It's already to Chapter 9! Whoa! Once again, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, and here's the 9th chapter!
*I do not own Ghost Hunt in any way, shape or form*
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"So why do you think the spirit attacked me?" I asked.
Naru, Ayako, Bou-san and I were all riding in the van back to the orphanage. After two nights at the hospital, I was told to return to the orphanage and go on bed rest. Right now it felt like my brain was knocking around in my skull.
"From all the data we achieved from interviewing the girls at the orphanage, it seems like you would have broken some sort of unsaid rule," Naru replied from up front.
"Hmm..." I said vaguely, trying to figure what 'rule' I could have possibly broken. "Well...I did fall asleep at 10 a.m. the day you guys came. Maybe that's why."
"It seems possible," Bou-san remarked.
"So then...would it attack me while I'm on bed rest?" I asked, wincing as we passed over a pot hole in the road.
"I highly doubt it," Naru said. "But just to be safe, we'll keep someone from the team close by you at all times."
I sighed quietly. "Okay."
There was silence in the car for a few minutes. Finally, Bou-san spoke up. "Do you wanna tell us what happened when you got knocked into the banister?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. Sure," I consented with a sigh. "It's been bugging me, anyway."
"So, what happened?" Ayako asked.
Bou-san twisted around from his seat up front to look at me.
I relayed the story to them, and shuddered when I came to the voice part. "It was the same sentence that keeps turning up: 'Good girls will obey all rules'," I finished.
There was more silence as they considered everything I had told them. "So that was the only voice you heard clearly?" Bou-san clarified.
"Yeah." I shivered, and tried not to grit my teeth when we passed over another bump in the road.
"What kind of spirit do you think it is?" Ayako asked.
Naru was silent with his own thoughts, but Bou-san spoke. "Maybe, considering that sentence, it's a spirit that used to live there that had some sort of power over people. That would explain the violence used when girls 'disobey'."
Ayako nodded, staring out the window.
"It sounds possible," Naru murmured.
***
I suddenly found myself out in the moonlit yard of the orphanage. What am I doing out here at this time of night? I thought. Aren't I supposed to be in bed?
Some sounds caught my ears, and I began to make my way towards them. There were no lights on the orphanage, so I had to be careful where I stepped with only moonlight and starlight to guide me.
"What's wrong with you?! You're leading us further and further into debt!" I heard someone yelling.
"Yeah! With the way that you're doing things, it's only a matter of time before we go bankrupt!" another person shouted.
Who are they yelling at? I wondered. This must have been a dream; it had that feel about it. But somehow...something seemed wrong...it didn't feel right.
I came around a corner, and saw people surrounding a defiant, calm-looking woman. Her back was to the orphanage wall, and they were all staring at her with murderous glares. One man near the front held a gun that was pointed at her head.
"So you're blaming me for what's happening to the city, is that right?" she asked arrogantly.
"Damn right we are!" yelled the man with the gun. "Everything you do for this city is for yourself, you pathetic excuse for a mayor!"
What has she done? I thought in confusion.
"So I assume you're here to fix your little problem?" she said sweetly.
"Yeah. You!" the man with the gun yelled. There was a blast and a crack from the gun, and the woman dropped dead to the ground.
I woke up panting and jerked upright in bed. The movement made me head spin and made me feel like my skull was being rattled. I sat for a moment and let the pain pass, then looked over to where Ayako had been earlier. She was gone...probably to the bathroom or something.
I carefully laid back down on the bed and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. It was impossible to get the dream out of my head...I had to tell Naru and see what he thought of it.
I sat up slowly and gingerly slid off the bed. I made my way out the door and down the hall; going slowly so I wouldn't bother my head so much.
When I came to the stairs, I was presented with a problem. If I wasn't even supposed to walk, how would it feel to try going down the stairs? When we had arrived here, I had to be carried up the stairs by Bou-san. I hesitated and looked down the stairs, deliberating.
"Mai, what are you doing?" a familiar voice asked. He sounded annoyed or angry--I couldn't tell which. "You're supposed to be in bed!"
