Warning! Violence, blood, graphic gore, a tidbit of OOCness, angst, dark theme, swearing, failed attempts at humor, MaixNaru

Disclaimer! Sadly I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of the characters in it. If I did Mai wouldn't be so naïve and Naru wouldn't be such a narcissist. Neither do I own the Song Still Doll from Vampire Knight

Bou-Monk

Hōshō- pronounced Ho-u-sho-u

Miko-priestess usually a shrine priestess

Shiki/Shikigami-spirits under an onmyouji command

Dream

Spirit speak

Flashback

"Blah" character talking

'Blah' character thoughts

Gone But Never Forgotten

Chapter 8- Mad Hatter Part 3: Mad is just a matter of opinion

Mai took to pacing in her room/base much as it annoyed her but after the scene yesterday with the girl Naru and Ayako had agreed that it'd be best if she just stayed put. Unfortunately for her they weren't the ones going mad from boredom and having to stay in one room. The spirit hadn't even attacked her since the first day they had gotten there and in truth she wanted to roam around and see if anymore of her memory would get uncovered. She had a feeling that the only reason she was beginning to remember things was because of her too close encounter with death and crossing over for a moment. She had a feeling that it either awoke something in her or loosened whatever had been blocking her memories before. She looked up when the door opened and stopped her pacing when she saw Lin and Naru enter the room. They both looked at her blankly as she glared at them clearly annoyed before she growled out,

"I feel like a damn caged bird."

Lin continued to walk towards his seat infront of the monitors while Naru smirked condescendingly at her. Mai suddenly had half a mind to forget about her job and hit the narcissistic jerk over the head and quite hard. Sometimes she really didn't understand why she loved the bastard so much but then as she huffed angrily and turned away she remembered the few times he had been protective of her. She sat on her bed cross-legged as she looked at the two by the monitors. She wondered why Naru was suddenly being so protective over her after the whole Yukori case then she shook the thought away finding it stupid since she did almost die then. However, she couldn't help but remember those flashes of feeling she had seen flit across his face those few times they were close or she had said something. She still couldn't decipher those feelings and what they meant but she was pulled from her thoughts when Naru asked,

"Mai, Takigawa-san told me that infront of the director's room and in one of the patient's room you had begun to act strange. Is there anything I should know?"

Mai looked up at him and they locked eyes, the young woman could clearly see the agitation in the young man's eyes at her. She averted her gaze to one of the monitors before she said,

"No…not really."

"Mai…." The warning in Naru's tone told her clearly he wasn't having any of that and he was willing to take extreme measures. Mai couldn't help the irritation that began to build in her chest as she snapped,

"What? I told you 'no'. No is no."

Her head snapped around when she heard him coming towards her and her body automatically tensed as she glared at him. His eyes were a dark blue that almost seemed black but before it could escalate any further Lin broke in and said,

"Naru I think you should see this."

Naru continued to glare harshly at Mai before whirling around and stalking towards the monitors. After a few seconds Mai felt a little bad at snapping at Naru for no good reason but being trapped in a room all day and then finding out that some of your memories aren't real were having an effect on her state of mind. Slowly she got up and approached the monitors, stopping by his side but he paid no attention to her. She looked at the same monitor they were and gasped at the person that stood there. It was her room and she was in the bed asleep, Naru was by the monitors and Lin was watching over her. Next to Lin was a tall male figure with a large top hat and a suit but Mai recognized his features instantly and she said almost to herself,

"That's him. That's the Mad Hatter."

Suddenly, it struck her that he had been watching her sleep while Lin and Naru were in the room. She shivered as a chill went up and down her spine before she looked at Lin and Naru to ask,

"He couldn't have done anything…right? I mean I'm safe here, right?"

Both men looked at her and Mai suddenly felt her heart sink as she looked back at the frozen image on the monitor of the Mad Hatter. Lin's voice was soft and calming as he spoke,

"Mai go back to the bed and lie down. Relax a bit. We'll take care of this."

Mai looked at him uncertainly before she nodded her head slowly and went to her bed. She lay on her bed and closed her eyes was she tried to calm her beating heart but before she knew it she was asleep.

