I am trying SO HARD to update faster than I usually do.

Disclaimer: I no own. You no sue. I also don't own the Chapter title. "The FRAY" does.

A/N: Let me just say that having watched all the Ghost Hunt Episodes on YouTube, the last chapter when Naru got into a fight seems completely incoherent with what he's actually like, and I briefly considered discontinuing this story and deleting it. Then I smacked myself because I remember how much you guys wanted to know what happened. Also, Once more, Expect OOC-ness from the following: Mai, Masako, John, Takigawa. And Maybe, Naru, if his part in this is as big as I think it'll be. Probably. -sigh-

So anyway; ON WITH THE SHOW :D!

Beating Hearts

chapter eight: How to save a life - part two

Naru didn't know how his situation could get worse.

Ok, he knew. It was possible they could run out of air, yet highly unlikely, but whatever.

Ai e Ai e Ai

I'm your little butterfly

Ai e Ai e Ai

I'm your little butterfly

Naru pivoted on his heel and looked at Mai, who was still unconscious in the bathtub.

"What was that?" he asked himself as he drew nearer to Mai.

Ai e Ai e Ai

I'm your little butterfly

Ai e Ai e Ai

I'm your little butterfly

And then Naru realized what it was.

It was Mai's cellphone.

Naru reached for the slim purple doodad. It had been in Mai's pocket, and when he placed her in the tub, it had fallen out. He picked it up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Uh. . .hello? Is Mai there?" said a female voice. Naru thought about his reply, while at the same time realizing that the voice sounded very familiar.

"Mai is asleep right now. Who's calling?" he asked.

"Um, it's her friend, Keiko. Is this Shibuya-sempai?" Keiko said, her voice becoming brighter. That was why she sounded familiar, naru concluded, It was Mai's friend from the first time they met.

"Yes. And Mai is asleep right now. When she is awake I'll have her call you. Goodbye." He said, and then without waiting for a reply, he flipped the phone closed.

And then it cut off altogether.

Mai's Cell phone had just gone dead.

"Darn it! Why am I only getting my voice mail?" Mai/Masako whined. She sighed in frustration and put the phone down. Then she turned to Lin.

"Naru is in my Apartment, locked in the bathroom with my body. You have to get to him because he was injured. Zakuro is out of the apartment because I just called him and said that he had to go in for work. When he realizes that it was a trick, he'll go right back home and continue to hold Naru, for lack of a better term, "hostage." There is a spare key for the apartment in the Light next to the in between the door and the window. You have to hurry because Zakuro's walk is a twenty minute walk. So, altogether, you have about forty minutes, forty five minutes to get Naru and my body out of the apartment. I think that is enough time. And, speaking of time, I have just about reached the limit." Mai/Masako said. She closed her eyes, aware that everyone was watching her.

Lin watched as Masako closed her eyes, and then after a moment fell forward to her hands and knees. Ayako hurried over to her to see if she was alright.

"Masako?" she said. Masako squeezed her eyes tight for a second then they fluttered open, blinking a few times.

"Oh. . .Did Mai deliver her message?" Masako asked as she stood up. Ayako nodded.

"Yes. According to her, we are supposed to go to her apartment and rescue Naru. And her body." she said. Masako nodded.

"Yes. So why are you all standing here? Naru needs help right away." Masako said calmly. Takigawa, finally getting the hint, turned to John and said "Follow me."

Masako watched as they ran out of the car garage. She prayed silently that nothing went wrong.

Zakuro walked in the front door of his job and went up to the woman at the front desk. He was surprised to see that it was Aya.

"What are you doing here Masahiro-san?" Zakuro asked her. Aya looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm doing my job. My day off isn't until tomorrow." she said.

"But, I thought you were going home early because you were sick."Zakuro said, disbelieving. Aya gave him a puzzled look.

"No. I'm not sick. Why would you think that?"

"Didn't you call me earlier? To come in for you?"

"Uh, no. I think someone was just playing a joke on you." She said, laughing slightly. Zakuro's frown was deep set on his lips, darkening his features, Turning around and pushing the door open to exit, he muttered to himself, "It's wasn't very funny."

