Chapter six: Patterns of a curse
A/N: If anyone is unaware, the place where Bou-san came from, Mt. Koya or Koyasan is a genuine place. According to various websites, Koyasan is one of Japan's most sacred places. Kobo Dashi, who founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism, is buried there. Hopefully, everything about Koyasan typed up here is true; if not, well, we know that the Internet is not a reliable source, anyhow. That saying, I don't own Koyasan or the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun.
"Is everyone going to kiss Mai?" seems to be a very popular question. I do recall saying in chapter three that all the guys would get the chance to kiss her. This includes Lin, Yasuhara, and Dream!Naru aka Gene. All of them will get a kiss from her. Whether or not it's willing remains to be seen, of course. Again, I would like to reinforce the statement that there will be no lemons in the story—graphic kisses, yes, but lemons, no.
Poor John. He's so not happy with me right now. He really did resist all the way. But! A good author can overcome all objections! Or is that a good lawyer? Hmm…
As always many, many thanks to TitianWren—whose name I think I actually spelled right! Go me. Titian has told me that she will happily accept offerings of sweets and various squashes. Don't forget to leave 'em for her, ladies and gentlemen. And a very many amount of thank you's to all my wonderful readers on both LiveJournal and forget to feed the authoress, either. I'm partial to cookies and brownies.
………
The grounds of his family's temple were beautiful. The shrine was nestled in a snug valley and surrounded by pine trees and mountain crags on all sides. At the top of the stairs leading up to the monastery, a golden statue of the Buddha stood, delighting the tourists. If he had a yen for every picture they took of it, he wouldn't need to work for a living. There were about one hundred temples on Mt. Koya and fifty or so offered lodgings to tourists who were there to visit mainly Okuno-in—the inner sanctuary leading to the largest cemetery in Japan, where Kobo Dashi, a good many of his disciples, and other important people were buried.
While it was true that he and his father had had a falling out, it didn't mean that he wasn't welcome to visit. His family would love to see him, he knew and lately, he'd contemplated going back and taking advantage of the general peace and quiet that lasted until dawn began to lighten the sky. The others he'd come to work with through SPR would probably enjoy a vacation at his family's temple; it was quiet and free from city disturbances. All except Naru-bou—he'd have to remove the stick from his ass to enjoy anything beyond work. Mai's right, he really is a workaholic.
He was sitting in front of his father—who was watching him with abject disappointment. Oops, looks like I spaced out on him again, he thought, sheepishly. What piece of music was I concentrating on again?
"Houshou! Are you listening to me? Did you hear a word I said?" the older man asked with exasperation.
"I'm sorry, Father. Please forgive me and repeat what you said," Houshou intoned respectfully. Damn interfering old man, he thought menacingly.
His father sighed and closed his eyes. "You are your mother's son," he said.
Anger welled up inside Takigawa and he glared at his father viciously. "I'm your son, too!" he cried, clenching a fist. "It took both of you to make me, in case you'd forgotten!"
"Have I ever claimed otherwise?" his father asked, cracking open an eye to peer at his eldest child. "True, Houshou, we have our differences, but never once have I ever claimed that you were not my son."
Takigawa smiled bitterly. "Differences?" he asked.
"Yes, Houshou, differences. We don't see eye to eye. It's as apparent as the coming dawn. I wanted you to be a monk like me—of all your siblings, you showed the most promise, and so I trained you and taught you everything I know."
"The dawn doesn't come during the rain," he told his father.
"Don't be a smart ass."
Takigawa smiled. "I'm not ready to take your place yet, dad."
"Then continue as you are! One day, you will be," he said. "And when that day comes, you'll return for good."
Takigawa didn't say anything. Maybe, he thought, looking away from his father. My band won't last forever. And using my powers the way I have been makes me happy, even if I am smarting after almost every case.
A sharp 'thwack!' on his head reclaimed his attention. "Ouch!" he cried, glaring at his father and inspecting the place where he'd been hit with gentle, probing fingers.
"Well, if you'd stop going off into La-La-Land, I wouldn't have to resort to that. Now listen! There's not much time. Spells, Houshou, do you remember what I told you about them?"
Takigawa thought back. Hmm… he recalled a vague lesson or two about this very subject… but no, nothing was coming to mind. How the hell old was I when he taught me this?
His father sighed. "You don't remember. Very well, listen. They're dangerous. Your mantras and sutras can't dispel them—you really have no defense except yourself, my son. The spell you're dealing with is particularly insidious and right now, you're feeding it."
"I am?" he asked. What spell…? "Mai!" he gasped.
His father nodded and crossed his arms. "Right. Now, unless you and that cute little girl are going to give me grandbabies to spoil rotten and send home—I'd suggest you wake up and regain your control before anymore damage is done."
"Dad!" he cried, a blush staining his cheeks.
"What? I can hope, right? Someday, my eldest son and heir will give me grandchildren," he said, looking wistful.
"Not with Mai, dad. She's too much like a baby sister."
"You've got three of them already. How many more do you need? Regardless," he said, before Takigawa could answer, "if this is how you see this 'Mai' then wake up already!"
………
Takigawa snapped back to himself. Tearing his mouth from Mai's, he shoved the sophomore away from him, fell to his knees, and buried his face in his hands. Gods above, he thought, as shame and self-loathing filled him. What have I done?
"Mai," he croaked out, "Mai, gods, I'm so very, very sorry."
"Bou-san? Are you okay, now?" she asked, approaching him cautiously.
Stupid, selfless, idiot, he thought. "I don't know," he said truthfully, looking at her. She looked delicious standing in front of him, concern for his well being written all over her face; her hair was mussed, her lips were swollen, and her uniform was in disarray. He felt the spell seize him again. "Mai-chan, go back to the base—go! Or else I'll end up doing it again and I won't be able to stop this time!"
