Lin entered the terminal as the setting sun sent pale streamers of purple and orange across the blue of the heavens. He spotted Madoka by her pinkish hair.
Madoka smiled at him and waved as she moved through the mass confusion of people who either hurried to catch their flights or trying to get home. She kept pace with the group heading over to baggage claim. She waited until her bag come flowing out on the conveyor belt dropping into the spinning carousel. She picked it up and fast walked into his waiting arms.
Hugging him tightly Madoka stared into his gray eyes, "I missed you Koujo."
Lin hugged her just as tightly, "I missed you too." He leaned down and claimed her mouth kissing her fiercely not wanting this moment to end.
As they parted, Lin wrapped an arm around her shoulder possessively and escorted her out to the mass confusion of the loading and unloading zones for passengers. The pair bypassed all the taxis clamoring to pick up fares and walked to the lot where he parked the van.
Unlocking the doors, Lin took her suitcase and placed it in the back of the van. Both climbed in, Lin turned the motor over, and they began their journey to the hotel where Madoka would be staying.
"Mrs. Davis called earlier, I asked her about the Taniyama's, and she told me to ask you about them."
Madoka nodded and smiled. "It was during the case of the Bloodstained Labyrinth, I thought I had recognized Mai's surname from a case file from BSPR. When I returned to London, I did a little digging and found that Mai's mother was a research student of Noll's father. This was before the Davis's adopted Gene and Noll.
"Her name was Kaname Matthews, she married Ichiro Taniyama, and Doctor Davis sent them to Japan to start a Japanese branch. Mai was born a year later. Three years after Mai's birth the Davis's received word that Ichiro was killed in a traffic accident the Davis's were saddened by the news. Kaname stayed in Japan, and the rest is as they say history."
Lin nodded pulling the van into the underground parking lot of the hotel.
Ayako wrote some notations on Jessica's chart. "You're doing better than when I first saw you this morning, but I'll be keeping you here a few more days."
Nurse Nakamura was finished changing the bandages on Mai's body. The whole time she kept sneaking glances at Naru. His face was hard and taut with anger. He was slowly losing control when Mai moaned.
Ayako spun on her heel and saw who had the nurse's attention. "Are you finished?" she asked the nurse who lost the ability to talk at the anger that shot from the redhead's eyes.
Ayako quickly looked over Mai's chart and wrote an order for a shot of morphine for her friend. She hated to see the girl who was always so cheerful and bubbly now looking so weak and frail. She also ordered an IV of a broad-based antibiotic.
Tucking both charts under her arm, she looked at the nurse. "Report to my office now," she bowed to Naru. "I'm sorry she's so unprofessional..." Ayako exited the room with only one thing on her mind now. A particular nurse was going to lose her job.
Naru moved the cot next to Mai's bed and lay down on it. He reached over taking Mai's hand in his as he intertwined their fingers. He rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb. He threw his black clad arm over his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Leiko raged out in the hall. Why, why did he love her, why couldn't he have met me…?
Jessica felt a change in the atmosphere of the room. She felt the spirt's anger and anguish. She saw it dart around the room, a black shadow that stopped and hovered over Mai's bed.
"Naru, Mai's in danger," Jessica called out to the teenager.
Naru alerted by Jessica jumped from the cot. "I can't see it."
Panic began to grip the woman as the shadow lowered itself in Mai's direction. Mai stopped breathing.
The shiki Lin left attacked the black mass. A female's scream was heard as the mass moved quickly out of the room and away from Mai.
Jessica began to pray, "Great Spirit I come to you as one of your many children. I am small and weak and humbly ask you to lend me your strength to save this child one of your many children." Her hands glowed brightly as she placed one on Mai's head and the other on her breastbone.
Mai's body glowed and she opened her eyes and took in a great gulp of air. Jessica removed her hands, sweat beading her forehead. Looking up she said a silent prayer of thanks. Her body felt heavy and weak as she moved to her bed. She felt an arm grip her and help her over to her bed. Turning her head, she looked into Naru's cerulean blue eyes.
"Thank you, for saving Mai again."
"She's my friend," Jessica managed to get out as she collapsed on Naru and passed out. He quickly picked her up in his arms and lay her down on her bed.
He went back to Mai's side. "Is she okay?" Mai asked as her concern showed plainly on her face.
"Yes, she's okay." After seeing her in action, he came to a decision. He would ask her to join SPR. He sat down in the bed with Mai and pulled her gently into his arms her head pillowed on his chest. He ran his hand through her hair, and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Mai."
Mai snuggled into his warmth, with a smile on her face as he gave her a light kiss on the top of her head. "Rest," he whispered as her eyes closed.
Leiko raged her anger turning into hatred.
Lin and Madoka arrived in Mai's room to find that Naru was still holding Mai as she slept. Madoka's face was shining with pure happiness as she whispered to Lin, "They look so adorable together, and Luella is so happy that Oliver and Mai are together at last."
Lin nodded and observed a pair of cerulean blue eyes staring in their direction. "If either of you were any louder you'd wake Mai and Jessica up." He didn't want to leave her but he needed to speak to Lin. He eased himself out from underneath Mai without causing her to stir.
