Chapter Eight: Human or not?

(A/N: maybe reread the last chapter just to refresh your memory of whats been happening. and ENJOY!)

John sighed, as he and Mai walked the long hallways to the kitchen. He couldn't help feeling bad for his young friend, who had been subjected to so many questions and interrogations in the past thirty hours. It wasn't fair, but John understood that all this concern was just for her safety and happiness.

He watched as Mai dragged her feet along the carpets, her hands tucked into her jean pockets. It was all very un-Mai like behavior.

"Is something bothering you Mai?" John asked before adding hastily. "I mean other then the boyfriend thing."

Mai laughed. "Good save John." releasing a long drawn out breath Mai said. "I'm worried about this case, it's nothing like any of our other cases. I mean people are dying, while we're here. I'm really scared, but it seems like I'm the only one."

John lifted an eyebrow. "The only one eh?"

"Sorry, but you know what I mean."

"I do."

"I shouldn't feel bad for moving on right? I mean Kazuya has made it pretty clear that he is not interested in anything but a professional relationship with me. I'm okay with that now, I am. But…"

"But?" John said giving her a warm encouraging smile.

"Why do I feel guilty? Like I'm cheating or something? I just want to be happy." Mai said shakily.

John hesitated biting his lip. "Well Mai, I think you are completely right. You deserve to be happy, and you shouldn't feel bad for trying to find it with someone else."

Mai caught John's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "What do you mean 'with someone else'?"

"Well I know you love Kazuya-"

"What?"

John smiled. "Mai, come on now even a blind man could see the affection between the two of you, and you know it might not be as one sided as you think."

Mai scoffed. "I'm sorry John, but I can't believe that."

"Well that's for you to decide. I'll support you either way."

"Thank you."

John and Mai continued walking, in a comfortable silence, both immersed in their own thoughts. Neither of them noticed the sudden drop in temperature or that they seemed to be the only people in this part of the mansion. A feeling of oppressive fear and dizzying nausea overwhelmed her senses, she stumbled and collapsed to her knees.

"Mai?" John yelped, kneeling next to her. "What's wrong?"

Mai shook her head, unable to speak from fear of losing her breakfast all over the plush clean carpet. Her stomach continued to clench and twist, her mind screaming at her to run, to leave this house before something bad happened to anyone she cared about.

"I need to leave."

"Okay, here." John gently took her arm and helped her to stand, shakily they walked until Mai's breathing started picking up speed, her face lost all it color and she bent forward and vomited. "Mai!"

Mai continued to shake, her body was cold and her breathing an erratic rhythm that kept changing. After vomiting a second time she collapsed leaning hard against the wall. John steeled himself against the stench of vomit as he knelt down again, taking her freezing hand in his own.

"Mai, we need to get you out of here." John said pleadingly. He looked around the hall, his left hand gripping his rosary beads. "Mai."

"I-I-i can't." She gasped, barely able to choke the words out.

"Please Mai, your not well." John said desperately, he needed to get her away from her, he just was sure that he could carry her without dropping her.

"MAI!" John's head shot up at the loud voice and pounding footsteps that were coming down the hall. Kazuya stopped just in front of them, watching not to step in the pool of vomit on the floor. He panted, apparently having run all the way there from the base.

"Mai?" He asked gently, his hands moving to cup both of her cheeks. He lifted her head slowly making her half closed eyes meet his own. Mai's breathing was not improving and she seemed to be less and less responsive as the seconds went by.

"Crud." Kazuya mumbled under his breath. "John go back to the base, get Lin. I'm going to take Mai outside for some air."

"Okay." John watched Kazuya scoop Mai effortlessly into his arm and start moving back along the hall. John quickly followed, hurrying back to do as he had been asked.

Haruka's cheek slipped off of her palm, making her head fall and then snap up as she woke up, she looked around startled by the sudden movement. The sound of blankets ruffling and bed springs creaking brought her attention back to the man laying in front of her.

Yakumo's breathing evened out again, his momentary stirring barely disturbing his sleep. Haruka smiled, laying a hand against his forehead. He had knocked his head pretty badly last night, and while his cut hadn't bled too much, Dr. Hata had order bed rest and had told Yakumo that if he didn't want to be the next body Hata examined he would take it easy for the next couple of days.

Haruka had volunteered to watch him through the night, waking him every couple of hours to make sure he was falling into a coma. Haruka looked at her cell phone and frowned, her last alarm had been turned off, but she hadn't heard it.

It was only three am and the next alarm wasn't due to go off for another two hours. Haruka sighed, running a hand through her slightly greasy hair. "Urgh." she groaned stretching her back and arms. Another glance at Yakumo proved that he wasn't going anywhere, he was comfortably sleeping. Now was as good a time as any to pop out of the room and have a shower in her own.

Haruka stood, she leaned down and brushed the hair off Yakumo's forehead, she placed a quick kiss between his brows. "I'll just be across the hall." She whispered.

Haruka turned to leave just as a hand shot out from under the covers and gripped her wrist. She jumped and let out a shriek that she was sure they heard down stairs.

"Where are you going?" Yakumo grumbled, his voice a deep rumble.

