FILE 4

NIGHTMARES AND PAIN

……..TAKIGAWA'S DREAM/NIGHTMARE……….

"Where am I?" he opens his eyes and he was alone in a dark room.

"Mailene," a woman sobbed. He turned his position to the side and spotted a woman behind him crying and as she turns, Takigawa froze as the woman took sight of him, but did not notice.

"A-Ayako…?" he said, but the woman disappeared.

Feeling scared, he looked in all his direction and cried her name.

"Ayako! Ayako where are you!?"

He heard a loud gunshot like noise occurred and turned to the sound and as turns, his eyes widen in fear and shock as he sees a body before him with pools of blood.

And he yelled in fright

…….END……

3:00 a.m.

Gasping for air, he woke from his nightmare and found Mai on the couch sleeping and Ayako sleeping peacefully on top of him.

Still feeling frighten he held her tight for solace, it has been a long time since he had a nightmare and this time it still runs on his mind what he just witnessed.

"Ayako…" he whispered.

"Please don't go…" he shuts his eyes.

9:00 a.m.

Opening his eyes all of a sudden, he found the living room empty, both the girls were gone from his sight and he could feel a moist face towel on his forehead and a cooling pad stuck to it.

"Oh, daddy you're awake!" Mai cried.

She kneeled down to him and asked worriedly,

"Daddy, are you still feeling sick?"

"What happened?" he asked. Ayako appeared with a tray and he quickly got up, but suddenly cried in pain.

"You shouldn't be sitting up, you have a fever." she stated as she place the tray on the coffee table and went to his side.

"Now, opened your mouth, I need to take your temperature." she asked.

So he did and she carefully place it into his mouth.

"Mai-chan, would you mind giving mommy the medicine I showed you earlier?" she called to Mai and asked for the medicine.

"Yes mommy," she answered and headed to get the medicine.

"Argh, how did I get this sick so far?" he asked himself.

"It's a mystery, I suddenly woke up and I felt that you have a fever." she answered for him.

"So the spirit hasn't left Mai's body yet?"

"(sigh) sadly no, I was surprised when she woke up and asked for breakfast."

She took the thermometer out of his mouth and looked at his temperature.

"Hmm, your fever is going down, just get some rest and eat some home-made chicken soup." she advised.

She looked at him in question and he notices.

"Did you have a nightmare last night?" she said worriedly.

"Huh oh, no I didn't why do you asked." he lied.

"Well it feels paranormal and I felt curious." she admitted.

She then stood up and took the bowl soup and Takigawa could still feel the sad aura around her then sighed at himself.

'Well, I hope she takes this like our normal arguments.'

"Ok, monk-san here's your soup." she looked at him and he looked ill as he shuts his eyes in pain.

"What's wrong are you all right?" she asked.

"I, I can't b-breath, (cough)" he acted.

"What! You can't breath! Oh my god what am I going to do!?" she panicked.

Ayako was falling for his scam and finally said,

"I can't move, please pass the soup to your mouth into mine."

She suddenly gasped then flushed and wanted to yell at him.

"YOU PERVERTED JERK!" she backed away moving the soup in front of him and as the hot liquid spilled on his abdomen and he cried in pain.

"Argh!" he cried as the hot liquid touched his skin and he sat up quickly from the pain, but what he didn't know was his nose was touching Ayako's left cheek making both of them look at each other in great shock.

"Monk-san,… would you mind taking your hand off mine?" Ayako asked in a shocking tone.

"Oh crap! Sorry!" he apologized.

Ayako still looking shock placed the bowl aside and stood up and started to walk away.

"Mommy, I got the medicine!" Mai finally came.

"Oh Mai-chan, give it to daddy and tell him to take it after eating his soup ok?" she replied.

"Ok, where is mommy going?" she asked.

Her face the color of fresh tomatoes, she answered,

"Mommy needs to do something, would you mind watching daddy for me?"

"OK!"

The monk wanted to shoot himself for doing a stupid thing and above that feeling embarrassed as he almost thought he kissed the priestess.

'I'm such a son of a-'

"Daddy, mommy say's you take your medicine after eating." Mai interrupted his thoughts.

"Ma-Mai-chan, good morning?" he greeted as he returned to reality.

