Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!
"That was certainly an interesting welcome. I don't think I've ever seen such a quick response to outsiders." Mai said as she flopped down on her futon. She watched as Masako straightened her sleeping yukata before she took a seat on her futon.
"Indeed but somehow it's not surprising. Kasumi, that's the mother's name, was always quick to welcome visitors to the Ryokan. She didn't do it so dangerously when she was alive though." Masako hummed as she continued to fuss with her clothing. Mai hummed under her breath as she stared up at the ceiling.
"Do you sense anything here, Masako? Naru will be unhappy if he has to come all the way out here and there's nothing to investigate." Mai told her. She heard Masako also lay down after she obviously got the yukata to fit how she wanted.
"I know. I do sense a presence here. It was stronger when the picture fell off the wall. I don't know if it's her or not. It's almost as though she's hiding and when she does something she doesn't use all her power. I get the feeling Kasumi doesn't want it to be known where she's hiding at." Masako whispered. Mai sighed in agreement before sitting back up. She found her mind was racing and she couldn't calm it. She looked at Masako who was studying her quietly.
"I'm going to go for a walk to clear my mind. I want to explore the gardens outside. I haven't been able to get my mind off of it since I caught a glimpse through that open door in the lobby." Mai told her. Masako nodded even though her face remained blank. It was clear to Mai the other girl was distracted by what was happening in the Ryokan.
"The gardens are beautiful this time of year. Enjoy." Masako told her. Mai nodded before disappearing through the shoji door. She let out a soft sigh as she paused in the long hallway where their room was located. Miwako had told them they had the whole corridor to themselves but it was currently the only room cleaned for them to stay in. The girl had promised them the other rooms would be ready before Naru and the others arrived.
Mai shook her head before making her way down the hall and the stairs to reach the first floor of the building. She made her way towards the gardens that were situated behind the large Ryokan. Mai took in a deep breath once she had made it outside. The scenery really was beautiful with all the trees and flowers growing around the small pond. It certainly fit in with the traditional feel of the Ryokan. Mai wondered how long the garden had been there.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mai jumped at the voice. She turned to see Miwako was standing behind her with her arms crossed. Mai sent her a friendly smile. Miwako tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear in response.
"It is. I was just thinking how long it must've been here along with how hard it has to be to keep it so pretty. Do you have a gardener?" Mai inquired gently. Miwako giggled before shaking her head as she moved to stand beside Mai. They stared out at the garden together as the moon shone brightly down on the scene.
"No. My grandmother has taken care of it most of her life. A few years ago she began to get arthritis in her joints so my mother took over. She was taking care of the gardens…and the hot springs. Sometimes it seems as though the only thing we have left of her is the gardens." Miwako whispered. Mai felt her heart go out to the girl before she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Don't think like that, Miwako. You and your family keep your mother's memory alive inside your hearts. If the happenings here are your mother it's because she can't bear to leave a family who obviously loved her very much." Mai told her. She watched as tears welled in Miwako's eyes before the older girl shook her head.
"Those are kind words, Taniyama-san, but…I don't think you can understand the hatred my mother felt when she died. Please, I don't feel like talking about this. Excuse me." Mai watched with her mouth open as Miwako disappeared back into the Ryokan. She let out a soft sigh before shaking her head. That went better than she had thought it would but she hadn't wanted to upset Miwako.
Mai understood, better than most people, what it was like to lose a person's mother suddenly. She had tried to tread carefully but it seemed not matter how caution a person was it would set Miwako off. Mai shuddered as she thought about how Miwako had undoubtedly also seen the dead body of her mother before she'd been taken to the hospital. Mai may understand losing her parents but she couldn't understand the horror of actually seeing the parent's body.
"Well, there's no reason to dwell out here. I should get some sleep before Naru decides to call me early in the morning just to wake me up out of pure meanness." Mai mused as she turned back to the door that would lead her into the lobby. She froze as the lights suddenly flickered before going out. "That's not normal."
Mai swallowed as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. She slowly turned back towards the garden. Her eyes searched for anything that seemed out of the ordinary in the scenery. She let out a small breath as she realized that perhaps it was just an electricity outage. She felt a cold shiver go down her spine and knew she was wrong.
She looked up at the second floor terrace that connected all the rooms on the outside. Her eyes went wide at the sight that met her eyes. A glowing figure with long hair seemed to be floating down the terrace. The figures arms were held out in front of it while the hands were hanging limply from the arms. Mai continued to watch in stunned amazement before suddenly the figure stopped in front of one of the doors that led into a room.
