Disclaimer: I don't own GH. Thanks to everyone who's still giving this story a chance
She woke up in a cold sweat.
Darkness shadowed the surroundings, obstructing her vision. Was the creature still after her? How had she survived? How the heck did Naru get here?
All she could see were hundreds of white spots of light above her. Mai picked herself up, and gave them her full attention. She had seen something like this before on TV, where white glowing lights would ascend from above. They were either one, spirits out to get her, or two, spirits that wanted something from her.
From what it seemed like, the lights just hovered above her, not moving at all.
Mai extended her forefinger to the nearest light to her, glowing like a frail firefly in the dim night. It was all too alluring not to touch. I'm probably going to regret this, Mai thought to herself.
Her finger came in to contact to its bright edge, the darkness around her got sucked away. Mai drew out a startled breath, as a strong wind started to surge around her. Quickly whipping her head around, she stared at her surroundings. As far as she knew she was outside, with the graying sky above, and dark green grass below. She was standing in the middle of grass lands that stretched to the horizon.
Movement caught her eye in her peripheral vision. A young girl was playing a few feet ahead of her, with what seemed like the same white lights she had encountered before. The lights flew around her, as she swapped them away playfully. She looked perfectly content with her situation, and didn't seem to notice Mai at all.
Although Mai thought the girl was somewhat peculiar. She had a certain movement, a particular step in her merriment that made it seem like the white lights seemed to flow around her, as if she and the lights were being conjured up and moved by her own wishes. Nevertheless, Mai still felt drawn to the girl for a reason she couldn't fathom.
A shadow came up beside her, and Mai nearly jumped. A man stood next to her, with a stature that Mai could only think of as 'regal'. No matter how the man looked like, she felt an ominous vibe reverberate from him.
The girl now had stopped moving vibrantly, and came to a sudden halt. The lights around her vanished instantly and she turned her face around to stare at the man. The man made a move forward, and her features immediately turned pale with fear. As she stood shaking, the man made a grab for her.
"STOP!!!" Mai screamed, but neither seemed to acknowledge her. Mai felt her heart drop, as she stood there helplessly looking at them. That's right - I can't participate in visions…
The man took out a small handkerchief and covered the girl's mouth. Mai understood the situation and knew now that she could do nothing about it. Even so, her heart went out to the small girl. As she closed her eyes, the man whispered something in her ear. Although Mai was a few feet away, she the man's words come to her clearly.
"He won't come back for you this time."
"NOOOO!!!" Mai shrieked, as emotions of fear, confusion, and betrayal overwhelmed her.
The man stopped.
Mai felt herself shaking as the man slowly turned his head toward her, while keeping the girl still in his arms.
Shall I take you instead?
"Miss Mai! Please wake up." a gentle voice called out to her. She felt someone holding her shoulders, although her body inwardly winced from the abrupt awakening. She sat up, and started to gag. A saw a swarm of red hair, and huge concerned eyes swam in her vision. Mika…
"Are you alright?!!" Another voice called out. Mai looked to her side, and saw that the man she just recently met stood next to her with the same worried look.
Mai tried to speak but felt the rawness of her throat. I must have been screaming again...
She made a move showing she needed some water, as she locked and targeted her backpack, remembering she always brought water to night class.
As Sebastian and Mika scrambled to get her something to drink, she had a few seconds to settle her thoughts, and look at the "reality" around her.
First, it was night again, which was weird, since according to her watch it should have been evening. Second, a campfire was burning in front of her which meant that she'd been knocked out for some time. Third, if she had been having a vision, how was it possible that she could interact/communicate with the people there?
My head hurts. WTF. Mai thought dejectedly. And indeed her head was killing her. She had the pounding kind, and it didn't help that her heart was pumping like no tomorrow.
Mika handed her a water bottle, which Mai accepted gratefully. Sebastian threw some wood in the fire.
"wha-, what--hapnin? Where *cough* Na-ru?" Mai screeched out, as she took another swig of her water.
Sebastian gave a sideways glanced at Mika, possibly urging her to tell her instead of him.
Mika took a hold of her hand.
