Day Four
The only supernatural thing that happens after midnight is mild poltergeist-like activity in the kitchen. Houshou, who has been keeping Lin company runs down to the kitchen. Houshou cleanses the place. But Lin is not convinced.
When they are returning to the base, Lin says, "My shiki says that was some other spirit."
"What?"
"Yes. My shikis have been alert ever since the man came up. This wasn't the grandmother, the man or the other spirit."
"It is a woman, the other angry spirit you know."
"Huh?"
"The one that attacked me in Masao's room? It was a woman's voice. Now I sincerely believe that granny would not do that."
Lin does not doubt Houshou's point, "Yeah that is fine. But who was that spirit then?"
Houshou stops in his track, "You don't think that one of the main three spirits are calling them here, are you? Like that woman's spirit in the Doll House case?"
Lin turns around, "That could be it. But something tells me that this isn't some distraught mother's spirit."
Suddenly the light flares out. The corridor gets sunk in complete darkness. The temperature drops. Houshou takes his pose as Lin raises his fingers to his lips. Soon enough, two spirits emerge from the floor, decked in samurai costume.
What? Houshou is shocked.
But before either men could do anything, the old man in a kimono, their eighteenth century ghost, shows up. He grabs one of the samurais by the neck and they struggle for a while. The second samurai goes up to help when Houshou starts chanting.
The second samurai disperses. The other one dissolves too, taking the old man with him. Lin and Houshou stand there, flabbergasted. Lin says, "Was it me or was the old man fighting the samurai ghost?"
"It wasn't you," Houshou pants.
"Why?"
Then the old man appears before them. He looks at them with a pained expression. He mouths one word, "Help" and then he dissolves into thin air.
They just stand there, fixated and perplexed. That was unexpected.
In the morning, Lin and Houshou recount their late night adventures. John, Masako, Naru, Ayako and Mai listen to them silently.
Masako is the first to comment, "Bou-san might be right. This might be like the doll case. But why?"
"I asked Sakura this morning about anything samurai related in this area. She said that there is a samurai gravesite about ten kilometres away from here," Lin informs, "Thus, Takigawa's theory is sound."
"Because," Mai says a little too loudly. She shuts up when every head turns towards her. Then Lin nods his head with a hint of smile on his lips, quietly encouraging her. She gulps and continues, "Because the angry spirit is trying to scare us away? It attacked Bou-san. It tripped me. Maybe it got mad that it wasn't working, so it summoned other spirits here?"
Naru raises his eyebrow. Crazy, he was thinking the same thing. He smirks, "Well, look who has gotten smarter." Mai puffs her cheeks and glares at Naru. Jerk Naru is back. "I was thinking the same thing. The woman's spirit doesn't want us here. She is distracted from her real objective."
The door slides open to reveal Tsugumi dressed in a yukata. She says, "The family is going to the shrine. Sakura has invited Mai to come along," she hesitates, "Also Sentaro-san can't come. After that night, he had refused to leave his room. And uh, Hitoshi seems taken by you. I would like it too."
Mai gets to her feet. She smiles at Tsugumi, "That is okay. Except…is a yukata required? Because I don't have one."
Tsugumi giggles, "That is all right. I will lend you mine."
As Mai is about to leave, Naru reminds her, "Don't be long. And Mai? They are just clients, don't get too affectionate."
Mai says nothing as she glares at him. She happens to really like Sakura and Tsugumi. Also Hitoshi. Naru can go stick it up his ass, she grumbles.
Mai carefully balances herself on the geta. She is so not used to walk in a yukata. The last time she worn one was way back in her senior year in school. Michiru had blackmailed her into wearing one. But that yukata will never compare to this one. That one was a plain lavender yukata with blue flowers. But this one is elegant, resplendent and in short, beautiful. It is a deep cherry red with white cherry blossom embroidered in it, and the leaves are stitched in gold. The obi is a fluffy pink colour. Tsugumi had tamed her hair into a braided bun. When she saw herself in the mirror, she had felt—for the lack of a better word—beautiful. She had half a mind to show up at base wearing this just to show him. But then changed her mind.
The prayer service did not take long. Everybody was there, even Kenji Kawaguchi and Ryo Kasuga who openly drooled at her. Mai wanted to disappear. Kenji even wishes her a good morning. That shocked Mai too much. It made her sad when Sakura tried to talk to him but he ignored her completely. Hitoshi clung to her throughout the service. He offered prayers for his mother, her namesake.
