tick tock, hear that? I'm really late with this chapter
Saturday, October 18
Mai stood in front of her bathroom mirror brushing her hair and humming. She felt slightly guilty for skipping work today, but she convinced herself she deserved it after the week she had. The plans for the day had yet to be relayed to her, she was told she would receive a call from Yasuhara the morning of, and that was all. Speak of the devil, her phone began to ring.
"Hello?" She spoke in a cheery voice.
"Hey, Mai! Are you ready for the day?" he sounded almost has chipper as Mai.
"You know it! Can you tell me anything about it yet?"
"No can do. I'll be there in about an hour to pick you up," he had a devious tone to his voice.
"Can you at least tell me what I should wear?" The line was quiet for a second.
"Something cute, maybe a dress or a skirt."
"Alright, alright. See you soon!" The call ending with a click. Mai pushed open her closet door and struck a thinking pose. Why did picking out an outfit have to be so difficult? After a while of deliberation, she chose a light beige knit sweater that tucked neatly into her short black and white plaid skirt. She wore a pair of black opaque tights with black thigh high socks over it. A pair of black sneakers with white laces completed her look. She twirled in front of the mirror smiling, satisfied with her look. She wore a bit of makeup, only eyeliner and pink lip gloss. Her mind swirled with ideas of what Yasuhara could have planned for her today.
It didn't take long before Mai heard a car horn outside of her apartment complex. She grabbed her key locked her door, the stuffing it into her thigh high socks. She skipped down the stairs and saw Yasuhara parked out front. She took a seat in the front and smiled at him excitedly.
"Can you tell me where we are going now?" She begged.
"Oh Mai, Mai, Mai. Patience is a virtue," Yasuhara shook his finger before putting his car in gear and leaving in the way of their destination.
"You look so cute!" Yasuhara complimented, her cheeks tinted pink.
"Trying to pick up some dudes or what?" Her face immediately dropped.
"I would so hit you right now if you weren't driving," she grumbled. He just laughed before turning up the radio, which played pop music. They sang and danced in their seats the whole way there, laughing hysterically when the others voice cracked or the came in on a verse too soon. After a couple minutes of driving, the pulled into their destination - a park. Mai was really excited, she loved nature. The fall air brushed calmly against her skin when she emerged from the car.
They walked along the trail for a bit until it opened up into a large field with picnic benches and pavilions. It was sunny without a cloud in the sky, and a calm breeze kept the air chilly.
"Mai! Over here!" She looked around until she saw Keiko and Michiru waving over to her. They sat with Masako, Gene, and Naru. Mai looked up at Yasuhara with a questioning look. They both knew the unspoken question – why is Masako here?
"Look, I needed a seventh person, okay, just go with it," he whispered to her. She walked over to the group, a bit apprehensive of the situation. She hugged Keiko and Michiru once she made her way over. She waved at the rest of them. Naru looked bored out of his mind, Gene wore a smile, and Masako simply glared at her.
"I wonder what Gene offered Naru to get him to come here, with no book, too."
"Are you guys ready to find out why exactly I have gathered you here today?" Yasuhara pulled papers out of his back pocket.
"It's a…." he paused for dramatic appeal, "scavenger hunt!" Yasuhara flipped over the papers with a 'tada' to reveal a list.
"That's stupid," Naru spoke unenthusiastically, breaking the moment. Mai shot him a look, "I think it sounds really fun, Yasu." Their hosts glasses glinted in the sun.
"You'll be in pairs of two for this game," Masako's eyes lit up at the news and she looked over at Naru, but her gaze wasn't returned, "However, I've already split you up so no need to worry!" Masako slumped back to her original position.
"You'll be tasked with finding all the items on the list. The team with the most items wins. We will meet back here at 6 when the game ends, which gives you about three hours from now. If you're late, you're disqualified. Everyone understand?" Nods, yeses, and a pair of rolled eyes came from the group in front of him.
"Good, now I'll split you up."
The teams ended up being Keiko and Michiru, Masako and Gene, Mai and Naru. Naru looked extremely uninterested at the game. Mai took a look at their list, figuring she would be the one doing most of the work.
"Something colorful, a pinecone, something smooth, two kinds of leaves, something fuzzy, a piece of litter? That's kinda gross," She thought to last item on the list was cute though, something you think is a treasure. Yasuhara dismissed the groups and everyone went their own direction, some more reluctant than others.
Naru and Mai walked silently down the path, almost uncomfortably silent. The leaves rustled with each passing breeze.
"Do you really want to do this?" Naru glanced at the list.
"Yeah, but... I guess we could just talk instead if you really aren't interested," Mai shrugged. More silence, "So much for talking." The leaves and twigs snapped beneath their feet at they walked. Suddenly, Mai wished she had read the conversation topics article Keiko sent to her randomly late one night. Mai tried to push the awkward tension aside and breathe in the scent of nature, so calming and serene. "Two hours and forty minutes left," was all Mai could think.
A bit of time passed before Mai could no longer take the silence.
