Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.
Burnt Desires: Part 10
Monk's grip hadn't let up one bit since their departure, leaving Mai to contemplate whether or not his unforgiving hold would leave finger marks on her wrist. But she wasn't upset with him, not one bit. Who wouldn't get angry with Naru's blatant personality? Lin was the only person she knew who could handle his brittle attitude.
...As well as Madoka, that is.
The assistant sighed and stared at Monk's back, wondering what sort of expression his face was potraying. She had no doubt that his eyebrows would be scrunched together, forming angry wrinkle lines that would surely become permanent if he kept it up for much longer.
"I can't believe he wanted to send you out by yourself." Takigawa spoke the words with a grating tone, biting down on each syllable. "What was the whole point in having that big safety talk about 'not going out alone' when he was just about to send you off without any protection!" He exclaimed in a fit of anger. "It's guaranteed that we'll be targeted by a spirit, regardless of the origin of the case; there's no doubt about it. But the least he could have done was make sure that you weren't out on your own!"
Mai resisted the urge to flinch. "Bou-san...You know how Naru gets when we start a new case. He was probably just too immersed in his work to realise what he said," she suggested quietly. "And I know how practically impossible it is to not react to his attitute, I mean, when has he ever thanked any of us for helping him solve a case?" Mai said as she frowned. Well, except for me of course. "...But I'm sure he didn't mean to send me out on purpose, Bou-san-" She broke off temporarily, pausing at a new thought. "Huh. Maybe it also shows how he's the only one who does believe that I'm capable of protecting myself if something happens." She mumbled teasingly, adding quietly to herself, "The rest of you treat me as if I'm defenseless as it is."
Monk gently squeezed her wrist. "Not all of us, Mai. Didn't Ayako and I teach you some defensive techniques a few months back?" He reasoned, pulling her to a halt.
"Yes, but that was only because the case we were on was dangerous not just for me, but for everyone."
"No, we taught you those chants because you have become an increasing target for the spirits," he released her wrist to ruffle her hair. "And anyway, I'm not that upset with Naru. I just need some time to cool off before we go back." He moved to grab the box of spare equipment from her clasp but Mai batted his hand away.
"Stop." She huffed, purposely stalking ahead to escape the monk. "This just proves it." She deliberately picked up her pace. "You trying to take the box away from me suggests how weak and powerless you think I am since you obviously don't believe I can handle it myself!" She blurted, stomping her foot childishly.
Monk chased after her, easily matching her pace as he huffed out a reply, "I don't mean anything by it! I just thought I would try to help, Mai. You carried most of the equipment earlier and I thought you could use a break." He explained, recieving no response from the ticked off assistant. "Mai." He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to comply.
Mai's shoulders tensed at his touch, and she begrudgingly shot him a look. However she frowned at the sight of his serious expression, causing her own to soften as she sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Bou-san. I just...I'm feeling a little frustrated with everything. Naru hasn't clued us in much with the case and everyone seems a bit off because of this. I know he's busy trying very hard to solve it, but that's all he ever does."
"That's just how Naru is." Monk patted her head, watching as her lips pulled up into a pout.
"But it bugs the hell out of me Monk. And to add to it, we don't even know how much power the spirit has, let alone how it's produced that power-sucking fog we're about to see!" She yelled. "We're not even sure how many spirits there really are in this house!"
Monk wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, only to suddenly jerk back as the corner of the box jabbed him in the ribs. "Ouch!" He yelped, staring down at the object obstructing his way.
Mai giggled and loosened her grip on the box. "Sorry," she smiled smugly, nudging him into a walk. The monk decided he would finish his hug once the box was gone so silently obliged with the assistant's prod as she followed alongside him. They travelled silently on towards their destination, giving Mai some time to think as she raised her head in thought, looking up at the ceiling with a blank stare. "...Maybe we can ask Naru to contact Yasu for some research on this place," she broke the silence as they turned around the corridor, skirting past the stairs leading towards the first floor which was still off-limits.
"Might as well. The more information we get, the better standing we'll have with wrapping up the case." Monk agreed just as they arrived at the front entrance of the house. Mai halted behind him and they swapped a look, with Mai urging him to open the door.
"Chicken," Monk teased, dodging her well-aimed kick at his shin with a quick sidestep. Ignoring her playful glare, Takigawa opened the door with an effortless tug and left it to swing open, giving Mai enough room to move around him and step outside. "Well, let's get the camera and microphone set-"
Mai's startled gasp stopped the monk mid-sentance as he shot into action, assuming she had seen a ghost.