I opened my eyes and was welcomed by my dreamscape. I found it interesting that it was a midnight blue just like Naru's eyes and I always found the glowing different colored orbs curious. I wondered what exactly they held and what did they mean. I was started when a soft melodic voice said,

"I think you know what they are now, Mai-chan."

I looked over my shoulder to see my mother stepping over to me and a rush of love filled me before the annoyance hit. She must have sensed it, she had always been good at that, because she gave me an apologetic look as she said,

"I can't tell you everything you want to know in one go, Mai. It would be too much and your mind would just block it all out again."

I didn't understand what she meant by 'again' and I faintly wondered if she had told me everything in one go before or if I, myself, had blocked out and recovered the memories that had been hidden from me. She leaned her head against mine and I found it somewhat surprising that her skin was hot instead of chillingly cold like most ghost. I frowned at her and asked unthinkingly,

"Are you a ghost Okasan?"

My mother smiled down at me, she was still a little taller surprisingly, and said lovingly, "Yes and no, Mai-chan. Just think of me more as a guide then anything. I'm here to guide you through your past, our past."

I suddenly felt a wave of fear hit me and I asked quietly, "I'm not going to like it…am I?"

My mother gave me one of her small sad smiles that I remember she used to give me after my fathers death. Then something hit me, why wasn't my father here with us?

"Only one of us could come and he figured since you remembered me most that it would be best if I guided you."

I looked over at my mother and gave her a suspicious look as I asked, "Are you reading my mind?"

She giggled softly and gave me one of her trade mark secretive smiles before she said, "Your questions Mai-chan…"

I huffed lightly as I folded my arms and glared at her before I actually thought about what I wanted to ask. I watched her as I thought, taking in all of the little things that I remembered so well and I had missed so much. The way she shifted from foot to foot slightly when she was slightly bored, the way she twirled her reddish brown hair around her index finger when she was slightly nervous and the way her green eyes were always extremely warm no matter what she was feelings. Actually thinking about what I wanted to ask I looked at her a little mournfully and asked,

"Why me? Why do I have these abilities? Why do I have to see these things?"

My mothers eyes became soft and somber as she looked at me, gathering me in a hug as I started to tear she murmured comforting words before she said,

"I wish this hadn't been pushed upon you. I wish you hadn't gotten this power but it was going to happen. It's a passed down talent from mother to daughter and then the fact your father had abilities only made them stronger. You had these abilities since you were a babe."

I wiped my eyes and took a step back as I processed what she had just said to me before I asked, "You mean…You and Oto-san…Had these abilities?"

My mother gave me a sad lopsided smile before she nodded her head and I did all I could to make sure I didn't faint. All this time I had wondered why exactly I had these powers only to find out that it was because I inherited it from my mother and father. It was almost to much for me but before it was done I began to feel the thrumming through my body. My mother kissed my cheek and said,

"We'll continue this conversation some other time. You need to go now. You got one of the extremely important questions out of the way now its only a matter of time before you get the others out the way."

I looked at her feeling somewhat lost but she hadn't lied to me before about seeing me again so with a quick somewhat long hug I backed away. I closed my eyes and did everything Gene had told me to and once again I felt as though I was falling back into my body.

Mai sat straight up in bed to find the room was once again completely void of anyone or anything living. She sighed lightly as she ran through what she remembered from her dream, especially the part where her mother said she had inherited the abilities from both her mother and her father. She looked up when the door to her room opened and was surprised to see Naru alone since he was usually with Lin unless he went off on his own without a word. She figured he went off on his own without a word as usual and sighed lightly as she looked back at her hands that sat limply in her lap. She was surprised when a few seconds later the edge of her bed dipped and when she looked up Naru was sitting by her with a blank expression, as usual. She gave him a questioning look but he said nothing until finally he said monotonously,

"You're finally awake."