Lin handed him a bag that had an extra set of clothes inside. Naru entered the bathroom and smirked as he heard Madoka's comment about his atrocious manners.
Ayako entered the room and saw Madoka with Lin. She carried two charts in her hand. She checked on Mai first, then moved to Jessica and frowned. She should be getting better. However, she appeared to be worse. Actually, both young women should be better, but both seemed to have suffered a traumatic event the night before.
At that moment, Lin's shiki, the pair he left with Naru and Mai floated in front of Lin's face and demanded his attention. "Feisty today aren't you little ones." They made themselves visible as they dropped into his outstretched palm and informed him of what happened.
"Where's Naru?"
"He's in the restroom changing."
Ayako nodded. "I need to ask him what happened last night."
"Miss Matsuzaki, do you have any charm paper here?"
"Yes, I do. Lin, what are you not telling me?" she tapped her high-heeled toe on the floor and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at the Chinese man.
"I left these two shiki here as a precaution last night because they felt a presence in the hallway."
Ayako considered the possibilities. There were no deaths in the hospital other than the Jane Doe, who was later identified as Leiko by the police. She snapped her fingers together, that had to be it. Leiko must have attacked Mai.
Lin could see the wheels turning in the red head's mind. "You are correct Miss Matsuzaki. Mai was attacked, and it was Leiko. They were able to take the image of the girl from Mai's mind and identified the attacker. I need some charm paper to put some wards up around the room."
Naru exited the restroom, his hearing tuned to hear any change in Mai heard every word they had said. "Leiko stopped Mai's breathing somehow last night trying to suffocate her. However, Jessica alerted me that the girl's spirit was in here though she couldn't identify her.
"After Lin's shiki had run Leiko out, Jessica used her healing power to bring Mai back in time, but Jessica passed out from the exertion. Madoka stay here with Mai after Lin sets up his warding spells Lin and I have a meeting with SPR soon."
"Sure," Madoka spoke quietly.
"I'll get you that paper. I wouldn't miss this meeting for the world," Ayako smiled impishly at the teen.
Naru grabbed the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a long day.
After Lin had finished the wards, and Naru assured Mai she would be safe until he returned. He and Lin walked up the steps to the building that housed SPR. He nodded towards everyone waiting to be let into the office. Masako grabbed his arm and he stiffened and shot her a scathing glare.
"Miss Hara, this is not the time," he shook her off and followed Lin into the office.
Monk glanced around the room, "Hey where's Mai?"
"That's one of the things I wanted to talk about. Right now Mai is in Miss Matsuzaki's hospital."
Shocked gasps were heard from everyone, except for Naru, Lin, and Ayako.
"I'm sure by now all of you have heard about the stabbing by Shibuya Station."
"Yes we know, it sounded horrible," Masako noted.
"It was and is," he continued. "The victim is Mai, she was stabbed 20 times."
Another round of shocked gasps as Monk jumped to his feet. "Is she okay?"
Naru held out a placating hand. "She's doing as well as can be expected. This brings me to my second item, last night the spirit of one of the girls who tried to kill her yesterday attacked her. While trying to escape from police, the girl named Leiko was hit by a car and she died in the Matsuzaki hospital.
"Mai was saved twice by a woman who is sharing her hospital room. Jessica Manyhorses. I have asked her to join SPR."
Monk had a weird look on his face.
Ayako slapped him in the back of the head. "Don't ask stupid questions. She's really a nice young lady."
Masako glared, all she could see was another person to take Naru's attention away from her.
"Now on to my last order of business," Naru felt his throat tighten and he swallowed hard. "Remember the Tornado that swept through this area several weeks ago."
Everyone nodded affirmatively.
"You may not know but Mai's building was destroyed that day."
"So where has Mai been staying all this time?" Ayako gasped as a thought struck her. "Please don't tell me she's been living in a homeless shelter or worse out on the streets."
"No, Miss Matsuzaki she hasn't. She's been living with me as my girlfriend," Naru said.
At first, you could have heard a cricket at Carnegie Hall the room was so silent.
John blushed as a shy smile crossed his face.
Yasu crowed, and slapped Naru's back, "You old dog."
A sly smile crossed Ayako's face. "So this is why you haven't left her side. I thought it was something like this."
Monk jumped up and got in Naru's face. "Listen to me, she's like my little sister and if you hurt her, I swear I'll rip you limb from limb."
Lin pushed the man away from Naru. "Takigawa control yourself. All of us need to be on the same page for Mai's sake."
Masako jumped to her feet, "Naru, what about us?"
"Miss Hara there never was us, as you put it."
"What about my parent's dinner tomorrow night, you said you'd be there."
Naru grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into his office. Glaring down at her, he spoke quietly as his eyes clearly showed the anger he felt. "Would you like me to air all your dirty laundry in front of your coworkers?"
She shook her head as she fought to control her emotions.
"I didn't think so. Now drop your idea that we are a couple. I love Mai." Naru strode out of his office and returned to the group. His mask of calm firmly in place again. "Now who wants to help hunt down a spirit that's after Mai?"