Shades of Lust

by Kyia Star

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned; nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.-- William Congreve

10. Middle of the Middle and End of the End

Chapter ten: The middle of middle and end of the end.

A/N: One down, one more piece to go. This is the last full chapter of Shades of Lust. All that's left is the epilogue. Thanks to thisissong on LiveJounal for her idea. XD You'll see what I mean. I hadn't even thought of it until she mentioned it. But thanks to her idea, this chapter turned out much better than I anticipated. And a very, very, large thanks to kagedreams, also on LiveJournal for allowing me to bounce ideas to her for this chapter—especially when I was floundering badly and lost perspective. I had elaborate plans for this chapter and they're not happening; it's painful to remind yourself that elaborate plans don't always have to be and they can lead to pitfalls and traps. Pride goeth before a fall, as they say.

Bows deeply Thank you, to my wonderful beta-reader, TitianWren and please congratulate her on her wonderful sense of humor! This chapter is not only dedicated to KageDreams, but to all my readers, both on LiveJournal and Fanfiction Network. Thank you for all your support and making me and this story a favorite.

Disclaimer: Seriously, haven't you people caught on yet?

Sunday, day eight, early in the morning…

"Of course. So long as the knowledge and power is there," the Chinese man answered, swallowing a yawn and giving his head a small shake. Looking down at the bed to a sleeping Mai, he moved towards the bathroom. "Why are you calling so late, Naru?"

"I think Yukimura Hotaru is a willing host. A ghost could feed off her energy to cast this spell, right?"

Instant energy and they both knew that. "Why in the world are you calling so late?"

"Here's the problem," Naru said. Lin felt himself grow frustrated. Damn that boy—he's ignoring me!

"The curse can't be stopped; it's too far along."

That brought Lin to attention.

"It's also a bit too late—but really, we needed you to protect her from us."

"This spell has done a number on this group," Lin admitted. "Back to what you said about not being able to sop the curse."

"It's too far along. Two more kisses and it's done."

"One," Lin said quietly.

"One?" Naru repeated. "Mai's dream, right?" he asked, before Lin could explain.

"Yes, a doppelganger, it seems."

"Whose?"

Lin stayed silent and Naru frowned ferociously. "Yours," Naru said quietly.

"If it aimed to get all of us, it succeeded," the Chinese man said quietly. "If we can't stop, what do you propose?"

Before Naru answered that he asked, "Did the principal ever bring any information regarding the "'ghost scare'" that happened before Mai got to the school?"

"No, he didn't. But one of Mai's friends might know—specifically, the older brother of said friend."

"Which one?"

"Keiko-san. Mai asked her as well, when Keiko-san delivered her homework to her."

"When was this?" Naru asked.

"After Brown-san asked to be excused from the case. What do you think the correlation between the two is?" Lin asked.

"I don't know," Naru admitted. "But… my gut instinct says there is one. Until we know the story, we won't know."

"So how do you plan on getting Yukimura-san to a place where we can exorcize the ghost?" Lin asked. Getting rid of the ghost, after all, was the only option since they couldn't stop the curse—completing it, or allowing it to complete and trying to stop the consequences was not an option.

"Wake Mai. Tell her to call Keiko-san and ask her get in touch with her elder brother."

Lin blinked. Idiotic, workaholic scientist! "Naru, do you know what time it is?" Lin asked mildly.

Blinking, the young president of SPR looked around until he found the clock. He frowned when he realized the time. "Wake her around seven or eight and ask her then," he conceded grudgingly. "If at all possible, I want to talk with Keiko-san's older brother. I want to hear the story before going forward. Call me the minute there's news." That said, Naru hung up and started to plan.

The curse is too far along to stop—so my main focus now is ending everything with minimal damage to Mai. If we can't stop the curse, then we need to get rid of the cause of the curse. That's the ghost possessing Yukimura-san. He picked up the packet that Yasuhara had given him when he researched the area where Mai's school was and flipped through it with a thoughtful frown. There was a fishing village here at one point—and I think that's what Mai's been dreaming about. The ghost was either a native to the fishing village, or lived and died there. He continued to flip through the packet and frowned when he didn't see anything more detailed pertaining to the village. That's Yasuhara-san's next project, he decided. I want to know everything he can find; there have to be records somewhere, he thought, sitting back down on the couch. I'll have John do the exorcism itself. As soon as the ghost is out of Yukimura-san's body, I'll let Bou-san take over. I'm sure he won't say 'no' to the chance. I'll leave it up to Bou-san if he wants to ask Matsuzaki-san for help or not. Picking up the phone again, he dialed quickly. He doubted that Madoka would be asleep right now—there was a day's difference at least between England and Japan. The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" Madoka's frighteningly cheerful voice floated over the phone.

"Madoka," he said, not returning the greeting.

"Noll! How wonderful to hear from you! You're certainly calling me very early over there, aren't you? You should be asleep," she said, her tone lightly chiding.

"I'm not, however. Can we get back to business?"

"Oh, you and business."

"Madoka!"

"Yes?"

He sighed. "I need a therapist from SPR, preferably one that speaks Japanese. We need to exorcize a ghost from a student at Mai's school."

"Mai?" she asked, surprised. "What have you gotten yourself into, Oliver?"

Sighing, he leaned back and began to tell her about the case they'd been involved in.

"Poor Mai," she said when he finished. "I'd love to oblige you with your request, but we don't have any therapists that do speak Japanese available, right now."

Naru felt a frown tug viciously at his mouth.

"Why don't you contact Father Toujo and ask him?" Madoka suggested.

That… was actually a good idea. Father Toujo would understand, Naru was sure. And he was certain the older priest wouldn't mind helping them out.

"I'll do that, thank you," he said. "I'll send you my report soon."

"Wait a moment," she said.

He resisted the urge to sigh. "What?"

"Anything new?"

"No," he answered. That said, he hung up, not wanting to engage in a conversation that would ultimately lead him to the desire to bash his head into the wall. He caressed his throat unconsciously and wondered when would be a good time to call Father Toujo.

Day eight, later in the morning…

Late Sunday morning found Mai nervously sitting in a café, waiting for her friend Keiko and Masahiro, Keiko's older brother. Luck was on their side: Masahiro was on vacation thanks to spring break at the university; he was back in town with his family. Mai was sitting in between Lin and Bou-san and growing more agitated with every passing second. Every time a guy passing by looked into the window, she received jeers, catcalls, and points. A few men even came in to speak with her, only to have Naru, Lin, or Bou-san (or all three in some cases) send them packing into the biting rain. The café's manager had long since given up telling the people outside to go away and there were no curtains or blinds on the windows to obscure people from seeing inside.

She had no idea why Naru decided to meet at a restaurant instead of her apartment or, better yet, at the base room where they had all their equipment. The weather was anything but pleasant: cold, slicing rain had started to pour down last night and hadn't let up. Meteorologists were predicting that this storm would last until late Sunday night, early Monday morning at best. Either way, she thought miserably, it's nasty out. Why did he absolutely insist on meeting us here? She wanted to ask, but the stony expression in his eyes shot through her mustered-up courage. It was odd, but Mai couldn't help but notice that while Naru was sitting next to Lin, as he always did, with his nose buried in his ever-present file folder, his body was angled away from the Chinese man—making it look like he'd just sat next to Lin because there was nowhere else to sit; the second-year high school student wondered if Naru was still upset with Lin. Mai also noticed that his right hand strayed to his throat periodically and brushed against the black material covering it. She glanced up at Lin-san to see if he'd noticed; by the perplexed frown that decorated his face every time he looked over at his young boss, Mai assumed that he had.

As his hand rose to his throat again, a thought struck her. He reminds me of myself, right now. Lin-san's favorite area is my throat and I usually have a hard time restraining myself from just touching it. But why…

The bell above the door jingled, startling her from her thoughts. Briefly, the bustling of the people outside floated to the interior, before the door canceled the noise again. Mai looked up, hoping to see Ayako and John, or Keiko and Masahiro. Everyone else with the exception of Masako had already assembled; Yasuhara-san was sitting to Bou-san's left. Her thoughts turned oddly towards Masako—the only member of their group who wouldn't be able to join them due to a recording of her show. Apparently, the producer in all his infinite wisdom thought that now during the rain would be a perfect time to film the latest show. Mai felt sorry for the young medium to have to film in this weather. Surely drama wasn't worth the cold that Masako would catch. How do I know she's going to catch a cold? She probably won't; it'll ruin her perfect image if she did. Instinct, however, was telling her that she would.

To Mai's immense disappointment, a young couple had walked in out of the rain. Mai felt nauseous at the hungry look the man sent her way when he spied her. She knew it wasn't his fault, but that didn't quell her rising fear; she gripped her hands tightly. Bou-san sent the man a look that said 'get lost.' The man responded with a look that was a challenge—'make me,' it said. By now, he was completely ignoring his date, who was trying to reclaim his attention so the hostess could show them to a table. Said girl poked her head around her date to see what had caught his attention.

Upon seeing Mai, she aimed a poisonous look at the second-year. Mai felt the blood drain from her face at the glare and she shrank back against the upholstered booth seat. Still glaring, the young woman grabbed her date's arm and hauled him away, stalking after the nervously smiling hostess. Takigawa glared after the young couple. He felt the seat cushion shift as she sat back up and composed herself. Turning to Mai, he sent her a look of sympathy and understanding, with an undercurrent of fire—silently conveying to her that it wasn't her fault. Smiling sweetly at Bou-san in thanks, Mai folded her hands in her lap and looked out the large front windows resolutely, ignoring the jeers from the men huddled at the window outside. The hostess sent her a sympathetic look before returning to her post.

Mai gave her a grateful smile and tried her best to look serene and confident. Unfortunately, Mai's façade only fooled those not in her immediate space. Those sitting with her weren't fooled in the least. Her face was pale; in her lap, her hands trembled violently, and fine tremors jerked her petite frame. Bou-san and Yasuhara looked on helplessly, wanting to help, but not sure if they could or should. Yasuhara couldn't even find any thing to say that would distract her—the atmosphere at the table was tense and poisonous; it certainly wasn't conducive for a conversation. Comfort, however, came from an unexpected source. One of Lin's hands reached out and settled over hers; she felt his long, tapered fingers curl gently around her trembling hands and just sit there. Mai felt herself freeze for a second and then begin to relax; his hand was warm and comforting. She felt her trembling cease and welcomed the unruffled serenity that Lin always seemed to radiate. Mai felt the beginnings of a real smile tug at her lips.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Giving her hands a gentle squeeze, he released her and looked at the door when he heard the bell chime again. He watched Matsuzaki-san breeze in, followed by Brown-san, who stopped and waited, holding the door. With breathless 'thank-yous' two teens bustled in from the rain. Stripping off their slickers, they hung them on the coat rack that was sitting on a lone piece of carpeting to catch the water. Mai smiled at Keiko and waved. Returning the grin, Keiko approached the table with her brother following.

