The place chosen is the men's room again. It was the second largest room and Ayako and Lin needed space to place their barriers. Lin gets two of his shikis to work while Ayako instructs Mai to stand still as she tucks a shimenawa in the folds of her kimono. She explains, "This will protect you. But she is strong so I don't expect this will help much, so be careful." Mai gulps and nods her head. Ayako grabs Mai's face and sighs, her eyes telling Mai loud and clear that she is really, really worried for her. Mai tries to reassuringly smile, but it becomes a grimace instead.
Ayako leaves, replaced by Bou-san. He murmurs some mantras and when he is done, he smiles, "We will do our best," then he jerks his thumb behind, "Or else, he might murder us all."
Mai looks over his shoulders to know who he exactly pointed at. She sees Naru and Lin heads bowed in deep discussion. She rolls her eyes, "Bou-san."
He grins, "You and Lin? Huh, never saw this coming."
"Bou-san…"
He pats her head playfully and leaves. Mai looks over at Naru and Lin again. She faces Naru while Lin's back faces her. She bites her lips in consternation, as slowly and steadily the enormity of her part in this plan sinks in. Everybody is equally in danger. Good thing Naru ordered Yasu to stay at the hospital.
Just then she feels a warmth enveloping her, both physically and mentally. Her mind welcomes the sunny warmth that manages to suffuse some of the fears. Her thoughts of panic calm down a little. She smiles. Lin's shiki does his job well. She does not know how to get into contact with him. But she thinks, thank you.
Lin feels one of his shikis have left his side. He searches for it mentally and is surprised to find his dog familiar curled up around Mai. He locks his gaze with Mai and she smiles at him brightly. He smiles back but he is very much awed.
He turns his head to look at Naru again. Naru sees the way Lin has his eyebrows crinkled. He asks, "What is it?"
"It is about Mai," he says.
Naru rolls his eyes, "Seriously after everything else—"
"No," a hint of a blush colours his cheeks, "It is not about our relationship. It is about the fact that my shiki just did something unusual. He is, right now, protecting Mai without my orders."
Naru's eyes widen when he understands, "You mean, it is doing something on its own?"
Lin nods, "I usually chose my dog shiki to protect her. I even took him with me when I was in Mai's mind. Naru…only onmyoujis can control their familiars. Only we can feel and see them. But Mai can feel them…and when we were in Sentaro's room before the day he died, she saw the other shiki."
Naru rubs his chin, "Mai has always done unexpected things. But this is new. Her spiritual energy must be phenomenal."
"Yes, and it is dangerous."
"It leaves her wide open for attack."
Lin nods with a hard glint in his eyes. He traces a circle in the mat and says, "I don't know…but she has potential."
"Potential as an onmyouji?" Naru smirks, "Well, she will have a very dedicated teacher."
Lin sighs and rubs his face, "Seriously Naru? Are you never going to live this down?"
Naru grins, "Koujo Lin in love is once in a lifetime moment. Koujo Lin can be human is rarer than a unicorn!"
"I will kill you."
Naru just smirks as he witnesses his old friend get supremely flustered.

Mai is alone in the room. The dusk is settling in. The others are waiting outside, patiently, on their feet, edgy and anticipatory. She smooths out a wrinkle on her kimono. She thinks she quite likes this one. Maybe she can keep it. Go celebrate hanami with Lin wearing this. She smiles, that'd be nice. It makes her blush all the same because she just realised that they—she and Lin—have never actually spent any time of their own when no other SPR members was around, or in the immediate vicinity. No one would interrupt them…that will be very nice indeed.
She has to bite her lips hard otherwise the hysterical giggle about to erupt would have convinced her friends she has gone completely mental. Giggling while waiting for a visit from a spirit with murder on her mind is not a very wise thing to do if you want to preserve your sanity in front of others.