Mai huffed loudly and looked back at her hands, stubbornly ignoring her long time secret crush. It was a few minutes later when he finally spoke again and this time it was in a much softer tone as he said,

"You were crying in your sleep…"

Mai looked up at him sharply but he wasn't looking at her but rather at the monitors that glowed slightly. Mai opened her mouth and closed it a few times before finally getting out,

"I had another dream with my mother…I learned some…interesting things…"

This time Naru did face her and she met his eyes, once again she saw a flash of emotion in his eyes and once again it was gone before she could decipher it. He nodded his head slowly before he asked,

"What did she say?"

"It seems as though my abilities were inherited from both my mother and my father but also…It runs all along my mother's line."

Mai watched as his eyes became somewhat dull and he grabbed his chin while he thought about what she just said. She was prevented from hearing what he thought when the rest of the group entered the room in a somewhat loud manner. Mai watched as he got up from the edge of the bed and met up with Lin by the monitors, with a soft sigh she resigned herself to guessing she had shared the information for no reason. However, a small smile graced her lips as she thought of the fact he had actually been interested, maybe even worried enough, to ask why she had been crying in her sleep in his own roundabout way.

"How are you feeling, Mai-chan?"

Mai looked over at Bou and smiled warmly at him as she said, "I'm feeling fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Ayako and John chuckled lightly as Ayako said, "You were asleep for a while. You ready to go get something to eat downstairs?"

Mai opened her mouth to answer but she was cut off when the door burst open and three men in uniforms barged in. Instantly Lin and Naru were infront of them and Mai could see both of them were livid by the way their brows furrowed since she couldn't see their eyes.

"Detective Sohma, you have no right to be in this room."

By the coolness in Naru's voice she had a feeling that whoever this Sohma was Naru didn't like him in the least. Mai watched as a man in a brown trench coat pushed past the three uniformed men and said just as coolly,

"Well you'll excuse me if I disagree, Kazuya-kun. It seems that I did not talk with all your personnel. There is one Taniyama Mai missing and it is only routine that I ask her questions also."

Bou stepped up beside Lin and Naru as he glared heatedly at the detective as he said, "That wouldn't be the best idea, Sohma. Please leave you are in a girl's room as well as interfering in an ongoing investigation."

From where she lay in her bed Mai could clearly see the somewhat older man's face, he had to be in his mid-twenties. He had ebony black hair and dark green eyes with somewhat tan skin, he was surprisingly exotic looking. However, the sneer on his face made his exotic looks even more dashing in an annoying way and Mai had to stop herself from throwing something at the man.

"Yes well Mai-chan will have to deal with it."

Mai's eyes narrowed at them man and the tension raised as the man didn't give her any respect but surprisingly it was Lin who spoke up. His voice was deathly calm and quiet as he spoke but there was an underlying threat in it.

"I'm sorry I think you meant to say 'Taniyama-san' you really should learn some manners, Sohma-kun."

The man's eyes narrowed on Lin but Ayako stepped up at this point and she hissed out, "You will all shut your mouths. Mai has been through enough stress and she is still recovering from her injured throat."

The man looked over at her before he spotted Mai on the bed and slipping past the three men infront of him towards her. He was at her bedside in two seconds with a notepad and pen while everyone in the group moved towards him in a somewhat threatening manner, except John who just looked more worried then angry. Mai shook her head at them with a reassuring smile before looking at him with a somewhat annoyed gaze but she said nothing. He seemed to look her over and she caught the look of interest in his eyes that had her cheeks painted a light pink before he asked,

"Well what kind of injury did you sustain?"

She looked him over wondering what she should say before she said, "My throat was injured. Bruised to be more precise so I couldn't talk for a while. I'm recovering but it still hurts from time to time."

She watched as he jotted something down before he asked, "And how did you sustain this injury?"

She paused slightly before she said resolutely, "I was choked."

Everyone in the room froze and the whole team's eyes were on her but she and the man only looked at each other. He seemed to be assessing what she was saying but before he could say anything else she said,

"It seems a little unfitting that you should know my name and my colleagues know who you are."

The man smirked and Mai had to admit it was a bit breathtaking before he said, "The name's Ryu Sohma."

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she said, "Then it certainly isn't a pleasure, Ryu."

