So, guys, I could blame school and everything for this super late update, but who am I kidding. I'm just a really lazy person. I am so glad that doutlesslover223 reviewed a few days ago. It kind of jerked me back into doing work.
Anyways, here we go!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. If I did, I would make Monk and Ayako Mai's parents.
"Dying? He is outside, Mai," Masako interrupted.
Mai shook her head. "He's not. I saw him in a dream!"
"Mai, I think -"
She didn't wait for Monk to finish. They didn't understand! None of them did! Time was running out. "Come on, guys, we have to find him now!"
Without waiting for a reply, she dashed out the door and down the hall. She could hear footsteps pounding after her. In her panic, she didn't think of locating him by asking Gene. She just ran, screaming his name, and suddenly, she was in a room, and he was there in the corner.
"Naru!" she cried in relief, and made for his side, but as soon as she entered the room, the door slammed shut, and it was suddenly impossibly dark. Mai couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
Where was everyone? Hadn't they been running behind her?
"Monk?" she whispered in the darkness. Her breath hitched when she didn't receive a reply, but she tried to look on the bright side. At least she knew one person was here.
"Naru?"
A maniacal laugh filled her ear. Mai yelped and stumbled backwards and fell when something cold shoved her sideways. Mai sucked in shallow breaths and struggled to her feet, only to find herself backed up against the wall.
"Naru!" the maniacal voice mimicked in her ear again. Mai shrank into the corner and squeezed her eyes shut even though there was nothing to see. Cold breath wafted down her neck and sent shivers down her spine.
The voice giggled insanely. "Your precious Naru's not here. Naru was never here!" it cackled joyfully.
Never here? Mai thought through her confusion and fear. Then where-
Suddenly, a door slammed open, and light flooded the room. The cold breath and the incessant laughter disappeared. Mai turned her face to find Naru, with his hand on the door and an angry look on his face.
She was left alone in the room with her boss glaring at her.
"Mai, explain yourself!" Naru demanded.
His voice was so cold and angry that Mai didn't hesitate. "I-I saw you in a room - I mean, I went to sleep and had a dream and you were there and the house was - was killing you or something because you had a cut on your arm and...and...and then you said not to come looking for you. When I woke up, Monk said you went out to think but I called for you and you weren't there, so I thought - I thought maybe the dream was happening then and I thought everyone was following me but they weren't so when I came in here and saw you - I mean, I don't think it was you because something said you were never here and - and then something pushed me and - and then it…"
"And then it?" Naru prompted impatiently.
"And then it...went away," Mai finished lamely. She looked at the wall, at her hands, at the floor - anywhere but Naru.
He sighed irritably. "You based everything on what you thought. This company is called Shibuya Psychic Research. Research. We're based on face. You can't just go running around based off hunches."
"I'm sorry, Naru," Mai whispered. She didn't know what else to say. She really had been terrified for him. She hadn't been thinking. Was that so wrong? So hard to believe? So impossible to forgive?
Naru only turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Mai had no choice but to hang her head and follow him back to base.
Only John and Masako remained. "Naru, you're alright!" Masako exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
"Mai!" John called. Mai ran over to him gratefully and threw her arms around his neck, trying to forget Naru's coldness in John's warm personality. She sank into the couch and relaxed.
"We were real worried about you, Mai," John said softly, and Mai felt an involuntary smile spread across her face. He could make anyone feel loved and special.
"Miss Hara, come with me," said Naru abruptly, interrupting John's kind words. "John, we're going to find the rest of the team."
"Okay."
The door closed, and with that, Mai's emotions came spilling out.
"John, I've made Naru so angry. I said horrible things to him earlier when we went to find the base of the house and now he'll never forgive me. Then just now I was so stupid and went out running because I had a nightmare and now-now-" Mai buried her head in his chest. "Now he's going to hate me forever!"
"He doesn't hate you, Mai," John reassured her. "He could never hate you. Don't judge yourself so harshly. He will always forgive you."
"But what if - what if -" Mai struggle to put her thoughts into words.
John gave her his sweet, gentle smile. "What if all the barriers that you've removed from his heart return and you can never bring them back down?"
"Yeah."
"After you ran out of the room with Lin after you, Kazuya came out of the shed in the yard and ran up to the house. Of course, you know he doesn't show any emotion, but at that point, everyone could tell what he was thinking. He yelled for you just as you had yelled for him. Monk explained in bits and pieces and he ran out to find you all by himself.
"His tendency to be closed off is an effort to conceal his emotions. It's just an immediate, knee-jerk reaction. He'll come back to his senses soon enough and forgive you. Don't doubt that."
Mai was so full of love for the kind, young priest that she couldn't imagine anyone else whose side she would rather be at that moment. She raised her face and kissed his cheek timidly. "John...Thanks. I don't know what you do without a John in your life."