"Mai-chan!" Keiko said enthusiastically. "Next time you want to meet at a café, make sure it's not raining."

"I'll do my best," Mai replied, grinning.

Keiko turned to Naru and Lin. "Shibuya-sempai, Lin-san—it's good to see you both again."

Lin nodded to her; Naru didn't acknowledge her at all. Mai sighed. Where was Madoka when Naru needed to be scolded for his bad manners?

"Sempai?" Bou-san asked, looking at Keiko curiously. To Mai, the expression fairly screamed 'blackmail material wanted!'

"Shibuya-sempai was supposed to transfer to our school," Keiko responded, seemingly unaware of Bou-san's thirsty look.

"Is that so?" Takigawa asked, aiming a sly smile at the young ghost hunter, who ignored him in favor of his file folder.

"For some reason though, he never did."

"Imagine that," the monk said, sympathetically.

"But when I asked Mai, she told me that he was only there to investigate the old building, not transfer to our school."

Bou-san dropped his head in defeat. Dammit, he thought. I honestly thought I had something there! Mai, why, why, couldn't you have kept that to yourself?

"You must be Keiko-san's older brother," Naru said, ignoring the monk and focusing on the older boy who stood behind his sister and pantomimed her chatting with Mai. His resemblance to Keiko-san was startling.

Dropping his hands, the college student grinned. "That's me, Kanaguchi Masahiro," he said, bowing. "Pleased to meet you."

Naru merely watched him, not bowing back. If Masahiro was unnerved by this, he didn't show it. Turning to Mai, he smiled warmly at her. "It's been a while," Masahiro said, claiming the seat directly across from her and grinning cheekily at his sister's complaint.

"That's true, it has. Two years, nearly. You don't even call!" she complained good naturedly.

"That's what our mother says, too," Keiko said, huffing and taking the seat next him. She propped her chin in her palms and smiled at her friend across the table.

"Really?" Mai asked, sounding scandalized.

"Really."

"For shame," Mai responded, covering her mouth daintily to hide her mock dismay.

"I know," Keiko replied nodding sagely.

"She must be heart-broken that her son doesn't call."

"She cries nearly every day," Keiko replied, wiping away a false tear.

"What is this, pick-on-Masahiro-day?" said boy griped, looking between his sister and Mai.

"Yes!" the two high school girls said in unison, sharing a smile and giggles.

Normalcy, Bou-san thought, smiling at their antics. Poor Mai—how long will it take for her to have this return? Whatever am I thinking? This will over-shadow her for the rest of high school.

"May I take your orders?" their waitress asked, snapping Takigawa from his introspective thoughts.

"Sure," the monk replied. "Iced coffee, extra large, please."

"You're a robot," Ayako said. "Iced coffee when it's cold out. Café au lait, please."

"What was that?" the bassist challenged.

"Humph. You heard me," she said, looking in the other direction.

"Why you!"

"A pot of black tea," Naru said, ignoring the fighting pair.

"Could I trouble you for a caramel cappuccino?" John asked. "Ah! Matsuzaki-san! It's bad luck to throw salt!" he cried, reaching out to take the salt shaker from the priestess before she could chuck it at the monk sitting next to him. Knowing her aim, it would hit either Lin-san or Shibuya-san, instead of Takigawa-san. Worst case scenario, it would hit Mai—which would upset everyone.

"Mai and I will take parfaits and melon sodas," Keiko said, looking at Mai—who nodded in acceptance of her choice.

"Honestly, your idea of diet food sucks," Masahiro teased. "I'll have an ice-cream float. Melon soda and chocolate ice cream."

"That sounds good," Yasuhara said cheerfully, ignoring the fighting. "I'll have the same—ah, but I'll take strawberry sorbet instead of ice cream."

The fight between the monk, priest, and priestess grew louder and the waitress glanced over at them involuntarily; so did more than a few customers.

"Don't mind them," Mai told the waitress, motioning to the priestess and monk. "They do this all the time. It's only once ever escalated to blood."

She paled at Mai's words. "I'll be back with your orders momentarily," she stuttered, giving the sophomore a weak smile. She looked over at Lin, who watched the fight dispassionately with just a hint of annoyance and then looked at her order pad. Eight orders and nine people. "Ah, sir, I don't think I got your order. Sir?" she called, when Lin didn't pay her any mind.

Lin glanced over at the waitress. "Iced mocha latte," he said, turning his gaze back to the fighting couple.

The table went strangely quiet all of the sudden and all eyes turned to the tall man. Smiling again, the waitress jotted the last of the orders down and beat a hasty retreat. I knew I should have called in sick, today, she thought fleetingly as she glanced back at the table before entering into the relative sanity of the kitchen to place the orders.

"Iced latte? Mocha?" Takigawa asked, stunned. "I've never even seen you drink the tea that Mai makes."

"Of course not. I usually stay in my office and work."

If Takigawa picked up on the snub, he didn't capitalize on it; it was, Lin supposed, one thing to start a fight with the priestess and another to start a fight with him. The monk owed him way too much as it was. Lin still hadn't forgiven him for that stunt last week.

"Mai?" Takigawa asked turning to the part-time worker.

She shrugged. "The cup is usually empty when I collect it. The tea has to go somewhere."

"Any plants in his office…ouch! What was that for?" he asked, rounding on the miko.

"For being stupid! You don't pour hot tea onto living plants! What is wrong with you?"

"Stop hitting my head!"

"Then show your brain some consideration and use it."

"You—"

There they go again, Mai thought, acknowledging the waitress with a smile of thanks as she set down her order, quibbling like little children. They should just admit that they like each other and get it out of their system. Why isn't Naru saying anything to them? She saw John look at Lin beseechingly when Naru continued to ignore the fighting pair.

Lin spared one look at Naru before turning back to the monk and priestess. "Children," he said, picking up his latte and taking a small sip—it wasn't half bad; he was sure that Mai could make him a better one. "If you would bring your argument to a moratorium? Time is not on our side and we have much to do."

The bickering pair sobered immediately. Worse than Naru's scathing comments, which they expected, was the normally silent and austere sorcerer calling them 'children.'

"You're right," Ayako said.

"Yeah, sorry, Lin-san."

"Ah, Shibuya-san, when I talked to Mai, she told me you had some questions for me?" Masahiro inquired politely, looking over at the dark-haired young man, who by his estimate couldn't be much younger than himself. He acts like a crotchety old man, Masahiro thought. Kei-chan said Mai's in love with her boss. Why? What does she see in him?

Naru closed his file folder with a snap and Masahiro surfaced from his private musings. "Kanaguchi-san, your sister said that you went to the same high school that she and Mai currently attend, correct?"

"That's right," the college student replied, nodding.

"You wouldn't by any chance recall anything about a 'ghost scare' in the mid-to-late '90's, would you? I'm given to understand that you aren't necessarily interested in ghost stories, but—"

"That doesn't mean I didn't pay attention," Masahiro said, shooting Keiko a stern look.

Naru's eyes narrowed. Why the glare, he wondered.

"Listen Shibuya-san, I'm not fond of sitting in a dark room and telling ghost stories. That's for kids or girls," he said flatly, ignoring the murderous looks from Mai and his sister. "All that aside, it didn't mean that I didn't pay attention to what happened in the school proper."

Naru looked at him for a long, silent moment. "Tell me about it, then."

"1998," Masahiro said, picking up his spoon and scooping out ice cream. "That was the year." He popped the spoon into his mouth, savoring the chocolate and melon. "I was a second-year at the time. That year, they expanded the main classroom building and upgraded it. The second classroom building was going to be torn down, you see—unsafe conditions, if I recall.

"But it was the reasoning behind the main building's construction and the second building's deconstruction. Tearing the second building down made students and teachers happy. Even before the student was injured that building wasn't well loved. Students, including myself, thought it was creepy, and from what I heard the teachers say in passing, it gave them a feeling of unease."

When he paused, Naru took the opportunity to voice a question. "That's all very interesting, but what does that have to do with the ghost scare?" Not one of those stories ever indicated something like what he's talking about.

Masahiro gave him a droll look. "Do I really have to answer that, Shibuya-san? Aren't you a detective of sorts? Surely you know the answer to that one. The scare proper started when the building was sentenced for demolition."

At Naru's glare, Masahiro burst out laughing. "Mai-chan wasn't kidding—you are scary when you've been insulted. Get over yourself; it was a stupid question."

This kid, Lin thought incredulously, has guts. To stand up to Naru like that is something I've never seen before from people within and around his age group. One glare from him and Matsuzaki-san and Takigawa-san start running for the hills! A surreptitious glance around the table confirmed that he wasn't the only person dumbfounded by Mai's friend.

"Anyhow, back to what I was saying. It was mild, at first. Kids would go into an empty classroom to neck and would quit the room not five minutes later claiming they saw a ghost. I'm sure you all can imagine just how quickly the fact that we apparently had a specter traveled around the school. A few teachers had their own experiences. But like I said," the college student commented, scooping out more ice-cream and eating it, "silly stuff, mild, could be true, could be false.

"You could say, however, that the real "'ghost scare'" story starts when the demolition on the second building began."

"I've heard and researched all the stories," Naru said finally, crossing his arms and watching him with an unreadable look. He was growing sick of this. "I don't need to hear them again. They don't pertain to this."

"Did you come across the story about a student being possessed and another being raped?" Masahiro asked with mild curiosity.

The look on Naru's face said it all. Mai's brow furrowed and she looked across the table at Keiko. Neither of them had any idea what he was talking about.

"Bet you didn't," the college student replied with a maddening look of superiority. "I'm not surprised. The school pretended that it didn't happen. Even the papers don't have any records. The school paper was forbidden to write about it—but that's when the scare got its official start. And it began when a popular couple in school brought their relationship to a moratorium."

"They broke up," Lin said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the younger man copying him.

Masahiro nodded.

"Do you know their names?" Naru asked. Mai could just see the wheels turning in his head.

"Takeo Shino and Tachibana Mayura. The third person involved was Otomiya Kaede."

"Third person," Naru echoed, looking at Mai briefly before turning back to the college student. Oh, yes, Mai could definitely see the wheels turning in his head. And indeed they were.

"Is there something I should know, Shibuya-san?" Masahiro asked when Naru didn't expand upon his cryptic mimicking.

"You were saying?" Naru asked, ignoring the question.