She gave him an innocent smile as she insulted him, saying a person's first name without an honorific when they didn't give you permission or your unfamiliar with them was a big insult. She watched as he stiffened slightly before relaxing as he also gave an innocent smile as he said,

"I apologize that was quite rude of me."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she asked smoothly, "Was it now?"

Mai saw a muscle in his jaw clench and she knew her attitude was getting to him. Mai had never really been timid and her brashness had only increased over the few years in dealing with both Naru and spirits. She could hear Bou's snickering in the background and it was seriously encouraging for Mai. Ryu tapped his pen on his pad as he chuckled in obvious annoyance before he said,

"Yes, well, let's get on with the questioning."

Mai had the urge to throw another sarcastic remark at him but she knew when not to push it. She merely raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to ask the questions. Years of being Naru's assistant were paying off with her ability to pull on a poker face and tough act.

"Now Taniyama-san, is it true that you spoke with the victim earlier?"

Mai tensed not realizing he had known so much before she said, "Yes it is."

Ryu jotted something down before asking, "What did you say?"

"Nothing. She had been rambling on about something." She easily replied with a straight face. Ryu looked at her closely and Mai got the sense that he didn't believe her, with good reason since she was lying. He quickly jotted something down again before he asked unexpectedly,

"Who choked you?"

Mai smiled pleasantly as she said smoothly, "A ghost in my dream. It seemed as though someone sent him to kill me."

Mai was pleased to see him annoyed by her question and she could definitely hear Bou and Ayako snickering. Ryu glared at his notepad before he asked,

"Why is it that moments after you or rather the victim spoke with you, she is found dead?"

Mai's eyes narrowed somewhat angrily and she said straightforwardly, "I have no clue. I did nothing to that girl."

Ryu gave her a laid back smile and said simply, "I didn't say you did anything, Taniyama-san."

"No but you were implying." The silence was tense between the two as they stared into each others eyes. Mai could see the anger and annoyance easily in Ryu's eyes as she was sure he could see the same in her eyes. He averted his gaze and began to scribble furiously on his notepad. Mai rubbed her temples as she asked irritably,

"Is this interrogation over?"

Ryu slapped his notepad closed as he growled out, "Not until I get some real answers."

Mai glared at him angrily as she growled out, "I already told you I don't know anything."

"What happened to the missing head director?"

"I don't know…"

"Why have there been two deaths already since you've come here?"

"I don't know."

"Why is there always a body count when you and this team go somewhere?"

"I. Don't. Know."

"Why is it so hard to find information on you?"

"I don't know!"

"HOW DID YOUR PARENTS DIE?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Mai's yell sent her into a coughing fit as she grabbed her throat as it throbbed painfully, reminding her that she was still healing. Ayako rushed over to her side and began to attend to Mai, trying to ease the coughs and throat. Surprisingly, instead of Bou, Lin or even Naru stepping infront of Ryu it was John. His young looking face was stern as he said firmly,

"I think that is enough now, Detective. Mai needs her rest as you can see she has not fully recovered."

Ryu glared at everyone in the room before he said, "Until I find out what's going on here I'm not going to rest. You're all hiding something and I'm going to find out what."

He turned his gaze upon Mai and said, "Especially you, Taniyama-san."

As he walked briskly towards the door Mai called out, "Oh and Detective…"

Her voice was a little hoarse but he heard it and stopped to look at her. She gave him a weak pleasant smile as she said, "Shut the door on your way out."

His eyes narrowed angrily as he slammed the door shut after him and the three officers. Bou and Ayako cheered loudly as they hugged Mai tightly to them.

"Atta girl, Mai! That's showing him who's boss!"

Ayako cheered happily as Bou tousled Mai's hair fondly. Mai smiled weakly as she blushed a little and said,

"He just got on my nerve so I gave him a piece of my mind."

"I hate to ruin your celebration but we have a pressing matter to attend to." Naru drawled out cutting their cheering short. Everyone looked at him and he continued on without hesitation.

"We'll now be under surveillance and investigation. This Detective Ryu doesn't seem the type to give up easily or get discouraged."

Ayako frowned and asked, "Can't you simply use your connections as Oliver Davis?"