"What's wrong!?" He tensed beside her, readying his hands to perform a chant in case of an attack.
"Look at the fog, Bou-san. It's worse than I thought," she mumbled, unintentionally backing into him. Her wide hazel eyes scanned the spiritual fog with a sense of awe at the scale of it, appearing like a bleak white blanket that appeared to stretch on for miles. Her gaze flickered to the unnatural purple essence weaving amongst the mist, but before she could point it out to the monk it disappeared. Weird.
"Ah, dammit!" Monk cursed at the closeness of the fog. It had moved much further in and was now settled against the border of the house, giving himself and Mai a narrow length of space to set up in. "Listen Mai, we'll set this up as quick as we can before anything happens." He ordered, taking the box from her as he unloaded the cargo with fast-working hands.
Mai crouched down to help and carefully grabbed the camera while Monk extended the camera stand, positioning it metres away from the fog's shifting grasp. She handed him the microphone and leads, having finished prepping the camera. Her hands began to tremble as she edged towards the stand, not liking how close she was to the mist as Lin's words rang through her mind, recalling his warning, 'Don't touch the fog. It will sap your power.'
Just one wrong move and it could all be over.
The assistant shook off the feeling of being watched and drew her attention back to the camera in hand, working her nimble fingers at a fast pace under the tense vibes emitting from Monk's worry.
The wrinkle lines were back again.
Feeling her eyes on him, Takigawa forced his facial features into a neutral expression as he reached over to pat her head, gesturing for her to scoot over so that he could finish up with the cables. Mai stepped back and came into contact with the empty box, pausing mid-step at the sound of something skidding across the turf. She whirled around, dumbfounded with how far the box had slid from her accidental kick.
Mai frowned. Any further and it would have ended up in the fog, she thought to herself, moving to retrieve the box. "Lucky escape!" She told it and picked it up by the handles, facing away from the fog.
Monk cleared his throat as he finished fitting in the last wire of the microphone before dusting off his hands. "Come on Mai, we're done." He announced with a click of his tongue.
"Righ-" Mai moved to rejoin him but her feet stayed rooted in place. Huh. She stared down at her worn sneakers with a confused frown, trying to move her feet into action; but they wouldn't budge. The assistant opened her mouth to say something however an intense ball of fear suddenly surfaced from the depths of her stomach, knotting her nerves as she shivered. Thinking her legs had somehow fallen asleep, Mai exhaled a cloud of white air to cool her nerves, only to sharply draw it back in at the sight of it. I can see my breath! Her whole body twisted in panic at the thought.
The temperature had dropped. "B-Bou-sa-" A wet breath hovered over her neck at her desperate cry, but it was enough to make the monk turn around. Fear overwhelmed her. "MONK!" She screamed just before a white hand emerged from the mist and yanked her back by the tips of her hair, causing the equipment box to fly from her hands right before his eyes.
She was gone in a flash.
Monk broke out from his shock and instantly shot after her, calling out her name. "Mai! MAI, answer me!" He vanished into the mist.
Mai fought against the grip of the invisible kidnapper, flailing her arms wildly as the spirit painfully dragged her further in. Her head hurt. She winced at the numbing sensation that covered her body, and she suddenly felt lightheaded. I need to break free! She panicked.
Mai brought her arms up and hurriedly positioned her fingers, throwing out a weak attempt of the Nine Cuts. "R-Rin! Pyou! Tou! S-Sha-!" Her head lurched back from another harsh tug, feeling her hair burn at the roots as a pained cry escaped her mouth. It was impossible to fight the spirit like this.
Her vision began to blur at the feeling of something latching onto her arms, as if it was withdrawing her energy like a leech. "No!" The fog swirled around her, being drawn to her power like a moth to a flame.
'We still don't have a clear understanding of your power Mai.'
Her mind whirled with a nausiating spin. It's taking my power! She cried internally, feeling something strange course through her veins. A tingling sensation suddenly started in her toes and shot up her body like a fireball, heading straight for her fingers.
I want to be stronger.
"RIN PYOU TOU SHA KAI JIN RETSU ZAI ZEN!" She yelled with all her might, throwing the ghostly hand back momentarily. "DISPERSE!" A short wisp of yellow light released from her hands like a ray of light, blinding her hazel eyes with a fierce blast before vanishing as quickly as it had came into a handful of dying sparks. She blinked, dazed.
What just happened?
A distant shout rang in her ears, followed by a chant; but she couldn't tell which direction it had come from. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as she stood there, feeling paralyzed from the sudden commotion.
