(A/N): Hey, sorry about the delay. Here is chapter 7. I'm afraid that this school term is still going to be chaotic, and I won't even be able to write during the half term, so the next up-date might take a while again. I apologise for this. Meanwhile, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, and that you leave a review too! ;)

"Maybe it was just a shadow?"

"Yeah, or a trick of the light?"

No one was able to see the man. Mai, Ayako and Masako all checked he screens, but agreed that there was nothing unusual. Now, everyone was suggesting explanations as to why this was the case, and all of them included me being mistaken. Hearing as they listed excuse after excuse as to why I was wrong, it felt…frustrating. I tried to hide my own exasperation. Why would no one believe me? Well, I guess, if they couldn't see the man on the screens…

Even so. This was a ghost hunting organisation. We had a spirit medium in our ranks, an omnioji, a miko with the power to communicate with trees, an exorcist and a girl with even higher spiritual and PK powers than most of us put together. Yet, somehow, they weren't willing to accept the suggestion that there was a man on those screens, a ghost, and for some inexplicable reason, only I could see him.

As the others poured over the footage again, double checking the monitors also, Takigawa pulled me gently to the side. Looking at me in concern, he asked, "Do you think…your amnesia has anything to do with the man you saw?"

"Hm?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe you're beginning to remember things, and what with the footage flashing on and off, and all the chaos…maybe you remembered something, and that's what you saw. Someone from last month." His theory had credit – the man was so familiar, yet I couldn't quite remember where I had seen him. My memories of him struggled to surface from the thick blanket of amnesia. But he had not been a snippet of memory, I was sure. The man had been so clear, more focused than the background he was standing by. His attire, the doctor's coat, was not something you could mistake for a shadow. Not the piercing, grey irises that gazed into the camera. Not his movements when he began to speak, when he waved to me. No, he was real. He was not just a distorted shadow, or a vague memory.

However, all I could do was nod, and mutter an agreement under my breath, leaving Takigawa satisfied. Eventually, the others decided, without much being said on my behalf, that the man on the screens had simply been a strange snatch of light and shadow that had confused me as the footage had switched from black to picture, while Takigawa remained silent with his own theory, refusing to break his vow of secrecy about my amnesia. In the end, I did not tell the others about the woman I saw, either. The chance of them believing me was slim, since they were already doubtful about the man I saw, to say the least. With that, the matter was apparently solved, and everyone continued with their jobs – monitoring the cameras, checking temperatures, searching for spirits. Ayako and Takigawa began exorcisms. Nothing happened, no more spirits appeared. Neither the woman from outside or the familiar man emerged on the camera footage, and the day came to an end without any disturbances. However, Kazuya seemed uneasy about anyone staying overnight in the old house, and instead decided that everyone should either go home, if it wasn't too far away, or rent a room in a hotel.

It was late, and the sun was already retreating, draining colour from the landscape and leaving behind a barren of darker, duller hues. The city, though, was still flashing with neon lights and tall buildings that emitted a haze of light pollution, eating away at the night sky. Most of the others had opted to find a hotel, and after a moment of hesitation, I agreed. Even though my apartment was only an hour away by train, and the journeys there carried on through the entire night, I felt too uneasy about returning for the time being. After what I had heard from Abe-san, it seemed that my 'colleague' knew where I lived. And he was looking for me, the fact had only been cemented by the woman who had appeared at the house. It was probably only a matter of time before he found me.

We found a hotel; a cheap, local residence that consisted mainly of tourists. I booked a room for myself, after we decided to take individual rooms, and headed quickly to it, after a hasty 'goodnight' to the others. As soon as I got in, heard the reassuring click of the door's lock, I scrambled for my mobile and dialled Sinead's number. Hearing the tone ring, I begged silently for someone to pick up. Each time I had tried to ring her after being released from hospital, she hadn't answered. And as the call was directed to an answering machine, it seemed that this time would not be any different.