Naru gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was an idiot and she glared at him clearly annoyed by it. Mai giggled softly as she understood why he looked at Ayako like that and said,

"As far as the cops know his name is Shibuya Kazuya. If he was to use his connections as Oliver Davis they would realize who he was and they would be after us all the more."

Everyone looked at her as though they were just seeing her and Mai blushed embarrassedly before Naru said, "At least I seem to be rubbing off on Mai a little. I just wish the same could be said for the rest of you."

Both Bou and Ayako let out indignant yells as John and Lin just watched clearly amused while Mai blushed cutely. Suddenly, Mai remembered what the Detective said about the Head Director and she looked at Naru as she asked,

"What was Ryu-san talking about when he said the Head Director was missing?"

Naru glanced at her before he looked back down at his black book and it was a few seconds before he answered her,

"When we asked if we could call the Head Director to ask her a few things we were told that she wasn't answering her phone. A little later after that we were told that she hadn't arrived where she was supposed be and she was pronounced missing."

Mai frowned as she absorbed this new information before she rubbed her face in annoyance. This whole case was driving her to the edge and it was absolutely frustrating to her. Naru snapped his book shut gaining everyone's attention again as they looked at him questioningly. He looked over all of them before he looked solely at Mai and asked,

"Do you think we could tell if there were any other spirits here? I was thinking before we get to the main problem we can cleanse the other spirits and send them over."

Mai thought about for a moment before she closed her eyes and left her mind completely blank. Suddenly, she was bombarded with different feelings, some of love, others of agony, pain, sorrow, instability, hope. It was a mess of tangled feelings and Mai realized that it wasn't coming from people but spirits. Mai's eyes snapped open as she gasped loudly before she shook her head and said,

"Yes…Yeah there are other spirits. There's so many and their feelings."

Mai's eyes closed as she rubbed her temples in a circular motion. Naru looked at Ayako and nodded his head before looking at John and Bou purposefully. They nodded and headed out to start the cleansing, Ayako got a pill and water before handing it to Mai. She smiled thankfully to the Miko before swallowing the pill and taking a swig of the water gratefully. Ayako patted her head before slipping out the room to help Bou and John while Mai slipped out the bed and headed towards the monitors with Naru and Lin. They watched the monitors for a moment before Mai decided to break the silence.

"I was having another memory…"

Lin glanced at her as Naru turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow but Mai wasn't looking at either of them. She was looking at the monitor to the record room as she continued to speak as though in a daze,

"The girl who was supposed to play Alice in the play that was happening here was killed by another girl who wanted the part…I think I saw it happening. I think whoever has the Mad Hatter coming after me is the one who killed the girl and they know who I am."

Naru frowned as he thought about it before he said, "I'll have Osamu-kun look for who was playing the Mad Hatter in that play."

Mai nodded her head but she was still gazing at the monitor of the record room and Naru asked, "What is it?"

Mai turned to him and her eyes were solemn as she said, "When Bou and me was infront of the Head Directors room I heard her calling out to me. She had said 'I don't want to die.' But a little after that she asked me why it was her to die and then she asked me to help her."

Understanding flashed through Naru's eyes as he read what was in Mai's eyes and he said evenly, "You couldn't have stopped her death. Most likely you would have died also if you had tried to help."

Mai looked back towards the record room but she didn't say anything since she had already known that but it didn't stop her from feeling any less guilty for not helping Yue.

"Yare, yare…" "Well, well…" A feminine voice chuckled softly in as owner of the voice tapped the desk lightly with a single finger. There was a clear tone of amusement as the feminine voice said softly,

"Seems she's survived our little Mad Hatter twice but this Queen will have her head. Our little Alice won't be able to keep jumping into rabbit holes."

There was a creak of a chair as the person leaned forward, resting their elbows on the table as they looked down at the spell paper. On it was a name, Mai's name and one others name. The person picked up a small dagger and ran it down the palm of their hand, letting the blood drip onto the spell paper before murmuring something. With a small chuckle the person said a little louder,

"Let's have a little more fun with our little, Alice's companions. The Mad Hatter can wait as can Alice."

