A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this! Many thanks to Sarah, Lina (and your stick), Kelsea, and 'I love Rock Music' girl (sorry, for the life of me I can't think of your name...but thank you for the help none the less!!), you guys are great! I shall start working on the next chapter now!!

Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

It had only roughly been two hours since Naru and the others had roused and met up in the base room. Since then, the remaining members of the team had been rushing around like mad trying to deal with all the continuing outbreaks.

Some spirit had decided to deface an entire wing of the inn, coating the walls in graffiti and other needless splatter; while another rearranged the furniture in the common areas. The rapping noises, sightings, and other phenomenon had steadily begun to increase and it was becoming more and more prevalent.

Lin, Bou-san, and even John were doing all they could do to keep the activity to a minimum but it was starting to become very apparent that their efforts where no longer adequate.

Another hour or more passed before they were all able to meet back up in base room, worn out and fatigued. Lin, not having much time to dedicate to research, promptly returned to his computer and renewed his investigation. John and Bou-san quickly went over and started to tend to the sleeping girls that were sprawled out in the back of the room while Naru just sat on the couch and started to examine the tablet Mai had found more closely.

He could not help but feel that he recognized it from somewhere…

Naru rolled the cool, weathered metal around in his hand. With some work the inscriptions on the face would be legible. He rubbed at it with his thumb, working off some of the wear that had obviously accumulated over time…symbols etched into the metal started to clear.

Naru's eyes widened. He knew those symbols…he recognized the writing…

"Latin?" Naru muttered to himself as he continued to inspect the object.

"What?" Lin questioned, glancing in Naru's direction with a raised brow. His young boss had been looking at the tablet with a dreadfully sharp and scrutinizing eye for a good 20 minutes before he faintly heard him speak up about something.

"Lin…" Naru paused momentarily before he continued, "call up Madoka, Yasuhara as well, to look into this tablet for us. Send pictures and a detailed description. If they need the tablet its self, make arrangements to send them a duplicate or a cast."

"Understood" Lin said without delay. "I will do it immediately."

"Good."

-x-

It was not long before the inn keeper and a few members of the staff arrived with a light lunch, which the men were more than happy to partake of.

"You must be exhausted Shibuya-san." The inn keeper politely addressed Naru as she sat out the place settings around the table. "Please let me know if there is anything we can do for you or the other members of your team. I heard that Mai-san, Hara-san, and Matsuzaki-san were ill. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."

"Yes, thank you for your concern" Naru replied in a business-like demeanor. "Since we have been here, have you noticed any significant changes?"

The woman paused while she thought. Naru was not sure if now was the best time to ask about the situation…but since she was already here it would be a waste not to. "I would have to say that as far as the general problems we were facing here inside the inn have increased…but your presence has made it less noticeable. Though, there are more large scale occurrences than before."

"Are you referring to the ones from earlier today?"

"Yes, things like that have not happened before." The woman turned and looked at Naru as she stood from setting the table. "If they had, they were no where near as severe as they were today."

"I see" Naru said simply as he and the others took a seat at the table. "If there is anything further you wish to discuss, please feel free to do so at any time. Some one will be here in the base at all times."

"Of course" the inn keeper replied kindly as she bowed to everyone and left with her staff following close behind. Naru already knew that things were not getting better nor had there been any real headway, but he thought it best to ask anyway…even if it was just to keep up appearances.

He didn't want to admit it…but Naru was starting to run out of options. What more could they do? What more could really be done that they were not already doing? Naru shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't like not knowing exactly what was going on. He didn't like not having all the answers.

He was supposed to be more knowledgeable than this…more in control…yet here he was unable to do anything. Waiting for the information to arrive and keeping up the status quo were all he was able to do. They were at their limits already…

Lin silently watched Naru while he ate. He knew the teen was deeply troubled even if the others couldn't tell past the emotionless mask Naru usually wore. Naru was strong, intelligent, and clever but this case was throwing him for quite a loop. It didn't help that he was being distracted by Mai's bizarre behavior and cryptic messages.

And now…now she was unconscious like the others. She looked as if she was merely asleep yet nothing would wake her from her slumber, just like the miko and medium. Lin knew that Naru was already on edge after he had saved Mai from the pond, and then things just went downhill from there. Mai was being used by the Mara, and she was more than likely being haunted by unknown terrors in her seemingly peaceful sleep that was in reality a nightmare.