"You've been sleeping for two hours. Your friend Kazuya, or Naru, came out of nowhere with you. At that time you had passed out from blood loss. Your arm-" Mai suddenly felt a sensation on her wounded arm along the lines of burning acid "-your arm was in bad shape. He already explained to us that you got attacked by a bear, and was severely hurt. But, he came well prepared with a pack of supplies and gave you first aid. He just left a few minutes ago to look for possible landmarks to show where we are now. He should be back any minute…"
Mika stopped, letting Mai absorb the information. She felt somewhere between relief and anxiety since Naru came to be here. Mai knew that if Naru had come prepared, he knew what he was getting into. He may have some answers and a plan to leave this place. But, on the other hand, he came alone, which meant there may have been complications with the others.
Mai looked at the concerned faces shining in the light of the campfire. "Thank you *cough* telling me. And for taking care of me this whole time, especially since we just met… But what about you? Did you see that creature? *cough* Was it dead? Were you guys *cough* hurt? I want to hear more on how you got here and…"
Sebastian smiled and patted her back. "Just get some sleep Miss Mai…you still need to recover. We'll let you know when it's time to go." It was in the tone that meant to hold on to the questions for later.
Mai knew how to take a hint. That and her body was screaming for rest at the moment. Her arm was throbbed more and more as she stayed in the upward position. She closed her eyes, and realized she was lying on some jackets next to a trunk of a tree. After feeling her breathing slow once more, Mai also felt a disturbing pang in her chest as she recounted her memories before losing consciousness.
Naru had saved her using his PK abilities, but seemed to be in one piece. She also couldn't get how she felt when she first saw Naru in that dark place. His eyes- were glowing silver- blue, like a quiet steady fire- yet cold, and could explode in ferocity at any moment. They were the kind of eyes that wolves have before they pounced on their prey- a killer's eyes.
Her train of thought stopped as she heard a rustle of leaves behind her. Bolting from her sleep, she heard Mika yell a "who's there?!"
Mai turned around to face the being – and saw dark blue orbs shining in the campfire. It took Mai all she had to not scream in surprise.
"You look rested." He said calmly giving her a brief glance. Immediately he turned his attention away to the two others.
"NARU!!!!!!" Mai cried as she tried to stand up and greet him. He gently pushed her down back to her laying position. Shaking his head at her, he passed over her to sit beside her.
Mai smiled slightly, not getting the hug or at least the "hello" she wanted, but she was very happy to feel the warmth of Naru's torso very close to her own. Location, location, location. She thought, smiling to herself. Oh if Masako could see me now…
"Did you find anything? Any signs of Jira?" Sebastian asked.
Mai mentally kicked herself with guilt. She had forgotten all about Jira.
Mika's eyes widened, as she played with her hair absentmindedly.
"Jira, if still alive, is most likely in this area. I saw some footsteps that have him north of this area. " Naru narrowed his eyes. "He seems to have gone back to where I came from and did a U-turn North. I have a feeling he is going to the same place we are."
"And exactly where are we?"
Naru hesitated for a moment before speaking. "As far as location goes, according to my observations of the area, we are indeed a part of Himiwara Hill…but we are not in the same Himiwara as you know. Our time is limited here, since this place is more of in an avalanching state of things."
"Meaning…?" Mika asked confused. "I've been in Japan a few times now, and I have never heard of this place described as that."
Naru glanced at Mai who was already sitting up, and leaning at the tree. She stared at him waiting for his response.
"We have a limited time here. This place is created using massive amounts of energy as a resource. My team and I have some experience with these kinds of places- they are usually created by a certain points in the world that have tumultuous physical and spiritual forces."
Sebastian gave him a withering look. "You're saying we're in an alternate dimension, like a Sci-fi movie?"
Mika put her head in her hand, and stared with glazed eyes at the campfire. "mundo…rim…"
Both Sebastian and Naru turned their head sharply at her. "What did you say?"
"You know…the world between the worlds. I learned it from one of my teachers …I had stayed after one day to talk to him, and told me about different ways a tear in dimensions could exist, and how it's proven in history. The world of hell or paradise on earth can all be proven with these 'mundos'. He even showed me how different crystals and gem have the ability to absorb energy. They can be manipulated and create these 'mundos' when gathered in a concentrated area."
Mika then pulled at a chain around her neck to reveal 3 chipped pieces of crystal- black, yellow, and red. "He even gave me this from his own samples. He had told me they were broken pieces from his collection anyway, and that I could have it since I was interested in these kinds of things." She added sheepishly.
