Yasu may not have been a spiritualist, however even he knew that this room was creepy. Like, really creepy. Honestly speaking, if he had to choose between an angry Naru and this room, he'd choose Naru. That was saying something.

"Yasu, are you even looking?" Naru was on edge. Yasu started to wonder what set him on edge, but then he realized. Mai had just tried to hurl herself from the roof. Poor Naru was probably stressed.

"Love is tiring, eh?" Yasu couldn't help but prod. Naru's icy glare made Yasu gulp and start searching with renewed vigor. "Yo, Naru, do we even know what we're looking for?"

"Lin's informed me that Mai is indicating a scroll of sorts."

"A scroll, hm? He must've been serious," Yasu said admiringly. Naru shot him another icy glare and Yasu pointedly began rummaging around on the bed. He coughed as a cloud of dust rose up from the long untouched bed sheets. Apparently just over two years was enough time to procure up some nasty dust clouds. Thank goodness he didn't have allergies. Even so, the film clouded his glasses and he was having trouble seeing. So much so that when his hands landed on something hard, it took him a minute to recognize it.

"I found it! … I think," Yasu said dubiously as he tightened his grasp on the object and hoisted it into the air.

Naru gingerly took it from the boy's hands and Yasu quickly rubbed the dirt off his lenses. Oh, he was actually right! It was the scroll!

"You sensing anything Naru-chan?" Yasu asked. Naru lifted his head and stared straight ahead, jaw clenched. Yasu guessed he didn't like the nickname for him, and grinned devilishly.

"No. I'll have to read it first," Naru said shortly as he began to unwind the scroll. Yasu frowned and glanced around.

"In here? Can't we go to the base?"

"It should be fine in here." Naru's glance at Yasu was reprimanding. Yasu sighed heavily, a sign of his displeasure, but decided to stay. He hoped those back at base could see his valiant sacrifice. He was getting the heebie-jeebies from this room.

"Alright. You got anything yet?"

"Yasu, it's not even open yet."

"You mean you're not using your cool psychomatic thing?" Yasu whined. "How… uncool."

"I wasn't aware there were standards for me to live up to. I rather thought I set those standards, to be frank."

"Really? I always figured myself to be the sexy hero in the group. Well, next to Lin, of course," Yasu said with growing volume. As expected, there was a crackling noise in Naru's ear piece and Naru shot Yasu a look.

"Lin cays cut it out."

Yasu raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but the grin still remained. He had almost forgotten that they were in an extremely haunted room. Almost.

"Ah, here, this should work. Although… something isn't right," Naru said confusedly. Yasu jumped up from where he was sitting on the floor.

"Perfect, let's leave!"

"Lin, this curse. It's different." There was more crackling in the head piece. "It's a death curse."

"Death curse?" Yasu spluttered.

"Yes. On Sora Kabayashi-san."

"That's impossible, you said that there was merely a curse on the building!" Yasu tried to wrap his head around this new development.

"There is. A generalized death curse. Too weak to do much more than seriously injure, but still a threat. This, this is different. Fukui-san must've been gathering energy from the souls and overrode the curse."

"So, that death curse was placed after all. That's why the activity ramped up suddenly," Yasu pondered.

There was some more noise from Lin's end.

"That would also explain why people haven't been dying left and right in here. The only spirits here are those from accidental deaths who found themselves trapped, none from spiritual doing other than Yanagi-san's."

"So that's why he's so weird, he's a special ghost," Yasu whispered reverently. He winced instantly, waiting for something to hit him, but nothing did. Instead he got Naru's less than impressed stare

"Anyhow, we need to get back, and immediately." There was some interference and Yasu thought he could almost make out Lin's voice in the piece of head wear.

"Are we in trouble?" Yasu ventured hesitantly.

"No, but Kabayashi-san is. This curse cannot be destroyed. The only way it can be removed is if the target is obliterated."

"So… you're telling me-"

"The way it stands, we have less than twenty four hours to find a way around this curse or we leave and everything continues until she dies."

John and Yasu were in the middle of an intense card game at base when Lin radioed them in with something.

