Theatre Wars

Chapter 3: In which there are spirits and Mai discovers something

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Ghost Hunt.

Apologies for the late update. I meant to have this up last weekend but it didn't happen due to various circumstances.

Enjoy!

Everything happens so quickly it ought to have been a blur, but I see clearly what everything is happening. Naru takes a step forward, a strange look on his face. Lin has clearly been prepared for this kind of things and I suspect ever since the seaside case, he's put his shiki on alert all the time during cases. Too late! The ghost seems bent on getting to Naru and it weaves among the shiki like a putrid cloud. I am out of the chair before my brain has even finished registering that I've done so and I run over. That baka! Why isn't he getting out of the way? There is a scream and I realise that I must have knocked over Natsume in my hurry. At that sound, a bewildered expression crosses Naru's face to be replaced by anger.

"Mai! How many times -" Pushing me aside, he gasps suddenly when the ghost reaches past me and grabs his neck, making a strange crooning sound when she does so.

"Naru!" I scream.

"No, Mai! Get back!" Naru manages to choke out as Masako grabs my shirt from the back. "Mai, wait, let me speak to her," she says, her face white. I nod tightly. Moving over to where the spirit and Naru are, she addresses it. "Let him go. You aren't doing yourself any favours if you hurt him. His guardian's servants will not let you off."

The ghost turns slightly to face Masako. Their gazes lock but Masako isn't intimidated. She repeats what she has say, this time in a gentler, lulling tone. The spirit continues staring but then, with an almost defiant look, she turns back to face Naru. "Haruo…" she rasps, reaching out with her other hand and caressing his left cheek. Naru has gone very still. He notices the shiki darting forward at Lin's discreet order and frowns them down.

"I am not Haruo," he says calmly, as if talking to angry spirits is something he does everyday. The spirit peers at him. There is no mistaking the reproachful look in its empty sockets as it lets go of him.

"…You will be," she rasps again. The shiki immediately dart in front of Naru, forming a protective line of small white lights between them. With a reluctant air, the ghost floats backwards, pausing to look scornfully at Natsume and Takehata cowering beneath her. "They all do…"Then, it fades away just as soon as it hits the wall. As the shiki disappear as well, Naru stumbles to the ground.

"Naru!"

Coughing weakly, he manages to sit up, waving aside Lin and me. "I'm fine," he says. Lin glares at him.

"Are you out of your mind?" he hisses but doesn't get another word in as Natsume's injured wail overpowers his.

"Ahh! My ankle! I'm probably dying!" he wails, jerking away from Haru with exaggerated horror when she tries to help him up. "S-stay away from me," he howls. "I'm dying! I don't want to be cursed too!"

"Now, Natsume…" Hiro begins uncomfortably. Natsume throws himself on the floor – which is difficult enough to do since he is already lying on it, and bawls again. "What kind of quacks are you anyway? I demand compensation!"

"Umm," I mutter, "I'm sure even if you're hurt you aren't dying…"

Naru comes over to stand in front of Natsume with his arms folded with an air of the unimpressed.

"My assistant is a certified chiropractor. If you wish, he may certainly put your ankle back."

Natsume's eyes swivel over to Lin, taking in his impossibly tall frame and foreboding countenance and swallowed. "Well… it's not like I can't walk…" he sulks and tries to stand up, only to bite back a wince when Umezo appears in the doorway.

What is going on? Umezo Kensho growls from the open door. "I come back and find the rehearsal on hold and half the cast missing…

His eyes travel down to Natsume's limp and his frown darkens. "…and now my lead's gone and injured himself."

Several people glare at us. "It was an accident," Takehata says quickly. "I was here when it happened."

"Doesn't he have an understudy?"

"Of course not!" Several of the Aoi cast look scandalised even though it's their leader saying this. "I mean…who can replace Natsume? He's our star…"

"What about in the case of accidents?" Umezo's query is met with stumped silence. Kikuchi coughs.

"Well, Anzai-san knows the role well enough even though he's not performed it before." Several people give him the evil eye. It's clear which troupe they belong to. Anzai, who has so far been surveying the ruckus with a bored expression from on top of Naru's desk shrugs helplessly at being made the object of their ire.