"Ouch," Masahiro said with a small chuckle. "Stories travel, but this one didn't. I told you there were no records, but it goes further than that," he began, taking a sip of his soda. "Three teachers were fired for contacting outside papers and magazines and talking to them. The magazines and papers were forbidden by courts to print anything they'd heard from the former employees."

"Are you saying the school buried it?" Bou-san demanded.

The college student nodded grimly. "That's exactly what I'm saying. The Board of Director's decided to do it. The principal at the time was fired, as was the vice-principal."

"But the families—" Ayako began.

"They agreed with the Board of Directors. Especially Otomiya-sempai's. Otomiya Kaede was one of the top students in the school—she scored a perfect score on the SATs. She had scholarships from colleges all over the globe lined up upon her graduation—full scholarships including dormitory, books, and residency; all she had to do was pick which college she wanted to attend in whichever country. Her parents wouldn't have to dole out one single yen to pay for her college education—she was that smart. Which was good, because her family might not have been able to afford sending her to college; they could barely afford high school and were too proud to accept any form of charity or ask the main family for help. If word had gotten out that she'd been raped by a boy, under a curse no less, do you think those schools would have been willing to accept her? They wouldn't," Masahiro said, answering his question for them. "She knew the opportunity would go to someone else less deserving if the entire incident wasn't buried. Since her parents were adamant that she attend college right after graduating, she agreed to allow everything to be swept under the rug."

Looks passed between the priestess, monk, and exorcist.

That would explain why the principal really had no clue about this. "Back to the past," Naru said. "You were telling us about a relationship ending and a ghost scare beginning."

Masahiro looked at his half-eaten float, frowning. "It started with the break up. Otomiya-sempai took a summer job at an Onsen Resort somewhere in Hokkaido. Takeo-sempai and his family went there for their family vacation. You can piece together the rest, right? I mean, Shoujo mangas tell this story all the time.

"Nothing happened for a while—then, all the sudden, he broke things off with Tachibana. Rumors stated that Takeo had been in a relationship with Otomiya ever since summer holiday. If that's true, then they kept it well hidden. But Takeo said the reason he was breaking up with Tachibana was because she was having a relationship with someone as well. That rumor turned out to be founded. Tachibana Mayura was seeing a young doctor that she'd met a few years ago, when she started volunteering at a hospital. The spell started about a week or so after they broke up. We boys had the compulsion to "'woo'" Otomiya, to put it lightly. That damned spell, if that's what it was, nearly caused Megumi and I to break up," the college student said bitterly. "Anyhow, you know how it ends, right?"

The monk looked thoughtful for a second and then said, "What about the ghost scare—how did this tie in with everything? Was Tachibana-san possessed?"

Masahiro blinked; Naru paid special attention to how closed his expression became when Bou-san asked that question. "I don't… well, that's what Otomiya-sempai claimed," he said resignedly. "I don't know if it was true or not."

Liar, Naru thought. He knows much more than he's saying.

Mai spoke up before he could say anything. "There's more isn't there?" she asked suddenly.

For just an instant, Lin was certain that Keiko's brother lost all color in his face.

"What're you talking about?" Masahiro asked, gruffly. "That's all there is."

Mai shook her head. "You're lying," she told him, her voice utterly certain. "Something more happened to Otomiya-san."

Naru frowned. Finally. She's trusting her instincts. And if Mai says there's more to this, then there is. "Is there more to it?" he asked.

"If I say 'no,' will you believe me?" Masahiro asked with resignation.

"Not a bit," Bou-san said, crossing his arms. "If Mai-chan says there's more, then there is."

"Agreed," Ayako said.

"Ditto," Yasuhara replied. He hadn't forgotten that her intuition and dreams made it possible for Shibuya-san to figure out what was happening at his school. He also hadn't forgotten their case prior to this one: thanks to Taniyama-san's dreams, they were able to find Hara-san when she'd disappeared.

"Out with it," Keiko said, glaring at her brother.

Masahiro shook his head and stared at Mai wonderingly. "How you do that, I'll never know. Yes," he said, addressing the group, his expression bleak, "there's more. And it's not very pleasant." His lips twisted in a grotesque parody of a wry smile. "You might say that when this happened it was somewhat fortuitous for all involved. I told you that it was some time before all this happened, right? It was just before they all graduated."

"Why was that good?" Lin asked, a sneaking suspicion forming in his mind.

"Because Otomiya-sempai's parents didn't have to pull her out of school. You've guessed, haven't you?" he asked, looking over at Lin. "If you're thinking what I think you are, then you're right; she was pregnant."

Ayako and Keiko gasped. Mai covered her gaping mouth, stared at him in horror, and shrank back into the booth, removing her hands from her mouth to cover her entire face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Bou-san turned and pulled her into a comforting hug. He stroked her hair while she tried valiantly to stop the tears. Looking at her blotchy, tear-stained face, he felt a wave of brotherly affection well up and wondered how he could have ever seen her as anything other than a little sister. Helpless, Bou-san wrapped his arms around her and waited.

"And?" Lin asked.

"She kept the baby," Masahiro said, opaquely. "Takeo-sempai has no clue," he continued. "He's at the same university I am—we even share a few classes. He doesn't even remember raping her. That's a blessing, I suppose. Otomiya-sempai is somewhere on the East Coast in America, still attending college. The kid is here with her parents. As for Tachibana-sempai, well… she's okay as of now. The exorcism was a success, but when the ghost vacated her, she was claustrophobic, agoraphobic, and prone to massive panic attacks. She was in a mental facility for about seven months before her parents checked her out." He shrugged. "She's at school in Germany, last time I checked. But the funniest thing is… that she and Otomiya are great friends, again. They haven't been this close since they were kids."

"Did they know each other as children?" John asked.

"They grew up together; they're cousins. Until high school, they were best friends. They drifted apart when they started high school proper and no one knows why. Not even me," he said, looking at Naru.

Ayako's eyes widened. "Cousins?"

"The Tachibana family is the main family and Otomiya is simply a branch of them. Ironic, right?" he asked, smirking.

Naru turned back to Masahiro and said, "One question."

"Shoot."

"Was Takeo-san affected by the curse at all?"

"Not that I recall. If anything, he's the one who looked at the rest of us like we were morons. His opinion of what was happening was that Otomiya and Tachibana were either A) trying to rattle him, or B) trying to get back at him for something," Masahiro said, ticking the two items off on his fingers. "Takeo thought of option A first because when this occurred it was around the time of the American Halloween. But as time went on, he leaned more towards option B—he thought that Tachibana-sempai was trying to get back at him for breaking up with her. Otomiya-sempai also swore up and down that she had no part in the events happening."

"Masahiro-kun," Mai said, piping up.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at her curiously.

She looked unsure for a moment before blurting out, "Did you ever see the ghost before the spell started?"

Masahiro frowned at her, looking surprised. "Me? As in, with my own two eyes?"

Mai nodded.

"Why are you asking?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering, is all."

Masahiro dragged a hand through his light brown hair in frustration and peered at her. "Answer swap," he told her, his hazel eyes becoming mischievous. "You show me your cards and I'll show you mine."

"You first."

"You know, that's not how it usually works," he told Mai. When she didn't answer or rise to the bait, he sighed in defeat. "All right, I suppose you have your reasons. I only saw her once, mind you," he told her, drumming his fingers nervously and frowning again as he organized his memories. Smiling a little, he began to recite the tale. "It was one of the rare days that Megumi and I didn't have club meetings. I suggested we go to a movie after school and then dinner afterwards. I do love snuggling with her in the dark," he told them, a foolish grin lighting his face. Unbeknownst to him, Keiko rolled her eyes at that.

He stared off at the far wall and clasped his hands together as the smile faded from his face. "That day, the weather just wasn't on our side; kind of like today, actually. It was stormy and nasty, a full-blown thunderstorm complete with a power-outage occurred before school let out." He shrugged. "Unable to go anywhere, and unable to stand outside and wait for the storm to pass, Megumi dragged me to an empty classroom." Here he turned red and looked at the Formica table. "High school, you know? We did what high school couples did— er… necking and… stuff. Umm…" he trailed off, ignoring the monk's cheeky grin and the exorcist's understanding look—which disturbed him far greater than the monk's grin.

"Anyhow, I'm still not really sure… one minute Megumi and I were kissing, the next… there's a weird person in strange clothing standing in front of and watching us. But she was…" he gestured vaguely, as if trying to trace or convey his thoughts through pantomiming, "transparent," he said, finally. "Not very tall… five feet, five inches—I thought. Brown hair, hung loose; bare-threaded yukata; her eyes were brown and gold—they were exotic and pretty and very, very cold, like she was disappointed constantly, you know?" he asked. He turned to Mai. "Your turn. Spill."

"Mai?" Naru asked.

"She's the one who cast the curse in the first place," Mai told him promptly, glad that she could remember her dreams.

"Do you know why?"

She winced. "I…maybe. This is speculative, but… I think she wanted out of the fishing village…out of a poor life that was nothing but work from dawn till dusk. Rags to riches." She fell silent looking pensive.

"What?" Lin asked.

"From what my dreams told me, I'm fairly certain that the original victim of the curse upset her somehow and it was cast for punishment. But I also think that she used that same spell to draw the man she was after to her bed."

"Did it work?" Naru asked.

Mai nodded.

"But there's one thing that doesn't make sense."

"What's that?"

"She married the English man, but at some point in time, she took a lover who killed her husband in a duel—his ghost is trapped in the basement at the school."

'Is someone trapped?' Her words floated back to them; things were starting to make sense.

"What I don't get," she said, "is why he broke the spell in the first place. I mean, he flat out refused to help her make it stronger, telling her what goes around comes around— but he went even further by breaking the curse completely."

"Maybe she wasn't the original caster?" John asked.

Mai shook her head. "It was her all right. I watched her build it."

Keiko and Masahiro stared at her. Naru watched her thoughtfully. "Describe it," he told her.

The high school sophomore frowned in concentration and thought back. "She did it under a full moon on the beach. She had a mirror in her hand and as she chanted, she thought of him—she created his face in the mirror. I… can't repeat the words… but I can tell you that he was the main focus of her chanting. After the spell was cast, there was an odd wind that flowed through the village and the cloud I've been seeing settled over the house." She spread her hands in supplication. "That's all I can tell you."

Naru frowed and looked at Lin, who looked thoughtful. "She might have created the spell." A sneaking suspicion formed in his mind and he looked at Masahiro. "Kanaguchi-san, when this happened in your high school years, were there notes, flowers, and chocolates involved?"