"Boys, are you alright?" Lin asked. Lin didn't sound worried exactly, but John knew something was wrong. The man never checked up on them.

"Yeah, what's going on?" John sent back.

"Is your door locked?"

"Wha?" John was about to turn and check when he heard it slam open. Turning around slowly, he felt his stomach drop out from beneath him. Ayako stood glaring at them in the doorway.

"Hey! You're awake?" Yasu greeted her obliviously. John bit his lip and sidled over to Yasu, not liking the way she was staring hatefully at the two boys. Where was Monk?

"Yasu, I think you need to stan-"

John was about to instruct Yasu to stand behind him when he was hit from behind by a heavy object. Thrown off balance, the priest crashed to the floor, leaving Yasu to stare at him, shocked. "Wha?"

"Guys! Stand back!" It was Monk, along with Masako. Monk grabbed Ayako from behind and muttered into her ear while Masako tended to John. A chair had smashed into him, leaving what would surely be a large bruise on his back.

"We have a situation, guys," John whispered into his walkie talkie.

"On our way." Naru's voice was cool and businesslike, so unlike the emotions raging through John right now. He was worried, yes, and maybe a bit fearful. This was what Lin once called the Final Stretch, when the ghosts realize the jig is up and hurl everything at them. They were at a serious disadvantage this time around with no clear way to stop them.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?" Ayako said angrily. Monk grinned before releasing Ayako and spinning her around to give her a proper hug.

"Welcome back old lady, didja think I'd let you go running around like that what with your creaky joins and all?" Ayako tore herself from his grip and glowered at him.

"What's going on? John, are you okay?" Ayako said as she took in the scene before her.

"You were possessed, you managed to get away from Monk and I. We've got you now, Naru and Lin are on their way," Masako said soothingly.

Suddenly Masako was jerked into the air, thrashing wildly before being flung back to the floor. Yasu ran to help her but tripped over her and crumpled against the wall in front of him, making John and Monk sigh in disappointment.

"Hey, I heard Naru and Lin," Ayako said suddenly, dodging as her phone was chucked at her. She groaned when it hit the floor and cracked, immediately rushing to scoop up her prized possession and cradling it gently. Just then Naru, Mai and Lin burst into the room, Mai's eyes widening at the destruction going on in front of them.

"Damn, so he found a way around my shiki," Lin said tonelessly. Mai could tell the omnyouji was less than impressed, however, by the way he clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"Mai, stay behind me," Naru said as Lin jumped into action. As if to further his point, he grabbed Mai's arm and gently shoved her behind him. Mai tried hard not to flush at the sudden contact, but she was sure she looked like a glowing stoplight. She tried to focus on the struggle in front of her, even though the fact that Naru hadn't let go of her arm was making her feel faint. Masako glanced up and glared daggers at Mai, making Mai flush even redder.

"John, quick, grab that bag," Lin commanded as he whistled softly, a sign for his shiki to go into attack mode. Mai's eyes widened as she realized she could actually see the shiki, and gasped as one swooped through the air right in front of Naru, shimmering slightly before a loud wail went through the room.

"Naru," Mai murmured. As if sensing her concern, his grip on her arm tightened and Mai let out a shaky breath.

"Lin, I'm taking Mai out," Naru said abruptly. Mai tried to resist as Naru suddenly spun and began leading her towards the door, tugging Mai along behind him. "Yasu, get the girls out as well." Yasu nodded and hurried to usher Ayako and Masako out, neither of whom were pleased to have Yasu start harshly poking them as a way to get them moving.

"Wait, I want to help," Mai pleaded but Naru was insistent. He shot her an icy look over his shoulder and Mai saw his eyes fractionally widen before she felt his other arm snake out and latch onto her upper arm, pulling her closer to his side. She stumbled and awkwardly collapsed into him, feeling her breath escape her. Was Naru trying to kill her?

She heard a loud clatter, and when she glanced back she saw a chair smash into the ground and break into pieces… right where she had been standing. "Oh, thanks," Mai mumbled as she realized Naru had been saving her.