"-BAZARADANKAN!"
Mai vaguely witnessed the smoke disperse from around her, weakly lifting her head as her eyes clashed with Monk's relieved stare. Had he repelled the spirits? He hurried over to her in a flight of panic and gripped her arm; but she couldn't feel it. Her body felt heavy. "...Hurts." She mumbled tiredly.
Monk shushed her with a quick tug on her arm, causing Mai to lurch forward and almost collide with his back. "It's alright, Mai." He tightened his grip, finding himself unable to keep the worry from his face. "But we need to go. Now." He pulled her forward, breaking out into a run and heading straight out of the mist in no time.
Mai roughly caught sight of the forgotten equipment box as they escaped inside, briefly wondering if Naru would be angry about them leaving it. But she didn't dwell on it. Monk looked back to lock the door in mid-run, only to notice the fierce paleness of Mai's face. She looked like she could faint any minute.
Mai gasped, stumbling over her own feet as Bou-san suddenly jerked her forward with a newfound speed, forcably dragging her along while she struggled to match his pace, panting for breath. And they didn't stop until they were halfway down the corridor, appearing exhausted as they leant breathlessly against the wall.
Blackspot filled her vision and Mai couldn't stop her trembling knees from collapsing beneath her as she slumped to the floor.
"Mai!" Bou-san knelt beside her. "What's wrong? Do you not feel well?"
Takigawa winced at the stupidity of his question, knowing fully-well that the spirit had probably tried to drain her power. It had tried it on him too, after he had stupidly jumped into the mist to save her, not thinking about the dangers until he was already in its grasp.
Naru was going to flip.
Mai mumbled something too quiet for him to hear before her head lolled to the side and she passed out.
"Dammit." He cursed, carefully cupping her cheeks to check if she was still breathing, and relaxing at the sound of her steady heartbeat. He carefully moved her to a more comfortable resting position against the wall.
"What happened."
Monk hadn't heard her footsteps in his midst of panic. "Ayako. Can you check her over? She passed out." He said, scrunching his eyebrows together.
Ayako sighed, sending him a look that matched her previous dead tone. "What did you do?" She scrutinised, placing a hand against the unconsious assistant's forehead. "She feels a little hot, but it doesn't seem like anything serious." She paused. "As of yet."
"At least we can rule out a fever."
"Hm," she nodded slowly, removing her hand. "So what happened?" She repeated.
Monk slipped his hands around Mai and gently lifted her up, keeping a firm grip around her legs and back as he stood. "I would tell you, Ayako, but it seems like it's something that I should say in front of everyone." He winced. "...Did you finish the charms?"
"Yes." She patted her pocket. "All done, but I completely ruined my new manicure," she grumbled, checking her nails. "Naru owes me."
Monk rolled his eyes. "Come on, we'll head back to base."
Day 2. 5:04PM.
Naru put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, rolling up his sleeve to check his watch. 5:04PM. They're late. Noll closed his eyes, massaging his incoming headache at the thought.
"Naru?" Lin called, slipping off his headphones.
"What."
"Camera 12 is up and live." He reported, checking the others screens out of habit. "Mai and Takigawa should be on their way back already." Lin said while he pressed a few keys on the control panel, catching Naru's nod as he typed.
"They've taken long enough," scowled the narcissist as he stood from his chair to check the screens himself.
"...I'm worried about Mai."
"Aren't you always?" Naru sighed, scanning the monitors for any interferance. "Everything seems fine. If something did happen it would show up on the screen-"
"We're back!" The base door swung open and the pair turned to face the monk who appeared shockingly paler than usual, pausing at the sight of the unconscious assistant cradled in his arms.
"What happened?" Naru asked straight off the bat as Takigawa settled Mai down on the couch before plonking himself down next to her.
"Yes, I'd like to know as well," Ayako seated herself beside him, casting a wary glance at Mai as she settled.
"Yes, yes, Mai's fine Naru; thanks for asking." Monk's tone dripped with sarcasm. Naru didn't seem to find it funny. Monk gulped and clasped his hands together, keeping his gaze trained on the ground as he tiredly recalled the event. "When Mai and I arrived outside we were surprised at how close the fog had gotten, with it giving us a small margin of space to set up in-"
"How much has it moved since you last saw it?" Naru interrupted.
