And so, my second disclaimer, *cough* I do own ghost hunt and i am the one who will make sure Mai and Naru will NEVER be together... hey, it is opposite day in my world
When Mai woke up she was under a blanket. She stretched her arms and yawned for a second, suddenly, she stopped. When she had fallen asleep, Ren and Kyan were sleeping carefully on top of her. But now, Mai could no longer feel the warmth of her kids on her body.
Panic reached Mai's heart as she hopped of the couch, not caring about the blanket which fell to the ground. Lin sat in his chair, typing away, probably not yet noticing that Mai was awake yet.
"Lin, where are Ren and Kyan?" Mai asked hurriedly.
"Matsusaki took them to go get something to eat. Then had been bothering Noll about being hungry for about five minutes before hand."
"Thanks," Mai said quickly then headed for the door, she did not hear Lin leave his chair until his hand was on her shoulder, spinning her around.
Lin leaned down to look at Mai in the eyes, "Tell me the truth, Mai,"
"W-what truth?" Mai stuttered out.
"The father of Ren and Kyan, he isn't Australian, he's English, isn't he,"
Mai looked down, away from Lin, he must have been very observant when she was telling the story to have guessed that one.
"That's why you left? Wasn't it?"
Again, Mai could not bring herself to look at the omniouji. She could not speak either, instead she shook her head up and down. Lin dropped his hand from where it was on her shoulder and rose to his full height.
"You aren't planning on telling him, are you?"
"I-" Mai grew silent again, she kept thinking about how he could not remember her, "I don't want to get in between anyone he might have a close relationship with," Mai faintly remembered the image of Naru with Masako the day she had decided to leave. She shook her head to rid herself of the images and looked up at Lin, "I really must be getting to my kids now," And then she stepped back, turned around, and left the room.
Lin returned to his seat, thinking over what had Mai thought when she said that she might get in the way. Naru had not been with someone else. And from what he knew, Mai did not have anyone else.
When Mai got to the kitchen she could hear Ren and Kyan fighting, she smiled, knowing it was most likely over the sandwich. As Mai walked into the room she saw Ayako, splattered with jelly, looking down at the two kids fighting over the peanut butter.
"Mai!" Ayako perked up as she saw the mother of the two nuisances walk into the room, "You're finally awake, thank goodness,"
Mai laughed when she saw the two fighting over the food, "You didn't know did you Ayako? They'll try to dupe you into thinking that Ren likes jelly and Kyan likes peanut butter. But in reality they just like creating a mess and throwing the jelly and fight over the peanut butter."
"Oh, well that's helpful to know now," Ayako smiled, knowing that the kids did not mean anything bad by throwing the sandwich at her. "So Mai, I'd like to know, how come they have identical looks?"
Mai looked at Ayako curiously, "They're twins,"
"I know they're twins, but-"
"Oka-san! Ren took my peanut butter!" Kyan whined, stomping his foot on the ground.
Mai looked at the victorious Ren, flaunting the peanut and butter sandwich in front of her brother but not giving it to him. Quickly, Mai grabbed two pieces of bread and slathered some different peanut butter on them. She handed it to Kyan and watched as Ren's face fell.
"Oka-san? Why does Kyan get a whole sandwich and I only get half?"
Mai leaned down to look at her daughter in the eyes, "Because Ren, you just seemed pretty happy with that one there, and I expect you to eat it. Now go sit down with your brother and be good,"
Ren sighed and walked over to the table, crawled up in the chair, and ate her sandwich. Mai started to clean up the mess her children had created and Ayako began to speak again.
"Like I was saying, I know they are, but they look too much alike. If Ren were to cut her hair there would be no way to tell them apart."
"Ah, well, you see… they're identical twins," Mai said like it was nothing.
"What? But that's impossible! Identical twins are always the same gender,"
"I know biology Ayako. But they are identical. The doctor told me so."
"And you believed him, he could very well be a very stupid doctor."