He didn't answer, instead he glanced back into the room. Mai realized with a start that they were already in the doorway. The room was chaotic, with furniture overturned and glass littering the floor. Luckily none of their equipment was damaged - Mai supposed Lin had something to do with that.

"We're right behind you," Ayako assured them as the trio joined Mai and Naru in the doorway.

"Alright. Come on Mai, guys" Naru said after a beat of silence. This time he didn't grab her arm as he swept by, but Mai knew to follow. She couldn't resist sending one last glance into the room.

"Good luck John and Lin,"

Mai had spent an agonizingly long hour with Naru in one of the empty boardrooms before John, Monk and Lin stumbled in. Yasu had ushered Ayako back to her room where he could keep an eye on her and Masako followed, wanting to rest, leaving just the two of them alone.

Mai tried not to let out a sigh of relief, but it was hard. Naru wasn't being mean or cold, but his mere presence was stifling. Not to mention his perfection overall, it was hard to not sneak glances at him but she managed.

"Is everything alright?" Mai asked. Monk let out a long groan and fell against Mai, nearly sending the two toppling to the ground. "I'm guessing that's a no?"

"That spirit was something else, I sure got clocked a good one," Monk said, rubbing his head. Mai could faintly see a goose egg forming on his skull.

"Ayako, Masako and Yasu are on their way right now," John added. The priest had a cut on his head that was bleeding and was a bit scuffed up, but to Mai's relief he appeared fine.

"Good, everyone is fine. We can begin destroying the curse now," Naru said approvingly. Lin made a low noise in his throat, but when Naru shot him a look he stayed silent, avoiding his gaze.

"He doesn't want to do anything until the curse is destroyed," John said hesitantly. Naru frowned, his eyebrows drawing together.

"That is a real problem." Lin merely shrugged.

"Really Naru? We have yet another ghost trying to murder us, this is an emergency, not a problem," Monk said sarcastically. Naru narrowed his eyes at Monk, making the man gulp. As a reflex, he disentangled himself from Mai. Wouldn't want to do anything else that may provoke Naru.

"That's because the curse can only be broken if someone dies, right?" Mai asked in a small voice. Naru and John exchanged a surprised look. "I overheard you saying that."

"Well, yes," John said.

"You sound like you found a way around it though," Monk said hopefully.

"It's an unfamiliar curse, so it's not foolproof. I'm not even sure of its authenticity, seeing as it doesn't look very professional or well thought out." Naru looked thoughtful.

"This has been a troublesome case," John agreed.

"Yes, it has. Mai, can you do me a favor?" Naru asked suddenly. Mai found herself trapped by his gaze. Why were his eyes so blue? Not fair.

"H-Hai," Mai answered.

"I'd like you to walk around and feel out this place. I have a theory that if we can find the area with the strongest emotion, we can use it to our advantage and draw out the spirits, thereby lifting the curse."

"That makes no sense, last time she was alone she got groped by a creepy lady," Monk complained. Naru arched an eyebrow in his direction.

"I guess it was a good thing I wasn't talking to you then, hm?" Naru chided him. Monk just sniffed and looked away.

"He means that the quickest way to find the spirits is to go where their presence feels strongest. We can lure them out and try to talk them down," Mai explained patiently. Monk sighed, he knew that but he still didn't like the idea. This time it was Naru who sniffed and looked away. "If the curse isn't as authentic as we think it is then it can probably just be burned once we cleanse the spirits."

"You shouldn't condone stupidity," Naru said impassively.

"I'm hurt," Monk said dramatically, clutching at his chest.

"Your heart is on the other side," said Naru. Monk flushed and clutched at the other side of his chest, where his heart really was. "But yes, Mai is right. That is the current plan."

"Wait, Kazuya, you want Mai to walk around this place alone?" John asked incredulously.

"That's what I said," Monk said. Naru looked miffed now, but kept his face as blank as possible. He hated to admit that the two were right. Even so, he had a vague feeling about this. He supposed he could credit it to Gene. They were interrupted when the remaining three members arrived. Once they had been filled in on the plan, Yasu was the first to speak.