Laughing out right in a cold manner the woman said cruelly as she hissed out, "The Red Queen wants her heads and she will not have children getting in the way of her power."

Rapid tapping on computer keys filled the room as Mai quickly typed a few phrases into the search engine she was using. She'd only just remembered Gene's words for her to look up 'The Perfect Medium'. She'd decided to see what that was all about finally. If she was going to be confined to her room she might as well be productive about something. As soon as she remembered after Ayako, John and Bou left Mai had asked Lin if she could use his laptop. After only a seconds hesitation Lin handed it over and she'd immersed herself in finding out what she could. She barely even registered that even Naru and Lin had left as well as she searched. At first she looked up 'perfect medium' and she'd gotten an array of measurements as well as other little knick knacks however there were only a few hits connecting to the supernatural. She'd taken a few notes on these before typing something different in the search engine bar. Instead she typed in 'the perfect psychic medium' and instantly she got hits on it. She was shocked by all the links and information that search brought up. Jotting down a note here and there as she decided where to go first she looked through the links. Finally deciding on one that looked the most informational Mai clicked one the link to the page. Automatically she was taken to a page that had a few pages on the 'perfect medium'. As she began to read she hurriedly jotted down what she thought was important.

Most People believe the perfect medium is someone who has perfected their psychic

ability however this is untrue. The 'perfect medium' is infact a being that is able to

contain a great power, take in and push out energy of different sorts and develop

natural abilities. 'Perfect mediums' are usually born to a family with a long

line of supernatural or psychic abilities. Usually 'perfect mediums' are very rare

considering they have tragic lives and, sadly, die at an early age. This is usually

because they are so in tune with the supernatural world and in turn it is in tune with

them which causes many dangerous supernatural beings to take notice of them.

Many 'perfect mediums' start out with the ability to see and communicate with the

supernatural world and the beings in it. There is a study being done to te-'

Mai's research was cut short when the door to her room opened and once again Ryu Sohma showed his face. Without thinking Mai quickly shut the laptop and covered her notes up. However, she could tell by the way is eyes narrowed that he'd already seen what she was doing. He closed the door behind himself and Mai scowled not liking that one bit. Her patience with the man was already running dangerously thin. "I don't recall inviting you in. Infact I vaguely remember I implied earlier that I did not want you to return."

Her voice was tight with forced politeness as she smiled sweetly at him. He gave her an innocent look and she suddenly had the urge to hit him. "Did you? I must not have realized. What were you doing just now?"

Her eyes flashed with annoyance and she hissed out, "None of your business, Sohma-san. Now if you would please-"

"Hana Taniyama and Toya Taniyama." At the mention of her parents names it felt like the air was being kicked out of her lungs and she was left gasping. He watched her reaction for a moment as grief washed over her. In her dreams, thinking about them was so much different than thinking about them in reality. It hurt so much more and it angered her that he'd had the nerve to bring it up. "Leave. Now."

Her words were filled with quiet rage as well as grief. "I find it strange that nothing but death follows you around Taniyama-san. First your father, then your mother-"

"Enough!" She glared at him but something he said jogged her memory of the golden-eyed raven and unnerved her. "You have no right to barge in here, unnerve me with scars from my past and try to accuse me of something I have not done."

Her voice was firm but it wavered slightly. "Taniyama-san I don't know what's going on here. However, I swear that I will find out just what the hell is going on."

Suddenly, the door opened and the caretaker, Bara Tomoe, from when they first arrived walked in. Mai instantly felt the unease set in and she guessed Ryu felt the same because he eyed her warily. She smiled kindly but Mai couldn't help but think there was an edge to her smile. "Is something going on? I heard voices and I thought something happened."

Mai smoothed the covers over her lap, reassuring herself that her notes were there, as Ryu glanced at her before he said, "No, nothings happening. I cam to see how Taniyama-san was doing and we got into a small tiff."

Mai snorted before being shocked when Ryu took one of her hands in his gently. She looked up into his eyes and she saw the gentleness in them as he said, "I really did come to see how you were. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to make your condition worse."

