Mae awakens to the sounds of voices filtering down the hallway. Cracking her eyes open she's able to see that she was never returned back to her room, instead spending the night on one of the overstuffed couches in the entertainment room. Slowly she pushes herself to a sitting position, wincing slightly at the weight on her bad wrist; she brings her left hand up to rub the looming headache from her temples, using her good arm to support herself. A slight shuffling of fabric draws Mae's attention. She looks over to see the ice maiden seated in an armchair nearby.
"Good morning." Yukina greets sweetly, a smile gracing her features. Mae nods in response, not returning the smile. Her expression is guarded as she regards the teal haired woman. The koorime looks tired, having opted for a pair of faded jeans and loose t-shirt with minimal make up; despite this her appearance is no less stunning than before. Mae swings her feet over the side of the couch to sit properly, smoothing out the material of her eggshell colored yukata as she takes a steadying breath. I still don't know for sure who these people are, but I was never allowed out of my cell except for special occasions. Still, I shouldn't trust them. Even if they aren't the ones from before telling them too much could get them killed…Mae's thoughts are interrupted by soft footsteps approaching her. Cobalt eyes snap up to meet cherry red framed by familiar teal locks. "Are you in pain? Kurama said you might be when you woke up since you slept through the night."
Mae regarded the question warily, she knew better than to ask for anything. She'd learned that lesson the hard way.
"Are you thirsty?" A gravelly voice asks from the shadows. Mae struggles to lift her head from the freezing stone floor she's chained to. Her wild eyes search the shadows cast by the jumping flames of the torches lining the walls in regular intervals. A man steps from the shadows, long dark hair flowing around him. He looks completely out of place in the dim dungeon she's being kept in; expensive looking shoes reflect the fire light as he crouches in front of her, careful not to let his spotless trousers become sullied by the filth of her prison.
"How about some food?" The man offers, his expression soft; he seems genuine in his gesture, so Mae nods. She pushes herself to a seated position, trying to conceal her nudity from the kind stranger. Her captors had no use for clothing her. He is careful to avoid touching her directly as he hands her a chunk of strong smelling cheese and a thick slice of warm bread. Mae brings the treats to her face and inhales deeply; she can't remember the last time she ate. The man then sets a large container of water beside her. Clutching the food to her chest with one arm Mae snatches the metal bottle and sips hesitantly from it. Cool clean water runs through her, making the small girl's frame shudder at the pleasantness of it.
Mae proceeds to devour the gifts, pausing only once to offer her visitor some of her meal which he politely declines. She licks the last of the crumbs from her fingers, savoring the sweet nuttiness of the fresh bread. Full for the first time since boarding the plane that took her from her home in the states she leans back, carefully folding her legs and draping an arm across her chest to cover herself. The man rises to his feet, a satisfied smile crossing his face.
"Better?" He asks, slipping his slender hands into the pockets of his slacks. The stranger seems less kind than before, the dancing shadows licking at him menacingly. Mae nods, nervous at his tone. "Good. Now perhaps you can return the favor."
Mae regards the man, confused. He returns to his crouch, this time taking no heed of his fine clothes and resting his knees on the filthy floor. "It doesn't need to be this way. If you help me I'm more than willing to meet any need or want you should have."
Mae's eyes widen, the slight color in her face from her meal draining away. She shakes her head slightly to which the man sighs.
"Are you sure?" He asks, the kindness leaving his voice as he leans closer to the girl. Mae tries desperately to shrink further away, but there's nowhere for her to go. His face is centimeters from hers. Mae shudders, able to smell his foul breath as his venomous words reach her. "I just want you to remember that you did this to yourself."
Mae sits silently, fiddling with the sleeve of her yukata as Yukina tries to coax some type of response from the girl. "Please Mae, do you need the medication?"
Slowly the ghostly girl shakes her head; this pain is nothing compared to before, or what is to come. Unsure, the ice maiden regards the way Mae sits. Her limbs are drawn in close, muscles tense with pain from her injuries. Gone is the defiant façade from before. The girl before the ice maiden sits defeated, doing her best to become invisible. A troubled frown crosses the koorime's face as she sets the next dose of broth on the side table and rises. "I'll fetch the others from the tea room, wait here."