"No, he told me it could happen, but he's never seen it before,"
"What could happen?" Ayako grew very confused at this statement from Mai.
"Well, normally with twins it's the same ovum and same sperm only they split to create two, hence the identical, the children would have the same genes in them-" Ayako stopped Mai instantly.
"I know about that Mai, give me some credit, I am a doctor,"
"Right, well, the doctor told me that they are identical on my side, as in they both came from the same ovum. But apparently when the sperm fused there where two that reached it at the same time. So the ovum's nucleus split in two. Creating two children, both with the same genetics from the mother, but different from the father. I guess that would make them half identical. But their DNA is so much alike that the doctors lumped them in the identical category,"
"Mai, that's never really happened before," Ayako sighed.
"I know, but-" Mai was then interrupted as a new figure stepped into the room.
"I do not pay you two to stand around talking about the biology of how babies are made. Nor do I pay you to take care of children," The dark haired young man looked down at the twins, Ren happened to look up at the same moment making his eyes widen. Mai caught this small act and hoped that he did not recognize Ren's eyes.
"Matsusaki, Taniyama, get back to work, the children will be safe in the base," And with that Naru left to his room. He instantly went to the mirror and called to his brother.
"Gene, get your body-less soul in this mirror now,"
The mirror in front of Naru started to turn hazy, then a younger version of himself was reflected. The other version smiled. "So you finally call for my help, idiot scientist."
"This is not time for your playful spirit Gene,"
"Hoooooo, something's bothering you, could it be your little assistant's new followers?"
Naru glared at his brother and began to pace in front of the mirror, "I noticed something, no no, that's not right," Naru shook his head and tried to find the right words, "I feel something drawing me into those kids, and when I looked the girl in the eyes, I saw myself at that age. Only with brown hair. But still. How could this be Gene? Those kids aren't-"
"The only way to figure it out would be to ask Mai for yourself, Noll, you know very well that that is the only way you will get the full true answer."
Naru stopped pacing and looked at his brother, "I can't be dealing with this now, not now, I'm in the middle of a case, this is not what I need," He then put his head in his hands.
"Like I said, if you want to know the full truth, you must ask Mai,"
When Mai and Ayako got back to base Naru was sitting at his chair, typing away on the computer. Ren and Kyan followed the two adults into the room, tired and ready for a nap after eating their sandwiches. Mai ushered her children to the couch and laid them down, draping the blanket which had been over her over their small bodies. She kissed them on the foreheads and pulled away just as they fell asleep.
"Do they always fall asleep after eating?" Ayako asked, actually surprised that the children had fallen asleep.
"They do after they eat peanut butter," Mai smiled and pulled away from her two young ones.
"Matsusaki, you and Taniyama go check the temperatures in the rooms that we have set cameras in. Pay close attention to the closest rooms to the spring. And do not stray too far away, I believe the ghost is after a mother and that is why he has attacked Taniyama," Naru didn't even look up from his papers and computer to address the miko and mother.
Mai and Ayako left the room a minute later with the necessary tools to do their task. They were silent for some time. But when they reached the final room Mai didn't walk into it, instead she stared at the area in shock.
Ayako stopped walking in when she noticed Mai wasn't near her, "Mai, what's wrong?" She turned to the young brunette, worry appearing on her face when she saw the pale skin of Mai.
"This room, it's the room Kiou came out of before he tortured Gregory in my dream. This room, this room is where Hanna was killed," and with that Mai passed out.
On the astral plane Mai was expecting to see Gene, but he never appeared. She walked around looking for the reason she was brought to this place. Finally, Mai heard a faint whimpering. She walked towards it, noticing a small boy.
Suddenly, Mai froze in her spot. The boy was Gregory. His blonde hair and somewhat stained clothing were enough proof that he had once been alive, though his pale blue face and the water dripping from him was proof of how he died.