"The other day when you came into the café, you said your favorite place moved, right?" Mai tried desperately to make conversation. Naru only nodded.
"I guess you like tea a lot then?" another nod. Mai wrung her hands together.
"You left your jacket in my room the other night," Naru kept his eyes on the distant trail ahead.
"I gave it back."
"I gave it to you."
"Nu-uh, you lent it to me until I got a new one. Lending is very different from giving," Naru didn't retort.
"Checkmate."
Mai looked up at the branches that stretched over the path and became captivated by a small squirrel.
"Do you like nature?" Mai spoke in a curious tone.
"It's calming I suppose," Naru noted. He looked down to her as the wind blew through her hair. She looked so peaceful. She stumbled over a tree root that protruded from the ground.
"Unless you're with a clutz," he scoffed. Mai bit the inside of her lip to keep from giving him a piece of her mind.
"Do you think plants can see us like we see them?" Mai looked down at the flowers that lined the path. Something hit the side of Mai's head, in particular the side Naru stood on. Mai looked up at him in confusion.
"Did you just… flick me?" she asked perplexed, touching her head near the region of impact.
"Don't ask dumb questions then," he continued walking with a smirk. Her hostile glare was only broken when a scream broke through the trees of the woods.
"Did you hear that?" Mai stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head, "It sounded like a little girl." Her voice quieted as she looked through the trees in the direction the sound had come from.
"Let's keep going. You don't know what it was, it was probably just be children playing. This is a park after all," he started to walk but stopped again when he noticed his partner was not following behind him.
"But what if it wasn't…" she said softly before stepping off into the trail into the gloomy woods in an almost trance like state.
"Mai, stop," Naru warned her. She didn't listen. She kept walking farther and farther. Another scream pierced the silence. Mai could more clearly pinpoint where the scream was coming from. She dashed through the trees shouting, "Hey! Helloooo! Where are you?" There was no response. The sound of the scream rang in her ears as if it were the only thing she could hear. Her mind prepared herself to find the worst.
She dodged swiftly past roots, branches, rocks, and anything else blocking her way, running recklessly without any sense of direction. She stopped abruptly when she spotted the figure of a small girl through the trees.
"Hey," Mai called out softly, hoping to not startle the girl. Her dress was tattered and her hair looked wild.
"Are you alright?" Silence. Mai stepped closer. The girl's back faced her, and her head drooped down.
"Did you get lost?" She reached out her arm and took another step. The girl didn't move.
"Are you hurt?" Mai walked closer gently, and closer, until –
"What the hell are you doing?" something grabbed her wrist. Mai whipped around the see a pair of cold blue eyes staring back at her.
"Naru, look! This girl needs our help! I told you that it wasn't just-" she tried to wiggle out of his unrelenting grasp.
"What are you talking about?" Mai looked at Naru with questioning look before turning her head to where the little girl once was. It was empty, no little girl, no trace of any human or movement. She held her breath and looked all around her. The thought just occurred to her that she just realized she had no idea where she was.
"I swear there was a little girl sitting right there! She had on a while dress and her hair was knotted, it looked like she was lost! I'm not crazy, I-I saw it!" Her eyes were fixed on his.
"I never said you were crazy. I believe you," he said with a small sigh. He rubbed his temples with his free hand.
"Why would you be so stupid as to run into a dark forest? What would have happened if you were alone? It's quite possibly one of the most idiotic things to do," Mai clenched her fist and clamped her mouth.
"Well, sorry for having a heart! That girl was hurt! That girl- "
"That girl is not here!" Naru raised his voice, it startled Mai, but she held her ground. His grip on her wrist got tighter and tighter. They stood like statues in a moment of silence, the only sound was the leaves rustling in the wind.
"You're bleeding."
"What?" Naru twisted her wrist to get a better look at her arm. He pushed up her sleeve and a large scratch bled lightly. Mai looked puzzled.
"But, But I didn't hit it into anything or trip…" the blood beaded at the gash. Naru's eyes studied her injury before looking around at his surroundings.
"We have to get out of here, now," his voice sounded calm yet urgent. He released her arm from his grasp.
"You have your phone, correct?" Naru kept scanning his surroundings. Mai went to reach for her pocket before she realized she didn't have any.
"Uh… No. I didn't have pockets so I left it at home," she let out a tense laugh. The air around her became increasingly cold.
"What kind of idiot leaves their phone at-" Naru was searching through his pockets before he realized he was also missing his.
"What kind of idiot leaves their phone at home," Mai mocked behind his back. The air kept getting colder and colder, but there was no wind. She stepped closer to Naru and rubbed her arms with her hands.
"Let's go," Naru took her wrist again and started walking through the forest with a quick pace.
"You feel it too, right?" She dared not fall behind him now, she wanted out just as much as he did and maybe a bit more.
"Don't be scared. Spirits can fed off of that energy," The hairs on the back of Mai's neck stood up and a chill ran down her spine.