Seeing the monk's serious, pleading expression, Mai wanted to offer comfort. After all, Bou-san was the brother she'd never had. When she saw his eyes darken with desire, she decided against offering any kind of consolation, turned tail, and ran.
Takigawa slumped down against the lockers that he'd pinned Mai to and hung his head between his knees. At least she spared my face, he thought, ruefully. Naru-bou's going to be so disappointed. He squeezed a fist, driving his nails into his palm and using the pain as leverage. Crude, but effective, he thought, listening to the steady pitter-patter of blood drip onto the dirty linoleum. Resisting the urge to chase her took more will power than he thought. He banged his head into the lockers behind him a few times until he was dizzy and the lockers sported some new dents. He slumped against the warm metal and flexed his hand, reveling in the feel of pain.
And that was how Lin found him: slouched against the dented lockers. Well, he thought ruefully, you can't blame your Shiki for this. When Mai had charged into the base, the Shiki he'd left with her returned to him moaning about failure. It told him what happened before Mai could, and that it hadn't known what to do. Its orders had been to guard Mai from the high-school boys that would try to force anything on her. The orders had said not to harm anyone from Lin's group. Perhaps I made a mistake, he thought, surveying the slumped man.
"Yo, Lin-san," the former monk greeted, not looking up. "Is she okay?" he asked.
"She's just fine," the Chinese man replied, crouching down in front of him, carefully avoiding the blood. "Let me see your charm."
The brunette dug it out of his pocket and handed it to him. Lin looked at the spell paper; it was black and starting to flake apart—it had completely degraded. Frowning, he pocketed the crumbling charm and grabbed Takigawa's bicep, intent on pulling the younger man to his feet. He didn't get the chance to—a very familiar voice stopped him.
"Lin-san? Takigawa-san? Are you both all right?"
Simultaneously, they both turned their heads to see Akira peering at them with concern.
He is the last thing I need to see right now, Takigawa thought, gnashing his teeth together. The look on Lin's face indicated that his thoughts were much the same. Is there no getting through to this kid?
Takigawa had no problem with kids—wanted a few of his own someday—but this kid was unbearable. He honestly didn't know why his mother hadn't given him up for adoption.
"Takigawa-san, why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked questioningly. "Shouldn't you be at the base, or whatever you call it? You're bleeding," he said dumbly, catching sight of the dark red droplets on the floor.
Biting his cheek, Takigawa grinned at the young man. "I tried to get rid of the spirit standing behind you, kid. It failed and I ended up on the floor. End of story."
Akira jumped and peered behind him, trying to locate the ghost that Takigawa was talking about, but he couldn't see it. Wait… I don't believe in ghosts anyways, and he knows it! He turned back to the monk. "Very funny, Takigawa-san," he said, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at the monk. "Really, I'm in stitches. So you tried to exorcise something and it failed—doesn't say much about you."
"Oy… kid, just because you're a skeptic, doesn't mean these things don't exist—"
"Anyways, what's he doing?" he said, gesturing to Lin. "Certainly he wasn't thrown to the floor with you, was he?"
The two men looked at each other, as if trying to communicate silently. Akira then noticed something odd. Lin-san's hand—it was gripping Takigawa's bicep. Were they… he gasped. Surely not…he told himself. He looked around surreptitiously, noting for the first time just how empty the hall was.
Puzzled, Lin and Takigawa watched the third-year back away from them a few feet. They watched his blue-brown eyes widen in a sudden revelation.
What's he going to say this…
"You guys weren't about to make out, were you?"
…time—what Lin thought, incredulously. By all that's holy! Is there no end to this boy's stupidity, he wondered when what the boy said finally registered. First he all but accuses me of having nefarious plans for Mai when she's asleep and now this. This is why I'm not fond of kids! He glared at his Shiki—if he didn't know better, he'd say they were snickering at him. Glimpsing at Takigawa, he very nearly cringed when he saw the speculative gleam in the former monk's eyes. What's he planning, he wondered warily.
He didn't have the chance to contemplate. The years of training and relying on his reflexes and instincts kicked in once again. He threw his weight backwards just as Takigawa tugged at his wrist trying to pull him forwards. Still, the ex-monk had a slight advantage over him—he was sitting whereas Lin himself was crouching. Lin's knees struck the hard floor painfully and slipped a bit in the blood that he'd tried so hard to avoid. The hand that had been grasping Takigawa's arm slammed into the locker next to the monk's head—he felt his hand begin to smart and a tingling sensation traveling up his arm. It was with a grim satisfaction, the Chinese man noted breathing heavily, that their short tussle—if it could be called such— had ended in a stalemate. Had it not… Lin wouldn't let his mind contemplate the 'if not' bit.
Unfortunately, the monk still had hold of his wrist and the gleam in his eyes hadn't gone away; it had definitely brightened with mischief. "You hit the nail on the head, kid. Why? Did you want to watch?" he asked, gripping Lin's hand.
He didn't—oh, gods, no! he thought. When Takigawa actually threaded their fingers together, adding to the illusion that they were lovers, it became tempting, oh, so tempting to call for his Shiki and let them rip him to shreds. He envisioned all the painful ways that his Shiki would make the ex-monk suffer.
The third-year's face turned a bit green and he glanced around again. "You know there are several empty classrooms along this corridor, don't you?" he stuttered.
Takigawa blinked. "We don't like classrooms," he said. "Too many desks, we'd have to move them—ruins the mood, you know? To say nothing of the mess."
"Ah… really?" the boy answered, his voice slightly higher in pitch. Obviously, this was making him quite uncomfortable; Lin wasn't too happy himself; the urge to kill the former monk was growing by the minute. He glared to his right where his Shiki were laughing at his current plight.
"Janitor's closet?" Akira asked, gesturing vaguely behind him.