Mai felt her breath hitch slightly at the emotion in those green eyes. He confused her and in a way, excited her. A soft pink tinge began to dust across her cheeks when the woman cleared her throat just as Mai's bedroom door once again opened. Everyone froze at the sight in the room. Mai could see Naru's gaze was on their locked hands just as Ryu's gaze was on Naru's expression. Everyone said nothing for a moment and shyly, Mai slipped her hands out of Ryu's grip bringing two pairs of eyes to her face. One set of emerald eyes and the other set were a clear dark blue. Clearing her throat Mai said softly, "I believe you have an investigation to complete Sohma-san."

He was quiet for a moment as he looked at her before he nodded stiffly. "You're right. However, do not forget what I said…any of it."

Mai frowned before looking down at her lap as she said, "Please leave."

Mai watched as he walked to the door before stopping infront of Naru. She watched as something unsaid passed between them before Ryu said, "One more thing, Mai-san. Please call me Ryu."

Without another word he brushed passed Naru, Lin and Ayako. Mai turned to excuse their behavior to the older women only to freeze when se saw her piercing gaze on her. Some emotion tat made her tremble with fear slightly glinted in her eyes as she looked at her. However, as soon as she saw it, it was gone. "Well now seeing as everything is alright. I'll be one my way now."

Giving everyone what Mai felt was a fake smile she left them alone without a backward glance. Everyone was quiet for a moment as the three entered and Ayako closed the door behind her softly. Naru's face was carefully blank but Mai couldn't help but get the feeling he was angry about something. Lin asked how she was feeling politely and Mai assured him she was fine. For a little after that, no one spoke and she went back to her research but tension was thick in the air. After a while Mai cleared the history, not wanting either Lin or Naru to know what she was researching yet, and exited the browser before handing Lin his laptop back. She went over her notes for a bit before Ayako asked, "Mai…What did the detective want?"

Mai went rigid for a moment and without thinking she looked over at Naru who was reading his black book. Clearing her throat lightly Mai said casually, " He wanted to apologize for earlier…although we got into a little argument."

A derisive snort drew all their attention to Naru who looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It didn't look like you two were arguing."

Mai scowled at him before she said stiffly, "I didn't say it happened in that order. We got into an argument and then when that woman came in he apologized."

Ayako looked at her worriedly before she asked, "That's all? Nothing else?"

Mai looked at her clearly confused and said, "Yes of course. Why?"

Ayako glanced at Lin and Naru, Mai followed her gaze and saw they were both slightly tense. Both men didn't seem to like the detective and that much was obvious. Mai opened her mouth to make a comment or at least ease the tension in the air. However, suddenly all the lights shut off and various out cries could be heard. Mai whimpered softly as she huddled into the blankets. Her eyes frantically searched the darkness as they got adjusted to the sudden loss of light. Not even the monitors were working or Lin's laptop which had their own generators incase of incidents like this. "No one move."

Naru's soft but firm voice broke trough the thick darkness and Mai's eyes darted towards were it came from. Panicked and dismayed cries were coming from the halls outside the room, making everything creepy and eerie. "Naru the monitors and laptop shouldn't be affected."

Lin's voice also rang out through the darkness close to where the monitors should be. Suddenly, Mai felt a hand on her shoulder and she grew rigid. Closing her eyes se silently prayed as se squeaked out, "Ayako?"

There was a shuffle beside her, on the opposite side of the hand and Ayako said from that side, "What is it, Mai?"

Fear began to rise from the bottom of her heart as her voice quivered slightly. Naru and Lin had stopped speaking to listen to them speak. "Please tell me that, that's your hand on my shoulder."

There was a moment of silence where Mai could now feel breathing along her neck and Ayako finally said, "It's not me, Mai-chan."