Within a minute the ice maiden returns with the group of increasingly familiar faces. They arrange themselves around the room, effectively blocking any potential escape. The group looks ragged and ill rested from having continued combing through the various spirit world texts. Koenma pulls the arm chair Yukina had previously occupied so he sits face to face with Mae. He has returned to his teenage form in an attempt to give an air of authority, though the strain from maintaining the older version of himself is evident; there are dark circles under his eyes and his clothes are rumpled and smudged with dust from reading the old texts throughout the night. He tosses a glance to the red headed fox who nods once before taking a seat on the oversized couch alongside Mae. Though the red head appears equally drained he still manages an air of grace and command as he sinks elegantly into the cushions of the couch.
"We have pieces of information," The spirit prince begins, scrubbing a tired hand over his face. He watches Mae closely, looking for any hints toward the answers they're seeking. Much to his dismay she is no more forthcoming than before. "We need you to fill in the blanks. Since you appear to have lost the ability to speak Kurama will act as your translator."
The albino girl regards the princeling warily. This is either some type of sick joke or a test she decides. Folding her hands over her knees Mae drops her gaze, steeling herself for the expected blows from her previous interrogations. Much to her surprise the first strike never lands.She swallows her shock and steals a sideways glance at the red head beside her, not allowing her face to betray her thoughts as she locks her emotions away one by one. The others can see her carefully schooled features becoming stony as the silence extends.
"Mae, don't make this more difficult than it already has been." Botan says softly from her place behind Koenma. Her gentle eyes are unable to make contact with the small girl as Mae refuses to look up from her lap. The ferry girl runs a hand through her hair, pushing back any stray pieces. She's abandoned her pink kimono in favor of maroon lounge pants and a white tank, her hair has been gathered into a messy bun and it's apparent by the exhaustion in her voice that she spent the night running back and forth retrieving materials from spirit world. "I know you don't believe us, but we are only trying to figure out what's happened. We only want to help."
That last phrase hits Mae like a train. Help, the word she'd held onto for so long. It was the word her captors had always offered before unleashing their worst punishments; and it was the last word to echo in her mind as the last of her hope died in that dark, cold dungeon. There is no help. When Botan leans forward to place a comforting hand over the girl's smaller ones Mae's eyes harden, she jerks back to avoid the contact. Her head snaps up and she glares at the older woman with an expression that reads liar. With a defeated sigh and shake of her head the blue haired woman retracts her hand and leaves to continue searching for answers in the ancient papers, taking with her Yukina, Kuwubara, and Yuske. The group knows that Hiei and Kurama will be more than enough in the way of guards.
"Due to your unwillingness to volunteer any information, and our inability to easily obtain further knowledge as to your past why don't I start by telling you what we do know? All I require of you at this point is confirmation of events, and explanations on them if you would care to share why some of these events took place." Koenma explains. He braces himself for the next few hours, knowing they will be just as exhausting as the entire night before. He dares to hope that Mae will be forthcoming with her answers, which will allow him to piece together her past and finally put this case to rest. Much to his dismay her eyes once again become emotionless as they come to rest on the spirit prince. Her posture is still defeated, though the prince can see her defiant nature under the surface.
"Mae," Kurama interjects, drawing her attention. "Yukina informed me that you didn't accept the broth this morning. By refusing the medicine not only will you heal more slowly, but you must surely be in pain."
The fox's level gaze roves over the girl, taking in each tense muscle and stiff joint. He notes how her movements are hesitant and jerky from the soreness of the burns. "I know that you don't believe us, nor do you have any reason to, but in accepting the medication we can begin to build that trust."
Mae's cobalt colored eyes widen slightly at his confession, turmoil swirls within their depths at his offer of the broth. The room seems to hold its breath as the red head holds out the cooling mug of kus broth; Mae hesitates a moment too long. Hiei, who had taken his place in the large window lost his patience and snarled "Kurama, stop playing nice. Force the damn woman to take the broth if she's too stupid to do so willingly."