Takigawa glanced at Lin and then at himself. His mouth creased into a thoughtful frown. "I don't think we'd fit. We're a bit big—no pun intended.
If I slap him upside the head… would it help? No, that would only give the brat the idea that we were having a lover's spat or something, Lin thought, with resignation. He looked over at the third-year and noticed that the boy's face was a sickly shade of green. Lin could empathize with him in this case.
"Right then, where were we?" Takigawa asked. His unbloodied hand wrapped around the back of Lin's neck and pulled him forwards.
If he dares—!
"I'm outta here! You two have fun!"
They heard the rapid fall of footsteps race in the other direction.
"Takigawa-san, this had better be due to the lust spell over the school, and I swear, if you kiss me, you'll sorely regret it," Lin said, as the other man's mouth moved closer to his own.
It must have been his tone. Lin couldn't imagine why—it was only colder than the artic right then. All at once he was freed and Takigawa slumped back against the lockers again. He chuckled weakly. "Sorry," he said, apologetically. "I'm surprised that actually worked, considering how skeptical he is."
"Excuse me?" Lin asked, easing himself away. He couldn't move back quite as far as he wanted—the ex-monk still had his hand. He looked at it and then at the younger man pointedly.
Grinning, Takigawa unclasped his hand and allowed Lin to escape. The Chinese man moved away completely and glared at him, demanding an explanation. The ex-monk rubbed the back of his neck, peering down the hall in the direction that Akira had scampered off in. "I didn't want to tell him what really happened. On the other hand, I couldn't guarantee that he'd even buy that little act of mine, seeing how skeptical he is of everything else. Don't worry," he told the dark-haired man. "I seriously don't think of you in that light—I just couldn't think of any other way to get rid of that brat. The last thing we need is him hanging around Mai right now and blabbing to her. Naru-bou might actually kill him if he sees him."
Lin shook his head. I don't even want to think about what Naru will say when he hears of this! Come to think of it, I don't want to know what the others will say, either. He doubted that Takigawa would say anything, but Akira would return to the base to visit Mai at some point in time, and when that happened, everyone at SPR would know the story. "All the same, I feel the need to inform you that if you ever do that again, I'll let my Shiki rend you limb from limb."
"Ooo!" Takigawa said, teasingly. "There's a fancy way of saying I'll die and most painfully."
"You will," Lin replied, hauling the other man to his feet. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah. The only thing that's really hurt is my pride," the monk said, taking a few stumbling steps forward.
Right, Lin thought. He must have tried to beat himself up. Lin thoughtfully surveyed the lockers that Takigawa had been leaning against. Those dents look new. That idiot, he thought. Surely his father taught him better techniques than the ones he used! "You seem to have quite a hard head, Takigawa-san," Lin said, dragging one of the monk's arms around his shoulders; he put his other arm around Takigawa's waist, to help support his slouching frame. Straightening, Lin glanced at the bassist. "Try not to kiss me this time, if you don't mind."
"Yeah, no problem. You're still upset."
"It's going to take me quite some time to get over that," Lin replied, starting to walk slowly.
"Point taken. But imagine if I had answered the negative."
Lin frowned. He knew what would have happened had Takigawa answered otherwise. "We'd be back at the base with Akira-san hurling accusations at you every which way. That doesn't mean that I have to like it."
"I know. Are you sure she's okay?"
"Positive," Lin told him decisively.
"Good."
'All parents just want their children to be happy, Houshou-kun. And right now, you are. Your happiness makes us happy. Come back and visit, won't you? Bring your friends with you, especially that girl you consider to be yet another baby sister. And for heaven's sake, try not to forget your mother's birthday! It's in two weeks. I'm not getting a gift for you again or signing your name on a card, you lazy bum. Two weeks is plenty of time.'
Takigawa stopped and wheeled around sharply, looking up and down the hall.
"Takigawa-san?" Lin asked.
"Nothing," the musician replied, fighting a wave of vertigo. "I thought…" he said trailing off. Lin waited patiently, watching the man's bewildered face. "I thought I heard my father's voice."
"Is your father dead?"
"No. Far from it. I talked briefly with him two days ago. Weird," he commented, shaking his head and making himself more dizzy. "I guess that's strange. Come to think of it, he helped me come back to myself when I was under the spell's influence."
"Let's go," Lin said. "Matsuzaki-san should examine you to see if you have a concussion."
The former monk frowned at the Chinese man. "You know, I'm tempted to respond with 'I'm not crazy.'"
"I wasn't implying that you were, and you know it. You are, however, stumbling something fierce and I can only imagine how many times you slammed your head into the lockers before I found you."
Damn the man, Takigawa thought. I don't know who's more observant, Lin or Naru. "I wanted—no, had the most primal urge to take off after her when she started running back to the base." He opened his hand where his nails had been forcibly driven into the soft flesh of his palm. He stared at the bloody half-crescents decorating his hand. "This only helped so much. But the more I thought about it, the more I envisioned getting up and taking off after her… would you mind if I shut up now?"
"Finish it," Lin told him sternly, as they progressed slowly down the hallway. "It could be relevant, you know that."
"It's embarrassing."
"Who else besides me is going to hear you? You and I are the only ones in the hall, right now," Lin pointed out.
"I hate you," the monk groused, stumbling a bit
"We're even, then. I'm not too happy with you right now, either."
"Okay, okay—gimme a sec," the bassist said, pausing to collect his thoughts. "The more I thought about chasing after Mai, the more excited I became." He looked over at Lin and found his expression thoughtful. "What?" Takigawa asked.
"Theoretically speaking, what would have happened if you'd chased and caught her?"
The brunette froze, bringing Lin to a sudden halt; a sardonic smile crossed the monk's face. "Probably would've tried to make her mine in every aspect of the word."
"The same thing with Naru; he virtually told her the exact same thing the other day."