"You scared me." Haruka said irritably. "I need a shower."

Yakumo grunted as he tried to sit up, "Just use my bathroom."

"Uh…" Haruka bit her lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Yakumo smirked. "Well you aren't allowed to be alone, so if you go to your room I'm coming too."

"Fine, I'll use your bathroom, but I still need to get my things from my room."

"Okay, I'll come." He said started to raise.

"No, I'll leave both our doors open. Just stay here." Before he could argue Haruka hurried to the door and opened it leaving it wide so that Yakumo could see her enter her own room. She quickly grabbed her small duffle bag that Gotou had bought her yesterday, along with her four shopping bags of supplies and run back to Yakumo's room, only pausing to shut the door.

She smiled at Yakumo as she closed his door. "See? Perfectly safe."

"Just go shower." He said lying back down, he rolled onto his side, facing away from the bathroom door.

"Okay."

Haruka spent the next ten minutes getting her stuff together and placing it around the bathroom. A plush towel, face cloth and toothbrush. She turned on the shower and let the water heat up. Haruka was a little disappointed that it wasn't a japanese style bath, she wasn't a very big fan of the western style bathrooms.

Her shower was quick, but very refreshing, it was so nice to be clean and smell like cherry blossoms again. She wrapped herself in her big towel and started to use a smaller one to dry her short hair, smiling to herself.

"Haruka...Don't freak out." Yakumo's voice said softly from outside the bathroom door.

She spun, glaring at the closed door. "What?"

"I need you to come out of there, okay? Slowly."

"Yakumo I'm not even dressed yet!" She fumed. "I am not coming out."

The doorknob rattled, making Haruka shirek loudly.

"Haruka?!"

"Don't open the door!"

Yakumo let out a frustrated growl. "Haruka, there's a ghost in there with you." he said keeping his voice as calm as he could.

Haruka paled, her hand dropping the small towel she had been clenching. She hugged herself, looking around the room for any sign that a spirit might be in the room with her. A chill ran down her spine, when you spotted the mirror. Written in shakily letters were the words, 'find him.'

Haruka unlocked the door and pushed it opened. "Yakumo…"

Yakumo pushed his way in next to her and stared at the mirror. "It's gone now." He said, glancing around the room, his eyes snagged on Haruka's bare shoulder, but he quickly looked away, his ears and neck flushing red. "Hurry and get dressed. You shouldn't be alone."

"Okay." she said not able to look at him.

"Hurry."

"Okay!" Haruka shoved Yakumo out of the room and shut the door, leaning on it to catch her breath. None of this was good for her heart, she needed to figure out her feelings and make a choice. Haruka let out a pained groan, this was going to be a long case.

When Mai woke she didn't know where she was. The room around her was hot, like a kitchen or boiler room, steam hiss and wheezed as it escaped from several large machines. One of which looked to be some kind of compactor, a horrid smell of garbage came from the machine.

Mai covered her mouth and got to her feet, slowly heading towards the compactor. Her breathing sped up as she got closers and something kept telling her to stop, go back, don't look.

"DON'T LOOK!"

Mai stumbled at the force of the shout, she stopped and watched as a man, hidden in shadows entered the room. He moved slowly, no doubt due to the large bundle slung over his shoulder, he walked to the compactor and dropped the bundle inside.

Quickly he grabbed the control handle and started the machine, watching as the large steel slab was pressed down into the large holding bin by huge hydraulics. The sound of squelching and crunching filled the room.

Mai paled, her stomach tightening painfully at the sounds. She felt her heart drop, she knew what was happening, who ever this was had just dumped a body. She took a step back and her foot kicked over a metal pail, it crashed loudly to its side.

The man spun, and Mai ran. Her feet taking her to the nearest exit, she reached the door and slammed into it, she twisted the handle ignoring the pain growing in her side, but it wouldn't budge. She pushed as hard as her arms could, throwing her whole body behind it, the metal biting into her hands. "Please." She screamed. "OPEN!"

Pain exploded from the back of her head, her eyes blacked over and she collapsed.

Mai jerked awake screaming. Tears burned their ways down her cheeks, and her throat felt as if she had been screaming for hours, it was dry and scratchy and throbbed beneath her feverish skin. Mai could feel hands holding down her shoulders, in a desperate attempt to escape she trashed, trying loosen their hold on her.

"No!" She screamed her voice rough from overuse.

"Mai! Stop! It's me!"

The voice startled Mai enough that she lay still, confusion fighting through the fear. She looked up into the dark eyes of Kazuya, and her breathing slowed, her panic calmed and she was able to take in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom, lying on a queen bed, not trapped in a boiler room with a psycho killer.

"Kazuya." Mai said startling him, he wasn't used hearing her saying his real name. He stood up straight taking his hands off her shoulders

"Yeah sorry," He said wringing his hands together awkwardly. "Are you okay? Can you sit up?"

Mai nodded and allowed him to help her up and stuff pillows behind her back, so that she could still rest. She glanced around the room and noticed a bag sitting on the couch, but it wasn't her bag from the looks of it it was Naru's luggage. "Where am I?"