"Umm…flowers, yes. Notes… not that I recall. Chocolate, no, it was well known that both Tachibana-sempai and Otomiya-sempai were allergic to chocolate."

"What did Otomiya-san receive in place of chocolate?"

"Stuffed animals and other treats."

"It changes, then?" Yasuhara asked, catching on.

Naru nodded. "Seems that way."

"Mai," Lin said, "tell me how the spell was originally broken."

She looked surprised and uncomfortable. "She approached him."

"She… the original victim?"

The sophomore nodded. "She approached the woman's lover. I think… the woman's husband was already dead at this point. She… offered herself in payment."

"What does that mean?" Keiko asked, bewildered. As soon as she said it, however, she stared at Mai in utter shock.

Mai nodded at her friend. "She offered him her virginity, saying that his people did place an emphasis on virginity."

"I thought you were going to suggest—"

"That's a permanent, one-time-only solution. Don't ever go that route unless you have no other choice."

"That's what she did."

"She, who?"

Lin frowned as he remembered before the counter-curse. 'That's what she did,' he mused. And the witch's lover placed an emphasis… probably not just on virginity itself, but maybe the power in it? "He might have been a practitioner of the old Celtic ways," he mused out loud.

"But I thought that…well… stories of a maiden's virginity and the power of it were just legends," John said.

"I don't know," Lin admitted. "I know very little about the old Celtic festivals and holidays. But I've always been under the impression that it's for the land that the festivals were held, more so than the people. But… it wouldn't be the first time that someone read something and misunderstood it, would it?" he asked, looking at John.

"No, it wouldn't. A little bit of knowledge can make people dangerous," the priest said sadly.

"Mai…what's going on? You… dreamed all that?" Masahiro asked tentatively.

"I'll explain later," she said tersely.

"Now," Masahiro replied, crossing his arms.

"Next Saturday," Mai said, shaking her head. "You'll still be in town, right? Megumi-oneesan is coming as well, isn't she? We're going to join a neighbor of mine for a picnic next Saturday afternoon after class is out. I'll tell you everything then, I promise."

We are? Naru thought. Since when? He looked at Lin and noticed practically the same reaction.

Masahiro searched her face and then looked over at Keiko. She watched Mai for a moment before nodding. "We're going to hold you to that, Mai-chan."

"I understand," she said, nodding. "Thank you for indulging me in my procrastination. In the meantime, you can't tell anyone about this, not a single soul."

"No problem," Masahiro said.

"Keiko, I want your solemn vow that you won't even tell Michiru."

"Not even her?"

"Keiko!"

"All right, all right. I swear it."

"Pinky swear," she said, extending her pinky-finger.

Keiko looked at her warily but Mai's determined expression didn't change. Sighing, Masahiro reached out and entwined his own pinky finger with hers and shook their hands for a moment before letting go. He looked at his sister expectantly. She sighed and copied her brother. "Now you have to cut off your finger if you tell anybody," Mai told her friends cheerfully. "Because that's what a pinky swear means."

She's been working with us for too long, Lin thought, amused as Keiko paled at Mai's words.

"You said an exorcism was performed?" Bou-san asked Masahiro, watching him seriously.

The young man nodded. "Of course. Why?"

"Do you recall the name of the temple or the priest that did the exorcism?"

"I don't know what temple. But I thought the monk's name was Hikei— Sato… something like that. Why?"

"Thanks," Bou-san said, catching Naru's eye and receiving a nod in return.

"Well? What now?" Ayako asked, looking over at Naru.

Naru frowned. "We go back to the base and start preparing. Mai," he said, turning to the part-time worker.

"Hmm?"

"Where did she get her magic from?"

"Why's that important?" Masahiro asked, his brow crinkling in confusion.

"Her mother," Mai answered promptly. "Her mother was a healer in the village until she got sick from one of her patients and died."

Naru nodded. "Yasuhara-san," he called, turning to the bespectacled boy.

"Yes, sir. I did print that out—it's at home. It's a folk legend, however."

The young president ignored that statement. "Matsuzaki-san, please give Yasuhara-san a ride to his house so he can retrieve those documents. We'll see you both back at the base."

Before Naru could say any more, Keiko shot to her feet, grabbed Mai's hand and hauled her up and away from the table; two of Lin's Shiki, with the orders that she come to no harm from anyone, trailed off after.

"Mai, come with me to the bathroom!" Keiko said, grinning.

"Keiko!" Masahiro called after her, "for heaven's sake you're nearly sixteen! You don't need someone to hold your hand while you go potty, do you?"

Stopping, the young woman turned and marched back to her brother, Mai in tow. Frowning at her older sibling, she lashed out with her foot and hit him square in the shin. "Stuff a sock in it," she said, smiling sweetly. Turning again, she headed in the direction of the bathroom, seeming oblivious to her brother's complaints. "You're a rigorous Kendo trainer," she called back. "Get over it."

"Keiko!" Mai said, truly scandalized.

"What? Someone else you want me to kick?"

"Now that you mention it—" the door swung shut behind them just before Mai got to finish that statement.

"Vicious," Bou-san commented, awe-struck. "She looks like such a sweet child, too."

"She has a violent streak, all right. But it's worse than I realized," Masahiro said, still rubbing his shin. "So what now, Shibuya-san?"

"Thank you for your help, Kanaguchi-san. I appreciate your willingness to talk to us in person. S.P.R. will reimburse you for any trouble." He reached for the bill that the waitress had just brought by. "We'll meet back at the base and go from there."

Dismissed, eh? Masahiro thought, eyeing Naru thoughtfully. I think not. There's no way in the seven hells I'm going to just leave. You're not getting your way this time, kid. "Humph." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Naru from beneath his lashes. "It's Akira, right? He's the one that's not affected by the curse this time, isn't he?"

Naru froze.

"I thought so. I'm really not surprised. So how can I help?"

"You already have by telling us what we needed to know. We'll take care of the rest."

The other boy's eyes narrowed. "Try not to joke," he said. "You suck at it." Quick as lightning, Masahiro reached out, wrapped his fingers around Naru's wrist, and pinned the younger man's hand to the table. Lin surged to his feet, ready to step in should he need to.

Naru coldly looked at the hand that held his wrist prisoner and then at the owner of the hand. "Let go," his said, his voice deadly and precise.

Leisurely, the college student unfolded himself from the booth and rose to his feet, keeping Naru's hand prisoner with his own. "Don't dismiss me so easily. Unlike Akira and Michiru, Mai really is like a little sister to me. Our family met her just after they moved to the neighborhood—that would have been right after her father passed away."

"I said 'let go,'" Naru repeated, despite his interest piquing about that.

"Like hell," Masahiro responded, putting more pressure on the hand beneath his. He was sorely disappointed when the dark-haired boy didn't flinch. "I told you to get over yourself. I'm on vacation anyhow. I have a right to do as I please with that time. So deal with having one or two more people. You don't have to worry about me with the curse, or whatever it is; I'm engaged, remember? Besides, in case you're curious, the only urge I feel is the one telling me to bash your face in. It's tempting, let me tell you." Reaching with his other hand, Masahiro snagged the bill. "I don't like Akira much," he said, changing the subject. "And he doesn't like me. He'll be less apt to try something with me around. Certainly you haven't been successful in running him off. In for a penny, right? Surely you can deal with one or two more people."

"You're not affected at all?" Naru asked, a suspicion forming in his mind—after all, married men were affected and Gavin-san was affected, too.

"I'm engaged," Masahiro said patiently with an undercurrent of condescension.

"Gavin-san, a friend of Bou-san's is also engaged. He moved from Scotland to Japan because he loves his fiancée so much. That didn't lend him any protection from the curse. I'm sure some of the men outside are either engaged or married and look at how they're behaving. The only way you could be unaffected is if you stole a kiss," Naru said, looking him in the eye.

Masahiro looked guilty and quickly averted his eyes, confirming Naru's comment. "How did you figure that out? Even Megumi doesn't know."

"Your age and educational status doesn't mean you're smarter than me. I'm very certain that if you and I engaged in a battle of wits, you would lose hands down," Naru said, with maddening superiority.

An, 'I'm-smarter-than-you' would have sufficed just as well, Lin thought, rolling his eyes. He wondered again why Naru never retained the lessons in manners his parents and Madoka tried to teach him when he remembered everything else with startling clarity.

"Which kiss did you steal and why you?" the ghost hunter queried.

"Third kiss. Otomiya-sempai was interested in learning Kendo, but not in joining the club—I was teaching her on the side."

"As grateful as I am that you want to help, Kanaguchi-san, there is nothing you can do. We're not even going to include Akira-san in this because he's not necessary. If you wish to go to his house and make sure that he doesn't leave it tonight or try to contact Mai, then don't let me stop you. As for getting rid of the curse, I told you we'll take care of it—we're the only ones who can. Unless you can perform an exorcism that you learned in your Kendo club?" When Masahiro frowned and shook his head, Naru said, "Then I'm afraid the rest is up to us. You're welcome to come back to the base and spend time with Mai, if you wish, but the reality is, we don't need your help."

They all stared at Naru in shock. He was actually allowing people to come to the base room if they wanted to spend time with Mai? Is he possessed, Ayako wondered, sharing a wide-eyed glance with the others at their table.

With a quick twist and jerk of his wrist, Naru freed himself from the shocked boy. "And I wouldn't recommend trying to bash my face in, were I you." Grabbing up his coat, he threw it on and made his way to the door.

Incredulously, John, Yasuhara, Bou-san, and Ayako followed, leaving Lin and a crestfallen Masahiro to wait for Mai and her school friend.

"So what's your story?" Masahiro said, perking up and turning to Lin.

"Pardon?" Lin asked, looking at the college student. Was I ever that young and belligerent? he wondered, not liking the over-protective expression on the young man's face. Sadly, I think I was. At one point he'd been the same, especially with his baby sisters. Come to think of it, I'm still that way, he thought, a bit disheartened. Last time I visited my family in London, Ru had brought the boy she was seeing to the gathering. I told him that if I heard of him hurting her, he'd find himself somewhere far, far away from the mortal world. Ru-Ming had slapped him upside the head, but her mouth had twitched in amusement. At least she appreciated her big brother looking out for her.

"You heard me."

"Is it your business?" Lin asked.

"I think so."

"And there, I'm afraid, we disagree. Leave it," he warned, when Masahiro opened his mouth to continue questioning him. The young man promptly closed his mouth when he saw the look in Lin's eyes.

…

Outside, the small group separated. Bou-san excused himself. "I think I know the monk that performed the exorcism in the first place. I'll see if I can't ask him a few questions and get something concrete. I can't promise results, but I'll try," he said, saluting the young ghost hunter and driving off.

