's lips touched hers. They held this position for a few seconds which seemed like years. Finally, before Mai passed out, Naru released her.

"Does that answer your question?" Naru smirked, knowing he won against her. Mai nods with shock.

Outside the door, unbeknownst to the lovers inside, they had been watched the entire time, by a familiar group of psychics.

"I knew they loved each other!"

"This has been my ship since the beginning."

"This was bound to happen at some point."

"I'm happy for them."

Inside

As they stare at each other, they begin to smile. "Ready for another job, Mai?"

"Always!"