She does not feel it first. But then when she feels the shiki bristling beside her, goosebumps erupt all over her arms. The air, it is colder. She raises her head. Slowly, she gets to her feet. The air in front of her shimmers slightly. Shiroshiki has taken his position. Crack. The sound came from behind her. She turns around to find the previously dusky sky an angry shade of purple and blue with lightning cracking. It is like midnight is already here. Every hair on her neck stands up when she feels it…
…She is here. Mai turns her head around and gulps. Nagisa stands there in her white burial kimono with her hair flying loose and eyes, menacing and glimmering, glaring at her. All the hatred in the world, all the bloodlust of three centuries condensed in those eyes. The fear strikes at the very centre of Mai's being. She remembers this fear, just like the Urado mansion case where she was convinced she was going to die.
"Na…na…mi," Nagisa rasps, inching closer to Mai who looks down. A few steps more…
The spirit raises her hands and grins. Mai puts a hand over her mouth because the way her grin nearly reaches her ears scares her. She closes her eyes.
"Ack!" Mai opens her eyes. She lets out the breath she had been holding. The door opens and the others run in. Lin immediately stands beside Mai. His circle of entrapment had worked. Revenge-struck Nagisa did not even notice the faint lines and symbols etched on the mat and got herself trapped. Lin channels his energy into the circle to hold her back. His shikis forge their energies with him too. Then Nagisa starts shrieking.
The SPR members wince collectively. John and Houshou start chanting together. It manages to aggravate her more as she convulses and her volume simply increases. Ayako joins.
Naru is the first to notice but by the time he can warn Lin, Mai gets pulled off her feet by an arm around her neck.
Mai was standing still behind Lin who was focused on keeping the circle whole no matter what. She did not even realise when the samurai spirit manifested beside her and lifted her off her feet.
That is enough for substantial damage When Mai gasps, "Lin!" he turned to look at her and his concentration broke. And Nagisa got her getaway. She slips out of the circle.
"Shit!" John says and that is the last thing he says as a strong gust of wind picks him up and throws him against the wall. The priest loses consciousness and slumps like a sack against the wall. Houshou and Ayako put their all in holding her back. Houshou shouts, "Lin? A little help!"
"No!" Nagisa shouts, "The onmyoji will not interfere!"
"Oh but I can," Lin says. He can do this. They can do this. He whistles and his wolf shiki springs forward and jumps at Nagisa, pinning her under it. He whistles again as hi1s snake shiki winds itself around the samurai's body. The spirit lets Mai go and as the great reptilian familiar winds itself tighter around the samurai's body, he dissipates.
Lin looks down on Nagisa, "Give up."
She snarls as she drives her nails right through the familiar's chest. She attacks at the very core of the familiar-master bond. As expected, Lin feels the crushing sensation in his chest. He gasps and drops to his knees, perspiration beading on his forehead.
Mai yelps, "Bou-san do something! She is attacking his familiar!" She mentally instructs the dog shiki to do the same.
Houshou gets into position. He does not feel or see the familiar standing beside him but he gets to work.
Nagisa does not let go off the wolf as Lin feels the effects of it. But he feels his other shikis trying to protect their master and attack the spirit. Just when he thinks the tables have turned all hell breaks loose.
First a growling sound fills the room. Then a small hurricane builds up outside and it bursts in the room, breaking the wall completely and from the eye of the storm rises a form, a canine form. When Houshou sees it, he whispers, "Inugami."
Lin's mouth gapes open as well. The pain lessens. He stumbles to his feet again. Mai looks awed and scared at the snow white dog with glowing red eyes. She asks, "Lin, what is it?"
"Bad news." He brings his fingers to his mouth again and whistles, sharp and loud.
The evil dog spirit lunges at Lin but gets blocked by his familiars. He shouts, "Naru take Mai and leave!" He has never harnessed this much of power, but then again this will be his first time fighting a demon dog-god.
Nagisa starts cackling. Her next victim is Ayako who she easily defeats the same way she did for John. Houshou runs over to his wife and is, for a minute, glad when he sees she is still breathing. He stands up and makes his decision. The time has arrived, he thinks. He shouts as he runs out of the room, "I'll be back!"