Matsuzaki-san, along with Yasuhara-san drove off. With Lin still waiting for Mai and Keiko-san, Naru had no choice but to go with John. Not that he minded—had he gone with Matsuzaki-san, she would have asked him question after question. Inside his car, John turned on the heat and Naru found himself grateful for it. While John negotiated the traffic, Naru began to plan. We're going to end this tonight, he thought. "John."

"Yes, Shibuya-san?"

"I'm going to let you do the exorcism. We're wrapping things up this evening. I'm not going to take the chance of waiting for Monday. I need you to get the ghost out of Yukimura-san's body. When you drop me off, you're free to go get what you need."

"I have everything I need at the base," he said tersely.

It seemed that today was geared towards surprising Naru. He'd never heard that undercurrent of steel in John's voice. He looked at the priest carefully, noticing the tightness around blue eyes that were normally guileless and serene; John's lips were twisted into an angry frown that was definitely out of place. "You're angry," Naru said, quietly.

"Very. To make us suffer like this is inexcusable—to do something as heinous as this to poor Mai-san for no reason is simply unforgivable."

Naru blinked rapidly at the outburst.

"Mai-san is a precious friend," he continued. "Shibuya-san, this isn't Australia or England. I'm more of a minority religion here than I am in England, and that's saying something."

Of course, Naru thought, England is mainly Protestant or Anglican.

"I treasure each friend I have dearly." That said, the young exorcist lapsed into a silence that lasted until they reached the school. When they arrived, however, they were in for one more surprise: Lin, Mai, Keiko, and Masahiro were waiting for them. "How did they beat us here?" John asked, confused. "They left after us."

Saying nothing, Naru exited the car, went over to Lin, and raised a brow at him.

"Back roads," the Chinese man replied with a small, nearly imperceptible shudder. Harrowing ones. Never again.

"You didn't let him drive, did you?" Naru asked in a low voice.

"Of course I didn't." I'm not exactly straitjacket material just yet.

Saying nothing in response, Naru turned and made his way into the school. "Mai! Hurry up! I don't pay you to stand around and talk!" he called back.

He hid a smile when he saw that his words riled her. He was glad to see her spirit return. His eyes went cold when Keiko's older brother began to verbally object to what he'd said.

"Now hold on one minute! What's wrong with her talking to friends?" he challenged. "Aren't you the one who told me that we could come back to the base to spend time with her?"

"At the base, she's working," Naru said, turning and facing him. "Out here, she's not." He turned again and started towards the school building proper.

"Why, you little—" Masahiro began, balling a fist.

Mai tugged on his sleeve and smiled. "It's okay."

"It's not okay for him to treat you like that."

She rolled her eyes and whispered something in his ear. "Really, it's okay," she said again, smiling at him.

"You should find a new job," the college student muttered grimly.

"No I shouldn't. I happen to like my job and the people I work with, thank you," she said crisply. "Stop trying to cause trouble; you're always like this when you're around people you don't like."

"Whoa! Backbone, girl! Keiko," he called in a singsong voice. "We're going to leave you behind."

"Mean!" she cried, hurrying after them.

"Come on, Keiko! I have cocoa in the base room. Let's make some, it's freezing! John, are you up for some cocoa?"

"I won't say no," John replied, smiling at the part-time worker.

"Masahiro-kun?"

"Do I ever say 'no' to chocolate?" he asked, tugging a bit on Mai's short hair.

Batting his hand away, she grinned and turned to Lin and Naru. "Cocoa okay with you this time?" she asked her boss.

"Do as you like," he responded.

Don't let me twist your arm now, Mai thought nastily. She looked over at Lin expectantly.

"Whatever's easiest," Lin answered. He didn't necessarily care, so long as it was hot enough to chase away the cold that was starting to seep into his bones. But hot chocolate did sound inviting. He was getting tired of black tea anyhow and made a mental note to have Mai stock up on different kinds the next time she was out shopping for the office.

Smiling again, she turned and continued walking towards the school, the thought of hot chocolate and marshmallows and whipped cream (if she could nick them from the Home EC kitchens) making her move faster. That parfait in this weather had definitely been a mistake.

Lin followed silently, intent on talking to Naru before the young man announced whatever plan he'd cooked up. He'd been curious about several things and if his hunch was correct, then it needed to be cleared before they proceeded with anything. When they reached the base room, Mai opened the door and entered first, intent on making the cocoa to warm everyone up.

Before Naru could enter, Lin's hand curled around his upper arm and held him back. "Just a moment," he said. "I need to talk to you."

"We have work to do. It can wait."

"It can't, actually," Lin said, his grip on Naru's arm tightening.

People seem to be unusually grabby today, Naru thought, frowning. Still… he didn't want to talk to Lin. He didn't need to hear that he'd been irresponsible. "It can wait," he repeated.

Lin leaned in close and kept his voice low. "We can either talk out here, or I can embarrass you in front of everyone in the base room, Oliver."

Oliver. Naru's eyes went wide. It'd been so long since Lin had used his real name and not the odd, Japanese version of his nickname. He sent Lin a glare, but the Chinese man refused to yield.

"Come talk with me," Lin encouraged.

Naru sighed. He really didn't have a choice. Whatever Lin needed to know certainly wasn't worth embarrassment. "Let's go down the hall," he said, shaking off Lin's hand.

"Lin-san? Naru?" Mai asked, coming to the door after witnessing the last part of the exchange. "Is everything all right?"

"We just need to talk," Lin told her. "We'll be in shortly. Stay in there and don't leave," Lin ordered.

She nodded. "Okay. Don't take too long, or your cocoa will get cold." So saying, she slipped back into the room and closed the door.

Shaking off Lin's hand, Naru moved a short way down the hall with the Chinese man in pursuit. Finally, Naru turned to him and watched him, waiting for Lin to speak.

Now or never, Lin thought, reaching over and unbuttoning the first three buttons of Naru's shirt and holding it open just enough to see Noll's throat. His eyes narrowed at the markings there. Either he found himself a very eager and willing girl, or he performed psychometry on the couch. I don't think Noll would know what to do with a willing girl—he never did make a move with Mai. Option A is most assuredly out—that leaves only option B. "I thought so," he murmured.

What the… Shocked, Naru batted Lin's hand away and skirted around his assistant to the other wall. Frowning, Lin turned and he watched his young boss re-do the buttons hastily.

"So, I was right," he mused. "It struck me as odd; I know you better than you think. It's also strange that you insisted on meeting somewhere other than the base room. And why were you constantly rubbing your throat throughout Kanaguchi-san's story? It's unlikely that you got sick. Then it occurred to me that you were acting like Mai did after the counter-curse. So why did you do it?"

Naru simply glared at the wall that stood opposite of where he leaned and said nothing.

"Do you really trust me so little? Answer me," he said, when Naru offered him nothing.

"Why did I lose to you?" Naru asked.

"Don't change the subject. I want an answer from you."

Noll glared at his assistant. "Why did you perform the counter-curse in the first place? Especially after I told you that it wasn't an option. Isn't it because you weren't as unaffected as you claimed?"

"How idealistic you are today," Lin observed dryly. "You're not going to answer me, are you? If you absolutely must know, I performed the counter-curse because we were running out of time. The day before, Yasuhara-san stole not one, but two kisses," Lin told him, omitting the fact that Father Toujo had suggested Lin disregard Naru's order. "Had I not… do I need to tell you what would have happened by now? Secondly, I never did claim to be unaffected—you assumed I was. My shield kept me protected well enough, but why do you think I created that barrier every morning?"

"Created?" Naru asked. "Why the past tense?"

Lin watched him, gauging his awareness. "You noticed, didn't you?"

Naru nodded. "Those that somehow respond to the prompts from the spell gain immunity to it later and to any subsequent castings. Bou-san hugged Mai at the café and there wasn't a hint of lust or longing in his eyes—just sorrow and brotherly affection," he said, quietly, remembering that he'd seen Gene with that same look. He shook it off. "I haven't felt a strong urge to kiss her lately. In fact, the urges disappeared soon after. Originally, I thought it was because Matsuzaki-san cleansed the base room, but it expanded to beyond."

Lin nodded.

"And don't you find that strange, Lin?" Naru asked, crossing his arms and staring out the window.

"Very. It's evolved with every casting."

"Wonderful," Naru said sarcastically. "It can't be returned; it can't be dispersed."

"If we get rid of the ghost, we'll get rid of the spell."

Naru looked at Lin. "That's the only option," he confirmed. "But we need to get rid of her completely. I've asked John to get the ghost out of Yukimura-san. I'll ask Bou-san to step in after that. I need you to create wards that will keep the spirit from leaving. Matsuzaki-san cleansed the base room, but there are no wards there. I don't want this ghost traveling like Kenji-kun did."

Lin nodded; it'd be bad if the ghost went into Mai or one of them. Who knew what would happen then? It wouldn't be anything good. "It'd be wise to have a circle first and then other wards to make certain. Where do you want to do the exorcism?"

Naru considered. "We'll have to do it in the principal's office."

The Chinese man nodded.

"I also want you to equip Mai with another charm like the one you gave her on Tuesday. Father Toujo has agreed to come to the school and act as a counselor to Yukimura-san. It's likely she'll need one."

"How do you intend to get Yukimura-san here?"

Naru looked over at his associate. "Student Council meeting," he announced.

"I'll start preparing, then."

"There's no point in creating a shield any longer, is there?" the young president asked suddenly.

"No, there isn't," Lin answered honestly.

That's why it was past tense, he told himself. "Are you sure your feelings aren't because of the spell?"

Lin hesitated. What a painful question, he thought. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But I'm going to hope not."

"If they are, Lin?"

He looked down at the linoleum and frowned sadly. "Then we deal with it—just like we do with everything else life throws at us."

Naru looked at Chinese man with grim determination. "I don't intend to lose to you," he announced.

Lin blinked. "Pardon?" he asked, a bit lost at the abrupt change of subject.

"Losing is a painful feeling. I don't like it. I've lost her for now. It won't be for long, though."

Lin smiled faintly. "Well then. You'd better shape up and clean up your act. You do your best," the Chinese man said, turning and walking back to the base room.

Just what does that mean? Naru wondered, frowning after him. He filed it away for another time and pulled out his cell phone, looking at it thoughtfully for a moment. Flipping the cover up, he dialed quickly and put the phone to his ear. He didn't have to wait very long. "Principal-san, this is Shibuya. I wanted to let you know that my team and I have very nearly wrapped up this case." He paused and listened as the older man expressed his gratitude. "Thank you very much. We intend to end things tonight. Can I count on your help? Yours and your vice- principal Satsuma's? Wonderful," he replied, smiling sardonically—the vice principal would be more of a hindrance than she would help. "Here's what I need you to do."