Naru's eyes widened. He suddenly remembered something while he laid nearly unconscious not too long ago.
"I see you're an avid collector. Or are you a part time geologist?" Ayako inquired, while fingering the glass box that protected them. These cranes were the most beautiful out of all the crystals in the box, one red, the other yellow, and the last was a dark violet, almost black.
"OH! Please don't touch those. They are very valuable, and are a part of my private collection." He quickly covered the wooden and glass box containing the crystals completely.
"What was his name again? I'm still trying to remember…Sebastian you know him…he was with you and Jira after class, the night we were in the forest…" She said, looking at Sebastian.
Sebastian gulped, clenching his fist. "Yeah I know him."
But Naru did. Fingering his own stone necklace that was given to him, he asked quietly, "Do you remember if he was a physics professor?"
Mika snapped her fingers and smiled. "That's right! And that's how he knew to draw these dimensional diagrams and quantum mechanics. I never really got the hang of it."
Mai rolled her eyes. "Yeah me too. I never could stay awake in my night class. Especially since my professor was so damn geeky…"
"Mine too…he always wore this bow tie to class…it was really funny." Mika said, giggling softly.
"Me too…" Mai muttered. Her eyes widened.
"MR. SUN WANG?????!!!!" She hollered.
"Yes, that's his name!" Mika said, delighted and confused at Mai's revelation.
Mai turned to look at Naru, only to be fixated by a pure 'could- you- be- any- slower?' look. She fumed and sat up straighter on the tree, not looking at him.
"Anyway, about the plan to get back to our own Himiwara…" Mika said, realizing the change of atmosphere between Mai and Naru.
"We will camp here for tonight. We'll be taking turns on who stays awake to watch the campgrounds for any bears or any other wild animals. I will be first watch. We will switch every 4 hours. Tomorrow, we will look for Jira on our way to Narajara Cave."
Mika nodded in agreement, seeming to blindly trust him without question. On the other hand, Mai grabbed Naru's arm that made his head go a bit closer to hers than she had planned.
"Why Narajara cave?" Mai asked, blushing furiously. Naru held her gaze for a moment. the mysterious blue eyes that she had grown to love were only inches away from her own. Mai gulped slightly, praying to the gods above that Naru would not notice her increasing embarrassment at their close proximity.
In the next second, that moment disappeared. Naru pulled himself away and looked at her with an almost smug smile.
"Because, it's our way out."
"How do you kn-" Mai started while inhaling his warm English tea scent. Before she could truly enjoy it, his head turned away from her, and a map suddenly appeared walling him off from her.
His head was devoured in it.
With that Mai knew the conversation had ended.
Shaking her head, she scooted closer to Mika. As they readied for sleep, the girls sat giggling and recounting their horror days in physics class. Naru had his arms folded looking like he didn't have a care in the world.
Except for giving a few sideways glances at Sebastian. Although the girls hadn't noticed yet, Naru did take note of Sebastian's abrupt silence after the mentioning of Wang. Naru could only speculate of what had happened between Sebastian and Mr. Wang. For now, his blond hair covered his eyes as he sat staring at the dancing whips of the campfire.
"It's going to be okay, Ayako…"
Ayako had been standing against Takigawa with her face buried in his shoulder. She was crying, but she was trying to hold it in by squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath.
"That's two, Takigawa…Two of them that are gone. We've been on this roller coaster ride of… unfortunate things happening to us… I'm just so frustrated…at this situation…my own…uselessness…and…" She raved, gasping in between breaths.
For all she knew, Mai was already dead in the forest, and Naru went in to follow her. She was left with no ideas how to overcome a dangerous dimensional rift, especially when there was little known about it. In addition, she couldn't use her powers to help. They were on their own. She had to stand by and just wait it out.
"Are you so weak minded that you've lost yourself, as well as your friends?" the old man creaked, while he looked up into the air. The lightning and thunder had stopped some time ago.
He started to walk towards the perch that he was originally sitting on. He waited and watched the shadow of a bird that was still circling the sky. In a few moments, Lei-Kun, the thunder god, was flying down steadily, as he finished closing the gateway.
"…There are many capable people around you…believe in them, as well as yourself. If you don't have this basic principle from the start, you will surely be the first to die."