The priest laughed. "I've got SPR and my missionary work and brothers and sisters wherever I look. I don't need another me."
They were silent for a while, enjoying the basic pleasure of another human being's company. The comfortable silence was lulling Mai into unconsciousness when the door banged open.
"MAI!"
Ayako and Monk flew at Mai, who was spared for a moment because she was sitting next to John. In the next instant, however, Monk had her in his arms and was squeezing her to death.
"Mai, don't scare me like that!" he wailed.
"STUPID MONK!" Ayako's bag materialized from nowhere and came crashing down on Monk's head. "YOU'RE KILLING HER!"
Ayako managed to extract Mai from his arms and held her out at arm's length and screamed, "Mai, how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing dumb things?"
"Sorry," Mai murmured.
Ayako shook her head. "Do I have to put a leash on you or something? Every half hour you're running away and getting hurt or attacked. You're grounded, young lady!"
Mai looked around at their misshapen base. A hopeless giggle escaped her.
Ayako sighed and pulled her into a hug.
Ayako and Monk made sandwiches for lunch. Naru ate at his desk. Mai tried her best to ignore the fact that he hadn't asked for tea.
Why should it upset me? I'm glad that stupid slave driver isn't making me do more work. I'm overjoyed!
I'm miserable.
After lunch, Mai was relaxing on the couch when Monk draped an arm lazily across her shoulders. "Ready to go back to school tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow!" Mai complained, and then suddenly caught herself. What she wouldn't give to go back to school tomorrow if it meant that she would still be among the living. That they would all be alive.
"Well, at least you finished your bio," said Monk. "Cheer up."
Mai put her face in her hands. "I still have math and lit."
"Go get it right now, young lady!" Ayako commanded. "How are you ever going to get anywhere in life if you don't study?"
Mai rolled her eyes. "Same as you got here, old lady," she muttered, and danced out of Ayako's reach to get her stuff.
She worked for an hour, at which point Naru stood with the girl's journal and his own black notebook in hand. He sat in a chair facing the rest of them. Everyone stopped talking and waited expectantly. Mai tried hard not to look at him and stared at Ayako's manicured fingernails instead.
"Nigumi Tetsuya lived here about one hundred and fifty years ago, during the year 1862. In her diary, she describes her abilities, which I have concluded must be PK-LT. She wasn't too strong, but the fact that she was aware of her abilities made her dangerous to the house.
"She learned through her intuition and dreams ways to combat the house's effects. This included large groups of people, boxes, twins, and singing. She also had dreams about the history of this house. Mostly it was about the people who died here; however, a recurring dream that she had was of a place she calls the prison.
"There was usually blood in the room. It was lit by candles, and there was an altar in the center: a giant slab of stone, which was also covered in blood. The most important thing, however, is that she would sometimes dream of the point in time that Hayate Sato made his deal with the demon.
"There were the usual incantations and chants. The demon came as a column of black fire. Descriptions aside, Nigumi Tetsuya mentioned something vital."
Naru paused to make sure everyone was listening. He didn't glance pointedly at Mai, as he usually did at such a point, and that saddened her more than she cared to admit - even to herself.
"She described a seal in the center of the room, directly under the altar. This is the seal that binds the demon and Hayate Sato to the house and each other. As long as it is intact, they are both bound. If the seal is broken, Hayate Sato will no longer be bound to the demon, and the demon no longer attached to the house. In essence, since Hayate Sato is only present though the trading of his soul, he will go with the demon if the house can no longer anchor them."
"So… we need to destroy the seal," Monk summed up.
"The seal is inscribed into the stone floor," Naru said dryly. "I highly doubt that it will be easy."
"Can we efface it instead?" John asked. "Or change it?"
"Changing it would require a massive amount of energy, something none of us have. Although we might not be aware of it, the demon and Hayate Sato are already sapping our strength. In any case, we don't have the means to change the seal to suit us. Effacing it is our best option, though that will require a lot of physical strength.
"I do not know to what extent we may need to efface it; a single chip might be enough, or we might need to cut a few inches into the stone. We need to be ready for either situation, and we need to make do with whatever is in this house. Miss Matsuzaki, John, look in the kitchen. Lin and I will look in the shed. The rest of you, see what you can find in the bathroom."
For some reason, the fact that Naru hadn't said her name made Mai feel even worse. Then she shook her head of stupid thoughts, stuck a frown on her face to avoid dreaming of her boss, and marched into the bathroom behind Monk and Masako.
It turned out there was not enough space in the bathroom for three people. Masako wrinkled her nose and hid behind the sleeve of her kimono. "I will stand outside."