"Hiei," The fox says lowly as Mae retreats further into herself. His emerald gaze never leaves the girl as he reprimands the fire demon, I was so close damnit! "It isn't about power or strength. This is about proving to Mae that she has a choice, we need her to trust us."
Mae glances between the three men; if I refuse their medicine they very well could force me to take it. The one in black has made that very clear, also the one in the chair, Koenma I think, isn't really giving me a choice about these questions of his. Maybe it would just be better to play along at this point, they say they want me to trust them so maybe I can trick them into trusting me and figure something out. She extends her hand to the fox who graciously hands her the lukewarm drink. Taking a deep breath she downs the contents of the mug before the bitter taste can hit her. As she returns the cup to the table she can feel the tension in the room lessen. The effects of the broth hit her faster than expected as she slumps against the back cushions almost immediately. With a sigh she refocuses her attention on the honey eyed prince as best she can and slurs out let's get this over with, which Kurama eloquently translates into spoken form.
"Yes, let's begin." The spirit prince agrees, straightening his clothes and brushing some dust from the sleeve. Mae rolls her eyes at him; even drugged she still manages to give off an air of defiance. His honey colored orbs lock with her sapphire as he recalls the earlier conversation with his team.
"We've been reading these stupid books all night and haven't found anything!" The former detective exclaims, running his hand through his ebony locks for the umpteenth time. He pushes the ancient tome away and buries his head in his hands. "I can't take it anymore, if I wanted to study this much I would have actually gone to school!"
With a small chuckle Kurama looks up from his own text, setting it neatly on a large stack to his left. "Unfortunately I must agree with you, Yuske, this pursuit is proving to be less than fruitful. On top of that our guest will most likely be waking soon."
"She's hardly our guest." Kuwubara mutters, not bothering to look up while flipping through the dusty pages of a particularly thick book. This draws the attention of the others at the table. Koenma in particular, scrubs a hand across his face and pushes his reading away. The toddler prince removes his pacifier, setting it on the table and pushes his hat further up his head.
"That's not exactly fair, Kuwubara."The princeling says, exhaustion piercing his voice as he reaches for his long cold tea.
"It's true though," Botan responds. She pulls her hair into a sloppy bun and brushes her bangs from her face, smudging dust across her forehead. She stretches her arms above her head, arching her spine to relieve some of the stiffness accumulated throughout the night. "We not only constantly have someone watching her, but we chased her down and brought her back when she tried to leave, Kurama gave her soap that stripped the dye from her hair, Hiei and Yuske seriously injured her and locked her in a closet, and we drugged her because of those injuries. No offense Lord Koenma, but she's not our guest she's our prisoner."
Koenma's frown deepens with each point the ferry girl ticks off on her slender fingers. He pushes himself up, pacing across one of the few clear spaces on the table. From the corner Hiei glares at the blue haired girl for bringing further attention to his heinous actions from the day before. Emerald eyes slide over to meet garnet, the fox deciding to jump in before the fire demon could become more agitated.
"The problem is trust." The red head states, "We've given her no reason to trust us and every reason not to. If we ever want to find out Mae's past we'll have to earn her trust since Hiei doesn't have access to her mind."
"And how exactly do we do that?" Yuske asks, sarcasm creeping into his voice. "You want to explain who we are, what we do, all that to her? Oh, yeah Kurama, that's definitely going to make her trust us, that or she'll think you're crazy."
"Yuske does have a point, seeing as she was raised in the Catholic Church and doesn't believe demons exist on a physical level." Koenma states, he pauses in his pacing. "But so do you Kurama, so please, what do you suggest?"
"It's quite simple really. The closer a lie is to the truth the more plausible it is and the easier it is to maintain." Kurama states, folding his hands loosely, "as we are a type of organization we simply tell her that. We tell Mae that we investigate the paranormal, and that her case was misplaced for several years. We can also mention that while we are a global organization it's rare we operate outside of Japan."
"Hey that's a great idea!" Botan exclaims, a smile lighting up her face.
"It should be enough information to get Mae talking without completely debasing her beliefs and telling her who we really are." The fox finishes his explanation just as Yukina knocks on the door to announce Mae has awakened.