"Ha, ha good morning!" she greeted back. Takigawa smirked and patted her head at her cheerful attitude.

"Huh? Daddy, why do you look like a tomato?" Mai asked curiously.…

Walking into the room and unbuttoning her blouse and unzipping her long skirt, she headed to the tub and turned the knob as the water sprinkled above her.

'(Sigh) just what was he thinking !?' she started to talk to herself.

Lifting her head up high she could fell the cold water touching her skin.

'I can't believe he was almost that close to…' she started to flush again and shook her head to erase the thought.

"Argh, stop thinking so low!" she cried to herself.

'I need to stop thinking about him, he's gonna think I'm too much.'

For a while the water started soothing her flushed body that it made her heart want to sing.

"I need a love that grows…" a song came out her voice.

I'm so tired of being alone

But will my lonely heart

Fade apart

Of a fool again

Before I could begin

Foolish heart…hear me callin'."

She continues on singing louder in the shower with more feeling as she felt like she was in a stage singing.

While Mai and Takigawa were walking in the halls, they heard a radiant melody being sung.

"Is that a radio?" Takigawa asked himself.

"It's sounds beautiful!" Mai started dance a little then followed the sound.

"Wait Mai-chan, wait for me!" he chased after her.

"I'm locking the door again

Oh once more

And thank god I him in

Before I begin

Oh honey I just need a love that grows

I'm so tired of bein' alone…."

she sang in a soft and low pitch. Drying her hair with a head towel.

Wearing a yellow bathrobe she finishes her singing with a now a high pitch while putting on a new set of cloths.

"Before I begin…

Foolish heart! Hear me callin'

Stop before you start fallin'

Foolish heart, heed my warning

You've been wrong before

oh foolish heart!"

The singing had stop as she starts to hum to herself. Coming out of the room she spotted Mai running towards her and Takigawa running out of breath.

"(pant) Mai-chan you're (pant) so energetic." he said out of breath and made himself fall into the carpeted floor.

"Aren't you suppose to be resting just what I told you to?" she arched an eyebrow looking down at him with an annoyed look.

"Well I guess your chicken soup and the medicine boost my energy." he said spreading his arms and said cheerfully.

"Hmm, then what were you two doing running around?" she asked.

Mai sat on the carpet and answered excitedly,

"We heard this pretty voice coming this way, but it disappear when we saw you…"

"Oh, how did this tone of voice go?" she asked playfully as she joins herself on the carpet.

"Daddy thought it was a radio, but it started getting very loud so we followed it. It started really pretty especially when it said the 'Foolish Heart' part." she explained. And Ayako couldn't do anything but smile.

"Wow, I'm glad you listened well." she turned her head to the monk who was just listening to them and she placed her hand on his forehead and slid it down to his cheeks giving him a soothing touch.

"Maybe all you need is a cold bath," she advised.

"But, I don't like cold water…" he complained.

She gave an unsatisfying look making him abruptly sit up and said,

"Ok, ok, I'll do what you say, I was just playing."

"Hn, or maybe you just wanna offend me again…" she said as she quickly turns her head not facing him.

"Aw, come on Ayako-chan, not in front of Mai-chan." he tried to ease her.

She gave a sour look and grabbed both his cheeks and replied,

"Now don't you go 'aw' on me. You know you make me feel bad when you make fun of me!"

"Owie, OW, OW. I'm sowie!" he muffled.

Letting him go, both her palm were calm soften and asked him,

"All I'm asking is you go in the bathroom and have a refreshing ba-"

Her eyes widen as a short image popped in her mind and this time she saw a man in black locks and blue eyes (Not Naru) and a blond woman in front of him, she was crying as he pushes her away.

As the image disappeared, her eyes were still widen.

"Ayako!" Takigawa called her name. "Are you all right, snap out of it!"

She gasped then sighed and blinked. She didn't notice Takigawa was shacking her shoulders and calling out to her.

"Mo-monk-san." is all she could say.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"I…I'm fine…" she lied.

The monk could tell she was lying from avoiding eye contact to lips twitching.

"Just tell me, forget what you think and be honest." he said just to tell her what's wrong with her.

"I said I am fine!" she yelled back.