Mai wanted to hit her perfect face. She realized the problem was Naru and tried to control it, but she just couldn't let go of her anger.
Monk slyly winked at Mai as he pulled the cover off the toilet's water tank and shoved it towards Masako. "Great. Then you can help carry stuff out of here."
Masako turned green.
Mai looked away to to hide her smile.
It took them fifteen minutes to clear out the bathroom of potential weapons. Smiling a little too much, Monk had asked Masako to bring the tank cover back to the bathroom, and so now they were left with the towel bar, the mirror, and the metal pipe Mai had undone with a wrench from the shed. From the kitchen, Ayako and John had brought in a large trayful of knives and a lighter. From the shed, Naru and Lin had brought in all sorts of sharp and heavy tools and nails.
"What's the mirror for?" John asked.
"We don't need it," Naru said. "Put it back."
Mai felt her face flush. She had been the one to point it out to Monk, and now Naru wanted to dismiss it?
"The mirror," she said, "is for you, in case you need Gene's help!"
At this, Naru finally looked at her. He glared icy daggers into her, boring into her eyeballs and freezing her heart. Mai took in a steadying breath and fought his ice with fire in her own eyes.
"I don't need anybody's help," Naru told her coldly. He turned away.
"Then you'll die!"
The room was frozen into silence. Mai wanted to melt into a puddle and disappear down the drain, but she balled up her fists and glared at the back of Naru's stupid black shirt because it was true. It was true he was going to if he wasn't careful and Mai didn't know what she would do without him.
Her face turned red at the thought. Mai hoped it looked like an angry flush and not a lovesick one.
Naru was as indifferent as always. He calmly took his seat and said, "Lin, divide the object up among the team. Miss Matsuzaki, make enough charms for each one of us and plenty for the room. Monk, put that mirror away. The rest of you...try not to accidentally kill yourselves with anything sharp."
Frustration and resentment and anger and worry and most of all heartbreak welled up inside of Mai and made her face feel like it was going to explode. And because that was impossible, her eyes began to burn.
I won't cry. Not here, not in front of anyone. Mai swallowed hard. I'm not some sissy. I'm not a wimp. I DON'T cry over stupid narcissistic JERKS!
Someone grabbed her hand. Mai squeezed her eyes shut and yanked her hand away. She didn't want any pity. She wanted to punch Naru in the nose.
Suddenly, her feet weren't on the floor anymore. "Monk!" She thrashed in his arms, but by this time, they were already in the doorway. Masako and John watched the scene unfold while Lin and Naru continued to work at their computers. Ayako was nowhere to be seen.
Monk set her down outside and put his hands against her shoulders. He had an angry look in his eyes, and Mai was about to scream that he was possessed when he spoke.
"I swear, Mai, if you say the word, I will go beat him up right now."
Mai shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Her throat was too clogged up to speak.
Monk's voice softened. He put his hands on her cheeks. "Mai," he said softly. "It's okay to cry."
No, I won't do it. I'm not some lovesick puppy. I hate Naru.
Monk put an arm around her shoulder. "Sometimes, you just have to let it out, you know?"
I hate him. He's a jerk. I'm quitting this job as soon as we get back. His stupid attitude is not worth the paycheck.
"Mai?"
I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him.
"Mai, it'll be okay."
When she didn't answer, he sighed a little, and hugged her.
Suddenly, Mai couldn't keep the tears in anymore. Tears slid down her face, cooling her heated cheek and relieving her aching throat. Monk pressed his lips into her hair and Mai realized that she was so loved by him and Ayako and Lin and John and even Masako that it didn't matter if Naru didn't.
"You just give the signal, Mai, and he will be on the floor."
Mai laughed shakily. "I think he knows karate. He knocked you out with a cool kick when you were possessed."
"Hey, don't you think I know karate?"
Mai's face broke into a smile. "You're a monk. You do music tours in your free time. You're not exactly the picture of karate."
Monk huffed. "If you must know, I have a green belt in taekwondo."
Mai giggled, feeling much better. "That's only halfway there."
Monk didn't dignify that with an answer. He put his cheek against hers. "He loves you, Mai."
"I hate him."
"He's concerned for you and a little confused as to why."
"He needs to be concerned for other people if it means being a jerk."
"But you're the only one he loves."
"Monk, not this crap again! I just - I just wish he wasn't so bipolar. Sometimes he's so nice and then sometimes - sometimes I disgust him!"
"In a way, I guess you do. He's disgusted by the fact that a girl can make him love so much without trying. Maybe he misses Gene."
"Monk-"
"Mai, I don't care what you think. You're only 16, okay? No offense, but you need to get over the fact that you think you know Naru's feelings. Me. I'm 25. I've seen hundreds of couples. You guys are totally in love."