Monk scratched his head. "It's at the border of the house; I wouldn't be surprised if it has already surrounded the whole place." He shrugged. "I thought things would get dangerous if we stayed for too long so we quickly set up. Mai somehow got too close to the fog while my back was turned, and the next thing I heard was her shouting my name before I saw her get dragged into the mist. All thoughts aside, I jumped in after her but I couldn't see a damn thing! But Lin," he turned to face the omnyouji. "You were right about the fog. As soon as I touched it I instantly felt my power being drawn away. I think that's why Mai fainted; she was in there much longer than me."
"Hm, this is serious then." Lin acknoledged, hardening his gaze. "I believe we should stay clear of the mist until we've found the culprit behind it."
"What did it feel like?" Ayako asked out of mild curiousity, rubbing her arm tensely.
"Like there were a bunch of leeches stuck on me. It wasn't nice. It weakened me straight away." He replied, shivering at the thought.
"Carry on." Naru sighed.
"Right. The fog completely blinded me so I didn't know which direction Mai had disappeared in. But the odd thing that happened next was...surprising." He frowned, switching his gaze to Mai. "...A bright yellow flash shot up out of no where and cleared part of the mist. My first thought was that the spirit had somehow cleansed itself, leaving behind the golden afterglow produced after passing. But the light led me straight to Mai, and there was no spirit in sight." He paused, repicturing the scene in his head. "I'm still not exactly sure what it was, but by the time I got to Mai she was dead on her feet; I couldn't get a clear sentance from her." He patted her knee. "She was even paler than she looks now."
"A bright yellow flash?" Naru repeated, holding a dark essence to his indigo eyes. "And you said it came from where Mai was standing?" He met Bou-san's gaze.
"Yeah. It might have shown up on the camera; it was on when it happened."
Naru pulled out a chair from beneath the desk and quickly pulled up the last 20 minutes of recordings from camera 12, stopping it at the appearance of Mai and Takigawa. Lin unplugged his headphones and channelled the sound to the speakers for everyone to hear.
"Here we go," he hit play.
"Come on Mai, we're done."
Bou-san's voice emitted through the room as they all watched in silence.
"Righ-"
Naru zoned in on Mai as she suddenly froze, appearing to be trembling as the fog creeped forward.
"Look." He pointed at the screen, drawing everyone's attention to the assistant as a look of shock crossed her face.
"Naru, the temperature dropped by 2 degrees." Lin informed him.
"MONK!"
A white hand suddenly appeared from the mist and pulled her in, shortly followed by Monk's calling as he shot after her on the tape.
"There was definitely a spirit." Naru said aloud, forwarding the recording before stopping and rewinding it slightly.
All eyes focused on the short appearance of a powerful wisp of energy as it shot out from the fog, having been captured by the camera. Mouths dropped and eyes bulged at the display of yellow power, completely blanking out Monk's and Mai's escaping forms as they shot past the camera.
Naru cut off the feed.
"Was that...ki?"
Posting Date: 6th July 2015
Symm: It's practically been two months since the last update...Oops? But thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites everyone, as well as a big thank you to all you silent readers out there too. (Don't worry, I'm just the same when reading other Fanfictions. I always end up repeating the same thing when I review so I usually give up and just silently read the updates instead ^0^) It's much easier. I feel like I've been dragging out the story since in other Case Files, the case only lasts for typically 5 parts; whereas we're currently on part 10. I'm trying to type up longer chapters but it seems to take me a whole month just to do so. My minds been on other story ideas lately so that's why I'm late with the update. Anyway, thanks for reading!
Thanks for the follow bekahguertin, Librajem, Rissa-RaNee, SaveMeFromFanFics, dragongarcia, OneNightOneDream, patrickstar1999, Truth Behind The Eyes, Sesshy's Rose, CallMeQuackerz, aoiharumiyu, SupernaturalGirl51799, Lee Anna Kindred, daughterXofXdarkness, Greysgirl98, Ajhtrumpet, Elizabethcica, larajla!
Thanks for the favourite bekahguertin, Akuma no Esu, ElizabethMarieBennett, Librajem, CallMeQuakerz, aoiharumiyu, SupernaturalGirl51799, daughterXofXdarkness, Greysgirl98, Ajhtrumpet!
Thanks for reviewing CallMeQuackerz, SupernaturalGirl51799!
Thanks for reviewing Guest: Thanks, I'm glad you're anticipating the next instalment ;)
Thanks for reviewing 909kk (Guest): Thank you, I'm trying my best!
Thanks for reviewing kiera (Guest): Wow, it's awesome that you AND your friend are both enjoying it, so thanks! Yeah, I thought it helped pass the time along quicker by writing down the day and time, just like the anime. Thank you very much, it's much appreciated!