…

Turning off his car, Bou-san surveyed the local temple thoughtfully. A quick phone call to his father had confirmed that long-time family friend Satoshi Hideki was still at this temple. He sighed. Those steps were not something he was looking forward to climbing. He was grateful that the weather had let up a bit; the rain had dried to a drizzle, but the horizon was still a foreboding gray-black; it would start pouring again at any given time and Takigawa was going to be inside when that happened.

No time like the present, he thought, locking the car and starting to take the steps two at a time. Damn stairs, he griped, quarter of the way up. By the time he reached the Tori gates at the top, he was huffing with exertion. One would think that I'd be in better shape with all the ghosts that I've been chasing, he thought, crouching down, putting his hands on his knees, and waiting for his breathing to return to normal. When it did, he straightened slowly and made his way to the shrine proper. A young priest greeted him just inside the temple.

"I'm here to speak with Satoshi-san, if you don't mind," he told the young man.

"I'm not sure if he'll receive visitors," the priest began. "If you're here for a consultation, any of the monks—"

"Oh, he'll make time for me. Tell him Takigawa's here to see him," he said, cutting the other monk off and smiling congenially at him.

"I'll try," the young man said, remaining doubtful. "Please wait here," he said, bowing and retreating.

Dropping the smile, Takigawa shivered a bit from the rain that still clung to him, and turned to look out at the pond. He felt an odd sense of peace enter him at the sight of the perfect circles that the raindrops created. The fish, however, didn't seem to share his sentiment and they swam around agitatedly, trying to get away from the droplets. Hoshou grinned.

"Koi ponds always made you happy; you would stare at them for hours when you were a kid," said a voice to behind him.

Takigawa turned around and smiled at his family's long-time friend and his own teacher at one point. "Satoshi-san," he said, bowing respectfully to the older monk.

"Now, now. Such formality for a friend? How's your family? Your hair's too long, by the way," he said reprovingly, as he led the younger monk to a room covered in tatami mats.

"That's because you don't have any hair, Hideki," Bou-san said, dropping the formality. "They're all fine."

"Have you gotten your mother a birthday gift yet? I see you haven't," he remarked when Takigawa's eyes went wide. "You'd better hurry and buy her something. Your father might scalp you if you don't," he teased good-naturedly. "And then you won't have any hair to worry about. So what brings you to see me?" he asked settling himself onto the floor.

Bou-san turned serious and took a seat on the tatami mat, facing the other man. "I need to ask you some questions."

The monk looked at him curiously. "Questions regarding?"

Not necessarily sure how to broach the subject politely, Hoshou decided to be direct. "There was a situation that happened in 1998. Around the time of October, a vengeful ghost possessed a high school senior and this spirit, using its host's energy, cast a curse on a classmate of its host, a curse that ended with the victim being raped, and according to rumors, also pregnant," he began watching the older monk's face closely. There was recognition, but it was shuttered. I'm turning into Naru, he thought absently. He continued, "The girl who was the recipient of the curse claimed that her classmate had been possessed. A young man who attended the school around this time recalled that you had performed the exorcism on his possessed classmate—he remembered most of your name," Takiagawa said, peering at the older man's face. "I see you remember, too. Listen, I know you don't like to divulge information, but anything you can tell me would be greatly appreciated."

When the monk across from him stayed silent, Takigawa tried another tactic. "Hideki, it's important. It's happening all over again and in the exact same school. Unfortunately, this time it's personal. This same malicious ghost has cursed someone whom I regard as a little sister. If not for my sake, then do it for hers," he said beseechingly. "I can't let it happen again. I just can't. Not to her."

The room was so silent it was deafening. All Hoshou could hear was silence. And radiating it was his father's long-time friend who had retreated inwards to think. He waited impatiently for the other man to speak.

"What's the young lady's name?"

"Sorry?" Hoshou asked.

"Her name. The young lady whom I should do this for."

"Mai, Taniyama Mai."

The older monk frowned. "And I don't suppose you'll give me your word not to repeat anything I say."

"I can't. I'm talking to you on behalf of Shibuya Psychic Research. I'm obligated to share what I learn. You'll have to trust me when I tell you that we won't spread the information."

"I do trust you; as such, I'll believe that what I share won't be passed around."

"Help me."

"Ask."

"Did it work?"

"I was sure it had, until you told me it was happening all over again. The poor young lady was very frightened; she had no clue what was going on when I started my exorcism. I won't lie to you by saying it was a piece of cake. That was one strong spirit and it knew what was going on. And it fought me tooth and nail."

"This isn't going to be easy, or fun. Seems like it's an onryo." He rose to his knees and bowed formally. "Thank you, Hideki!"

The older man rose to his feet and looked down at Takigawa. "Get moving," he said gruffly. "Put that creature to rest properly."

Bou-san was already sliding the door open and exiting.

Sunday, day eight: later in the evening…

She was the first grandchild on both sides of the family. Some might not have thought this significant, but both her parents came from large families. Her mother alone was the youngest of seven children. That the youngest would be the first to bear a child when the eldest daughter was still trying to conceive her first, and the eldest son (and also eldest child) apparently married a barren woman, was a big deal to her mother's parents. On her father's side, he had three elder brothers and two younger sisters. The two girls were not yet married, but her uncles were. They, however, did not yet have children of their own and her paternal grandparents were beginning to despair, wondering if they would have to wait for their daughters to marry to ever see grandchildren.

When her father announced to his family that his wife was expecting, there was a great party. When her mother announced to her family that she was going to give birth, there was yet another party. She was to be born in the summer; when her sex had been determined, her grandmothers had decided that her name would be Hotaru, because she was born in the season of the fireflies, one of Japan's natural and wonderful beauties.

As a child growing up, she often visited her maternal grandparents, as they lived closest to her—only forty-five minutes away. Her maternal grandparents had taken it upon themselves to teach their granddaughter such things as etiquette and proper manners, so that when she was grown, she wouldn't act like an out-of-control heathen like their second-to-eldest daughter. Hotaru herself became the pride and joy of the family, despite the other grandchildren that came almost right after her.

She was seven again and sitting in front of her grandfather, waiting patiently for him to acknowledge her presence. The yukata she wore was new and scratchy, but she ignored that. Patience, her grandmother had lectured, was not only a virtue, but it was expected of a lady. If she had no patience, then she would not make a good match. Men desired a woman with patience and tranquility. She was testing her learned patience with this visit.

"I'm disappointed in you, Hotaru."

Hotaru's eyes snapped open. This… wasn't how it went. Her grandfather ignored her for the better part of an hour before finally looking up from his calligraphy and requesting tea.

She was seventeen and sitting in front of her grandfather looking at him in shock. Her school uniform seemed to restrict her terribly. "Grandfather…" she choked out.

"None of us taught you to do this."

"Do what?"

"If I need to say, then you're not as smart as we've given you credit for, Hotaru-chan. Why do you bother with revenge when you have no rights to it?"

And suddenly she understood. "She stole him, grandfather."

"Did she steal him, or did you push him away?"

"What does it matter? I've lost him either way."

"Tsk," he said, shaking his head. "Relationships are a two-way street. There's only so much Akira-kun can do. He told you this himself. Do you blame him for trying to find another companion who won't ignore or push him away?"

The reality of it hit her hard; she'd have done the same in his shoes. "No," she whispered. Blame was not hers to lay.

"Then you should stop this. It's not too late."

"How?" she asked with hope. She was so weary of this.

"Go to the girl's friends, tell them what you've done, what you've had done. That tall man… he can find a way to break the spell."

"You mean Lin-san? He's the one who cast the counter-spell," she said wrathfully. He was the reason that she was here right now.

"That must have taken more control than he'd care to admit," the old man said sardonically. "But you really should talk to them Hotaru-chan and put a stop to all of this before it's too late."

Before she could answer, another voice using her lips snarled, "Be silent, old man!"

Her grandfather looked at her and then through her, displeased. "I'll thank you to be silent, parasite! I was talking to my granddaughter—not you."

"You dare—"

"That's my granddaughter you're possessing. Of course I do!"

"It is too late," she said regretfully, bring the fight to a halt. "Way too late."

Her grandfather sighed. "Then so be it. Whatever that young lady suffers and has suffered will be on your conscience, Hotaru. For your sake," the old man said gravely, "I hope it's nothing too traumatizing."

"Hotaru? Hotaru, sweetheart, you need to get up now. Your principal just phoned—they've called an emergency meeting for the Student Council and you need to be there. Hotaru!" her mother called, when there was little response to the news.

Hotaru blinked awake and looked at her surroundings. She was at home, in her room, and she felt awful. Her head was pounding and her throat felt like a mass of raw tissue. Maybe staying home was a good idea.

'An emergency meeting? Is this normal?'

Yes, she thought grimly, thinking of other times when she'd been called unexpectedly to Student Council meetings. If they've called a meeting then something is wrong. Don't be so uptight—they've done this before. It's nothing to worry about.

'Would this have something to do with the spell, do you think?'

I'd doubt it, she answered. They haven't shown much interest in it since it started. It'd be unusual if they were concerned now.

'Then up you get.'

I don't know, she protested. I feel awful.

'And if this is connected to that girl, then you missing this meeting will be the end of everything. If you're not there, they might wonder why. That man who did the counter-curse knew what he was doing—need I remind you of this? They'll be on the look out for any student that's absent in the next few days, no matter what the function. Up. Take a hot shower; it'll help. Eat something to regain your strength. You'll be fine after that. Go to the meeting, pretend to be normal, and come back home; you can sleep then. If not, they'll assuredly find you and then all is over.'

I won't let that happen, she thought grimly. "Sorry, Mom," she said. "I'm up now."

"Good. I have dinner for you downstairs. Hurry up," her mother said, turning and leaving her room.

It took an enormous amount of effort and an eternity, but she finally managed to drag herself out of bed and into her bathroom. Immediately, she went over to the toilet and retched. 'Is this normal?' she wondered. A hand ran through her hair soothingly, but that did nothing for her stomach.

Dreary and exhausted, she flushed the toilet and hauled herself to her feet, using it for support. She turned the shower on to the hottest setting and stepped in, surprised at how cold she was. She shivered violently, despite the hot spray. Finally, she turned it to a more manageable setting and let the steamy water run over her body. The hot water worked wonders; the steam cleared the pounding headache and the aches in her body she hadn't known about until she left the warm cocoon of her bed. Quickly, she washed her hair and body and left the bathroom, knowing that she had limited time and if she wasn't down soon, her mother would come up to get her.