"I'll go with Mai-chan," Yasu volunteered abruptly. Before Mai could protest Yasu wrapped his arms around her from behind and carried her out of the room, despite Mai's protests. John watched them go, wide eyed.

Naru just sniffed again and went back to thinking about what to do next.

"So is this the place?"

"Yasu you have asked that a million times already. If it was the place, I'd tell you," Mai snapped. Yasu looked offended and put his hands up in a peace gesture but the devilish grin remained on his face. They walked a few more steps when…

"So, is this the place?"

"Yasu!"

Yasu chuckled and ducked as Mai swung at him, barely cuffing his hair. Mai stumbled slightly but righted herself, letting out a short bark of laughter.

"Would you two quit goofing off," Naru's sharp voice cut in through Mai's headpiece. She winced and fell silent, motioning for Yasu to do the same. Suddenly she felt her heart skip a beat, and she froze.

"That's… really weird," Mai fumbled.

"Mai, is everything alright?" Normally Naru's voice could fix anything, but for some reason her heart was still jumping a lot. She shook her head, trying to clear it, but she was beginning to feel panicky. "Mai!"

"I-I'm fine. My chest feels kinda weird though." Yasu frowned and tugged the headset away from Mai, fastening it instead onto his own head.

"Oi, Naru-chan, yeah she's alright. She's just kinda standing there, looking dazed. That's normal, though. Hey Mai, Naru wants to know if you're seeing anything. Is this a feeling of yours?" Yasu prattled. Mai frowned slightly.

"I think so. I feel really dizzy, and I don't like it. It's also kind of hard for me to focus, my heart keeps jumping."

"That's cool. Can you say that a bit louder so Naru can hear?" Yasu said. Mai rolled her eyes at him and took a small step. As expected, the feeling grew stronger, albeit fractionally. "Yo Mai-chan, where you heading?"

"There's something over here," Mai said before running, blindly following her instinct. She could hear Yasu struggling to catch up behind her. She felt her fingers grow cold, and soon the icy feeling spread up through her body. "Oh no."

She found an open door in the third floor hallway and stopped short, Yasu crashing into her back heavily.

"Mai? What's this," Yasu asked nervously. Mai could feel herself shaking slightly, but there was this urge to know what was responsible for leaving an apartment carelessly open. Maybe it was innocent, like the tenant rushed out for groceries and didn't lock the door. However, Mai knew it was different.

"Yasu, stay here," said Mai as she strode forward, trying to look as confident as possible. As she peered around the open doorframe, she noticed a shadow. A middle aged gentlemen appeared to be sat in the middle of the darkened room, rocking back and forth on the floor.

"How creepy. You alright sir?" Yasu asked, peeking over Mai's head. Mai watched nervously as the man stopped rocking and oh so slowly turned his head towards them, peering over his shoulder.

With a ghastly screech, he jumped up and raced for Mai, arms outstretched.

"Ah hell, Naru we have a situation," Yasu shrieked, sounding unintentionally girlish. "I repeat, there is a situation! There is a man attempting to murder Mai! Well, either that or he's trying to dance, I have no idea what he's doing but-"

Yasu trailed off as Mai gasped and jumped out of the way as the man careened into them. He froze suddenly, looking dazed, before pivoting and heading back into the apartment. Mai had seen this all too many times, she knew what was coming next. Until that curse was broken, Yanagi-san wouldn't stop sending a message, which meant-

"Yasu, he's heading for the balcony!"

Mai raced into the apartment, Yasu hot on her heels. She caught up with the man, who was already trying to scramble over the railing. Not thinking, she reached out to grab him. He turned his head to meet her gaze, and Mai felt time slow.

The wind gently rustled her hair and all she could hear was her short gasps and his ragged breathing. Suddenly a jolt of electricity took over her, starting from the hand that was gripping the man and climbing her arm. It settled into her, like she had just plunged into an icy pool of water. All her nerves were singing.