Naru, who must have been passing the staircase, was looking up at me from the lower level with a scowl on his face.
"Oh, Naru! I was just about to look for you!" I exclaimed. "I had a dream!"
Naru began climbing the stairs. "I'll listen to it when you sit down," he said in disapproval. "You're not even supposed to be walking."
I sat down on a nearby chair and told Naru about the dream. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest as he listened. He didn't interrupt once.
"So, do you think that's why there's a spirit here?" Naru asked after I was finished.
I was silent for a moment as I remembered the weird feeling I'd had during the dream. "Well...no, actually," I said quietly.
Naru looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. "And why is that?" he questioned.
"I don't know," I said, staring out into space. "But for some reason...it felt fake. It almost seemed like...it was made up. Like somebody was trying to give me a false lead or something."
Naru was silent for a moment. "Interesting," he murmured.
"Well, good evening!" a bright voice suddenly said.
Naru and I looked to the side and saw the owner Minori Sasakistanding there with a smile on her face. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a bun, and her gray eyes were shining warmly. "Taniyama-san, dear, how are you feeling?" she asked kindly.
"Oh, I'm feeling fine right now, thanks," I lied. In actuality it felt like a woodpecker was living in my head.
"That's good to here," she said. She turned to Naru. "And how is the case coming along, Shibuya-san?"
"It's going well," he replied. "I doubt you and the girls here will have to worry much longer."
There was a spark of something in her eyes. It must have been excitement... "Really?" Sasaki-san said. "That's good to hear. Keep up the good work!" She smiled once more before walking away down the hall.
"I know you lied, Mai," Naru said to me. He gave me a hard look.
I sighed. "Okay, fine! I'll go back to my room!" I stood up from the chair and waited for a moment to let the spinning pass.
"You're not supposed to be walking, Mai," Naru pointed out.
No way, no way was I going to let him carry me. Me and my stupid mouth! Why, oh why had I had to tell him that I loved him?!
"It's okay, I'm fine! I can walk just fine!" I said quickly. I tried to speed walk, but I didn't get very far before my head was hammering and my mind was spinning. I sat on the floor and put my head between my knees.
"See?" Naru said pointedly. "Why are you so stupid?"
"I'm just dizzy; it'll pass. Go away, I can get back myself!" I said stubbornly.
I heard Naru sigh in annoyance, and suddenly he'd slid his arms under my knees and around my shoulders and hoisted me up. He began walking slowly down the hall, as if he was being careful.
"Hey! Put me down!" I objected. "I can do it myself!"
"Obviously, you couldn't," Naru countered. "Stop being stubborn."
My cheeks got hot, and I closed my eyes. "Jerk," I muttered.
"I could've just left you there," he pointed out.
I fumed in embarrassment. "You should have!"
"That wouldn't be very nice, now, would it?"
I grit my teeth and ended up wincing. "Since when do you care about being nice?!"
"I'm being nice right now and you're displeased by it? Normally you'd be in my face about it. You should make up your mind, Mai." He sounded smug.
"Urgh!" I yelled in frustration. "Why are you so annoying?!"
Narureached my room and edged open the partially-closed door with his foot. He set me down carefully and moved to sit on the chair.
"Wait a second! I thought Ayako was watching me right now!" I said shouted.
Naru sighed impatiently. "We're taking turns watching you, remember? It's my turn right now."
I turned on my side so that Naru couldn't see my flushed cheeks. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I was too tense.
"Tell me something, Mai," Naru said after a moment.
Oh no. "What?" I asked.
"Are you embarrassed because of what you said to me?" He sounded as calm as ever.
I clenched my hands into tight fists. "I'm not embarrassed!" I protested.
Naru was silent. He knew I was lying; I could tell.
"It's not something you need to be embarassed about, Mai," he said, for once sounding gentle.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped, turning over to glare at him.
"I'll leave that to you to figure out." He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
After a moment, I turned back onto my side and closed my eyes. What had he meant?
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Okay. This was hard to write! *wrings hands nervously* Hopefully Naru was in character!!! Read and review, please!!!