The Mara were after all known to cause nightmares in women. Lin could not even imagine what kind of place Mai was in at the moment. Mai was already prone to frightenly realistic dreams without being plagued by some malignant spirit; Lin cringed at the thought of what she could be going through now…

There was no doubt in Lin's mind that Naru's heart, and thoughts, were focused on only one thing…

Lin sighed as he finished up his lunch and tuned-in to the small talk occurring around him. Everyone had finally finished up lunch and seemed to be already making plans of what to do next. And there were many things to be done…

-x-

The rest of the afternoon went flying by much like it had earlier in the day. Lin was amazed that even his spells were no longer holding much resistance and it appeared that way for both the monk and the priest. If the trend continued, Lin knew they would be no match for the increased spirit activity at the inn…they would be forced to retreat.

They had been working most of the afternoon setting up barriers that would ensure the daily running of the inn and the safety of the people staying and living there. To most normal people, they would not notice that anything was amiss other than a few creaks and rasping noises of an old inn. Most situations were being dealt with before any one from the inn, other than the staff, could see.

But this was not going to work forever…something needed to change and it needed to change fast…before it was too late…

-x-

'Who are you' Mai spoke aloud in a shaky yet confident voice. She knew she was not alone…she could feel the presence of something…

'…'

No answer. Mai had no idea how much time had passed since she was imprisoned, but it felt like years…long, horrendous…years. At times, Mai pleaded for death…it would have been better than having to suffer through the existence that she was in now. She was sure that death could not be anything like the deep, repressive darkness that she was in.

'Naru…' Mai let the name roll of her tongue and echo in the distance. In this Hell, he was her one and only light. It was him, and him alone, that kept her going when she thought about giving up. Mai knew that she could not stay here, could not die here…she had to get back to Naru; she would not leave him…

'Na...r…u'

The voices; they resonated the name. They were everywhere…never ending and penetrating. Hollow, shallow wisps of sound, they called and reverberated in the endless distance. It was maddening…

'Naru…' Mai hung her head and spoke in a tortured whisper. She clutched her hand tightly, holding onto the slight sparkle her ring gave off. 'Please…please hurry…'

-x-

Naru stiffened for an instant, his head immediately perked and he glanced around his surroundings…quickly taking note of every detail present. Something had caught his attention, something had caused him to stop and focus all his concentration elsewhere. He continued to glance around a moment longer before he determined that there was no threat in his immediate vicinity, yet the ominous feeling that had struck him so quickly still remained.

'What was that…?' Naru thought aimlessly, yet only one thought came to mind as his hand inched up to clutch at his chest tightly; "Mai…"

"Naru." Lin announced as he entered the room followed by a very tired looking John and an exhausted Bou-san. "Let us take a break for a moment. We all skipped dinner, and it has already gotten late."

Naru had not noticed it himself but a quick glance out the nearby window confirmed that it was already night time. When had night fallen? He did not know. At the moment, his awareness for the passage of time was a little off. Naru was solely focusing on the tasks at hand…time did not matter, he needed to figure out answers and he needed them quickly before anything terrible happened…

"So it has." Naru remarked dully as he took a seat at the table with the others. The inn keeper had been kind enough to provide dinner late and had it ready and waiting for them. Naru had not realized it earlier, but he had gotten quite hungry and was pleased to have a chance to replenish. Nothing could get done if he did not force himself to eat and get rest…it would not do any good if his body was not functioning at full capacity.

"There is no end to this…" Bou-san said despairingly. "We need something to go on and we need it fast."

"I already put a call in this morning to Madoka and Yasuhara" Lin replied evenly, "they should be getting back with us soon."

"They should be able to find something out!" John added in optimistically. He knew that no matter how positive he was about the situation, it would not change the fact that they were falling behind and if nothing were done soon they were going to loose. "I hope…"

The comment caused more than one person's brow to rise. 'I hope…' Naru thought to himself. 'They have to…'

Naru was startled from his thoughts as the phone rang loudly throughout the room causing everyone to pause…

"They have to."

A/N: Well, there you have it. I will start working on the next part as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you that follow this story! I enjoy all your reviews very much!! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Thanks!