"That's right—he did, didn't he?" Takigawa said, as they began to walk again. "Say, Lin-san, did Naru say anything about how he woke from the spell?"
"He didn't, no. Knowing Naru, he won't. Why?"
"Just curious if he received help from an outside source."
The Chinese man shrugged one shoulder.
"There was something I wanted to ask you—dammit, what was it again?" he muttered to himself. "It had to do with one of Mai's dreams…"
"Remember after you've received a clean bill of health."
"Yeah, okay," Takigawa said falling silent. He spoke up again a few minutes later. "Did Naru-bou ever tell you what happened when we stopped to pick up the allergy medicine you requested on the first day of this case?"
"No. Why?"
Takigawa started snickering. Lin waited patiently; if the bassist was laughing, obviously Naru hadn't done something he'd classify as 'too stupid.' In a low, conspiratorial voice, the monk recounted what had happened.
"Did he take it?" Lin asked, his eyes shining with mirth; there was a small smirk on his lips.
"Nah. He shoved the box away from him, took his change, and stormed out."
"He would, wouldn't he?"
"Oh, by the way, Lin-san?"
The Chinese man glanced at him questioningly.
"You didn't hear this from me."
"Hear what?" My, won't the Professor and his wife get a kick out of that?
………
Yasuhara stared with vexation at the note posted on the door of his class. He couldn't say it hadn't been coming—the entire class knew it had. Many of he students had probably signed up for the course because of it. Still, he felt a little cheated; it had taken a lot of persuading on his part to convince his advisor to sign him up for the class. The least the university could do was have a back-up professor. Then again, this course was more of a specialty—not everyone could teach it. Oh, well, he thought. You have free afternoons until next semester, it seems. More time for your other classes, old boy, he told himself.
Turning, he walked out of the classroom building, intent on going home and relaxing—it wasn't like he had any homework or reading to do for the next couple of weeks; or papers, for that matter. He'd done them already. His Western Humanities professor had been flabbergasted when Yasuhara handed in the two listed papers for the first half of the semester. He couldn't understand why, though. He'd asked in detail about them after class one day because he was curious and wanted to get them done and out of the way. He'd done the same for other class assignments, too. It was a bit of a walk to the bus station—but the day was nice so he didn't mind it. His mother was surprised when he walked in and announced his arrival.
"Welcome back," she said. "Come to the kitchen and have a snack, Osamu."
He followed his mother into the cozy kitchen and paused to breathe in the scents of his mother's cooking.
"Well, Osamu? Are you coming?"
"Ah, yes, mother," he responded, stepping over to the kitchen counter where she set a plate of Daifuku in front of him. Pulling out a stool, he sat down. "Thank you. It's time to eat," he said, in a short prayer. Picking up one of the sweets, he bit into and munched—he did so enjoy his mother's cooking.
"Why are you home so early?" she asked, setting a glass of juice in front of him and helping herself to one of the sweet treats.
Yasuhara waited until he was finished chewing and took a sip of pineapple juice. "My afternoon class was cancelled for the rest of the semester."
She raised a brow in question.
"It seems the professor had her baby and is now on maternity leave. Apparently, she's the only one who can teach that class."
"You don't sound very upset," she observed.
"The bus ride calmed me down," he said, smiling and returning to his snack.
"You're terrible at lying, Osamu-kun."
"Oh? I've fooled people before, though, and very well, if I do say so myself."
"Those poor, deluded souls weren't your parents. And they didn't raise you, either," she said, shaking a finger at him with mock severity.
"You know me so well," he conceded. It was true—he could lie to anyone…except his parents. They simply saw right through it, his mother especially. "You must be psychic," he said, snagging another Daifuku from the plate and taking a big bite.
She shrugged. "I have a more logical explanation for you— I'm a mother," she said simply. "Specifically, your mother. It's a mother's prerogative to know her children. You received a phone call while you were at class," she told him. "The person who called commented that the real Shibuya-san would like to know if you'd be willing to assist with their latest project."
"Ah! Since I have afternoons free now, sure."
She stared at him.
"What?" he inquired.
"Nothing," she said shaking her head. "I'm a bit surprised that you're willing to simply jump into the fray without knowing all the details."
"Why Mother, whatever are you implying? You know I'm always willing to help out."
She gave him a knowing smile. "That's very true—so long as you either concocted the details, or had a hand in them. Anyhow, Shibuya-san—that is, if I talked to him—said to check the local paper and then call. The Tokyo Shimbun is behind you on the table," she said, before he could ask.
"Thank you," he said, turning and grabbing it from where it rested. "On the subject of Shibuya-san… who knows if that curse at school would have gone away should it have succeeded?"
His mother smiled at him. "Try no cot to get hurt, Osamu-kun."
Nodding, he left the kitchen and made his way to his room. His room was simple, nothing fancy and neat as a pin. A neatly made, western-style, double bed sat in one corner and near it, his desk. A laptop—a gift from his parents upon acceptance into university—sat in the center of the workstation. To his left was a door that opened to his closet and straight across from the door leading to into his room sat a bookshelf that had books and manga neatly stacked on the dust-free shelves. The walls were mostly bare, except for a few posters here and there, mostly of academic nature, but there were a few RPG posters scattered. Crossing to his bed, he dumped his book bag onto it and stepped over to his desk. Moving the laptop to the corner, he sat down, opened the paper, and began to search for anything pertaining to what Shibuya-san might be working on—the man was extremely picky, and even that was an understatement.
Convincing Shibuya-san to take the case at his former high school had consisted of a petition from the students and a great deal of pleading. And nothing in the paper was catching his eye. He thought back to the paper articles pertaining to his school—their titles were catchy. "Fire In A Deserted Room!" "Psychic Phenomena Continue," and his personal favorite: "Cause Unknown! Mysterious Food Poisoning."
"Magic, or Hormones?"
It seemed he'd found it.