She dried and dressed quickly, throwing her hair into a ponytail. She could braid it at school. She didn't bother looking in the mirror; she didn't want to see her haggard appearance…or her so-called guardian angel. She traipsed downstairs and headed into the kitchen. Her mother turned to her with a smile that dropped and was replaced with concern. Approaching her eldest daughter, she laid her fingers on her forehead, frowning.

"You don't have a fever, but you look awful, sweetheart. Should I call the school back and tell them you're sick?"

That… was tempting, actually. Her bed was warm and inviting—and she was so tired! 'Don't even think about it!' came the snarl.

She winced and smiled wanly to cover it. Don't shout! "Oh, no, I'm all right. I just stayed up too late studying again," she told her mother.

She expected her mother to beam at her with pride as she always did. She knew how proud her parents were of her and how they expected her little brother and sister to be just like her. But her mother didn't smile at her. She watched her solemnly and Hotaru began to grow nervous and fidgety under her mother's gaze.

"Hota-chan," her mother said slowly and Hotaru grew worried. Her parents hadn't called her by that pet name since she'd started high school.

"Yes, Mother?" she said, hoping her nervousness didn't show.

"Is something… wrong?"

"Eh? Don't be silly Mother. I'm fine. I'm even over the break up already."

That had been the wrong thing to say, Hotaru realized, when her mother's lips compressed into a thin line.

"If you say so," she responded. She nodded to the table. "Go eat. I'll drive you over when you're done."

Dipping her head, she scampered to the table and folded her knees. "It's time to eat," she said, picking up the chopsticks and starting on the rice.

…

Lin knelt in the center of the double circle he'd drawn and inscribed a few more runes and symbols. Standing, he carefully stepped over the lines of chalk and surveyed his work thoughtfully. Seeing nothing amiss, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered a few words before he reopened them and said one sharp syllable. The circle flared a brilliant white before it disappeared from sight leaving nothing behind, not even chalk dust. Mai watched all of this with interest. It was the first time she'd ever seen him perform anything with magic—the counter-curse didn't count because she didn't really see him do anything. Not that I would have been able to focus anyhow, she thought, a faint flush staining her cheeks. "What's the circle for?" she asked curiously.

"Idiot," Naru sighed.

She glared at him for a second before turning back to Lin expectantly.

"A circle is an important shape in magic; it provides protection. Inside it, nothing can harm you; trap something inside it and it can't bring harm."

"So… we're going to trap the ghost in there?" she asked, looking at where the chalk lines had been.

"Yes."

"Don't we need another circle?" John asked curiously. "A smaller one for someone else to stand in?"

Lin got the unspoken reference: for the people performing the exorcisms. "It's not necessary for this," Lin said. "This is to make sure the ghost doesn't travel. Breaking circles is difficult and most specters can't do it."

"Let's hope you're right about that," Bou-san said, from the doorway of the office.

"What did you find out?" Naru asked.

"What, no 'welcome back'?" he asked. When Naru just glared at him, he said, "Hideki remembered doing the exorcism on Tachibana Mayura-san." He left out that Hideki had been certain that the exorcism was a success since it obviously hadn't been. "That makes this ghost an onryo." He looked at Lin. "Are you certain that it can't break the circle?"

"It's a double circle, actually," Mai said. "Welcome back."

"Thanks. A double circle?"

Lin nodded. "I doubt an onryo will be able to break a double circle. "

"Probably not," Bou-san agreed.

"Have you ever encountered creatures that can?" Mai asked.

"All five of my Shiki," Lin answered serenely.

"Bou-san, John will get rid of the ghost in Yukimura-san's body. Once she's free, it'll be your turn," Naru said. "Matsuzaki-san," he said to the priestess as she and Yasuhara walked in the door, "be prepared to do an exorcism just in case."

She nodded.

"Will you create a charm to protect Yukimura-san once the ghost is out of her body?"

"Okay," she said. Leaving Yasuhara's side, she walked over to her ink set and spell paper, and began to draw up some charms. Lin approached Mai and handed her a charm.

"Just in case," he told her, his hand lingering on her shoulder.

The door opened and Father Toujo walked in. "Good evening, everyone," he said bowing.

Naru approached him and bowed. "Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice."

"Not at all," the older priest said, waving away the thank you. "It's the least I could do. Brown-kun," he said, his eyes landing on the young exorcist, "are you prepared?" he asked, approaching him.

"I am," he answered.

"Good. Come talk with me a bit before the exorcism starts."

Lin looked over at the door. "It seems that the principal and vice-principal are here," he told Naru as he made last-minute adjustments on the camera that would film the exorcism.

The entryway opened violently and an irate Kotoko Satsuma barged in followed by an embarrassed principal. "What's the meaning of this?" she demanded. "This is absolutely ridiculous! Can't you do this tomorrow? And why are you using the principal's office for such a farce? Why can't you use the room we gave you?"

"And take the chance on the curse completing? Not a chance," he responded. "The base room is far too small for this and if we use it, then Yukimura-san will run."

"Curse? What curse? Whatever are you talking about?"

"The events that have been happening at school are the result of a curse," Naru said, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk. "In fact, this is the third time it's happened in this particular area."

"Nonsense!" the vice-principal snapped. "I've been here—"

"Since 1999, correct? In fact, both of you have been here since 1999. The Board of Directors hired you after they fired their former principal and vice-principal. You also got several new teachers including Tsuchino Akemi-sensei, the biology teacher. Am I wrong, Satsuma-sensei?"

"No… you're right," the principal said, not giving his vice-principal a chance to say anything.

"Did you never wonder why you were suddenly hired out of the blue? You, Principal-san were a retired art and music teacher; you used to teach in Tokyo. You, Satsuma-sensei, used to be a history teacher at a school in the Niigata Prefecture. You were hoping to become a vice-principal at the school there, but you were offered the position here and you took it. But didn't you think it odd? The principal and vice-principal who were your predecessors had been here since the late '80's, early '90's and suddenly, you both had their jobs."

Both stayed silent, unable to meet Naru's cold glare.

"This did happen twice before. The most recent was in 1998. Unlike this time however, the curse was completed. The targeted student ended up raped and pregnant. She's currently in America studying. The other time it happened was in the mid 1800's. That time, the curse wasn't completed. The victim was able to barter her way out of it, you might say."

"What… type of curse is it?" the principal asked.

"One geared towards rape. We don't know its name because the creator never gave it one. Her attempt in 1998 didn't fail, though."

"Are you saying the spirit is still alive?" the principal asked.

"Not in terms of life as we understand it, no. It's an onryo now and possessing one of your students. One who just had a very bad break-up with her boyfriend."

"Yukimura-san, right? That's why you asked me to call her and have her come to the school."

"Correct," Naru said, nodding. "If we can get rid of the creature once and for all, then the curse will go away. When is Yukimura-san due to arrive?"

"Anytime now."

"Does she have a cell phone, to your knowledge?"

"I believe she does."

"Please find the number and call her again. Ask her to come to the principal's office first before going to the normal meeting room. Tell her that you have some documents submitted to you by students who couldn't catch the Student Council members to give to them for whatever reason." Naru looked at his crew. "You all know what to do, correct?"

There was agreement all around.

"Principal-san, vice-principal, I'm going to ask you to leave once you're done with that. I'm truly sorry you came all this way- it wasn't necessary for you to do so."

"But—"

Naru's cold glare cut the vice-principal off before she could protest more.

"We understand," the principal said.

…

Hotaru hung up her cell phone and sighed. "Students should make a greater effort to get in touch with Student Council members instead of bothering the principal with such things. And now I have to make a pit stop before going to the meeting room," she complained, walking towards the building. I must be early, she thought, not seeing the president's scooter or the vice-president's bicycle. Oh, well, I'll have time to look at those documents, instead of floundering like a fish out of water if they come up, she told herself, making her way to the principal's office. She shivered a bit in the hallway. It really is creepy here at night! She quickened her pace, eager to get out of the dark hall. I made it! she thought, smiling a little.

'What were you afraid of? The dark?'

Hotaru was certain that her so-called guardian angel was scoffing at her. Excuse me for being human! It's natural, right? The school is creepy at night.

'What about it is creepy? There's nothing different—the halls are the same; they just don't have any light.'

That's just it. Everything is so much different in the dark.

'Humans are foolish creatures.'

You were human once, too.

'…A very long time ago. Hurry up or you'll never make that meeting!'

Right! The poor principal. He has to be here, too, she thought, noticing that the light was on in his office. She put her hand on the doorknob. "Pardon the intrusion," she called, opening the door and stepping inside.

The circle's lines flared bright and hot when she stepped into the office. Crying out in surprise, she quickly shielded her eyes from the light. What's going on! she wondered, opening her eyes a crack when the light dimmed down.

'Damn him! He planned this!'

Hotaru looked over at Shibuya-san, who stood in front of her with arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"John," he said.

Hotaru's eyes widened as the priest approached. Uncorking a small vial of Holy Water, he swished it through the air a few times in the form of a cross, making certain that the blessed water hit her a few times. She flinched as the cold liquid hit her skin.

'No! I won't let this succeed! I must break this circle! Your revenge is far too near to let this succeed. Help me!' Hotaru felt her head dip down and heard gasps of surprise. Hotaru wouldn't have been able to describe what happened after that, except that she felt the ghost inside her pushing something outwards. It stopped and rebounded on her and she cried out as the returned power cut her skin.

"I suggest you look very closely at that circle, madam ghost," Naru said.

Once again, Hotaru looked down—this time on her own—and realized something very odd. There were two circles, not one. The space in between the two was inscribed with symbols that she couldn't decipher. From the looks of it, the ghost inside her couldn't read them either. She felt herself shoved to the wayside as the ghost took full control of her.

"A double circle and runes, eh? You're much more clever than I gave you credit for, sorcerer," it said turning to look at Lin. The Chinese man looked back, icily.

The voice that spoke was most assuredly not Hotaru. "I'm sorry, Yukimura-san," Naru said, focusing past the ghost and peering into her eyes.

So pretty, she thought absently. But so cold!

"But we need to separate that ghost from you, now. It's not good for you to remain possessed, even if you are a willing host. Surely you understand."

…I understand.

That must have communicated to him because he looked over at the blond-haired exorcist and nodded.

"John, please continue."

"Yes." Closing his eyes, and lifting his right hand in a form of benediction, he took a deep breath and intoned, "I strictly order you in the name of Christ, to expose yourself no matter where you are hidden and to leave the body you reside in. Everybody blessed by the Holy Trinity has forever banned your existence. You will no longer seek the bodies given by God. Go immediately! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Principio," he finished, opening his eyes and raising his hand horizontally and swiftly lowering it vertically, creating the sign of the cross.