"My name is Koenma. I belong to a group of people who monitor strange activity, supernatural occurrences and such. Under normal circumstances we would have met much sooner, but due to some unforeseen events our investigation into your case has been delayed." The spirit prince pauses to gauge Mae's reaction. She merely lifts a single white brow at the brunette's confession, her sapphire eyes slightly unfocused from the pain medication. As Koenma allows the information to sink in a drugged grin spreads across her face. Her gaze slides from the spirit prince's to Kurama, who regards her skeptic look evenly; confused she fixes her eye on Hiei, cobalt orbs widening when he too seems unfazed by the ridiculous claim made. Slowly, she pushes herself up watching the faces of the three men closely. You're joking right; I mean you can't be serious. She signs slowly, the medication causing her to slur the signs and her fingers to stumble over each other.
"What? What is she saying?" Koenma asked, leaning further off the chair. Kurama shakes his head, "She doesn't believe us."
"What? Wait, what do you mean she doesn't believe us?" The spirit prince questions, panic tinting the edges of his voice.
"She asked if you were joking." Kurama responds, his usual amusement absent. His green eyes didn't dance as he met the prince's open gawk; instead they were chips of emerald ice. Very well, the fox decides, if Koenma can't sell it I will.
"Mae," He begins, turning sideways on the couch so he faced her directly. "This is serious, I know the notion seems ridiculous but we do deal with the abnormal; for the most part on a daily basis."
The drugs still clouding her system it's all Mae can do to keep from laughing. So you're like what, ghost busters? Her eyes are filled with mirth at her statement. With a sigh the red head reaches out, grasping her small hands in his own. "If that makes this easier to swallow, then yes, we are ghost busters, whatever that is; but I need you to take this seriously. I need you to trust us."
With this last statement Mae pulls away, regarding Kurama warily. That phrase again, that request, almost a plea, for her trust. I do have to admit, by now they normally would have dropped the charade and resorted to their usual methods. The fox studies Mae as she contemplates his words, he can see the kus broth is effecting her judgement, making her more receptive to persuasion. He glances at Koenma, giving the spirit prince a slight nod to continue.
"Ahem, yes, well we do know that when you were six our, um, sensors picked up a strange energy reading from you." The brunette glances at the file on his lap flipping it open, their extensive search the previous night had yielded meager results as to the mysteries surrounding the girl. He lifts the papers, shuffling through them before continuing. His amber eyes glimpse at Mae, whose terrified expression rests plainly on her face. His brows knit together as he turns back to the file, continuing. "We also know that your mother died almost a year after this initial reading, your father giving up his rights and abandoning you to the state the following year. We were also able to locate your digital file from the local government that oversaw the orphanage where you were placed. It says that when you were handed over you were in need of severe medical attention, but did not contain any explanation as to why. Do you care to elaborate at all?"
Smoke fills the small outdated kitchen as a seven year old Mae tries desperately to smother the flames of her burnt cooking. Before the small girl can escape the thick smoke burning her eyes and throat the back door to the small house slams open, the handle indenting the drywall further. Whirling around to face the sudden crash Mae shrinks back, attempting to disappear into the surrounding smolder.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, you stupid, ungrateful, waste?" The red faced man screeches, his hair in disarray and the smell of beer lingering on his breath. His stained shirt hangs from his gangly frame by only a few buttons while a half empty bottle dangles in his hand. The man stumbles across the small room, slurring curses at the child. Looming over the albino girl he grabs her arm to drag her from the space.
"I'm sorry!" Mae cries, her tiny hand pulling at his large fingers. "Daddy, I'm sorry! I'll do better I promise!"
"No." The man states, his tone leaves no room for argument. "This was your last chance, you knew that."
Ignoring her cries and pleas he drags his daughter across the uneven terrain of their small yard, allowing the sharp rocks to cut and scrape at her bare legs. Throwing open the door to what was previously his tool shed Mae's father stuffs her into a dog cage under the table of his work bench. Mae sobs dejectedly as the lock to the cage snaps shut the bars of the metal cage press into her hands and knees as she squeezes herself around to face the front.
"Please daddy!" She whimpers snot and tears running down her face as she looks out of her prison, at her father's legs. "I'm sorry! Daddy! Please, I'm sorry!"