"A little over a year ago, Shibuya Psychic Research, a company that specializes exclusively in psychic phenomena was called to Mountain Valley High School to investigate a series of strange events preventing the demolition of an old classroom building that had been condemned. Now, SPR has been called back; this time, to investigate a problem affecting the school proper.
"Or rather, it's male population.
"In a short period of time and for whatever reason, the male population of Mountain Valley High has developed a sudden and inexplicable infatuation with sophomore Taniyama Mai."
Ta…Taniyama-san? Yasuhara thought, stunned. Just what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? He smoothed the newsprint and continued reading.
"According to sources, the events started off relatively mild. Taniyama-san was the reluctant recipient of flowers and chocolates for a week. All that changed in a bizarre turn of events when two upper classmen chased her from school and all the way to where she worked."
Chased, he wondered, frowning. Why? What happened—what changed, he questioned in his mind. First flowers and candy and then chased. Something doesn't add up. What can happen in a week? He filed the questions away for later when he had more information to help shed light.
"Taniyama-san was unharmed by either of the young men."
Thank heavens for that, Yasuhara thought, smiling and turning the page.
'We are thankful that Taniyama was unharmed and continues to remain so,' said Vice-Principal Kotoko Satsuma. 'We are also grateful that Shibuya-san and his team have agreed to return to the school and get to the bottom of this mess.'
Mess, Yasuhara thought. She says it so easily—like it's something that she can sweep underneath the carpet and hide.
"What is going on and how close is SPR to finding the responsible party, are the two top questions on everyone's minds.
"Shibuya Kazuya-san, president and owner of Shibuya Psychic Research could not be reached for a comment, but his associate, Koujo Lin-san commented briefly in a phone interview:
"'We've just started our investigation. As of now, we do not have any theories or suspicions. This could be the result of a malicious spirit, a botched spell that a curious student tried, or even something as mundane as hormones. This is high school after all.'
"'I suppose it could be hormones,' said Akemi Tsushino, the biology teacher in response to Lin-san's claim. 'If the boys were hypnotized.'
"Parents, teachers, and some students are also scoffing at the idea of magic. According to one student, they'd rather it was a malicious spirit or hormones.
"'…something that can be exorcized. This school needs to return to normal soon!' said third year Yukimura Hotaru-san, the secretary of the Student Council.
Looks like your hormone theory isn't very popular, Lin-san, Yasuhara thought, grinning. But it's so strange that he'd say that. Especially when he knows that it can't be because of hormones. The article mentioned the male population of Taniyama-san's school. I'm going to assume that's not just students. So it must extend to the teachers, as well, and they're beyond the age of high-school hormones.
"Others still aren't so sure and are willing to accept that magic might indeed be the culprit. Some even point their fingers at Taniyama-san herself, believing her to be the cause.
"'It wouldn't be surprising if she was. She could have gotten a spell from where she works, seeing that she works for SPR,' said Vice-Principal Satsuma."
Cruel-hearted witch! Taniyama-san would never do such a thing!
"'Shibuya-san himself told me that they had quite a few materials at their office that Taniyama could have gotten a hold of.'"
Sh…Shibuya-san? Yasuhara thought incredulously. Why would you incriminate Taniyama-san like that… wait, why would he? As much as he makes fun of her, I can't see him taking on a case only to sell her to the wolves. What else did Shibuya-san say about this, I wonder.
"'We do not believe that Taniyama-san is in any way or form responsible for the current crisis at her school,' Lin-san said with firm finality.
"Taniyama-san remains unavailable for comment.
"Is it magic, a spirit, or hormones? The question of what is causing the odd events here at Mountain Valley High remains, for now, unanswered."
Yasuhara put the paper down and sat back. Taniyama-san, how do you manage to attract so much trouble? Is it a gift? It had to be, Yasuhara decided.
Leaving his room, he wandered back to the entrance hall and grabbed the notepad and portable phone from the small table they rested on and retreated back to his room, but not before sneaking into the kitchen and snatching one last Daifuku from the half-gone plate. Taking a small bite and chewing slowly, he dialed the number quickly and waited. After a few rings, he was rewarded with Lin-san's voice.
"Ah, Lin-san, good afternoon. It's Yasuhara."
"Good afternoon, Yasuhara-san," Lin replied, his tone as polite as ever. "Hold on a moment and I'll get Naru for you."
"Thank you very much, Lin-san."
"A moment."
Yasuhara could almost see the Chinese man bowing. True to his word, however, Shibuya-san's smooth baritone came over the line.
"Yasuhara-san, how may I help you?"
"Shibuya-san, good afternoon. It's good to hear from you again—but shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"You read the article, then." It was a statement, not a question.
"I did," Yasuhara replied. "She's all right, isn't she?" he asked tentatively. He wanted to believe the paper, he really did, but the media was generally biased and had to be taken with a grain of salt. "Not that I think the article is lying, but…" he trailed off. He wasn't a violent person by any stretch of the word; he preferred to hide his claws until the time was right, but Taniyama was someone he'd considered to be a genuine friend. In high school, he'd had few of those, but many fake friends—students who were friends with him based on his popularity and connections in the school.
"She's just fine, Yasuhara-san; the article wasn't lying."
He could almost hear Shibuya-san smiling and he reminded himself that Shibuya-san didn't smile very often; Yasuhara didn't think he'd ever seen the man smile. "Well, that's a relief," he replied, a smile blossoming over his face. "How can I help?"
"I know you're in classes at university, so let me ask first if you have any free time."
"In the mornings, no, but I do have quite a bit in the afternoon as of today."
"I see. That's good to hear. Here's what I'd like you to do: I need some research done on the grounds where Mai's school is. I want to know what was here before the school and I want as much information as you can find about it."
Reaching into the top drawer of his desk, Yasuhara pulled out a pad and pen and hastily scribbled down what Shibuya-san had just said. "Anything else?" he asked.
