A/N: I am so planning on writing this weekend! Mark my words! I will write a nice LONG chapter! and and and...YES! It is really cold here all of a sudden and I don't like it! Though, that is probably good since I don't feel like going outside that means I can write more! eeees yay!

Naru woke up early, it was not in his nature to sleep in and waste time, though he could get used to waking up like he did this morning…Mai was cuddled next to his side, tightly curled up into herself. Naru let a genuine smile grace his lips, since no one was there to see after all.

'Cute…' was the only word that came to mind as he carefully made his way out of the bed and got ready. Naru decided that he would let Mai sleep a while longer; at least until breakfast was served…she needed it anyway. Naru felt his chest constrict slightly when he saw Mai's bandaged arm exposed from under the covers. He didn't want to see her hurt…she wasn't supposed to feel needless pain like that. It irked him to no end that he could not protect her from her dreams…even if they were just dreams…they were still dangerous.

--

"Morning!" Bou-san's cheerful voice accosted Naru as soon as he entered the base room. Everyone was present except for the women, which didn't surprise Naru in the least.

"Good morning…" Naru replied gruffly as he swiftly crossed the room to stand next to Lin and the monitors. "Report?"

"There was a great deal of activity in every location that was monitored. The spirit activity here is very high." Lin commented dryly as he handed the data to Naru, who skimmed it quickly and thoroughly before sitting it down and glancing at the images on the screens.

"Is Mai-chan alright?" Bou-san asked while sipping his morning coffee. "That was a pretty loud scream last night…"

"She's resting…" Naru commented back without diverting his attention from his work. "She will be here in time for breakfast."

"Did she see something?" John asked innocently. They all knew that something had happened and that it must have been pretty drastic to cause the girl to scream like that.

"She had a dream." Naru stated simply, deciding whether or not he should relinquish the truth. "She said that she saw ravens or crows of some sort flocking around the inn and the surrounding area. According to Mai, they covered every space available." Naru sighed, deciding on his next words.

"Crows?" John asked hesitantly.

"The scream you heard from Mai was when the crows attacked her. She woke up after that." Naru returned to looking at the monitors.

"Do you think there is any meaning to it?" Bou-san asked, now totally awake and concerned about the information. "What could crows have to do with what is going on here?"

"I don't know. We will look into it later, but for now…" Naru paused, "after breakfast I want the two of you and Matsuzaki-san to perform exorcisms around the areas with the most activity." He looked at the monk and priest and received nods of understanding. "Take Hara-san with you. She can help detect where you should go."

"Alright" Bou-san voiced while John just nodded in affirmation.

Naru shifted his attention away from the men and back to the monitors. He knew that since it was Mai, her dream must have been some kind of warning. They had been through enough cases to know that when Mai saw something they should probably pay attention to it. But this particular dream…this instance…was different than before. Mai was attacked by the ravens and woke up with wounds from the attack…

If left up to Mai, she would probably come up with some crazy idea and once again not inform anyone about her plans, since she thought it was in the best interest of everyone but herself. She never gave herself much consideration…like last time…she didn't even think twice, didn't even think her actions would hurt as deeply as they did. Even though it was done and over, even though the case had been solved and Mai was safe…Naru knew that he still carried an open wound from that time…a wound that needed more time to heal than he was willing to give it…

Naru grit his teeth unconsciously. He didn't want to think of the awful implications that small fact entailed…it was too much to comprehend…even for him. "Lin" he spoke a little lower than usual. "I want you to see what you can find out about the information presented in Mai's dream."

"Understood." Lin knew almost instantly what was on Naru's mind. It was quite obvious for someone that knew the teen better than anyone else present; he was worried for Mai's safety when she slept. This time it was just scratches and cuts; but next time? Lin also didn't want to dwell on that line of thought and quickly started his search for information concerning the ominous black birds Mai had seen in her dream.

A/N: So...there is that bit! I WILL write this weekend and get some more up soon! Thank you all so much for reading!