'What is it doing? Is…that sounds like dripping water!' Mai though as the sound echoed through the garden. She watched in horror as the figure turned its head toward her. Her heart stopped as the head snapped up. The black hair fell in front of the face but it didn't hide the blank eyes staring at her. She watched as the hands lifted up in a stopping motion before her mouth opened.
Mai's hands covered her ears at the loud, horrible scream that filled the air. She couldn't block out the despair and anger in the scream. She lifted her eyes to look once more at the figure as the screaming continued. The figure began to contort into different shapes before bursting into water. Mai stood there stunned before letting her hands drop from her ears.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" the scream pushed Mai into action. She ran into the lobby and up the stairs in the direction the scream had come. She skidded to a stop as she found Miwako and Masako standing outside one of the many rooms. She realized it must have been the room Miwako lived in. She watched as Miwako buried her head into Masako's shoulder.
"What happened?! Are you okay?" Mai cried as she approached the girls. Masako looked at her before shakily pointing into the room. Mai was surprised to see Masako was not only shaking but pale. Masako shook her head telling Mai wordlessly they would talk later. Mai nodded before turning to the room. Her eyes went wide. The paper on the door that led to the terrace had been ripped to shreds allowing Mai to see the garden through the small now empty squares.
It wasn't the tattered door that caught her attention for long. It was what was written on the wall above the door. It was in blood and looked messy, almost as though the person writing had been angry. She couldn't believe the words but her mind easily comprehended what they meant.
'You are guilty, I will never forgive you.'
"It's mother's writing! She's blaming us for her death! She hates us!" Miwako cried before collapsing on her knees. Mai couldn't take her eyes off the writing as Miwako's sobs echoed around her. She couldn't believe there had been such a show of power from a ghost that was possibly Miwako's mother.
"Come on, Miwako, let's get you to your grandmother. I'm sure she'll understand if you want to spend the night with her. We call someone tomorrow to come clean the damage." Mai turned to see Masako was helping the other girl to her feet. Miwako was still shaking but shook her head at the medium's suggestion.
"No, it's alright. I'll have Rentaro fix it when he comes in tomorrow. I can get to Obaa-san's by myself. You two need your sleep, it's a long trip from Tokyo." Miwako whispered before disappearing from the sight of the two women. Mai shared a look with Masako who was shaking her head.
"Did you see her as well?" Masako asked softly in case Miwako was still around. Mai understood why she didn't want the other girl to hear what they were talking about. It would only make it worse if she heard them talking about the incident.
"Yeah, it was horrifying. How did you see?" Mai replied quietly as they began to walk toward their room.
"I had stepped out onto the terrace to get some fresh air. I saw her across the garden since we're in the other wing. I realized when she stopped to look at you that she was in front of Miwako's room. I ran as fast as I could to Miwako while the apparition was screaming only to find the damage had already be done." Masako told her. Mai let out a soft breath before pausing in the hallway that led to their room. She watched as Masako turned to study her when she realized Mai wasn't beside her.
"What did you feel when you saw her, Masako? What emotion?" Mai whispered. She glanced at Masako to see the girl's eyes had gone wise and she was staring out into space. Mai swallowed as she wondered if she even wanted to know the answer.
"Hate. There was so much hate coming from that…whatever it was." Masako finally answered. Mai frowned at the reply as it was unusual for the medium refer to any ghost as a thing rather than a person.
"Why do you say that?" she asked. Masako shook her head at the other girl. Mai was sure she could detect despair in the dark gaze.
"I just can't believe someone as kind hearted as Shimizu Kasumi could turn into something that holds so much hate. I can't and won't believe it." Masako whispered before disappearing into their room.
"I hope you're right, Masako. Still, there's something inside telling me there is just something weird different about all of this." Mai said as she clutched the fabric of her shirt over her heart. She took a deep breath before also reentering their room to hopefully get some sleep for the night.
The ringing of her cell phone pulled Mai from her dreams of forcing Naru to get his own damned tea. She turned over as she tried to ignore the ringing. The person could call her back at a later time when she was actually awake. She heard Masako groan as the ringing continued to disrupt their otherwise silent room. Mai let out an aggravated sigh before turning onto her back as she grabbed the phone.
"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily. She could feel her mind slowly moving back towards unconscious despite the fact she was on the phone.
"What took you so long?" she bit back a scowl at the voice that met her ears. She should have known when he said he would call it meant early the next morning. She brought her wrist up to look at her watch. Her scowl deepened at time that she read.