Mai slowly made her way to the boy, feeling no threat towards herself. She leaned down and looked him in the eyes, pulling away his hands from his face. The boy looked towards her with bright blue eyes.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked the fragile child.
He sniffed then answered her, "Daddy, he doesn't like me… He-he k-killed Mommy and sissy,"
Mai looked at him with an odd expression, "Sissy?"
"Yes," The boy sniffled again, "Mommy was carrying sissy and keeping her all to herself. I always wanted a sister, and yet never got one."
Mai froze, if this boy was the ghost, then he was not killing to get a mother, he was killing to get a sister.
With Mai's realization the air changed around her, the boy stopped crying. He raised his head and looked at Mai with an evil smirk on his face. A cold and chilling laughter rang through the plane.
"And your little daughter is next," With that he disappeared.
Mai began to panic, she needed to get out of here and get to her daughter before anything happened. She had to save Ren.
Mai woke up instantly after closing her eyes. She still lay on the ground right before entering the room. Ayako kneeled right next to her, shaking her shoulders.
With out listening to what Ayako had to say Mai sprung up and ran all the way back to base which was located on the opposite side of the building. Mai could hear Ayako calling for her, but she kept running. At one point she thought she heard Bou say her name, but she didn't care.
When Mai reached the door she flung it open, not caring that Naru and Lin both turned to look at her like she was a deranged woman. Mai's eyes quickly searched the room and landed on the now empty couch.
"Wh-where are they?" Mai breathed, almost yelled.
"Brown took them to the bathroom," Naru stated.
Mai turned on her heal and left just as fast as she had come. By now Ayako and Bou had caught up and followed her to where John and Kyan stood outside a door. Mai instantly grabbed John's shoulders and looked him in the eye.
"Is Ren?- Is she in there?"
John nodded. But Mai was not satisfied. She pounded on the door and called to her daughter, no answer came. Panic flooded through her entire body and she started pounding on the wood. She didn't care that everyone else had approached her, she needed to get to her daughter.
Mai fought to get in, and even fought whenever Ayako pulled her away from the door. She fought when she saw Bou kick down the door. She fought until Ayako let go of her and she ran into the room.
No one was in the bathroom. The sink was running and water vapor laced the window. Three words were written on mirror.
I Have Her
Mai froze. Everything in her world froze. She didn't hear everyone else walking into the room. She didn't hear Ayako trying to comfort her. She couldn't hear Lin and Naru conversing. She didn't hear John trying to keep Kyan away. She just slid to the floor and held herself, crying.
Finally, John could not hold the little boy away from Mai and Kyan came up to his mother, without saying anything. She knew he was there and grabbed him, hugging him like there was no tomorrow. But to her, there might as well not been one.
Yay! Another update! Who is itching for a new chapter now? I have like two different ways to take this story now and i'm rethinking the way that i wanted to do it... Hmmm... you choose, way 1, way 2, or way 3? or should i go with one way then after the story is over post a different way? Hmmm... confusing. oh well, i get subway today to eat, i think i will get chicken... ok, now back to the IMPORTANT parts of my thingy here.
THANK YOU to all my readers, and even more thank you to my reviewers. This one shout out mainly goes to Ariana Taniyama. I laughed my butt off when you said they wouldn't pick up on it even if an 18 wheeler ran them down. I totally agree that Mai ain't a good liar and that Naru should have been able to pick on it...Lin did and Naru's IQ is way higher than his. Hmmm, do i sense jealousy getting in the way of his mind. OMG! I just realized that my computer didn't freak out when i typed ain't... is that considered a word now?
so, to thearistocrat, Ariana Taniyama, and ecyoj60 (i just realized your name is joyce backwards :p), i totally agree, Naru is stupid... but he's just sooooo COOL.
now for my outro! "We are men, we must be swift as the coursing river. We are men, with all the force as the great typhoon. We are men, with all the strength of a raging rife, mysterious as the dark side of, THE MOON... HA!" Hehe, i was just listening to that, now PEACE, I'm outa here.