Ayako lifted her head up from Takigawa's shoulder just in time to see Lei-kun descend above her. He dropped down gracefully, safely landing on the perch. Lei-kun gave her a brief, yet encouraging look, as he rested into a sitting position. The electrifying energy that he seemed to stem from him earlier was reduced to a slight humming. He was spent.
Kami climbed back on the perch and gave him, what seemed like herbs, from a bag. The thunder god took the bag with his beak, and gulped down its contents. After a few moments, he closed his eyes.
"…Rest and regain your strength, you will need it for what's ahead. You will think more clearly afterward." Kami said to those around him.
Ayako calmed down, and took slow breaths. She needed to overcome the stress that was eating at her for the last three hours, and get back her ability to keep going. There was never a case they encountered before where both Mai and Naru were gone from the beginning.
"It will be alright Ayako, we will just adapt to the situation like we always do, with or without Mai and Naru." Takigawa said with a smile. Although the smile was forced and somewhat shaky, she appreciated his words.
She let it all sink in, as she wiped her face with her sleeve. How had she fallen from a once well renowned doctor, rich and proud, to sniveling child? She set her eyes in determination and let go of Takigawa's arm. The old man was right, she needed to stop her crying and figure out a solution.
"Let's go back to the mansion," Ayako said determinedly. Her eyes were narrowed and vibrant. There's no way I'm going to let some crack in the world take the people I love away. Not without a fight.
"There's the Ayako I know!" Takigawa cheered, punching a fist in the air. "Old man and bird-god, you coming with us too?"
A streak of lightning flashed by Takigawa's head, and sizzled it slightly. Takigawa's eyes widened as he smelled the stench of burnt hair.
"That's Kami and Lei-kun to you, insolent monk. And yes, we are coming with you. After all, it is your employer that asked us to help until the interim mundo completely vanishes."
He and Ayako had already started to ascend the bike trail. Kami jumped from the perch to the upper part of the trail, as Lei-kun glided above them.
"…speaking of knowing our employer, how do you know him? When did he tell you to come here?...Wait, how did you know I was a monk? " Takigawa inquired shooting each question at rapid speed.
The old man chucked to himself. I've landed myself with the curious type.
"Your employer…Naru…Kazuya Shibuya…Oliver Davis. Yes, I've known him for a long time. Too long, for someone like him. I would call myself something like a godfather or a great uncle…." He scratched his chin.
Takigawa jumped over a rock. "I wouldn't guess it. You look like more of a grandfather." He said slyly.
"Shut up, Takigawa." Ayako cut in. "Please continue, Kami-san. I would very much like to hear your story. You said you are a wise man?"
"Yes, of sorts. I have known Naru for quite a long time now, ever since he and his brother were very young. Before Madoka had taught him how to ghost hunt, I was there to teach him how to fit into the world, even with his powers. You can imagine that a child with inhuman abilities could be called "abnormal" and be ostracized from society…" Kami paused and his eyes darkened. "… Or even from his own parents." The old man added bitterly.
Ayako coughed. Did he know Naru's biological parents?
Kami turned abruptly away from her, and took out his walking stick from his robes. He picked up the hem to keep from tripping over. A small obstruction could cause certain death on the narrow bike path.
He stopped for a moment and looked at the two behind him. "You do know somewhat of his past, no? Why he initially was in Japan?"
"Yes, to find his brother's body. We already know all that."
"Good, well then, luckily, Martin and Luella Davis accepted them completely. Back then," he continued, "Naru and his brother always traveled in pairs. They depended on each other as common twins do…and in ways common twins do not. Naru would be able to unleash his PK abilities more freely, since his brother would be able to help control it. They were the perfect balance to each other…like light and dark, yin and yang. With psychic powers, wits, and intelligence, they made a very powerful and lively pair." Kami smiled, as if remembering happy times of the past. Ayako couldn't help but smile with him.
She had caught Naru faintly smiling at Mai while making tea once or twice. It was a truly refreshing look to him. But for as intelligent as he is, he is SO emotionally retarded for not realizing his own feelings…
"Oy, you sound like a doting parent."
A stick came flying down on Takigawa's head.
"I never asked for your comments, monk! And stop intruding on my happy thoughts!" Kami sneered, while retracting his stick.
"After he lost his brother," Kami continued, "it was like he lost half of himself. He became cold and introverted, and even more narcissistic to separate him from others. Nowadays, he is truly living up to his nickname."