"Then why can't you tell me?" he asked in a calm tone to avoid getting further.

"It's because…" she gasped in shocked and turned to side and she was gone.

"Mai!" she cried.

"Mai's missing!"

"What!? This can't be, Mai! Mai where are you!?" cried the monk as they both got up and started looking for her.

"Monk-san, please look for her in one of the rooms, I'll be checking downstairs." Cried Ayako as she runs looking for the missing child.

The two got separated and looked high and low just to look for Mai.

"Mai, Mai, where are you Mai!" Takigawa opened each door as he cried for her name.

As he opens each door there was nothing and he was getting worried what could ever to Mai.

Ayako looked everywhere in the kitchen to dinning room from living room and there's no sign of the little brunette.

'Why would she run away all of a sudden? We haven't had an argument or anything, so why would she run away like that?' she asked herself anxiously as she runs everywhere in the house.

"Mai? Mai where are you!? Mai answer me!" she yelled.

'This can't be! I can't bear to loose another!' she cried inside as she held the tears inside. After loosing Kyosuke from his mother, she wouldn't want to loose Mai also.

Desperately looking for her, she found something by a room that just made a sound.

"Mai?" she called.

She entered the dark room and as she switches the light, it didn't work.

"Mai-chan, daddy and I weren't having an argument! We were just making fun of each other." she explained in a dark room.

She couldn't see where she was going and stayed in one place calling her out.

"Mai…" she called.

She then felt the temperature of the room and it was freezing cold. She then heard someone crying behind her.

"Why…why can't he understand?" she turned her back and found a ghostly figure behind her crying on the a bed.

Ayako looked at her surroundings and the room she was in was gone as tiny lights flutter around like fireflies.

"Will-o-wisp? Where am I ?" she asked herself.

She couldn't see the woman's face but she was crying sadly until she heard a second voice.

"Mommy…" the little girl called her. She was holding a teddy bear on her arms and the woman suddenly give her an embrace to ease her pain.

"Where is daddy going? Why is daddy bringing everything with him?" the little girl watched.

Ayako couldn't do anything for her body was frozen that all she have to do was stand there and watch.

"Mommy, why I are you crying?" she asked sadly.

"D-daddy,.. Won't be with us anymore…." she finally answered.

"But why? I thought you love daddy, I thought daddy and me were important, I thought daddy knows he loves you, I thought that daddy loves us." the little girl gave her speech which made her mother crying for the worst.

The scene suddenly changes as the girl walks the hall calling her mother.

"Don't go in there!" Ayako blurted but, the little girl hear her. A loud gunshot had fired scaring the girl and every time Ayako tried warning and screaming to her, it felt as if she was deaf.

The little girl with her stuff animal in her arms followed the sound and calling her mother,

"Mommy, mommy, where are you!? Mommy?" she cried worriedly. She then found a room and opened it.

Ayako's eyes widen in fright as she witnessed seeing the pools of blood that the mother was lying in and the hole on her head.

"Mommy, mommy! Wake up please mommy! Wake up!" the little girl pleaded in tears.

Ayako looked closely at the woman who looks just like her only she was blond and looked more older. Hearing her little cries, Ayako closed her eyes and looked away.

"Please, no more!" she begged.

The scene changes again with the little girl still crying and holding her ragged teddy bear in her little arms. The little girl was wearing worn out cloths and her hair messed up. Crying in pain and calling out her mother and father's name the house was messed with cobwebs and dust, she was all alone with her mother's dead body closed inside the room and fresh rot and blood covering the room.

Ayako couldn't breath and stayed conscious, she was coughing from the smell and begged what was going on to stop.

"Please stop!" she yelled and shuts her eyes.

She then heard a loud thudding sound and opened her eyes. She was close to a balcony that was rusted and broken, she was now able to move and her legs felt numb, but she managed to stand on her own feet and walked to the balcony, for air. As she was gasping for air, she coughed and coughed with her eyes shut. As she slowly opens them again, her eyes widen as she took the sight of the child below her drowning in blood and tears still holding on her companion. Her body started to shake in fear and the metal bar of the balcony broke and she lost her balanced.

But looking at the child's eyes made her scream out in fright.…..

"Kyaaaaaaaah!" she screamed in fright.

