ARGH! I introduced to many ghosts at one time methinks. Or at least sooner than I would have liked. I actually wanted to make them appear to each character later. I thought Saiyuuri first then one character, and then a skeptic character that it appears to, or something along those lines, but hey, can't complain too much. Damn, I gots nine minutes to get a dentist appointment. What a drag. Oh, and faster updating huh? I actually got on the comp and wanted to write. Gotta' do that a bit more often. Heh, heh. Thanks guys for the super reviews. KUDOS to you all. I'll put reading your stories and reviewing on my to-do list.

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Chapter Eight: In The Dark

Mayu walked around in the room she had recently opened the door to. There was a huge gaping hole in the middle and cracks through the ceiling. The walls were dingy and gray, and in the middle of parts of the walls, it appeared someone had taken a bat and had a field day. Something red was smeared across the ceiling and walls. The red fluid from the ceiling seemed to follow the cracks to a point where it dripped into a puddle on the floor.

"I wonder what happened in this place," Mayu said aloud. "Hm?" Mayu found a partially burned picture of a man and woman with a small child. They were all wearing kimonos and appeared to be in a festival type theme, with brilliant lighting and strange people. They seemed very happy together. She placed the picture in a file and looked around again. There was a hole in the mantle above the fireplace where something had once been. It was grooved with small symbols carved into the wood, and looked like something could have easily been fitted into it. Mayu started to choke on the air, which was thick with dust. She placed a hand over her mouth to try to filter the dust a bit, and then lifted the flashlight to look around.

Mayu started to walk through the room, and came across a small gold colored locket. It was a bit tarnished with its age, but beautiful nonetheless. There was an inscription on the surface in Japanese characters: "Forever Be True". She tried to open the locket, but it wouldn't open. Well, it is a LOCKet, duh. Then she remembered the small key she knocked off the table and picked up. It was still in her hand, so Mayu inserted it into the lock. Mayu opened it and removed a small piece of folded paper. She opened it, and read it.

"A power lies within us all. A power which has long been forgotten and turned away. With each step, we use it, as we venture toward our own darkness, and that created by others. However, when needed most, extraordinaire things may happen. Strength and weakness are only beliefs of the weak minded. Hold yourself to be true. Do not fall to the hands of your guilt."

In the locket, there was also a small picture of a boy and his parents, all dressed in kimonos. Mayu put the chain around her neck, and wore the locket.

"Yadori."

"Neiji."

Mayu looked up and around her. The shadows of a man and woman were behind one of the rice paper doors. Mayu walked over to it and found nothing but various different designer ornaments for a woman's hair. One of the combs stood out from the others. This comb was a red butterfly, much like the ones from All God's Village. Maybe she could take it as a souvenir, so she picked it up and put it away. Mayu walked away toward another door, her senses beginning to tingle a bit.

Saiyuuri looked around. Damn, it had suddenly gotten cold out no where. What could have made it worse? Well, how about this. In her fit of rage, Mio had caused Saiyuuri to storm out of the room without her bag. So, now she was cameraless, notepadless, and bagless. That meant that she would have to go back. Damn she hated backtracking, but even worse than backtracking, she hated not knowing where she was because she didn't have blueprints, which were a bitch to read in the first place. Want worse? This hallway seemed to go on forever, and there really was no end to it. Saiyuuri found herself standing on an edge, looking out the remains of a wall that had rotted off the entire house. Wind was blowing her face, and was that …snow? It wasn't even cold enough for snow outside, so…how…?

She walked towards a door to her left. Well, that was definitely better. It was much warmer in here. Looking around, she noticed the oddly familiar figure of Mio. Um, but wasn't she on the third floor?

"Um, Mio?"

"…" No answer.

"C'mon, Mio. This isn't funny!" Saiyuuri, a bit agitated, walked over to Mio, and grabbed her by her shoulders. She lifted Mio up a bit, just for her head to fall back a bit, and reveal a blood covered face. Saiyuuri's reaction was immediately to drop her and jump back. Mio sat back up rather quickly.

"Owww." She held her face. "What the hell was that all about, Saiyuuri?" Mio eyed her for a moment. There was no longer any blood on her face. In fact, she seemed perfectly fine. "…Wait a minute! Saiyuuri, what're you doin' up here?"

"Up here? I was gonna' ask you what you were doing down here! This is the first floor!"

"What? First floor?" Mio looked up. That would explain why she was sitting on the ground, if there was a hole up there, but there wasn't. "Then how did I get down here?" Mio continued looking around, then stared off, locked in thought.

"What's wrong Mio?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out how I got teleported from the third floor to the first floor… I remember passing out, but…"

"Wait a minute. You passed out?" Saiyuuri was trying not laugh, earning a death glare from Mio. Saiyuuri started to laugh hard, and then found various heavy wooden objects flying at her. These items included a table, chair, and lamp.

"Fine, not passed out… More like…Knocked unconscious." Mio grimaced.

"By what?"

"Um…I thought I saw something, and I hit my head on something. The next thing I know, you're dropping me, and dancing around."

"I WASN'T DANCING!"

"Looked like it to me."

"Grrr." Saiyuuri tried to calm herself down. "What did you see?"

"I saw this really weird woman climb out of a wall that I was looking in to." Mio fell silent, and Saiyuuri stared off. Maybe she wasn't the only one seeing things around here. Did it mean something? Saiyuuri and Mio both heard a loud thump behind a door in the room. Mio got up and went to the door that went to the hallway and tried to open it, but it was stuck. Not like jammed, but being held shut. Mio turned around to see Saiyuuri walking towards the door that the sound had come from. Saiyuuri reached toward the door to open it.

"No, Saiyuuri. Don't!"

Saiyuuri reached toward the door handle. Oh, God, please don't let this be what I think it is. Not here. Not now, or around them. She opened the door, only to find what she hadn't wanted to.

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WOOOOO! Hmmm….What did Saiyuuri not want to find? And why? Will the author tell us next time? Or will the author decide to wait a few more weeks and chapters to tell is? WOOOOOOOO! …Okay, maybe the scary WOOOO sound doesn't work in writing…. Maybe this will (turns the lights out and turns a flashlight onto face). MWA HAHAHAHAHAHAH!