"If you've known Naru since his childhood, how come we haven't heard of you at all?" Ayako asked. She just couldn't believe someone this close to Naru was never mentioned in all the years they've been together.
"Well, he's not one to spill secrets to just anyone." Kami said casually, as he treaded up hill.
For some reason, Ayako and Takigawa figured this guy was some crazy hermit that just happened to have high spiritual powers. After all, a person could be born with spiritual powers without needing to conjure them up. Perhaps Lei-kun was the one who actually channeled the energy, and this guy was just hanging out with him for the ride.
"No, I'm not crazy, and I'm not a hermit either. Do humans always have to base people on appearances?"
Ayako and Takigawa stopped their treading and stared at Kami- mouths open. HE CAN READ MINDS?
"Not especially strong ones, but I can when they are open books like yours."
"GAH!!!!" Ayako and Takigawa yelled together. Lei-kun swooped down slightly from the sky in response.
"Stop it! I'm feeling self-conscious! That is a major violation of privacy, ya know!" Takigawa roared, as he clutched his head.
"Kami, does that mean you know everything about us already?" Ayako demanded, while running in front of him.
He started to laugh wholeheartedly. "Hahahaha! You humans are so predictable. It's been the same response for centuries now!"
"It's not funny, old man!" Takigawa said and stopped. "WAAAAIT, EXACTLY HOW OLD ARE YOU, you couldn't be hundreds of years old?"
"And what do you mean you humans?! You're human too!" Ayako said simultaneously.
There was a slight pause before he responded.
"I wonder about that…" Kami said softly, as he walked further ahead of them.
Ayako and Takigawa looked at each other, and decided not to press the matter further.
Kami sighed tiredly, as he looked up into the distance ahead. He could see the manor's lights a few meters up, as well as the car that Ayako and Takigawa had taken, sitting on the main road. The bike trail was very close here…it is most likely Mai would have past the manor going down this hill…
"Let's stop the interrogations already…I'm tired. Gravity is a persistent opponent." He said, walking up the last few meters of the steep trail, "Besides, don't you want to know more about this situation?"
"Well, what you know is what we know, right?" Takigawa said.
"Yes…and more. Not necessarily as a mind reader, but Miss Mai has been an interesting case for quite some time now." He still faced away from them, hiding his expression in the darkness and shadows of the trees. Ayako felt a change in his demeanor, as if what he was about to say was very painful for him. She started to feel a tingle of anxiety again, stabbing her heart.
It is something very bad, isn't it…? Ayako thought. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked at him.
"It could be good or bad." Kami said quietly.
"Well, spill it old man!" Takigawa demanded, with a tone of concern in his voice.
"Mai Taniyama…," he said with his back still turned to them.
"…is a very unique human."
Takigawa breathed a sigh of relief, but Ayako still remained frozen. She felt that tingle of anxiety become stronger with every passing second.
Takigawa spoke first.
"So what, we all knew that Mai has precognitive dreams and has moments of clairvoyance. But Naru said this was all latent…this is not news." He stressed the fact that this was not something new- as if he was trying to convince himself.
Kami stopped slowly in his tracks. They were now on the small dirt path that connected the main road to the bike trail. A large boulder and a few rocks sat a little off to the right. They could see the car now in plain view on the road above them- they were only a few meters away.
"Let's take a short rest here. I am an old man, after all." Kami sat on the larger rock, and gestured to Ayako and Takigawa to sit next to him on the smaller rocks.
"We're almost at the car though…"Ayako started a little pale.
"We cannot do anything anyway until the others are here, correct? I insist that you sit."
Lei-kun swooped down from the sky above them, seeing Kami rest on a boulder. Kami nodded at bird-god above them, and the bird came to perch nearby on a larger rock. Kami's eyes showed silver again, as he stared at the moon above them.
Takigawa fidgeted slightly on the rough edges of the rock. The old man was irritating him. There were so many things that had already happened. All he wanted to do was regroup at the manor, get everyone together, and rush to get to Mai and Naru. He tried his hardest to act calm and rational to the man, especially since he was usually leader if Naru were ever to disappear. Like now.
"I know you want to hurry back to Lin as quickly as possible. But I would like to say a few things in the privacy of this forest first. Once we get into that manor, who knows what kind of things would be listening."
Things?