Sighing in sheer exhaustion, I decided now would be a good time to start making notes on what I had seen so far, especially what the others had not. First, there was that woman, similar in description to what the teenager, Yumi, had mentioned. Japanese, early 20s, brown haired, brown eyes, wearing blue hospital clothes. Like a patient. She had not appeared for long, barely half a minute. She did stay long enough to warn me of someone, urging me to try and regain my memories. Although I did not recognise her, she seemed to know me, and my situation. Who exactly she was warning me of, it wasn't too clear, but I was almost certain it was the 'colleague', or at least related to the enigmatic person.

Then there was the man. Mid-twenties, I'd say. Foreign, though where exactly from, it was too hard to say. Black haired, clean shaven. Grey eyes. But they were not vacant, like the woman. He looked…happy? And yet distressed? It was hard to tell with the poor quality of the footage. He wore a white, somewhat dirty, doctor's lab coat. And he tried to speak to me, he even waved at me. Again, he did not remain on the screens for very long, perhaps because of Takigawa's mantra.

A thought struck me. Would these people, spirits even, know about what happened last month? The woman was certainly aware of the fact I had amnesia, so maybe she knew more. If I could see them again, and ask what they knew…then maybe I could sort out all these problems. Discover the identity of the 'colleague'. Find out who had left the mark around my neck.

That night, I did not sleep in the bed, and sleep was not prepared to visit me willingly. Instead, I remained hidden from the door way by the window of the hotel room, peering through gaps in the blind. It was a low window, low enough for me to sit on the floor with my knees withdrawn tightly to my chest and gaze down at the streets below the hotel. Strangely, huddled in the corner, I felt safer than I would be in the bed. In fact, the furthest away from the door I was, the better, my subconscious seemed to be telling me. After many hours of attentive watching as late night walkers ambled past the hotel, fatigue finally enveloped me into a restless sleep.

Morning arrived, and I reached the old house early, weary and tired. The air was cold and sharp, biting at my skin, and it was only begrudgingly that I made my way to the house. Inside, as I walked through the hallway, I could hear the voices of Mai and Kazuya bickering clearly.

"…just because you're smart and stuff, you don't have to be such a jerk all the time!"

"At least I am smart, unlike some other employees in this room I could mention."

I stopped outside the room. Going inside didn't seem like the best of options right now.

"Ugh, you're such a…cold hearted narcissist!"

"You say that a lot. It seems you're running out of insults to give me."

With that, Mai stormed out of the room, into the hallway. When she saw me, I raised my hand slightly and muttered nervously, "Good morning."

Mai's sudden outrage at Kazuya briefly came to a halt. "Oh, good morning, John-kun. You're here early."

"Yeah…I just thought I should come and help." Really, I just wanted to give the place a search for the man and woman from yesterday, before everyone else arrived.

"Oh, well, would it be ok if you helped me gather all the old tapes from the cameras?" Like me, it seemed that Mai was cold; she had a thick jacket on, and was shivering slightly from the unusual April weather.

"Sure, where should we start?"

"Um…I think the bedroom on the west side first…"

While we collected the old tapes, I kept a careful eye out for the man and woman, or any other spirits that might have appeared. None had though. After we were finished, we headed back to base, where Lin and Kazuya were sifting through the last remains of the night's footage.

"…Well?" Mai looked expectantly at Kazuya, her previous annoyance apparently having disintegrated.

"Nothing." The word was blunt and disappointing. The spirits had not returned.

"Oh…Do you think they will come back?" Mai asked him.

"Maybe." Kazuya seemed uncertain. "Have you taken any temperatures?"

"Eh." Mai bit her lip guiltily. "Umm…no. I forgot."

Kazuya sighed impatiently, and grabbed a clip board from the nearby table. "Even now, you still can't do things right?"

