Investigation Day 3 - 11:00 AM
Mai sat nervously in the auditorium seat, feet shaking on the floor. The rest of the crew was assembled in the same row, with Nary and John on either side of her. It was their first dress rehearsal tonight, and they were doing a couple run through's for practice right was on edge. Naru had explicitly warned them to be on their guard for strange activity.
"What's wrong, Mai?" John asked softly from her right. Mai smiled sheepishly before turning to face him.
"Ah, nothing. Just... nerves, I guess. I want this show to go well, they've put so much effort into it," she lied. John just smiled serenely and patted her arm.
"Why are you really nervous, Mai," Naru asked from her left. Mai blushed and was about to reply when the lights dimmed and the curtain swung open, revealing the main actors. Also on stage was Kazuko, clutching a large microphone in his hand.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the production of "Sparrow", one of the original plays performed here in the theatre. I hope you enjoy the performance," he began, his voice booming out over the auditorium. Mai furtively looked around. Besides the crew, there were several couples, most of them older, and a few school groups, probably studying theatre at the local school. Despite that, the auditorium still had many empty seats.
Her head snapped back around when the first actors came on-stage. A man and woman, which Mai recognized to be the main characters, positioned themselves in the centre stage. As they began talking, Mai sank back and allowed herself to relax. Every since they first got to the theatre, she had been on red alert, waiting for something to happen. All day they had been searching the place, but nothing had happened. However, Mai felt something within the theatre. It was like entering a cave and knowing there was a great beast laying inside, slowly beginning to stir. It made her nauseous, really, the fear of the unknown.
"Please, I know you can't love me as I love you, so let me make up for it," the man pleaded on stage, his words heartfelt and sincere. Mai tilted her head slightly as she saw them interact. Oh my God. They are totally having an affair off stage. She knew without a doubt that her thoughts were true, and the notion put a small smile on her face.
"But, the thing is, I do love you! More than you could ever know," the girl cried back, reaching out to clasp his hand. The man's face showed real surprise, followed by a tenderness that made Mai's heart hurt. Glancing over at Masako and Ayako, she saw they felt the same. To her surprise, it was Monk who had tears rolling down his face. And we're only fifteen minutes in, too. Her smile faded when she saw Naru's bored expression. That guy just didn't understand true passion.
"Then be with me. Run away with me, right now, right here. We'll explore the world together, have new adventures. Hell, let's have a kid," the man exclaimed joyously. Mai grimaced. How old were these people supposed to be, again? Sixteen? The thought disturbed her. She went rigid in her seat when she saw a shadow pass in front of the stage. It might've been the darkness in the theatre, but the shadow didn't seem human. In fact, it seemed very... not human.
"Did you see that?" she hissed to Naru. His eyes went from clouded over to sharp and focused within seconds as he scanned the theatre. There it was! A floating, humanoid black mass standing in front of the stage, by the girl. Judging from the other SPR members' reactions, they saw it too.
"What should we do?" Lin asked from Naru's left. Naru rolled his shoulders back, studying the form thoughtfully.
"Leave it, for now. I want to see what it does," he murmured. Lin shot him a dubious look but sat back. Mai wasn't the only one who thought something big was about to happen.
"Naru, I don't think that's very smart," Mai said quietly, but fell silent when Naru shot her a challenging look. She instead sighed and leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. The figure didn't exactly feel warm and comforting to her.
"You must stay away from him, he is bad news," an older woman chided the girl on stage. The set had changed to a kitchen, Mai guess, and the women sat at a table sipping imaginary tea.
"But Okaa-sama, I love him," the girl said passionately. The woman clucked and took another 'sip' of her tea. Mai felt herself being drawn back into the story.
"I love a good old fight, but it doesn't mean I go chasing after it. Sometimes things are not meant to be, do you under stand, watashi no kodomo?" The audience chuckled at the mother's words. "My dear Hana, I know it's hard, but trust me, it will all work out in the end."
With her parting words, the mother departed from the stage, leaving Hana crying into her arms at the table, tea cups long abandoned. Mai's heart wrenched in her chest, and she changed positions to sitting upright in her seat. Naru still looked incredibly bored, to her chagrin. Not to mention the figure still sticking around.
"I just wish there was some way for us to be together. Any way!" Hana-san shouted into the audience. A fake sparrow popped up in the 'window' on set. It was clearly stuffed, but Mai didn't care, she thought it was adorable. To her surprise, when it spoke, it had a deep, masculine voice. Even Naru looked mildly amused when he heard it.
"Be careful what you wish for, wakai Hana," the sparrow instructed in it's deep, gravelly voice. Hana stood up suddenly, looking alarmed.
"Y-You talk," she exclaimed. The sparrow chuckled.
"No, I don't. It's in your head. You know already, what you must do," the sparrow said solemnly. Mai heard John stifle a laugh at the cliché line, and she had to agree.
"And what is that?" Hana asked.
"Oh, come on already," a voice whined from behind Mai. John's laughter grew a little louder, and squeakier.
"Kill them all." Everyone screamed as the lights suddenly blinked off. The voice was not the kind, fatherly voice of the sparrow, but rather a cold, sinister voice. Distinctly female.