Kami leaned back on a boulder behind him, his silver eyes glistening in the moonlight. Ayako and Takigawa looked back at him expectantly.
"There was a young girl I saw at a funeral a few years ago. She was only in middle school, but had no parents, nor much else. She was paying respects her father and mother. Her mother had just died in an accident. Any other person I would have passed by without much interest…but that girl was very oblivious…" he paused at the memory. "…very oblivious to the drove of spirits surrounding her. There were spirits that came and stood next to her, and even more that clung to her legs, arms, and face. They wanted to reach out to her; they wanted to have her, as if she was there to heal them of the pain of after death."
"She didn't feel them." Ayako said, knowing what was coming next.
"Not only that, but she didn't truly believe. She was unable to see them, and was unable to see her own abilities. There are many people like that- those who can't even see the spirits that cling to them, ones that follow them for their whole lives, watching and waiting to be noticed. Denial can go a long way."
"That is, until we came in." Ayako finished for him.
Kami twirled his walking stick into the sand. "She's a special case. Her attractive force gets stronger as she gets older. She has a way of drawing ghosts and people in."
"Well, she was able to find critical clues to most cases. She even was able to communicate to spirits far more easily than the rest of us…" Takigawa speculated, with his finger on his lip.
The walking stick stopped twirling, and Kami drew a circle on the dirt floor, with a squiggly line in the middle. He finished up with two circles on each side.
"Yin and Yang." he said while drawing on the dirt. "Are two very magnetic forces in nature. They are usually metaphors to explain the dual energies, and how opposite energies exist to balance each other out. There are those who believe this is merely an explanation of the dynamics of life. But," he looked up at from his drawing to lock eyes with Ayako and Takigawa, "there are those who believe that yin and yang are powers that can be controlled and manipulated. Those who believe that the person who can do this can become supreme god himself."
Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "That is a great Taboo you're talking about, old man. To control the full force of nature, one would need to not only be spiritually powerful, but also mentally capable too. There's only been a few attempts in the past. People will usually blotch it and wind up killing themselves, everyone around them, and totally screw up the balance between the spiritual and the physical world…" Takigawa stopped.
Ayako covered a hand in her mouth. Kami's silver eyes glinted even more in the moonlight.
"So you're saying that there's a mastermind behind this interim mundo who is bent on taking controlling the threads of nature?" Ayako accused.
"I'm speculatin'." Takigawa shot back, rubbing his chin. "I mean, from what's been happening so far," he waved his hands in the air, "it's not impossible."
"So…what does this have to do with Mai again? Other than that she's right in the thick of it?" Ayako asked, feeling another headache come on.
Kami put a hand up. "Miss Taniyama has a very pure soul. It has been said that pure souls in this world have been harvested by humans and demons because they can release massive amounts of energy…like how virgins are used in those stupid movies to carry out spells and sorcery. That is partially correct…but more likely than not, a person who has a pure energy aura is far more effective. Such energy can be devoured by the demon, spiking up that demon's power ten-fold. On top of that, her type of chi, or spiritual energy, has enough attractive force to send any hungry demon/ghost within the radius to hunt her."
"In conclusion, she's a walking Big Mac to any the big bad monsters in the interim mundo."
Takigawa said, throwing up his hands.
"Either that, or she can be used for other means."
"Meaning…" Ayako trailed off, knowing full well what some of those 'means' were.
"Miss Taniyama has been needed to be exorcised a few times now, has she not?"
"Of course."
Kami looked up to the moonlight.
"When a body is in the control of a demon, it becomes either food, hostage, or a killer."
Silence spread through the group, separating them from the cricket chirps, and breezy whispers that flow through grass. Naru had known, he had to have known, what Mai was capable of becoming after being thrown into a plane with an assortment of creatures. Mai would not be the only one in danger either- the three were going to head to Himiwara's manor and find out if the residents were involved. For all they knew, they could be walking into a well conjured trap.
"So what do we do now?" Takigawa asked cheerfully. "We can't stay out here all night long, and we need to touch base with Lin and grab our equipment. Also, we got to introduce a suspicious old man to the jerk of all rich jerks."
Silence.
"That's it!" Ayako yelled, jumping into the air. Takigawa had fallen off his rock, and the old man felt his face twitch slightly. Her eyes swam side to side as she focused on her thoughts. Left, left, library, right, stairway, left wing bedrooms, center first aid room…
"Old man-san!" She said, nearly spitting her face with a fully fledged grin.