"It is six-thirty in the morning, Naru. Normal people are still asleep…oh wait! You aren't normal!" Mai said. She turned back onto her side with the phone cradled between her ear and the pillow. She really was half-tempted to just fall asleep on him.
"I told you I would call to get the schematics of the building. We need them to know how much of the equipment we need to bring. I was also going to remind you to start interviewing the family members." he replied. Mai let out an audible yawn just so he would hear her. She bit back a smirk as she heard him sigh on the other end. She knew she had managed to irritate him. As far as she was concerned her day had already been a success and she hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.
"They aren't exactly eager about talking the incident that triggered this. I can't exactly blame them. At any rate, it's a big structure so I'd bring all the equipment. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep like a normal person." she told him. She could hear him mumbling under her breath but couldn't make out what he was saying. She had learned early on that if he started mumbling she probably didn't want to know what he was saying. It was then that she started drifting back to sleep.
"Mai!" she jumped at the call that came from the phone. She realized he was going to keep her awake no matter how much she wanted to sleep. She hoped he realized how lucky he was to be in Tokyo instead of across the hall in one of the other rooms. If he was she had no doubt she would have hit him across the face no matter the consequences. She was far too sleepy to think clearly at the moment.
"What is it now?" she grumbled. She actually wished he was across the hall. He had yet to see her right hook. She had paid enough attention to Ayako beating on Takigawa to learn a few things.
"Has anything happened since you arrived?" he asked. Mai had to bite back the desire to start yelling at him over the phone.
"How about this, Naru? I go to sleep, if I see Gene I'll tell him what happened, and he can pass it on. If that doesn't happen I will call you back at a more decent hour and let you know myself. Good-bye!" she hung the phone up and placed it on the floor beside her futon. She turned onto her back in an attempt to go back to sleep.
She could only blink up at the ceiling before sighing in defeat. She glared at the phone as it notified her of a new text message. She reached over to pick the object up. She flipped the phone open only for her mouth to drop open. She was going to kill him! She was going to absolutely throttle him.
'I win.'
"I suppose we should began our day. Until you start responding to him you know he will do everything he possibly can to keep you up." Masako said as she also sat up. Mai had the feeling she looked as tired as Mai felt.
"Yeah, but I really don't want to give in to him. You know his ego will only grow once he realizes he's succeeded." Mai told her. Masako nodded as she managed to climb to her feet.
"I know. I'm going to get ready then go check on Miwako. I worried about her all night." Masako told her. Mai nodded in agreement as she brought a hand to her chin. She couldn't deny she was also worried about the girl. She was sure it had been horrible to enter your room to see that scene.
"Okay, I'm going to go look at the room. I know it's paranormal but I want to see if perhaps there are any clues for the identity of the ghost. I don't know what it is, maybe my institution, but something is telling me there is more to this whole thing than meets the eye." Mai said as she also climbed to her feet.
"I see. Well, we can meet later and talk about where to go from here. Who is supposed to arrive today?" Masako asked.
"I think John and Takigawa are coming in tonight. Ayako said she has two more shifts at her hospital before she can come out to help. Remind me to talk to Yasuhara when I finally call back the narcissist. Him or Lin." Mai said as she began to change out of her pajamas. She looked up as Masako cleared her throat.
"Why do you need to talk to them?" Masako asked. Mai gave a small smile that showed no joy. It was nothing more than an expression for her face to take on.
"The ghost, there was something odd about it. She had long black hair that looked wet but her eyes…it was her eyes that were so odd. I could see the pupils. I was going to ask them if they could research and see if they could find anything similar to that." Mai told her. She watched as Masako brought one of her sleeves up to her mouth. Mai wondered what the other girl was thinking.
"I see. It could possibly be a yurei. It would make no sense though why she would be like that." Masako whispered. Mai could only blink in confusion.
"A what?" she asked. Masako looked at her with a sigh before shaking her head.
"A poltergeist bent on revenge is the only way I can really explain it. The person most likely died a violent death. A yurei is their spirit searching for revenge because of the circumstances surrounding their death. If that is what we're dealing with, I can't be a hundred percent positive it is, then this far more dangerous than I thought. I would certainly ask Lin-san and Yasuhara-san to see what they can find…especially about the history of the Ryokan." Masako told her. Mai blinked once again. She felt as though that was all she was doing every time Masako explained something. She didn't like the feeling.
"History?" she finally asked.