Because Takigawa had told John to follow him, he did, but when he noticed that they were going in the wrong direction, Takigawa ended up following John. He led them to Mai's apartment. Takigawa reached up to the lamp between the door and the window, and sure enough, a spar key was there. He showed it to John, who smiled with relief.

"Hello?" Takigawa called when he opened the door and poked his head inside.

"Whoa." he said, at the sight of everything scattered everywhere. The kitchen table was less than three feet away from them as they ventured deeper into the house.

"I wouldn't be surprised if someone died." Takigawa said. John nudged him with his elbow.

"That's not the kind of joke to make right now. Under the current circumstances." he informed. The Monk sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry." Takigawa said.

"Naru!" John called out.

"I'm back here!" They heard him call out. The followed the sound of his voice until they stood directly in front of, what they assumed was, the bathroom. Takigawa knocked.

"You ok?" he asked.

"For the most part, yes."

"Ok, stand back." the monk said. Naru limped to the edge of the tub and sat down on it. There was one pound on the door, and it cracked a little. There was another pound, and then the door came off it's hinges altogether.

"Naru, you alright?" John asked from behind Takigawa. Naru nodded.

"I could be better. Do either one of you have a handkerchief?" Naru inquired. Takigawa looked at John, who reached into his pocket and handed it to Naru.

"Thanks." Naru said as he tied the white cotton rag over his wound. He stood up, giving the other two a chance to see Mai, laying in the bathtub.

"Why is she–" Takigawa was cut off

"I got tired of holding her." Naru answered.

"Nevermind then." he said. He walked to the tub then kneeled down to place his arms beneath Mai's near dead body, and lifted her up, bridal style. He was silent for a moment, unmoving, as he held the limp girl in his arms.

"You know," he started, "seeing her like this is very hard. It's such a relief to know that she isn't dead."

"Yet." John said. He saw the monk's head lower. He guessed that he was trying to hold back tears.

"Yeah. That's where we come in." He threw John a smile from over his shoulder.

"Let's leave before Zakuro comes back. I'm in no condition to fight him again, and we are running out of time." Naru informed them. The other two men nodded, and followed Naru out of the bathroom. It was then that they made their exit from the apartment.

The three were half way down the steps when a vengeful cry made it's way to their ears.

Zakuro had returned.

"Who is that?" The monk asked. Naru looked at John and they nodded.

"That is the one who put Mai in the life-threatening state that she is now. Her "guardian", so to speak." Naru explained. "We have to hurry because he'll come looking for us soon."

"Where is she? Where is she!" Zakuro had torn the already strewn apartment to an even bigger mess, searching for Mai, and the dark haired one named Shibuya. He had walked out to the balcony and hollered in fury, when he spotted three figures, running across the apartment.

One of them, he noticed, was holding a smaller, limp body.

He watched as they entered the car garage threw a side door and then closed it from behind. His eyes got darker as he realized what was happening.

They were trying to take Mai from him.

HIS Mai.

"They won't get away with this. I'll see to that." He said, and trekked his way into the kitchen, stepping over and around various objects. Looking around, he saw that all the drawers were flown open, and all of the contents that had ben inside, were now scattered all over the apartment. Zakuro looked to his left and saw a pile of sharp, pointy knives. He grabbed the two biggest, then made his way to the door.

"They'll pay." he said, as he jogged down the steps. "All of them."

I just thought I'd warn all of you that there is three or less chapters left in this story. Don't worry. I'll see to it that you'll get your money's worth. XD Anyway, Please review, and I'm sorry for this late update. I started working and my time has been stretched to it's limit. But I'm trying. Ok

LATER GATERS!

And also, I would like to say that in the first chapter, I said that Flames Are Accepted; Will Be Used To Cook With. Yeah. . . that turned out to be a lie. I would like to apologize to the one known as "InuNightWalker" She changed her name, but I didn't memorize it.

So YOU!

Yeah, you.

STOP!

I want to say that I am sorry, and I hope I will be forgiven.

And one mooooore thing. You See that purple button down on the left?

Yeah, that one.

Press it. It'll make me happy.

I LESS THAN 3 YOU ALL! ( a math pun to what a lot on anime lovers do when showing love to one another.)

PEACE EASY DUCKIES!

O.o