"It's Kito," Masako shouted, sounding terrified. In reality, she was pants wetting scared, terrified didn't even cover the emotions she was feeling. All she could hear was the evil voice, and a fear so strong pierced her gut that she could hardly breathe.
"Everyone, stay calm. You know what to do," Naru instructed. Mai could feel him stand up next to her, and she followed suit. On stage a loud wail grew in pitch, making Mai wince.
"What's happening?" John asked no-one in particular, sounding worried..
Luckily the lights came back on abruptly, ending the chaos. On stage, the actress was still standing, looking dazed. Nothing had happened other than a good scare, as far as it seemed. There was a loud creaking noise overhead, and then a sharp crack, and Mai cried out.
A light illuminating the stage had broken free, and was plummeting towards the actress. If it hit her, she would surely be gravely injured, possibly even killed. Mai felt a tingle start in her toes, and quickly rocket through her body, racing upwards. There was a small flash of light in her field of vision and the light bounced off of something invisible over the actress before crashing to the ground and rolling loudly across the stage.
Mai watched the peculiar scene for a moment before she felt her legs giving way, a hollow feeling welling up inside her, making her feel numb and sleepy.
"Mai," Naru cried, reaching out for her.
That was the last thing she saw.
Mai grunted as she landed on solid wood. Where am I? At first glance, nothing was familiar. All she could tell was that it was a sunny day outside, judging from the soft yellow light filtering through the window in the room. Wait a second.
"Hello Mai," a familiar voice said from the shadows in the corner of the room. She sat up as Gene walked out, smiling serenely.
"Gene, what happened?" she said breathlessly, feeling the strain and tension leave her body. Wherever she was, it wasn't dangerous or frightening.
"You blacked out."
"Well... duh, but why?" Gene laughed at her sarcastic response.
"Your power ran out of control. Drained you completely," he answered. Mai frowned, her brows drawing together.
"M-My power? But-"
"The weird feeling you had before you passed out? Your energy, chikara, if you will, was acting on your commands." Mai looked flabbergasted.
"What? No, that's impossible. Naru has power. I don't." she exclaimed, rising to her feet. To her amusement, she was nearly level with Gene's chin. Score.
"You wanted to save Hamoni-san, so you did." Mai frowned. "You know, the actress?"
"This is too much, why is this happening to me?"
"Because it's time," Gene answered slyly. She groaned loudly. "Anyways, there's something you need to see."
Mai followed him, unsure, as he turned and left the room. Mai swore that the door wasn't there earlier, but she went through it anyway. Suddenly the scenery changed, and she was outside on a busy road. When she turned back, there was nothing there, only shops and stands. She got the sense that it was market day, judging by the throngs of people and loud noises.
"There they are," Gene suddenly exclaimed, pointing out a young couple. Mai studied them for a moment, trying to place their faces. The girl had wavy, light strawberry colored hair and big green eyes. The man had narrow brown eyes and shaggy black hair.
"Nakame and Jade," Gene explained. The couple that got engaged, and were subsequently murdered by Kito. The thought made her sad. "Here, come with me. Don't worry, they can't see us," Gene added, reaching out towards Mai.
She took his hand, feeling uncomfortable. He was so much like Naru, but at the same time, he wasn't. She knew she liked Naru, but Gene was comforting in a way that Naru could never be. More like a brother, she supposed. She could tell he felt the same way about her.
The two walked closer, at least close enough to hear what was being said.
"I think you should be careful around Kito, she's been acting weird," Jade chided Nakame, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face impatiently. Nakame laughed and reached for her hand, looking dejected when she pulled it away. "I'm serious, 'Kame."
"I know you are. It's fine, don't worry. She's probably jealous," he said lightly. Jade looked unconvinced.
"Jealous? Why?" Mai knew Jade would instantly regret asking that question, and bit her lip.
"Because she loves me, but I love you!" Nakame looked genuinely surprised when Jade shot up to her feet, looking furious.
"What? She loves you?! And you never told me?" Jade screeched. People turned to stare, looking concerned.
"It wasn't important, I owe her nothing. My heart belongs to you, and you know that," he said soothingly, looking embarrassed at her outcry. Jade bristled at his tone.
"You treat me like a child. I know you love me, but you haven't done a good job of proving it. If you really love me, you'd let me in. Come find me when you decide to stop hiding things from me. Farewell, Nakame-kun," Jade spat before whirling and stalking off. Nakame looked crushed.
"Maybe it's for the best, to hide these things," he whispered before turning and walking slowly in the opposite direction.
Mai was about to comment on the situation when a figure slunk out from behind the tree the couple were sitting in front of. A very familiar figure, with long black hair and cold black eyes.
"Kito-san," Mai breathed, feeling her heart seize in her chest. As she said the words, the woman made eye contact with her, and Mai gasped.
Kito was nearby, and she knew exactly where Mai was.
"Stay calm," Gene said softly, placing a hand on Mai's shoulder. She couldn't feel it, she was shaking so bad. "Stay calm."
With that he gave her shoulder a little tug, and she felt herself slipping, falling. Falling into an empty void. As she fell, she only thought one thing.
I have to find her.