This ignited Mai's anger once more. "Well, excuse me, but I have a lot of other things to be thinking of, you know! I've got a lot of school work to do –"

"Let's just get the temperatures." Kazuya interrupted her irritably, and began to leave the room. "Brown-san, stay here with Lin." He called over his shoulder.

"Hey, I wasn't finished!" Mai hurried after him, shouting as she did. Lin, typing at a computer again, did not look up.

It was merely ten minutes before I saw her again. Watching the screens intently, just like yesterday, I scanned every single detail thoroughly, noting every single movement. And, finally, my efforts bore fruit. There she was, the woman from yesterday, standing outside the house once more. Immediately, I headed towards the door, calling quickly to Lin, "I'm just going to go and get some fresh air." Lin did not even make a noise.

As fast as I could, I hurried to the back yard, where she had been standing, praying that she had not disappeared. Bursting into the fresh air, my eyes were at once drawn to the figure standing at the back of the field. Yes. There she was. She hadn't disappeared yet.

It was definitely the same woman as yesterday. From here, I could still see her bright blue clothes. A camera had been set up, facing the house, so I walked carefully around it. The last thing I wanted was someone asking why I had suddenly bolted out of the house. The 'fresh air' excuse was pathetic, although Lin didn't really seem to care, and if they weren't able to see the woman…well, I would look a bit strange talking to thin air.

At last, I reached the woman. Her appearance was human, although the edges of her figure seemed to flicker between solidity and translucency. Her skin was unnaturally pale, like that of a corpse. As I progressed towards her, she simply stared at me unblinkingly. And when I reached her, she said nothing for a long while, just looking me up and down, the only noise being my heart thudding in my chest.

Finally, she spoke. "At first, I wasn't sure. But it is you."

"…Who are you?"

The woman played with her matted hair. "We've never actually met before, so I wasn't certain. But you looked just like Oji-chan described."

"Who are you?" I repeated the question, somewhat more forcefully, despite the shaking in my voice.

"I'm Sayomi." She did not give her last name. "And you are Father Brown."

"How do you know me?"

"Oji-chan told me. Like I said." She broke eye contact with me, and glanced over at the camera.

"They can't see me." I assumed she was referring to the rest of SPR. "Only you can."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "That's just the way things are. I don't know why. Only some people can see me."

Swallowing, I quickly glanced to the house, seeing if anyone had come out. No one had.

"How do you know I have amnesia?" When I turned back, I was almost afraid she would disappear again, but this time she did not.

"I heard you. Talking to the other man." She must have meant Takigawa.

Now for the important question. "Do you…know what happened? Last month? What I can't remember?"

She shook her head.

"No. I do not. I'm sorry."

Disappointment engulfed me. "You…don't?"

Again, she shook her head.

"But…you warned me. About a man. You said he was coming to find me."

"I know that much. He's very angry with you, for some reason. He comes here sometimes, and he mentioned you once."

"He's…angry with me?" Dread was beginning to rise up inside me.

"Yes. I overheard him."

"Do you mean…when you were alive?"

"No. After I…" She did not finish. So Saymoi, at least, knew she was dead.

"Who is he? Why is he angry with me?"

"You got away. You're evidence. He doesn't like evidence. He tried to hide it, like the rest of us."

Evidence? Hiding?...Like the rest of us?

"Sayomi…why are you here? Why are you dead?"

Suddenly, the emptiness in her eyes evaporated. She looked afraid, terrified. Just like me.

"…I….I knew things…that I shouldn't…" Her words were quivering and hesitant.

"What things?"

Sayomi closed her eyes. "No…I have to go…I have to go now…"

"Wait a minute, Sayomi-san." No, she couldn't go yet. There were still so many questions.

"Who are you talking to?"

I spun around. Takigawa was standing behind me, frowning in bemusement.

"I, um…" Damn it. This was bad. He couldn't see Sayomi. Glancing behind me, I realised he was not the only one.

Sayomi had vanished, once again.