"For the moment, no. Bring it by when you can. The address is—"
"That's not necessary, Shibuya-san; I know where Taniyama-san's school is located."
Silence greeted him at that statement. Eh? What's this? Yasuhara wondered. "Shibuya-san? Is everything all right?" he asked curiously.
"It never fails to amaze me how many people know where to find Mai," Naru said at last.
Yasuhara couldn't resist. "Why, Shibuya-san, don't tell me you're jealous!"
His effort was rewarded with a dial tone. Yasuhara pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it with mild surprise. A gleeful, albeit wicked, smile lit up his features. Oh, he couldn't wait to see Taniyama! Re-folding the paper, Yasuhara tossed it to his bed and pulled his laptop back to the center of the desk. Opening the top, he turned it on. Well, he might as well get started right here before venturing out to do more legwork.
………
Thursday, day six.
Lin fought the urge to call his Shiki every time he heard Akira-san's voice. It really hadn't been a very good day—well, it had started going downhill when he and Mai arrived at the school. Boys galore had come to Mai, eager to give her the flowers and candy they'd bought for her. When she accepted them, however, the boys tried to swoop in and claim a kiss. Lucky for Mai, she'd gotten good at dodging from unpleasant things—one of the perks of working on so many paranormal cases and always being the one to get attacked by whatever they were investigating. Then she'd been kicked out of her third class when a fight broke out—she'd relocated to the base room to do her work where they could all keep an eye on her, and now, Akira-san had come back to harass them. After a two-day grace period, the little brat had returned and was severely trying everyone's patience—Mai's included. John was currently in his role as the mediator, and he was trying his best to get Akira-san to leave so they could get back to work. The young lady that had accompanied Akira-san was trying her damndest to get him to leave the room, too.
Lin sighed. He was tired—tired of this case; he wanted to wrap it up and soon. He wasn't weary of protecting Mai—he did that in his own covert way, anyhow. But he was sick of re-laying protections every morning so he didn't fall victim to the curse. With just two stolen kisses it had become stronger, so his shields against it had to become stronger too. He watched Akira carry on a one-sided argument with Naru and felt a vicious pain begin to stab mercilessly at his temples. Reaching one hand up, he began to massage his forehead in an attempt to alleviate the pain. He really couldn't take much more of this. E-mails from various acquaintances that he'd contacted about this case were sitting neglected—and they were important; they might be able to shed some light on this case. Again, the girl tugged pleadingly at Akira's uniform in an effort to make him stop. He ignored her. Giving up, she stepped back and pulled her long, thick braid over her shoulder and began to play with it nervously.
That's it, Lin decided after the fifth accusation leveled at Naru, standing up. This has continued for far too long; it's high time for him to leave. Before he could say anything, however, the door opened again, revealing Yasuhara. If the university freshman was nonplussed with the scene in front of him, he certainly wasn't showing it—his smile didn't waver an inch; if anything, it grew a tad bit wider, the smile of an actor; the smile he'd used on their case in Suwa when he was impersonating Naru. A grin of his own tugged at Lin's lips—he was sure that Akira-san wasn't going to like Yasuhara one bit. It was a delightful realization—he couldn't wait.
Spying her friend, Mai aimed a sunny smile at him. "Yasuhara-san!" she exclaimed in delight. "What are you doing here?"
Turning to the sophomore, Yasuhara's smile gentled and became less of an actor's smile and more genuine. "Taniyama-san, it's been a while, hasn't it?" he said, shrugging off his small book bag and going over to her. "How are you?" he asked, grinning down at her.
Here, her smile turned wan. "Holding up," she said. "It's been a bit rough, lately."
"So I've heard," he responded, his tone sympathetic.
"And who might you be?" Akira asked, breaking off his conversation with Naru and turning to Yasuhara.
"Ah, I'm Yasuhara, pleased to meet you," he said, bowing to the third-year.
"Yasuhara-san, this is Akira-kun; he's the big brother of one of my best friends," Mai said when Akira simply watched the other boy.
Unbending a bit, the third-year approached the newcomer. "Hiritomo Akira," he said shortly. "How do you know Mai-chan?"
Yasuhara smiled widely. "I'm her tutor. Didn't she tell you?"
Bou-san, Lin, and John shared a short grin with each other; Naru smirked, obviously pleased that Yasuahara's arrival had distracted Akira. Trust Yasuhara-san to easily slip into acting mode.
"And who might you be?" Yasuhara asked smoothly, turning to the young lady standing next to Akira.
"Yukimura Hotaru," she said bowing.
"Yukimura-san is the secretary of the Student Council," Mai said, getting up from the couch and going over to Yasuhara's side.
"Really? And you're a third-year too, are you not?" he asked, remembering her from the article he'd read.
"Yes. How did you know?" she asked.
"Let me guess," Akira said, "you're psychic."
Yasuhara blinked and looked surprised, but not for long; his smile returned in full. "Nothing of the sort. She was in the Tokyo Shimbun. The article that quoted her labeled Yukimura-san as a third-year."
Stunned was the best description for Akira right then. Or flabbergasted—yes, flabbergasted was better, Lin decided, sitting down once again and trying not to laugh. The boy looked like a brick had hit him.
"So you're not psychic."
Yasuhara chuckled. "Afraid not. I'm just Taniyama-san's tutor. She called me last night and asked me to come by today. She had a feeling she wouldn't be in class and directed me here. We've had many study sessions in this room—although, not with so many people." He turned to Mai. "I hope this won't ruin your concentration, Taniyama-san. You know I'm quite the slave-driver when I tutor people."
Mai smiled. "It shouldn't, Yasuhara-san."
"Wonderful!" Beaming, he turned back to Akira and put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Well, then, if you'll excuse us, I'll get started on drilling information into Taniyama-san's head," he said, steering Akira towards the door. "She skips so much school, we wouldn't want her to become dumb."