Her eyes widened, pupils narrowing as whispers started in her head. An awful ringing noise took over. It was like when someone got too close to a microphone and it started wailing, but amplified. Mai wasn't sure if she was screaming, she could've been. She just knew that her head felt so, so heavy, and it hurt. Now isn't this familiar.

"Mai." Yasu's voice was soft and echo-y. Mai tried to latch onto the sound, tried to lessen the noise in her head. Already she felt shaky and twitchy, like she had just chugged a gallon of coffee and her very insides were jumping around inside of her body. "Mai!"

She could see her vision tunneling in, could see the man slowly close his eyes before collapsing back onto the balcony floor. Everything was happening in slow motion, it felt so weird.

As his body his the ground, Mai felt the crash echo in her head. The noise sounded like thunder, and woke her up. A bright flash of red bounced across her vision, and as quickly as it began, the cold feeling flowed out of her. She could almost feel it leaving like water dripping off of her. The whispers and the ringing lessened and dulled before fading completely within a few heartbeats.

Mai stood, reeling. What just happened?

She didn't have long to ponder it, because she blacked out shortly after. As she lost consciousness, she saw Naru kneeling next to her, pale hands reaching for her. She briefly wondered if he was trying to catch her.

The thought made her smile weakly before she lost all sense of where she was or who she was and allowed the blackness to envelope her.

"You ready Lin-san?" John asked. The Chinese man huffed slightly, casting a wary glance at the room behind him, before nodding and striding out. They were heading to the city to find out how they could appease Fukui-san, as per Naru's orders.

Lin could tell the teenager had enough of going in circles with the resident ghosts. Naru had set his jaw and it hadn't moved yet, a clear sign of his anger. Lin knew the reason for his anger, and he had to resist smirking.

Naru was beyond livid when he saw Yanagi-san essentially torturing Mai into submission in an effort to possess her. Hell, everyone had been a little mad, but Naru seemed to take it almost… personally. Which would be why he had risked the last defense to take out Yanagi-san.

Truth be told, even Lin was getting annoyed. This guy would not go away.

They arrived at a small, slightly run down house within a few minutes. Lin checked his papers and the address before nodding to John and hopping out.

"Who is this again?" John asked.

"A friend of Fukui-san, all I know is it's a man named Hideashi Choi. He'll know what it would take to settle Fukui-san," Lin said mildly.

On the third knock a kindly, balding man opened the door.

"Hello there, wasn't expecting company! Come inside, though," he greeted them. Once inside Lin got straight to business.

"We're investigating the incidents at an apartment complex that was once owned by a friend of yours, Takeru Fukui. Does that name ring a bell?"

"Yes, of course! He was a good friend of mine. Shame what happened to him, especially with his own home essentially being passed off to a stranger so rapidly. Like he wasn't even there." Choi-san seemed perturbed as he spoke.

"So you believe the current owner had something to do with Fukui-san's death?" John noted.

Choi-san's eyes widened. "No, of course not. She's a darling lady, it's a shame that all these bad things have been happening to her. Wrong place at the wrong time, I say. We all know what happened to Fukui-san. I always wished he could've seen that his murder received justice."

"His murder was… avenged?" John chose his words carefully. Lin was jotting something down, readying a report for Naru.

"Somewhat. The man who ordered the killing was shot and killed a few weeks later. Poetic justice no," Choi-san said wistfully. Naru frowned, he hadn't seen anything about any of the murderers being killed.

"There's no record of this killing?" John said, although it sounded more confused than anything.

"No, I only found out through a friend of mine with connections to the yakuza. He changed his name in an attempt to escape authorities. If you look up a Jack Richardson, you'll find it. I've already confirmed it."

"Quite the American name," John noted.

"I'd suppose he was trying to leave the country, get away from the press. Did you two find everything you needed?"

"Yes, thank you, I think that's exactly what we needed to know," Lin said, standing and snapping his book shut. Choi-san seemed surprised at the abrupt ending to the visit, but was pleasant in bidding the two goodbye.

As they walked back to the car, John asked, "What do we do with this information?"

"We give it to Naru and leave it up to him."