Natsume flushes. "It's only a mild sprain," he mutters truculently.

"Good, then you'll stay in your room and reflect on your actions. The rest of you, back to work!"

Left to ourselves at last, Naru drops heavily into the nearer chair. "Call Matsuzaki-san," he tells Lin. "And, Mai. Your pay will be docked for a month in lieu of the compensation."

I cringe, waiting for the accompanying lecture but it doesn't happen as Naru turns his attention instead to his notebook with a weary air.

"T-That's it?"

He looks up irritably. "What?"

"You aren't…going to scold me?"

"I've docked your pay haven't I?" he replies impatiently. "And get me tea."

As I hand Naru his steaming cuppa, I wonder if he's being kind, though why he should start now is something I am not so sure about. He frowns at me when he notices that I am still standing there. "Is there something?"

"Where's the lecture?" I state suspiciously on catching his eye. Lin makes a scoffing sound as Naru raises an eyebrow. "Do you want to be lectured? It was an accident and I need you on the case, even as clumsy and inept as you are," he finishes with a smirk. How he does that while drinking his tea so calmly… I huff indignantly as Masako hides a giggle behind her sleeve.

"Speaking of lectures, Naru, I have a bone to pick," Lin interrupts. "What were you thinking, behaving like that? You know you don't have any defense against spirits." Of course, Naru doesn't take well to being scolded or being reminded that he too has his limitations. His shoulders tense instinctively and his demeanour is icy. "I did what I felt was best given the scenario." To judge by Lin's outraged expression, he clearly disagrees but Naru isn't attending anymore. He leans forward minutely, tapping the table with one long slim finger. Haruo…" his manner turns thoughtful. "I would need to find out more about this." Abruptly, he addresses me in particular. "How true do you think Natsume's claim is? That Haruo would murder his co-actor?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me?" I ask, flustered by the intensity of his gaze.

"Because your instinct is usually correct," Naru reminds me. Oh. For a moment, I could swear that he was asking because he somehow knew about my dream, but that's not possible. Naru is no seer. "I don't think so," I say at last. He nods curtly.

"Very well. Go set up the cameras first. We need to monitor the situation. Those actors might be in more trouble than they know."

That's true. Naru wasn't the only one who got the brunt of Ito Shizuko's glare. Natsume and Takehata seem to have caught her attention as well. Lin frowns darkly. "I could say the same for someone else." Naru doesn't deign to reply and instead hands me the checklist quietly. Masako peers at the map in my hand. "Naru, there is one more thing. When I first walked in here from the front porch, there was a strange presence standing in the garden."

My breath caught in my throat. So it wasn't Haru then. Naru remembers too and his gaze shifts between Masako and me. "Where in the garden?"

"By a red bridge."

I tick it off my clipboard in satisfaction as soon as I've set up the camera in the attic. Now, all that's left is the unused green room in the theatre itself. Peering through the dust-caked window, I can see that the sun is setting, a large crimson globe burning the tops of the tall maples outside. The cast are still rehearsing and their voices float up through the floorboards as I dither, wondering if they'll let me crash their practice session to set up a camera in the green room. It's a slim hope that they'll leave any time soon.

Hiro, when I had asked him earlier says they'll likely be rehearsing till late. In the end, I settle on having a look around first. The attic is crammed full of interesting, artsy looking junk. Several tailor's dummies have been abandoned in a corner, one of them still wearing a moth-eaten black velvet hat with a curly feather and starry veil grey with dust. A mirror is standing on the floor next to the mannequins, its ornate frame black and grimy. Remembering what Yukiko said, I don't look at it directly. Mirrors unnerve me and as Bou-san once mentioned, you never know who might look back. Moving on, I see a box full of noh masks with ticket stubs and ancient yellow envelopes stuffed into it. The ink has faded with age but I see several of them have been addressed to Ito Shizuko. I lift them out slowly, careful not to tear any of the aged paper when a shadow darts across the circular patch of burning light cast by the window. I stiffen. Then, another shadow flits by, its reflection caught on the curve of the lens in front of me...