Hotaru wasn't prepared for the pain the pervaded every inch and pore of her body and seemed to pierce through her very soul. Far away she heard a terrible scream and realized a second later that it was herself. And then Hotaru was out of the circle: the tall man, Lin-san had grabbed her arm and dragged her out. The depletion of energy and aftermath of the exorcism hit her immediately and she sank to the floor, utterly exhausted. The Chinese man released her arm and someone crouched down next to her—the priestess- Matsu-something. Reluctantly, she took the spell paper that was handed to her. A feeling of well-being settled over and she cradled the charm to her chest protectively, as if the ghost could leave and get her again. She looked around and saw Mai standing near the Chinese man. How odd, Hotaru thought tiredly. I didn't see her earlier. Where was she?

"Bou-san."

Shibuya-san's voice drew her from her thoughts of where Mai had been hiding and she looked over at the long-haired monk with a frown. He wore the traditional robes of a Buddhist priest…but his hair! Were they allowed to wear their hair that long? And then she remembered that he was taking a break from the monk business. What a crock, she thought. Taking a break, but performing exorcisms? He's probably powerless—it won't work! In fact, the reports indicated that his initial tries in the old classroom building were unsuccessful.

The monk and Ayako in her prietess robes took John's place and the ghost smiled at them with amusement. She looked exactly as Mai had seen in her dreams. "Oh? So you two are next? I guess it can't be helped. I don't think you two can do it, but we'll see."

Takigawa smirked. "Don't underestimate me. And don't underestimate her, either." Centering himself, he clasped his hands and extended his fingers into the Fudo Myou-ou poise.

"You didn't fare so well in the last case at this school."

"Exorcisms don't work when there aren't any spirits to get rid of," Naru said.

Hotaru's eyes widened. Say what? No spirits…?

"And where's the little girl? She's not present for our quaint party? What a shame. One would think she'd be here to see your grand failings," the ghost commented, looking around.

Eh? Can't she see Mai at all? She's right behind me! Hotaru's eyes widened in realization. She must have a charm of sorts, too, because until Lin-san dragged me out of the circle, I didn't see her either.

As he took cleansing breaths, a memory entered his mind—it was the same every time he performed an exorcism. "Words, no matter what language, will only have power if you put that power there. Your power must be fed into the words you're saying; your voice must be commanding, it must make the words power. Remember this every time you do an exorcism, Houshou," his father said.

'I remember, Father.' Taking one final breath, Takigawa closed his eyes and began. "Nau maku san manda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya untarata, kan man." His voice came out deep and commanding.

The ghost flinched. "You'll have to do better than that!" she taunted.

He didn't seem to hear her taunts. "Nau mari saba tatakiyatei biyari."

Another cringe.

Unclasping his hands, he crossed his pinky fingers and continued. "On bazara bokisha boku. Saraba mokkei biyari sarabata taraku. On kiri kiri bazara bajiri hora manda manda un hatta. On amiri tonausoba un hatta."

As Bou-san's exorcism progressed, the ghost began to recoil and move as far away as she could within the limitations of Lin's circle—which wasn't much; the smaller circle had little room for moving to speak of. It's working, he noted. Take that! Fueled by the same anger as John had been, Bou-san moved back to the Fudou Myou-ou hand placement and began the final set of chants. Once she was too weak to stand it, Ayako would finish it.

"Nau maku sarabata taagyatei biyaku. Saraba bokkei biyaku. Sarabata tatara senda makaroshada ken gyaki gyaki. Saraba bikennan untarata kan man." The screaming started after that. Long, wailing howls that chilled his very blood; he ignored it and continued. The look on Bou-san's face scared Mai: it held no mercy whatsoever.

"Nau maku san manda bazara dankan; Nau maku san manda bazara dankan; Nau maku san manda bazara dankan!" he chanted, opening his eyes and focusing on the ghost. He looked at Ayako and nodded to her once. She nodded back and raised her Onusa and began to wave and shake it back and forth.

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" she intoned, waving it in an arch, once.

The combined exorcisms did the job. With a horrible shriek, the ghost blinked out of existence, the only trace of her presence the fading echo of her screams. One last thing to do. Naru looked at Lin and nodded at him grudgingly. He really didn't want to see this—but it had to be done. And Lin was the one who'd weaved the counter curse before. Grasping Mai's arm gently, the tall Chinese man led her over to the circle and guided her into it. He'd explained to her earlier that this would be the last thing to do—bring whatever was left of the spell cloud into existence so it could be destroyed entirely. Already he could feel it breaking apart, but this at least would insure it. The circle flared as soon as its creator stepped into it. Clasping Mai close, Lin leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, with just enough passion to bring what was left of the spell cloud into existence. Breaking the kiss, Lin went to the inner edge of the circle and using his foot, he disrupted the power running along the lines, smudging the circles and runes he'd drawn. The circle dissolved into smoke. Looking at his third Shiki, he gave it permission to devour the remaining clumps. It set to work with gusto. While it was busy with the rest of the spell, Lin returned to the camera and stopped the recording.

"It's… gone," they heard a small voice say.

In unison, they all looked over at Yukimura Hotaru, who was staring at the ceiling with angry tears running down her cheeks. "All that hard work, down the drain!" She looked over at Mai and glared at her. "Haven't you done enough?" she screeched, her eyes wild. "You took him away from me! You ruined my spell! What did I ever do to you?"

They saw Mai move towards her, but by the time they realized her intentions, there was no stopping her; the slap resounded in the room and they all flinched—Mai did indeed pack a mean punch and an even meaner slap. Mai's face and eyes were like stone: hard and unyielding. Hotaru stared up at her in shock and cradled her stinging cheek.

"I don't want to date Akira," she said bluntly. "I've never wanted to date him. I didn't intend for him to develop feelings for me—it's more painful for him because I can't return those feelings. But I don't blame him! You're the one who pushed him away! Relationships are a two-way street! There's only so much Akira-kun can do," she said, eerily echoing what Hotaru's grandfather said in her dream. "What's he supposed to do? Sit around and wait for you to come to the sense you never had? You deserved exactly what happened to you," Mai stated with deadly calm.

That's right, she thought, not noticing as tears began to slip down her cheeks. I pushed him away when I became too involved in the Student Council, she remembered. What started as brotherly affection grew because Mai was there to comfort him. The blame is mine, isn't it, grandfather? A sob escaped her throat and Hotaru curled in on herself, weeping.

The door slammed open and the principal and vice-principal entered the room followed closely by a very worried looking Akira; one step behind him was Masahiro with a stony look on his face. Akira looked around for a moment, spotting Mai and the sobbing Hotaru. "Hotaru!" he called, running to her side and ignoring Mai. "What's wrong? What happened? Are you okay? Talk to me! Hotaru!" he said, giving her shoulders a small shake.

A…Akira? Why? The tears became harder and more pitiful. Father Toujo approached and crouched down next to the young lady.

"There now, it's all right. You've gone through a terrible ordeal," the priest said, sympathetically. "Come, now. Come talk to me." Father Toujo, with Akira's aid, pulled the distraught young woman to her feet and slowly began to lead her out of the room.

Naru looked at the principal and vice-principal. "It's over," he said. "Things should return to normal by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for all your hard work, everyone," the principal said, bowing.

"Mai, you and Lin take down the cameras in the hall. Bou-san, John, Matsuzaki-san, please take down the monitors and the shelves in the Teacher's Lounge."

Mai's shoulder's slumped. "That workaholic," she muttered, following Lin to the halls where they'd set up the cameras. They worked quickly and in silence. It was easier to stop the cameras and dismantle them than it was to set them up and configure them.

Odd how that works, she thought, looking at Lin from the corner of her eye. So I suppose that since it's over… whatever that was between us is, too. Oh, well, it was a nice dream, I suppose, Mai thought, smiling sadly and trying to will her eyes not to tear up. Everything… will go back to normal. A lone tear slipped down her cheek and she hurriedly scrubbed it away. No! I'm not going to cry! She was lost in thought and didn't hear Lin approach her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her.

She jumped and turned, hitting the wall. "N…Nothing, really." She looked away. "I guess… things will go back to normal, right?"

Lin blinked. "What's normal?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you what normal is."

"Life, isn't it? Won't it just go back to the way it was?"

"Do you want that?" he asked, gauging her reaction.

She looked up, puzzled. Opening her mouth to answer, she closed it just as quickly and looked at the ground in thought. "If I say 'yes,' will this end?"

"It will," he confirmed, nodding once. "What do you want, Mai? Do you want things to go back to 'Taniyama-san' and 'Lin-san'?"

Reaching out, she threaded her fingers in his shirt and bunched the fabric in her hand. "No," she said, almost inaudibly. "I don't." She looked up at him with a bright smile. "What's so great about 'normal' anyhow?"

"What, indeed?" he asked, leaning down and kissing her again. I've caught a butterfly in my net, he thought, trapping her between him and the wall and deepening the kiss.

…

"Naru doesn't intend to give you up, you know," Lin said, as they packed up the last cameras.

"Then he should have made his feelings known sooner!" Mai stated in a huff.

Yes, that's true, Lin thought, silently agreeing with her. But for reasons that are his own, he simply can't. I'm not convinced that Naru knows how he feels, yet. What a conundrum we three are in. What the outcome will be, even I can't see. What happens, happens. We'll just take things one step at a time. That's the only thing anyone can do. "Naru's waiting at the van for the cameras. Let's go," he said heading down the hallway.

-End.

A/N: Oh, stop fretting. There's an epilogue. Just be patient, for heaven's sake! Just a quick comment, if I may. Many of you NaruxMai shippers are not happy, I know. And I would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to realize that you desperately wanted Shades of Lust to end exclusively as NaruxMai. Instead, it ended as a triangle between Lin, Mai, and Naru—with a heavy emphasis on LinxMai.

I do not apologize for ignoring all your hints and prods. I will not apologize, either. Don't expect it.

If I took everyone's prods and "hint hints" this fanfiction would not be something that I thought of; rather, it would be an out-of-control Round Robin. Sometimes, in writing, you just have to say 'thanks for the suggestion, but I'd rather do things this way.' And that's what I've done. So… many thanks for the input, the suggestions, the prods, and the occasional poke when I've been lackadaisical about updating, but I happen to like how this fic turned out over all.

On the other hand, if any of you want to take care of Charlie, let me know. I'd be glad to foist my over-productive-at-inconvenient-times-plot bunny on someone else, especially during exams!

I'll see you all in the epilogue! And be sure to watch for my new stories that should be coming soon!