"No…that's true, we don't want that," Akira said, bemused.
"Then you won't mind coming back and talking to Taniyama-san later? Perhaps tomorrow? I have a feeling that by the time we're done she'll be snapping and snarling like a piranha. It'd be a shame if any friend of Mai's were on the receiving end of it," Yasuhara said, oblivious to Mai's boiling temper. Opening the door, he all but shoved Akira out of the room, all the while thanking him for his concern, and no, really, he could manage tutoring her on his own just fine—he'd been doing so for several months—thank you anyways for the generous offer.
Shaking her head and smiling, the young lady turned to Mai and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry about him, Mai-chan. He usually doesn't act like that."
"I know. He's been acting so weird lately!"
"Do you think it's stress?"
As if, Lin thought. The only one who had the right to claim stress right now was Mai.
"Maybe," the sophomore said, shrugging.
Hotaru looked at her watch. "Well, lunch is over. I need to get going. I didn't even get to eat anything," she complained. Approaching Mai, she gave the girl a brief hug and a pat on the head, before she bowed to everyone else in the room and took her leave.
"What's wrong, Mai?" Takigawa asked, when the girl was gone.
"Yukimura-san's also acting oddly," she said thoughtfully.
"How do you mean, Mai-san?" John asked, looking at her with curiosity.
Mai frowned. "She's…"
"What?" Naru asked.
Mai shook her head. "Back to normal, I guess."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Ayako asked.
"Ever since she and Akira broke up, she hasn't been the same—crying all the time, unable to be in the same room with him, that sort of thing. But today, she was in the room and even trying to get him to leave all of us alone. I wonder how she got over him so fast. She was really broken up about their relationship ending."
"The mind works in mysterious ways," Yasuhara said, rejoining them. "Whew! Where do you find such friends, Taniyama-san?" he asked.
"He came with a friend," she said, giving him a strained smile. "He's always treated me like a little sister, though. This affection of his is new."
"I don't think he sees you as a sister anymore. I'd say he has a very big crush on you."
Mai flinched. "Seems that way, doesn't it?" she replied, chuckling weakly.
Ayako approached Yasuhara and handed him a charm. "What's this?" he asked, taking and looking at it curiously.
"We're dealing with a lust spell, Yasuhara-san," Naru said. "Keep the charm on you at all times and check it often to make sure it doesn't degrade completely."
Nodding, Yasuhara tucked the talisman into the pocket of his shirt. Going back to his backpack, he pulled out a sheaf of papers and approached Naru's side, beginning to explain to him what he'd uncovered yesterday and earlier in the morning.
Bou-san watched the two young men for a moment before going over to Lin and flopping down next to him. "Yo, Lin-san, got a minute?" he asked.
Mildly annoyed at the interruption, Lin looked up, intending to ask Takigawa to wait until he was done reading through his e-mails; at the grave look on the man's face, he nodded and minimized what he was reading, giving the former monk his full attention. "What can I do for you, Takigawa-san?"
"There was something I wanted to talk to you about the other day, but I couldn't remember."
Ah, the other day…when he'd succumbed to the spell. Lin waited for him to continue.
"While I was walking with Mai to the base—just before the spell got me—I was thinking about this entire situation."
"How do you mean?"
"I was wondering if this was just a spell, if you follow me."
The Chinese man frowned. "Vaguely," he said, motioning for him to continue.
"Can spells change into curses?" Takigawa asked. "I mean, I know the flaw of my logic is that curses are spells, but—" he said, breaking off before he started rambling about a subject he had little to no knowledge on.
Lin looked at him thoughtfully, wondering where he was going with this. "Some can. It depends on who cast it and what they were aiming for. You're essentially right to say that curses are spells—they are. Spells, however, are a broad term—though don't tell the dictionary I said so. They're words—or phrases—and magical energy formed into an order. Curses, on the other hand, are specific in nature. They're a spell meant to cause harm any which way the caster wants—no more and no less."
"Thanks for clarifying that," the bassist said, nodding. "Now that you've explained, here's what I was wondering just before succumbing. We've claimed that this is "'just a spell.'" What if it's not? The other day, Mai told me that in her dream, she saw the spell as a dark red cloud over the school, and then she saw a black wisp travel into the center of the cloud and curl up. I began to wonder if the spell had changed, somehow. And I started thinking—that black phantasm…what if it represented a stolen kiss? At that time—"
Takigawa broke off and nodded grimly, seeing that Lin followed his line of thought at last.
Lin brought his hand up to his mouth in thought. "Naru's kiss. Which means, that the next time she dreams, there'll be another wisp to add to that one that's already there."
"The kiss I stole," Takigawa said, nodding. He looked at Lin curiously. "She hasn't dreamed anything lately?"
"If she has, she hasn't mentioned it. If you're right about this being a curse instead of a spell, it means we've been way off base. The question isn't why it was cast—it's what the aim of casting it is." He gestured to the computer screen and brought up the e-mail that he'd been reading. "An associate of mine from England," he said. "I contacted him because he's dealt with something similar. The lust spell he dealt with had been cast as a punishment."
"Punishment? Lust isn't necessarily negative, is it?" Takigawa asked. "How can it be punishment?"
Lin looked over at Mai, who was working on her schoolwork, oblivious to them all, and then back at the former monk. "Loss of innocence is quite the punishment when it's violent."
Takigawa's eyes widened and he very nearly choked. "Mai…" he stuttered, getting up and taking a step towards her. Lin stopped him.
"Don't," the Chinese man warned in a low voice. "We're not going to tell anyone until she's out of the room—we can't. She'll become hysterical if we do."
That calmed the former monk down and he sank back into the chair. "All right, how do we get her out of the room so we can tell the others?"