When it was Mai's turn to offer a prayer to the departed, she silently prayed for Minami Kawaguchi and her own dead parents. She felt like it.
Now she is making her way back to the house. The family before her. The kids, who had fallen behind whizz past her. She wonders what their excitement is all about when she follows them. She gasps. The wind is making the loose petals of the blossoms float everywhere.
Hitoshi, Tomo, Nori and Masao all squeal and run around the tree. Seeing the happy and carefree looks on their faces, some of the heaviness lifts off her heart. Hitoshi runs up to her and drags her along. His little grin makes her happy. She lifts up her face. The bright spring sun peeks through the branches and flowers. She basks in the warmth as petals shower down on her.
Noriyuki says cheerfully, "Oh, it will be Hanami soon!"
"Yes!" Mai says and then she blushes when she notices Lin leaning by the entrance, hands in his pocket. He seems to be staring…only at her.
Lin had come down to the kitchen for a drink of water when Sakura and others entered the house. They were walking along the corridor when he hears a male voice say, "Is Mai single? She is so pretty!"
He scowls, over his dead body. Then Sakura says, "Ryo-kun! Don't even. She is not your type. She is too nice for you."
He smirks. That was Ryo Kasuga then. No way would Mai go for a guy like him. He reckons Mai had not come in. After he makes sure the family had left the corridor, he walks out. When he gets to the entrance, his heart skips a beat for sure.
He feels he is in one of those clichéd romantic movies where the guy halts in his tracks because he just saw the most beautiful woman in the world. He used to think that it was ridiculous. But he has changed his mind in the few minutes he stands there, staring at Mai.
The sun, the petals raining down on her, the deep colour of the yukata, or maybe the light flush on her cheeks—he doesn't know. He is bewitched and he cannot look away. He has never seen Mai like this. Never.
Then Noriyuki says cheerfully, "Oh, it will be Hanami soon!"
"Yes!" Mai says and then she blushes when she notices him standing there for the first time. Her cheeks darken as she starts blushing profusely.
Then he starts walking towards her. He hardly notices the children who run off somewhere. He notices a petal that has landed on her head. He gets closer and plucks it away.
Mai looks straight at his shirt buttons. He curls his finger under her chin and pushes her head up, so now she had to stare at his madly intense eyes. She feels a little faint. He leans in closer. He brings his lips closer to her ear and whispers, oh-so huskily, "You look beautiful."
It took a lot of effort on her behalf to keep her knees from not wobbling too much. She has a feeling like something is going to happen soon. His breathe tickles her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Shivers of the pleasant kind, not the there-might-be-a-ghost-here kind. She closes her eyes as she feels his lips brush against her jaw.
He doesn't know what he is doing. He knows what he wants now. He wants to kiss her. Badly. He lightly kisses the corner of her lips. He leans back to gauge her reaction. She opens her eyes. She gives a tiny smile as her fingers come resting on the nape of his neck. She reaches upward, he meets her halfway as their lips meet.
It is gentle. It is also passionate as Mai and Lin stop resisting the pull and give in. Lin rests one hand on her neck and the other around her waist, pressing her closer to his chest. Mai keeps one hand one hand on his neck while she grabs his shirt, clutching on to it for dear life as she melts against his strong, hard body. God, he is divine, she thinks.
His blood is rushing, and he thinks there are fireworks behind his eyelids, or something. Her scent fills his senses and her fingers stroking his nape makes him shiver a little. He deepens the kiss as she moans a little. God, she will drive him mad. Somewhere in his mind, he finds himself questioning if what he is doing is right.
He suddenly pulls back. He is overwhelmed by his emotions right now. He sees the flash of disappointment in her eyes and it hits him hard.
Mai is in heaven when his wicked tongue battles her own. Then he pulls back and with the confused look on his face she comes crashing down from cloud nine to planet Earth. He is regretting this already. Then why would he kiss her like that? Tears prickle behind her eye as she tries to stay expressionless.
He sees her downcast eyes. She puts her finger over her lips. What has he done? He should not have simply given in. He unwraps his hands around her and stands a foot away from her. He opens his mouth to say something, anything.
He is, however, interrupted by a shrill scream coming from the annexe building.