Her father isn't swayed by her calls. He stomps out of the shed, closing and locking the door behind him. Mae swipes at her face in an attempt to clear the mess from her cheeks and nose, still whispering hoarsely "I'm sorry… I'll do better… I'm sorry"
Knowing her father won't return that night Mae presses herself into the far corner of her confinement, resting her head on the cold steel of the cage. Tears still occasionally leak from her eyes as she hugs her knees to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. The albino girl sniffs loudly as the familiar musty scent of rotting wood seeps into her nose through the snot. Her watery eyes scan the small area of the shed she can make out from her dark corner, but she knows nothing's changed, not since her mother died two months ago.
A light touch to her knee brings Mae out of the memory. Taking a shuddering breath Mae glances around the room to gather her bearings, releasing and smoothing the skirt of her yukata which she had clutched unknowingly. It had been a long time since she'd seen the inside of that dog crate or caught whiff of that musty smell, but still the recollection of that last year with her father haunts her. She looks up to meet Kurama's gentle gaze. His deep green eyes offer reassurance that Mae isn't sure she's ready to accept.
"Mae?" He questions, his voice soft and probing for answer he knows she holds. "Mae, the more we know the more we can help. If the broth is wearing off I can send Hiei to make more-"
"I'm not your errand boy, Kurama." Hiei retorts icily from his spot at the window. With a withering glare the fox turns to him. "Unless you have suddenly gained the ability to understand and translate sign language you will prepare the broth; unless that escapes you as well?"
The fire demon returns the fierce glower with his own scowl, but says nothing further as he storms from the room to prepare more of the petals for the broth. A satisfied smile rests on the red head's lips as he turns back to the pale girl. The grin slips away as he sees Mae paler than before and chewing on the inside of her cheek. Her stare is locked on the spot the dark haired demon had recently vacated, his eyes shifting between the two points the fox realizes that she's more uneasy around the fire demon than she lets on. Reasonable, he did injure her quite severely, and shows no signs of remorse that she can discern he decides, delicately drawing her attention. "Mae, will you answer Koenma's question? Hiei is gone now, he won't hurt you again. I promise."
His promise gains not only the girl's attention, but the spirit prince's as well, who shoots him an angry look for making such a promise about someone as unpredictable as Hiei. Though, much to the brunette's surprise this seems to convince the girl in question as she nods shakily before raising her hands. I can answer this much at least, maybe it will throw them off enough for me to form a plan. Besides, it isn't anything dangerous, really she decides, her hands forming the symbols for the words to share her past. After my mother passed my father… she falters for a moment, despair filling her small form; my mother's death affected him severely. He mistreated me that last year, I was often kept in a dog cage without food or water. When I wasn't I was subject to his drinking, and his rage. Mae pauses as Kurama translates, taking deep breaths to ward off the panic that threatens to set in as she explains her past.
"When she wasn't locked away she at least had the option to…hide, when her father's acquaintances would come over to drink that is. However, if she was in the cage, or not hidden well enough, they would often find her and-" The red head felt himself choke on the words as he interpreted Mae's story. At the last confession, he placed his hands over her own tugging them to her lap. No longer could he meet her cobalt stare, not knowing what he did now. How could I ask for her trust, there was no way for me to have known before. Still, it's apparent some of these scars are much more recent, and if this is only the beginning…
"And what Kurama?" The prince inquires, the color having drained from his face at the start of her confession. His eyes reflected the pain he knew the kind hearted fox felt for the girl. Kurama takes a shaky breath, releasing Mae's hands he stands to exit the room, pausing only to utter the words. "They took turns."
The remaining color leaves Koenma's complexion as he makes note in the file. He takes several breaths to steady himself, he had known gathering this information wouldn't be a walk in the park but this was nothing like he'd imagined. "I believe we're finished for now. Thank you."
The spirit prince rises from his seat stiffly, Mae's azure gaze following him as he turns to leave. At the doorway he turns back, offering a deep bow as a sign of apology and respect. She nods in acknowledgement, her blue eyes seeming to pierce the very soul of the spirit world prince as he disappears from her sight.