Opening the conference room door, I am surprised to see Naru alone. He is reading the script and doesn't immediately notice me. Smiling to myself, I sidle up to him. "What is it?" he asks without looking up. I pout. "Honestly, what do I have to do to get a little of your attention eh?"

He looks up finally but instead of smiling like he usually does, his mouth is downturned. "Not now; I'm busy as you can see."

"Liar. You had the script memorized two days after receiving the first draft." He ignores me and I frown. "You certainly thought I was very entertaining last month," I mutter bitterly. Naru's gaze hardens. "As you said, last month," he answers coolly. His answer stings and I ball my fists angrily. He notices and smirks slightly. "Why? Can't you quell your libido for an instant or do you perhaps want me on the couch again when you know I'm already –

He stops suddenly, angrily. "And I thought you were a nice, modest girl."

"I am. I only want you, not your family name, status or anything…"

He bursts out of the chair and looms in front of me angrily. "I've a duty to my family. Try to understand that." I can feel tears well up. "It's not fair. Only she's prettier and richer than I am…" I sniff, wiping away at my streaming eyes and nose. "And she dances better too, I suppose," I add. Naru – no, Haruo smiles faintly at this (Naru would never smile like that). "Well, be that as it may, she certainly doesn't tidy as well as you or have your knack of brewing that impossible European style tea." He kisses me chastely on the cheek. "I never asked," he mused lightly. "Just where did a girl who grew up on a vegetable farm in Nagano learn to do that?"

"I'm not from Nagano…" I mumble sleepily, turning away when someone prods me. "Ugh… stop that…"

"Honestly, can't this girl stay awake long enough to say hello?" There is, I feel, something familiar about this voice… "Jeez… and I rushed all the way to this ridiculous hillside theatre and your assistant is taking a nap!"

I bolt up at that, wide awake. "Ayako!". She flinches back in surprise.

"I thought you said she collapsed," Ayako says indignantly. Looking about I see Naru leaning against the conference table.

"She did," he replies mildly when I moan, flopping down back onto the couch. "Ugh. My head…"

He hands me a cup of tea; his way of reassuring me. "Thanks." But right now, I feel too ill to drink anything. Shizuko's feelings haven't fully passed yet and I can't look at Naru without feeling like crying. It must show because Ayako presses a hand to my forehead concernedly. "I'm fine," I say half-heartedly and she snorts, getting up with one hand on her hip.

Naru sighs. "Matsuzaki, kindly go and inform Masako to regroup at the theatre." Ayako smirks. "If you want to be alone you only have to say the word."

What?

"Ayako! Hey, wait!" I protest but she's already out of the door, her red hakama rustling busily down the hallway.

Abandoned to nurse the tea by myself, I sip it despondently as Naru clatters around in front of the video screens clicking restlessly through each room. As the images flit past, I notice some of them were of the attic and green room which I don't recall setting up. "Did you set those up?" I ask Naru as I move over to one of the desk chairs. That old couch has too many memories in it for me to feel comfortable sitting on it.

"Lin did," Naru answers, a trace of annoyance creeping into his crisp tone. Ah, so I wasn't the only one being quarantined.

"Have you been in here all this while?"

Naru doesn't deign to reply, which means he has and I chuckle quietly. "So what happened?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You don't remember?"

I shake my head.

"You blacked out in the attic."

"Oh."

"Fortunately, you fainted right in front of the camera," he adds as he runs the video feed back to show me. I scowl at him.

"I call that nice of you," I say sarcastically. "Taking videos of people when they're at their most vulnerable." There. Another word which I must have picked up from him. He smirks. "That's not saying much considering how much trouble you get yourself into usually." Jerk.

"Discounting how your skirts alone are a hazard." I look at the video image of myself with a generous exposure of my thigh thanks to how my skirt has managed run up during my fall. "Shut up Naru," I growl, elbowing him out of the way before turning off the screen. Honestly. He grins smugly and then unfolds the letters from the attic.