"Ayako! Ayako it's me!" a familiar voice came and she saw Takigawa looking worried.

"Ta-Takigawa-san!" she cried his last name for the first time. Sweating and gasping for air she cried and cried and grabbed him.

"It's alright! I'm here! Ayako, you're burning up!" he said worriedly.

"Where's Mai! Wh-where's Mai!?" she said hysterically.

He could feel a sharp pain inside his heart and didn't know what to say.

"Monk-san, where is she!" she cried shaking his biceps with tears running down.

"I-I can't find her." he shuts his eyes regretfully.

"After I went down to help you look for her, I saw you in the stairs and I thought you might have fell while looking for her." he explained.

"I can't bear to loose her," she cried on his chest.

"And I…,I can't bear to loose…" he admitted sadly as he embraced her tightly.

"I couldn't stop thinking about last night…I just can't loose you, I just can't!" he said relating to his nightmare.

He felt her body going cold and cold tears would fall into skin.

"Why can't he just…why can't just understand?" a different tone of voice came from her voice. With shock, he knew the voice from last night.

"A-Ayako?" he pulled her away gently.

"If only he understand how we loved him so much…Mailene…"

Her eyes weren't focus as if she was possessed and her voice was different.

'She's possessed!' he thought.

"Please, tell me where's Mai?" he begged.

"She's with me…" she answered then suddenly fainted.

"Ayako, Ayako!" he shake the priestess to find the answer.

But she was out cold and didn't react.

'This can't be good.'

Suddenly the lights kept turning on and off and he held onto her tight just to protect her.

"Mommy!" Mai's voice cried.

"Mai! Where are you!?" Takigawa yelled.

"Mommy daddy's leaving!" she continues crying.

He couldn't leave Ayako alone and carried her to look for Mai.

"Mai, Mai answer me!" he got out of the room and entered the hall, as enters he felt an earthquake pushing him to the wall.

"Why can't daddy understand he's hurting mommy!" she continues on and Takigawa followed the voice even if the whole place was crumbling.

"You must save her monk-san, before it's too late…" she whispered to his ear.

"Ayako," he stopped helped her up.

Feeling weak she managed to stand and continued.

"She will fall into the same fate as her mother, we must save Mai before it's too late."

"I don't understand, she's just a child!" he said what he couldn't comprehend.

Rubbing her forehead she suddenly felt the same pain again and remembered every image she had seen inside her head and as the last image was going to pop up, she closed it

"M-Mailene!" she cried as something suddenly pulled her arm and away from Takigawa.

"Ayako, what are you doing!?" he cried as he chase after her.

Objects were flying and floating around as the two run to the halls as the spirit grabs Ayako arm to lead the way. Cries of children started crying as objects started striking them. A huge vase was about to hit Ayako, but Takigawa quickly sped up and chanted the spirit to let go of the vase making it strike the wall instead.

"Mommy, please don't go!" Mai's cries continue on.

They come to a dead end and everything stops.

"A dead end!?" Takigawa panicked.

Ayako remembered something and grabbed Takigawa's hand.

"I know where she is, we have to hurry!"

Going to the room where mother had committed suicide, she opened the room and it reeked in blood.

"Mai!" they said unison

She was standing on the balcony and looked at the two with her face covered in blood.

"Why did daddy have to leave us like this?" she asked.

"Mailene," Ayako stepped forward.

"Please get down, Mailene it isn't safe." she said carefully.

"But you're unhappy mommy, you've been sad ever since daddy treated you so mean." she replied as she looks at Takigawa.

"No, you're mistaken, I love daddy more then anything! I don't care if he does not love me as long as he's happy even if I'm not!" Ayako said as she walks slowly to her.

Without notice, the balcony and the concrete started breaking loosing off balance.

"Mai!" she cried.

"No, Ayako!" he ran to catch her and Mai's body.

Both of them fell off the balcony….

A/N: SIGH…Spring is coming to an end and even this fic…well I hope you readers would give me charming review and I would love to thank those who have given me…hmmm the song that Ayako was singing is called

Foolish Heart by M.Y.O.M.P or M.Y.M.P I ALSO don't own it…

I was just bored so I guess it was my h who wants her to sing…