With a terrified shriek Mai ripped herself from the grasp and tumbled out of bed and just like that all hell broke loose. Suddenly the pressure in the dark room was unbearable as it bore down on them. Mai could sense the spirits everywhere as the entered the room. They were grabbing and ripping at them, trying to cause harm anyway they could. Mai could fell them scratching at her, one of them even managed to throw her across the room. Suddenly, there was a sharp whistle and glowing white wisps of light shot across the dark room before disappearing. Just like that the pressure was lifted and the lights flickered on as well as the monitors. Mai swayed slightly as she tried to get to her feet and looked around the room. She'd been thrown far from her bed and everyone looked battered and dazed. Their clothes were ripped and their skin held numerous cuts and scratched. However, Mai couldn't shake the feeling she had when the spirits were in the room. They'd been crying out in pain as though it was all happening against their will and they just wanted it to stop. It hurt Mai to know that these spirits were being forced to harm others, it wasn't fair.

After Ayako patched them all up and they'd found Bou and John they found out that something similar happened to them as well. After Mai told them about the feelings she got off of the spirits and what she thought about it. For a while they had all kept quiet as they thought over the news, the tension from earlier long forgotten now after the ordeal. Naru looked up and over at Mai as he studied her and se squirmed slightly under his intense gaze. For a moment he said nothing before he asked, "Are you sure it felt like they were being controlled?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding her head confidently as she confirmed his question. "Definitely. They were crying out asking to be released. It was horrible."

Naru nodded his head as he looked over at John and Bou before he asked, "Would you two be willing to try and release the spirits being held here?"

Bou frowned, an uncertain look on his face but John nodded immediately the look on his face was surprisingly determined. "Naru are you sure about this? I mean ripping a spirit from the controller can be quite dangerous."

It was clear Bou was worried about the spirits well being which seemed to amuse Naru more than irritate him but he said in his usually cool tone, "Just worry about releasing the spirits. Get everything ready in an hour."

Mai was as Bou hesitated once more before nodding his head in confirmation, he'd do it. For some reason Mai had a very bad feeling about this as she watched Bou and John get everything ready. She was so deep in thought she didn't even realize when Ayako approached her causing her to start when the older woman touched her shoulder. Ayako gave her an amused look as she tried to hide the laugh, only serving in getting her an irritated look from Mai before she asked, "How are you feeling?"

The worry coating Ayako's voice was enough to set Mai at ease a little more as she smiled reassuringly at the woman that was like a mother to her. "Daijobu. Just a little apprehensive."

Ayako gave her a lopsided smile as she said, "You're not the only one."

At that moment Naru lowered the lights a little as Lin began to light some candles in a circle. Mai watched entranced while Ayako walked closer to the circle, Bou and John were on either side of it and already they'd begun chanting although it was completely different for John as he read from the bible in his hand. Mai automatically grabbed the front of her shirt right above her heart as she looked on. For a while it looked at though nothing was going to happen and at first Mai thought her eyesight was going funny but soon enough she realized what she was seeing wasn't a trick of the light. Small grayish orbs flickered in and out of sight in the middle of the circle as though they were being pulled back and forth between something. At John and Bou's chanting got more firm and insistent Mai began to see more flickering grayish orbs in the circle, rising towards the ceiling. Mai could hear them crying out in pain before sighing in relief each time an orb disappeared through the ceiling. However she couldn't shake the bad feeling that was taking hold of her heart as she continued to watch the group.

However that didn't last long as the orbs became more solid and they began to stop flickering as they rose to the ceiling above them all. Mai felt something cold and dark enter the room but she couldn't pinpoint it. However she could tell that it was highly upset with what was happening. She shivered as the temperature in the room steadily began to drop and slowly as she noticed something in the corner of her eye she turned her head. Standing not to far from her bed, cloaked in shadows as the image flickered in and out like a bad movie, was the figure of the mad hatter. It was the first time she'd ever saw him clearly and his slouched body made it hard for her to make out his face. However slowly he began to lift her head and she could hear someone screaming as she saw the mad glint in his eyes and the wide toothy grin of his as he looked straight at her. She was going to die.

~Owari~

A/N- *dodges sharp objects* IM SORRY! . I know this chappie got to you guys late and I am sincerely sorry for that. I am not dead yet and I am certainly continuing this story. I ended up actually having to cut this chappie short because it was getting to be quite long. So hopefully I can get the next chapter to you guys by next weekend but no promises. I ended up loosing all my notes and the paper I had the raven rhyme I made so pardon if things seem to loose the flow. Im writing this from what I can remember.