"Well, at least it wasn't a wasted trip." I squint over Naru's shoulder at the spidery handwriting. "Can you read this?"

That's right. Naru can't read kanji and whoever wrote those letters wrote in a rather calligraphic hand which even I had difficulty reading. "My…sweet…charming…" I put the letter down. "It's a love letter. Do I have to continue?" I grumble. Naru grins maliciously and I stick my tongue out behind his back. "Of course, Mai. There might be some clues in here."

"I see. If that's the case, why didn't you get someone else to read it while I was out?"

"Hmm. As most of them were running around tending to you, I don't see how they should be burdened with reading this."

I sag unhappily, eyeing the tea sourly. If I am to finish reading this I am going to need something stronger than that.

…koibito… It pains me to have to cancel our appointment tonight. I have to be away tonight to accompany Father to the district meeting. In the mean time, my beautiful koibito, please enjoy the flowers and the dessert… I stop. "It goes on like this."

"Go on," Naru murmurs vaguely, his attention fixed to the screen. That…that…robot! …Be sure to try that Assam. I guarantee you it's nothing like that tepid green tea which Father likes so much." I scan the letter once more. "It's dated the 15th June of the year Showa 26.

The slight dip of Naru's head shows he has been listening. "Shizuko went missing on the 17th and her body was found a week later. This letter indicates that at least up till the point of its writing, we can assume that Shizuko and Haruo had not been quarrelling with each other. Read the other two that are dated later as well." Muttering under my breath, I read the second sheet. "This one is dated the 17th."

My dear koibito. Hope this letter finds you well. Have I ever told you how much I love you? Let's meet tonight after the performance in the garden. Be sure to be there because I will be waiting for you, forever.

"This is stupid, Naru," I complain as I unfold the last one. Something red drips onto my palm. Huh? "Did you spill something on it?" I ask as another drop spills onto my hand. This time Naru looks up. We exchange a glance as the dripping increases and it dawns on me that the letter is bleeding. My hands tremble. "Sh-should I put it on the table?"

"Mai. I want you to stay calm."

"H-hai."

"Put the letter on the floor."

Once I have done so, Naru flips over a corner carefully. Die. Die. Die. "This is interesting," he taps the corner where the date is beginning to congeal. "But… that's today's date," I point out, looking up at Naru anxiously. "I suppose you could say it's a warning," he replies finally. I can feel myself trembling, but this time with anger. "She has no right." I growl, snatching up the letter. "Mai-

Naru's tone is sharp. "I'll need that."

Oh right… I flush as I hand it over hastily to cover my outburst. Why am I so mad anyway? I refuse to think that maybe…just maybe…a ghost is jealous of me and I sigh. "I'll go get tea." It was better than brooding over the letter.

But, when I return, Naru isn't in the base. It is so unlike Naru to leave it unmanned that for a moment I stare at the empty room at a loss. Placing the tea on the nearest empty space I turn eagerly at the sound of footsteps, but it is only Ayako and Masako, arguing loudly. My heart sinks and I stare suspiciously at the pile of letters in an untidy heap. Naru never leaves things by half.

"Mai? Mai! Where're you going?" Ayako yells as I dash for the door.

"It's Naru!"

I rush down the corridor, turn down another and arrive outside the men's room. I raise my fist but before it has touched the wood, the door swings open. Stepping in, I look at the sparse interior. A black jacket is hanging off a chair, the futons neatly bundled. "Naru?" I call softly. Something clatters from the adjoining room and I walk over to it. Pushing open the door, I see Naru in front of the mirror, his shirt unbuttoned. "Mai." His voice is cold but I detect a slight tremor in it all the same. Turning so that he is facing me, I feel my breath catch. A thin red scar is running all around his neck like some nightmare collar.

Notes: Yup, here is the next chapter. I hope the dream sequence was clearly portrayed in its own little italicised section... I was wondering if not formatting would have made it too confusing and decided to just bite the bullet...

In addition, I'll be away the whole of the next week so there'll be no updates in the interim. I'll be back to updating again soon after that!

Kindly drop a review! I'll love to know what you think... =)