"Eh?" he glared at her.
"We're going to schedule your heart attack."
*********************************************************
"So what are we going to do?" Jira asked, eyes dazzling at the woman in front of him.
She was walking a few feet ahead of him, having him further away made her less tempted to kill him. Ever since he freed her from that brat's power sphere, all she could think of was two things: torture and kill the brat that put her in one. She already had an inkling about him and his group of pathetic brats. She would have killed the lovesick boy behind her too, if not for his connection to them.
"We're going to a few kilometers, sweet heart. In order to get back to the Himiwara we both know and love, we need to get to the caves." She said, sickeningly sweet.
"O…kay…" Jira responded dreamily. Her voice almost hypnotized him, and she was so…so…beautiful. He officially saved the damsel in distress this time…I did a lot more than stupid Sebastian ever did.
Jira licked his lips and sneered at the thought.
Lilith, on the other hand, came to a small stop in their trekking. Jira halted as well, and he realized where they were: the black river. The river oozed out of rock and came to life on its own…coming towards Lilith in an eerily obedient manner.
A wave of black ooze came towards Lilith and surrounded her. She smiled as she closed her eyes. Jira, shaking in fright of the ooze, stood behind her.
"Find them." She whispered.
The ooze calmed itself at her feet, and gradually absorbed into the ground.
I'll be coming for you, my dear, dear, boy…
********************************************************
"3 hours and 34 minutes." Naru said, checking his watch. "Lin should have the hitigata ready by now."
The hitigata was simple, yet a complicated technique to use. There were many ways to abuse it, for example, they could be created as voodoo dolls. Lin, however, had enough smarts to make it into a mode of spiritual communication rather than physical. He had done this by capturing Naru's 'essence' in the hitigata. In this way, he would be able to communicate through someone's 'essence' while the spirit was the most vulnerable – during dreaming.
By the time Naru would be done with his 'watch', he was almost sure Lin would be waiting for him in his dreams. It was then he could have an exchange of information, and gain more insight to the place. But for now, that had to wait. Not that Naru had any problems being awake. After all, he did have a lot to think about. Mai was going to badger him with questions during their walk, and he needed to be more than prepared. Knowing Mai, she would probably want to know every detail of his exploits and abilities – details that he had yet to figure out himself.
There were certain things that baffled him still. Being a scientist and having a natural tendency to find and prove the Truth, it was difficult to conduct theories and tests on a subject, when he is the subject. He had a few theories though. His abilities have grown because he was an interim mundo, that he was sure. The plethora of energy seeping in the plane was enough to exacerbate any paranormal/spiritual abilities that one may already have. However, the greater the power, the harder it is to control.
Naru walked a few feet away from the campfire, yet still close enough to be able to keep watch. He had wanted some time to think, as well as space.
Since Naru commended himself on control, this would normally not be a problem. Stresses in his environment such as, "can be eaten at any time", "no equipment", and "safety team lacking", were a few of them. Goal one: do not use of the blue flame unless absolutely necessary.
He leaned back against an outcropped tree and closed his eyes to focus on the mapping once more. He imagined a visual network in his mind as he used his chi to feel the vibrations of the forest. Were there any creatures close? Any signs of instability in the area? Anything that could give him more of an edge in handling future problems. After all, those who are most prepared are the ones that win the battle.
Naru inwardly sighed. He could almost hear Lin saying those words at that moment.
"Kazuya…ah, Naru?…" a voice called out to him.
Naru turned to the source of the sound, only to find an exhausted looking European a few feet to the side.
"Sebastian."
"I wanted to talk to you while the girls were sleeping." He whispered.
"Talk."
Sebastian leaned on a tree trunk, and stood facing the campfire.
"I know that Miss Mai did not get attacked by a bear."
"..."
"She was attacked by those monsters that steal your spirit, the ones that end up eating you alive." He said with a voice barely audible. "They're soul eaters."
Naru's eyes slightly widened, remembering a description of them somewhere in the recesses of his research.
"What proof do you have?"
"The black river. The soul eaters thrive on it when there are no other sources around. It's like their lifeline. The larger the river, the more there are…Mr. Wang mentioned them…before all this happened."