Kazuya glanced behind him, following her gaze. "Um, my room. We took you outside to see if that would help but you wouldn't wake up. I thought you would be more comfortable in a room, but I couldn't find your key."

"Oh." Mai said nodding. It made sense, it was all very logical. She smiled and leaned back into the pillows, breathing deeply, enjoying the smell of earthy pepper and lemon soap that clung to the bed. "Thanks."

They were both silent for a long time,

Until Mai said shakily. "I saw something after I passed out."

Kazuya moved closer sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. "Do you feel up to telling me about it?"

Mai's head spun, was this really Naru? Had she died? Maybe she was still sleeping and this was Gene talking to her, it wouldn't be the first time she had confused them. "What's your twin brother's name?"

Kazuya face scrunched up in puzzlement. "What?"

"Just tell me."

"Eugene…"

Mai sighed. "Okay." Mai wiggled on the bed feeling far too vulnerable lying in Naru's bed. It felt Strange and far too intimate for their current relationship of employer and employee. Really Naru had never even agreed that he and Mai were friends, so things like this should not be happening. Yet since Mai started working with Naru she had noticed that after a while he became if not attached, then possessive of his people, every member of the SPT Team was now important to him. Maybe he didn't show it like normal people would, but Mai knew that the feelings where there. Still that mean she was used to this treatment, it messed with her head and made feeling she was trying to forget stir inside her and worse still it made her hope.

"Mai?"

"Sorry...maybe we should go and find the others, that way I can tell everyone at the same time?" she said shakily, she hoped he didn't read too much into it.

Kazuya gave her a hard once over. His gaze lingering on her face for a long moment before he said quietly. "Are you feeling uncomfortable because I'm here Mai?" Mai mouth dropped opened at the question. "Because you never used to have a problem being alone with me…"

"I'm not un-uncomfortable with y-y-you." she stuttered non convincingly.

Kazuya lifted an eyebrow.

"Stop staring at me."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me nervous, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?" Mai said annoyance at her boss cutting through the embarrassment. She sat straight up in the bed, planning to get out of here, she would go find John, he'd be more useful than Naru was being.

Kazuya chuckled, leaning into Mai's personal space. One of his hands blocked her exit from the bed, while the other gently threaded through her hair, cradling her head.

"Wha…" Mai's words were cut off by Kazuya's lips meeting hers. They were a gentle warmth against her own. Kazuya pulled back just enough to look into Mai's eyes, searching for permission. Mai eyes only half opened, her gaze dazed.

"Mai?"

"Shut up and kiss me." Mai said closing the space between them. Mai wrapped her arms around Kazuya's neck, pulling him as close as their current position would allow. Their mouths meet again in a slow dance, that soon turned to fiery passion, that Mai was a very impressed with. It was sometimes hard to believe that Naru had such passion in him.

Jori walked through the halls trying to remember where Mai had said their base camp was. He didn't know much about paranormal investigations, but he could understand why they would need a centralized location to meet up. It made sense, it was like having an evac location set.

Jori's army service had been a big help in understanding stuff like this, he'd only left because of a heart condition that they had found when doing their yearly health examines. Now he was in the market for a new career.

Jori looked into a slightly opened door, inside where all of Mai's coworkers, gathered tightly around a set of monitors.

"Do you really think he's going to…"

Two other people shhhhed the young blond man, who was holding a hand to his mouth, eyes riveted to one of the screens.

Jori pushed the door opened and cleared his throat.

Two voices shhhed him before he could get much farther in. A black haired man turned his head slightly eyes barely leaving the scene. "Can we help you?"

"Um I was looking for Mai? Is she here or…"

All eyes suddenly zeroed in on him, a wave of shock and panic washed over the faces in front of him.

"Mr. Kim am I correct?" the black haired man said pushing his chair away from the table of screens. "Miss Taniyama is not feeling well and went to lie down. I could pass on a message if you'd like."

"No that's okay. I know where her room is I'll just go and check on her."

"NO!" The man and woman yelled blocking as much of the monitors as they could from his view.

Jori lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well that is…."

"You see she's…"

John gasped from the screens, he'd been the only one not to move away. "He did it!"

The room broke out into hysterics, all three adults huddled together, eyes glued to a far left monitor that showed a bedroom with two people in it.

Jori could see the two wrapped in each other's arms, and after what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time they broke apart, leaning their foreheads together as they caught their breath. Jori was surprised to see Mai and her jerked of a boss where the couple they were all spying on.

"Um. .."

"Finally." The black haired man whispered lowly, a small hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

The loud man and woman squealed together before seeming unconsciously wrapping each other in a hug.

"Is that Mai?"

The happy mood in the room froze, as the other people in it became aware that Mai's boyfriend had just witnessed her kissing another guy while they had just started dating...

(A/N: Hello my lovely follower! Thank you for all the reviews and your patience. I'm really sorry that its taken me so long to update and continue this story. I honestly forgot about it in the past couple of years, it was only emails from your favorites and reviews that reminded me about I have no idea where this story was supposed to be going...but I'll try my best to make it entertaining at least. Thanks again and hope you enjoyed the chapter. \(=3=)/