Lin looked over at the sophomore and then at John. "You'll have to relay this to Brown-san later. Taniyama-san," he called.
"Mai," she said, automatically, not looking up. She was very sick of hearing 'Taniyama-san.' It sounded so impersonal and unfriendly—she hated that. Yasuhara-san, she decided, was the next person she worked on with that.
Lin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Mai," he said.
She looked up at him. Reaching into his pocket, Lin produced the keys to the van, setting them on the table. "There are some documents I need you to retrieve. They should be in the back, in a manila envelope. Brown-san, will you accompany her?"
"Sure," the young exorcist said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his charm to make certain it hadn't fully degraded. Seeing that it was gone further than he felt comfortable with, he handed it to Ayako and claimed a fresh one from the box. Looking at Mai, he smiled. "Coming, Mai-san?"
She nodded and stood. Going over to where Lin and Bou-san sat, she grabbed the keys and left without a word.
"Heck of a lie, even for you," Takigawa commented when they were out of the room.
"Who said it was a lie? I was telling the truth. They're not here because Taniyama-san got bombarded with boys when we arrived."
"Mai," Takigawa corrected.
Lin glared at him. "Don't you start, too."
"Sorry," he said, holding his hands up placatingly. "Why John?" Takigawa asked.
"Would you try anything with a priest looking at you with disappointment?"
Takigawa considered. "Nope." He looked at the others in the room—now or never. "Ah, Lin-san and I have some news," he announced.
………
Outside, Mai searched the back of the van with mounting frustration. She was going to kill Lin-san for sending her on a wild goose-chase. There was no manila envelope anywhere! I'll bet he sent me out here so he could talk to the others in private! He was so going to get it.
"Anything yet, Mai-san?" John asked.
"No," she replied angrily. "I'm beginning to think we've been had, John."
"Now, Mai-san," John said soothingly. "Why would Lin-san do that?"
"So he could talk to everyone else without me in the room!" she all but snarled.
Actually, John thought, that does seem like something that Shibuya-san and Lin-san would do. I suppose they'll bring me up to speed later. He watched the frustrated girl continue to poke around without success. Climbing into the back of the van, he smiled at her sympathetically. "Mai-san, I'll help you look, okay? Lin-san said that we're looking for a manila envelope, correct?"
She nodded. Rolling up his sleeves, John began to search around and under the shelves lining the van. Poor girl, he thought, as he hunted around the back. Why does she always seem to be the one that horrible things happen to, he wondered, reaching underneath a shelf with questing fingers. They landed on something. Holding his breath, he slid it towards him and his eyes lighted upon the elusive envelope Lin had sent them hunting for.
"Mai-san," he said, smiling jubilantly, turning to show her his find.
Mai turned around. "You found it!" she exclaimed, happily. "Thank you, John!" she said.
He smiled shyly. "No problem, Mai-san," he replied, holding it out to her. From what we've been told, she's had two kisses stolen—and from our own party. Surely that means something, doesn't it? But what? John wondered, as she reached over to take it. First Shibuya-san and then Takigawa-san. Who's next, I wonder?
She scooted closer to him and took the envelope and opened it, pulling out one of the papers. She frowned. I can't read this at all!
"Mai-san?"
"I hope this is right," she told him, "because I can't read this at all."
John leaned forward and looked over the paper. He couldn't read it either—much less identify the language, seeing that he was looking at it was upside-down. He moved over to sit next to Mai and took another look. Italian, John thought. It's in Italian. Too bad—if it were in Latin, German, or French, I could translate it for her. "Sorry, Mai-san," he told her with regret.
"Eh?" she asked, looking at him.
He smiled at her. "It's in Italian. I never studied Italian, or I'd translate the page for you."
She smiled. "Don't worry about it. I don't think I'm that curious, anyhow. I wonder if there's anything in Japanese," she said, digging through the packet.
Two kisses, he thought watching her. Why am I so obsessed with how many kisses have been stolen from her? I'm certainly not going to add to the number. He then noticed that Mai was sitting very close to him—or he was sitting close to her. Same difference, he thought, absentmindedly. Something about the situation unsettled him. Should I check my charm? He looked at his watch. No, we've only been here for fifteen minutes. The other one lasted for a good three hours and probably would have lasted longer had I not decided to play it safe.
Two kisses. Shibuya-san first—Takigawa-san second.
What's wrong with me? John wondered, frowning. Why can't I stop thinking about that. It's like my mind is going in circles and refuses to drop the subject of Mai-san having two kisses stolen already.
"John?"
He flinched but didn't answer her.
"John?" she asked again. "Are you all right?" She scooted closer to peer at his face. He looked okay—just a bit troubled. "John, what is it?"
The very question, he thought sardonically as thoughts of Shibuya-san and Takigawa-san kissing Mai floated around his mind. It hit him then. I'm…I'm jealous! he thought incredulously. How can I be, though? I don't care… I do, he realized miserably. I do care. I've taken a vow of celibacy—I'm not allowed to kiss an attractive woman. …And why not? Why can't I? Just once, I want to do something like kiss a girl. Unthinkingly, John pressed Mai into one of the shelves, capturing her lips with his.
The papers in her hand scattered to the floor of the van and her eyes widened. Oh, John, she thought sadly, as he pressed himself closer and deepened the kiss; one hand landed on her back and pulled her closer, the other went to her neck to hold her in place.
A lone tear slipped from her eye and landed on one of the many scattered papers. Not you too, she thought forlornly. John.
A/N: Ah, no, I don't know if Takigawa has any brothers or sisters. I just decided that he did for the purposes of this story. Please don't ask if it's true—I really have no clue. Hey! That rhymes. On the subject of Mai's school—I think Mountain Valley is actually what Mai's family name translates to; I'm borrowing it for the name of Mai's high school since Ono-sensei never mentioned it in the novels.