Mai put her face back in her hands. "Aren't you supposed to be putting the mirror back?"
"Ayako did it for me. Also, she almost killed Naru in there. You should've seen her. She didn't need any black belt or anything."
Mai smiled and then sighed. "Monk, how am I supposed to apologize to him?"
Mai squished her against himself. "You can't forgive someone you were never mad at in the first place."
"You were eavesdropping on mine and Ayako's conversation!"
"I couldn't help it! You guys were so loud! Anyways, he loves you, and he'll get over it. It would only inflate his ego if you apologized."
"But what if he never talks to me again?"
"He'll need something soon enough. Besides, he has a tea addiction. He'll ask for that regardless."
There was a silence. Then Mai stood up and stretched out her tired limbs.
"Monk."
"What?"
When she didn't say anything, he turned to look at her. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Mai smiled at him. "I just wanted to say your name."
Monk grinned at her as an idea came to his mind. "You should say that to Naru. Just to see his reaction."
"Monk, NO."
"I dare you to do it."
"I've got more sense than that."
"I bet you five thousand yen you can't do it."
"Five thousand?"
"It would be so worth it."
"Wasting money is bad!"
"Does that mean you'll do it?"
"No."
They reached the door. "Now, if you want me to beat him up, cough once and sneeze twice, got it?"
Mai rolled her eyes. "Sure."
"Good. Now go in there and show him who's boss."
"Monk, Naru is the boss."
"Whatever." Monk didn't voice the opinion that he would do whatever she wanted if she would only kiss him. He kept it to himself and went in after her.
Lin wordlessly handed her two small kitchen knives with plastic casing. Then he gave Monk two big ones and a hammer.
"Careful," he warned as Monk lazily swung the hammer like a bat.
"It's all good," Monk said, but he put it down. "So, what's for dinner?"
"We just had lunch," Ayako snapped. "If you want something, go get it yourself!"
"Whoa, who made you angry?" Monk stretched out on the couch, indifferent to the priestess's anger.
Mai sat next to Ayako in an attempt to pacify her. "I think we're all pretty worked up right now," she said.
"That's an understatement." Ayako glared at Monk, but he only closed his eyes. She turned to Mai instead. "What was that you were saying about homework?"
Mai made a face. "I wasn't."
"You were." Ayako gave her a push. "If I remember correctly, you still have that essay to do."
"I need to type it."
"There are four laptops at the front. Take your pick."
Mai eyed the desk covering one wall of the room. Lin and Naru were using one laptop each, and the remaining two sat untouched between them. She was not going to lean over to get it.
"They're not mine," she managed.
"I'm sure Naru will lend you one. Just ask."
Mai turned red. "Ayako…" she groaned under breath. "He does not like me right now."
Ayako gave her a wicked smile. "You're right. He loves you!"
"Not so loud!" Mai pleaded.
"Go and ask, Mai."
"No. I don't like him very much right now, either."
"Believe in yourself and all that stuff," Ayako said, and she suddenly gave her a hard, decisive shove towards Naru's chair.
Mai squeaked and stumbled and tried not to fall on him. She caught herself and stared at Naru's back apprehensively.
Do it for the grades, she thought. I want to go to a good university. I need good grades.
"Naru?"
No response.
"Can I borrow a laptop?"
No response.
Mai's palms began to sweat. She wondered if it would be too humiliating to sit back down. Would Ayako let her sit back down? Maybe she should cough once and sneeze twice...
"Go ahead, Mai," Lin said, finally taking pity on her. He wrote something on a sheet of paper and handed it to her. "Here's the password."
Mai grabbed the top laptop and the paper and scampered back to Ayako, tripping over own feet and landing in a heap on the couch.
"That wasn't so bad, not was it, Mai?" Monk asked, grinning.
Mai stuck her tongue out at him and reflected on the fact that Ayako and Monk fought incessantly but were one unit when it came to caring for her and teasing her.
The password was a long list of seemingly random numbers and characters. Mai sighed a little and then scolded herself. Would the great Oliver Davis, the narcissistic Naru, keep something revealing in his password? What did she expect - Mai Taniyama?
After her essay, Mai left the laptop on the table and curled up on the sofa with her head in Ayako's lap. She definitely needed some sleep before their 'showdown' at midnight. Soon, she fell asleep.
Into a horrible nightmare.
Guys, we're nearing the end. This is the sort of last portion of this story. I'm kind of sad, but also happy. I want to get on with the next one. The next chapter is a really short chapter, so hopefully I'll remember to post it soon and follow it up (also soon!) by a huge, tense chapter.
For next time: Hmm. I don't really know how to describe it since it's a really quick chapter, but Naru goes back to his usual, Mai-loving self. Don't worry!