"It may just be my hopeful thinking but perhaps this ghost is from the past and not Yumi's mother. I just…I can't believe she would turn into that. I know I've been saying that since we got here, Mai, but I really can't believe it." Masako whispered. Mai couldn't stop from walking over to the girl and putting a hand on her shoulder. Masako met her eyes.
"We'll figure this out. Go check on Miwako and her grandmother. I'll see if I can get any answers by looking at Miwako's bedroom." Mai told her. Masako nodded. Mai gave her one last smile before leaving the room.
She let out a soft sigh before walking towards the destroyed room. She still couldn't believe she was up so early. Who else was possibly up working at this time of day? She frowned as her mind instantly supplied an image of Naru. She was sure he probably hadn't even gone to sleep the previous night. She had noticed lately he slept very little whenever they happened to be on a case. She wondered why but had never managed to gather her courage to ask him. She doubted he'd even answer.
'Well, here I am. Let's get this over with. This room gave me the creeps last night. I doubt it will be any different now.' Mai thought as she slide the door open. She took a deep breath at the scene, exactly like it had been last night, that met her eyes along with the new scent accompanying it. 'It smells like water.'
Mai soon found out why. The entire floor had been soaked even though she was sure it had been dry the night before. She bent down to touch the wet tatami that covered the floor only to wince at the squishing sound that met her ears. It was completely soaked through. She stood up before carefully walking into the room. She couldn't hold back the wince as her socks quickly became soaked.
'It looks the same despite the soaked tatami and…oh, the shoji is wet to. I wonder what it means when a ghost is obsessed with water.' she thought. She shivered as the image of someone drowning came to mind. She swallowed before going back over to the damaged door that led out to the terrace. She gently slid the door open to step outside.
She looked out over the gardens only to sigh. They really were beautiful. She wished she would have more time to enjoy them. She shook her head before looking down at the flooring of the terrace. Her eyebrows rose before she knelt down. Wet footprints were heading in the direction of the stairs at the end of the terrace.
'How odd. I could have sworn the figure was floating. This water thing is really beginning to weird me out.' Mai thought as she straightened up. She let out a soft sigh. She had come for answers but only ended up with more questions.
"Holy cow! This room is a mess!" Mai almost jumped out of her skin at the unfamiliar voice. She turned to see a young man in glasses standing there as he rubbed his head. He grinned at her in a friendly manner when he noticed she was staring at him from the terrace.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. In all honesty I didn't see you there. You're one of the ghost hunters, right?" he asked. Mai had the distinct impression of Yasuhara on a sugar high along with a huge caffeine overdose. "I'm Rentaro, by the way."
"You could say we're ghost hunter, yeah. I'm Taniyama Mai. Nice to meet you. I'll get out of your way so you can take care of this. I was just looking to see if I could find any answers." Mai told him. He chuckled before shrugging his shoulders.
"Wish I could be of some help but there aren't any water pipes under the floor to indicate one of them burst. This is also the top floor so there's no reason for the ceiling and walls to be wet." he told her. Mai blinked before putting a hand to her chin, a thinking habit she had picked up from Naru.
"Could you check the other room to see if they're damaged at all?" Mai asked. She watched as the boy nodded before disappearing. She could hear him checking the rooms beside Miwako's. It only took him a few moments to return back to the doorway of the room. Mai met his eyes as he shook his head.
"They're as dry as a desert. I don't understand." Rentaro said. Mai let out a soft sigh before looking back down at the wet floor of the room.
"It's called paranormal for a reason, we aren't supposed to understand. Thank you for your help, Rentaro. I'll have to call my boss to see what he says. I'll let you get back to work for Miwako starts berating you. I'm sure she's stressed by all of this." Mai told her with a small smile on her face.
"No problem. If I can help with anything else please let me know." he said. Mai nodded before taking a step back towards the room. She froze as a cold chill went down her spine. The next thing she seemed to be falling backwards even as Rentaro called out to her.
She landed on her feet in what Naru had told her was the astral plane. She swallowed as she realized that while she was on the astral plane it was almost as though it was transparent enough for her to see the Ryokan's garden. She supposed she had fainted and had the upmost trust that Rentaro would make sure her body was taken care of.
"Hello, Mai. It's been awhile." she turned to smile at the black haired boy walking towards her. He also had a kind smile on his face.
"Hi, Gene. I was wondering when I'd see you."
I hope you enjoyed! Please review! I'd really appreciate it! They inspire authors! They also just make me very happy and I'm greed! Haha. Also, by the way for anyone who has a tumblr I also have an account under hpfan0324! If you follow me I'll try to follow you back! Thanks! Next update shouldn't be far away.