"You're saying what I saw was a – "
"Anything is possible at this time," he kept a stone cold face. Mai could see hints of uncertainty in his eyes though, which most would have missed if not having spent ample amounts of time with him. Mai tried to steady her breathing, she was extremely on edge. Mai tried to keep her eyes ahead, but something to her left caught her attention. She stood dead in her tracks, pulling back Naru who still held a death grip on her wrist. She began to shake slightly.
"Mai, now's not the time to – "He followed her gaze to the little girl dressed in white with unkempt hair. He stepped in between Mai and the girl. She sat facing away from them. The words stuck in Mai throat. She told her legs to run but it felt as if the ground was glue. She felt useless. The little girl was the first to move. She slowly turned around, blood ran from her right eye and dripped onto her white dress. Mai's eyes opened wide, she couldn't avert her gaze. The girl looked up and stared directly passed Naru to Mai. She opened her mouth and let out another blood curdling scream. She began to inch towards the pair, her arm extended. Naru did not flinch and kept his eyes narrowed on the girl. She came closer and closer before –
"Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"
The girl stopped her advances and fell to the ground, vanishing upon impact. Mai let out a heavy sigh before dropping to the ground.
"Mai!" She heard Gene yell behind her. Two hands rested on her shoulders. She looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes staring at her again, "Are you alright?" Mai nodded and held her arm. It burned. She heard the sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling behind her. Gene and Yasuhara were sprinting towards the two.
"What happened?" Gene squatted down next to Mai looking worried.
"How did you know where we were?" Mai tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Mai thought it would be a brilliant idea to run off into the woods after she heard a scream," Naru glanced over at this brother.
"Someone could have been hurt," she mumbled under her breath.
"It's alright, Mai. It's late, how about we go and get some food?" Yasuhara said with a smile. Food always made people happier. Gene helped her up and looked at her arm, "Oh, my god," he pushed up her sleeve, but Mai grabbed her arm away quickly.
"It's fine, just a scratch! Come on let's go get food!" She said with a smile and walked the way the two had just come from, obviously trying to cover something up. Yasuhara reluctantly led the way. Naru and Mai walked side by side and Gene walked up next to Yasuhara.
"So... what was that exactly?" Her voice was still a bit unsteady.
"A spirit. It's not uncommon for them to reside in forests," Naru replied calmly.
"What happened to her? Is she okay now? Gene didn't hurt her, did he?"
Naru selected his answer carefully, "She's resting now, she's not gone."
"Who would have thought ghosts needed sleep," Mai thought aloud.
"I thought you said you weren't afraid of these kinds of things?" Naru raised a brow to her.
"I meant the stories! I've never experienced anything like that before," she said exasperatedly.
"Well, congratulations. Glad I could be your first," he spoke with a smirk. Mai face went bright pink, "I hope you know that's not what it normally connotes..."
Thankfully, Yasuhara and Gene didn't get lost in the maze of the forest. They emerged in the clearing where they had started from. Masako, Keiko, and Michiru sat at one of the tables. Keiko spotted the missing team walking from the woods, and ran over to them with Michiru and Masako not far behind. Keiko and Michiru blasted Mai with questions, but Masako made her way over to Naru where she tried to drag the story of what happened out of him. Simply put, she did not get the story out of him. Naru was more concerned with talking to Gene about something.
The group of teenagers went to a local restaurant down the street. Gene had stopped at a store to pick up a bandage for Mai's arm. Naru pulled her away from the table discretely to not disturb the others meal. They made their way over to an empty bench outside. He rolled her sleeve up and ran his finger down the cut. She winced, it burned as he touched it.
"It should heal in only a few days. Try to give it some air from time to time as well," he tenderly dressed her wound. It gave Mai the impression he had done it before.
"Also, if you soak your sweater in vinegar the blood will come out," Mai mentally took notes on what he said. The leaves of the trees that lined the streets shook in the breeze and filled the moment of silence between the two.
"You don't think the little girl did this… right?" That question had been tearing Mai up inside. Naru nodded, confirming her least wanted answer.
"It's a possibility, not all spirits are kind. Thankfully, you weren't alone," he said while finishing the banding on her arm.
"Thanks," she twisted her arm and looked at the white bandage that already had a bit of red seeping through. Naru nodded and stood up.
"Not just for this... but for going after me. I don't know what I would have done if I were alone," her cheeks blushed a light pink and she stared down at her shoes.
"You'll find a way to pay me back," he turned and walked back into the restaurant. She sat there and looked as the door gently came to a close. She rolled her eyes and sighed, a smile graced her lips as she watched the cars drive past for a second more.
She returned to the table not long after Naru and ate dinner. Everyone sat there happily, some just showed it more than others. They joked around and told stories about everything and anything. Mai was thankful for having such adoring friends who she called family.
Thank you for reading!
I am honestly extremely sorry for how long this chapter has taken, school has me so so busy this year. However, in a month or two I will be updating hopefully weekly!
Thank you so so so much for all your kind reviews, I can't tell you how much each one makes my heart smile.
Happy fall/Mabon for all those reading today! :)
Have a lovely day/night!