Naru waited for additional explanation, but didn't get one. Sebastian merely kept staring past him, as if he was gulping down his words.
After a few moments, Naru continued on point. After all, having monsters lurking nearby was probably more important than whatever issues he had with Wang.
Naru rotated his hand around him. "If there are so many, where are they?"
"I have a feeling that river runs beneath us, you know underground…that's why it oozes out here and there." Sebastian gulped and turned slightly pale. "…they could be underneath us right now."
Naru shook his head. "That's impossible. I would have felt some of their aura if they were that close."
Sebastian, in turn, kicked the soil under his feet. Some the dirt crumbled into brown flakes and stuck to his shoe. He continued to dig with his shoe until his heel was covered in what seemed like black mud.
"…are you trying to say something?" Naru asked skeptically.
Taking a hold of his shoe, he put his index finger and rubbed some of the mud off. He held his finger in front of Naru expectantly. Naru, in turn, casually looked at the material. It was glowing a very, very, very faint green light. Naru felt a small tug of energy from it.
"This is covered in the second layer. You know that anything that can make this kind of glow…"
"…acts like an insulator." He mumbled, finishing his sentence. He had remembered Lin teaching him something about 'shielding' energy. It acted as a kind of buffer to hide someone's ki (or life force) in certain situations. Naru could not imagine why there was such a thing in the ground, rather than a human being. But who could question the laws of an interim mundo?
"Since you're very smart, you'll understand what this means. We could be sitting on 50 of those things right now."
Naru had already gotten to his knees and started to examine the small hole Sebastian had dug in.
"So the next question is: what's keeping them in, and how to make it stay that way?"
Naru felt his hands moist up. He turned over his palm and realized the dirt he was examining had been more wet than he thought. Rubbing the dirt off his hand, he pushed his legs up, only to realize that his shoes had liquid black ooze sticking him to the ground. The hole Sebastian had dug had now turned into a quickly spreading black puddle.
"What the…?!!!"
Sebastian said, staring at his inability to stand up. In a heartbeat, he grabbed on to Naru's shoulder to help hoist him up, only to realize he was stuck as well.
"GET MY BACKPACK!!!" Naru yelled, pointing at his pack near Sebastian. It was dangerously near the edge of the puddle. Sebastian picked up and held the pack up above him.
Naru felt sick. He was more overwhelmed with disgusting and invasive goo that surrounded him. Not to mention in the next second, he felt as if he was not only stuck, but now sinking. But he had to think. Mai and Mika could certainly get them out of this, but they would need to get the strong rope out of his back pack.
Of course Naru had brought a rope.
He heard a female voice call groggily behind him. "Naru, what's going on?"
Naru felt a bit of both relief and anxiety at that moment. Sebastian could get the rope out of his bag, and have Mai fish them out of this quick-sand like situation. But, she had to be calm. Knowing her, she would rush into things without thinking, and probably get stuck in with them herself.
"Mai, I need you to-" he started.
"We're stuck! HELP US!" Sebastian cried before Naru could finish.
"WHAT???!!!" Mai yelled, as she went full throttle running to them. In a blink, she too was now covered in black ooze, sinking a few inches away from Naru.
Naru sighed inwardly. He was now waist deep into the ooze and physically felt the collapse of his plan.
Looking over to Mai, she saw her face pale in the not so-far-away light of the campfire. With just one look, and he knew from her expression that she was a little more than freaked out. She stayed still, not daring to move. She kept her hands clenched, and her face straight. Yes, Mai was quite tough in these moments. But in something like this, she did whatever most people do- freeze up.
Naru outstretched a hand to hers, and took a hold of it gently. Mai turned her face towards him, with eyes wide with shock and fear.
Over the years, Naru learned to be less cold and unsympathetic in these situations. Part of that was due to Mai, who never responded well to such behavior. For better efficiency and to maximize their chances of survival, he adapted to her.
That's what he theorized anyway.
"Let's wake up Mika." Naru commanded monotonously. But his eyes were softer than his tone of voice.
"Hollering?"
"Of course. Now use that annoyingly penetrating voice of yours to call her."
"WHAT??!! HOW DARE YOU!!!"
"That's the one."
Author's Note: So YEAH, wow, it took me so long to do this chapter. I've been quite distracted with other things lately. (Hiking, surfing, swimming. It was summer yannoe?) Anyway, enjoy!