They need to stay away. If they get near him, they'll all perish. He's evil. He'll use them and then throw them away as he likes! Why can't they hear me? I'm speaking clearly!

"Vade contra eum!" I shout at them all, "Et non erit tibi!"

STAY AWAY FROM HIM!

"Mai, wake up." Naru's monotone voice says. My eyes open and I see him floating above me. He raises an eyebrow, "Get up and get ready. You're coming with me."

I yawn and sit up. Naru moves backwards to allow me room to stretch and I rub the sleep from my eyes afterwards. I look up at Naru, "Where are we going?"

"Does it really matter?" His eyes flash. It's some type of challenge from him. I don't know what he's challenging me for, but I get the feeling that if I tell him that it does matter, he'll close up completely and be the Naru from before.

"No." I tell him, staring deep in to his blue eyes that seem to sparkle with something new, "I suppose it doesn't."

His face remains expressionless, but his eyes smile for me, "Then get up, idiot." I smile before standing.

About five minutes later, we walk in to the lunch room to see everyone with some type of breakfast. I squeal and run forward. Madoka laughs and tosses me some chop sticks before I devour the miso soup.

John laughs at me, "Mai, you must really like miso soup."

I lick my lips, and nod, "It's my favorite. Normally, for breakfast, I have miso soup and—" Madoka places a cup in front of me. I laugh, "Tea!"

"I don't realize you liked tea so much." John comments.

I smile at him, "Blame Naru." John and Madoka laugh as Naru glares at me from across the table. I grin at him and wink. His eyes widen slightly before he smirks at me and then sends me a look that I can happily say should be outlawed in every single country in the world.

It should be illegal for one man to make women want to drop their panties in the middle of breakfast!

'WHOA!' Gene's shocked voice bounces around in my head, 'Keep your thoughts to yourself, Mai!'

'Then get out of my head, Gene!' I yell back, fighting down the blush that's threatening to surface.

"Hurry up and eat." Naru tells me, breaking my line of thoughts with Gene, "After breakfast you're going on a walk through."

I sigh, "Yes Naru."

—

"Do you sense anything?" Naru asks me as we walk around the school in the early morning light. I move my hands in a so-so manner and he sighs. I see him reach up and rub his shoulder with his long fingers.

"Are your shoulders hurting?" I ask him. He watches me for a moment, before nodding. I gesture to a chair and he moves towards it. He sits down and I grab his shoulders with my hands, and begin to rub.

"You should have been a masseuse." He says, sounding loud in the quiet building.

I laugh, "I don't think so. I like my job." He stays silent, but I can feel the tension leave his body as I massage him in the silent school building. The sun was sending off streaks against the floor and walls. I could see our shadows being projected on to the wall.

"Did I force you in to this job, Mai?" Naru asks quietly. I could feel the rumble of his voice from his shoulders.

I stop rubbing and lean over his shoulder, "Why would you think that?" When he doesn't answer me, I sigh and walk in front of him. This was going to be so embarrassing, but whatever was running through Naru's mind was making alert signals go off in my brain.

I kneel in front of his legs and grab his larger hands in my own. He looks at me with his mask on, but the mask isn't complete. I can see the emotions churning in his eyes. In my minds eye, I see a small little boy with sad blue eyes and dark hair.

Oh, Naru.

"I don't ever want you to think that again, Naru." I tell him quietly but firmly. My hands were grasping his larger ones tightly, but his remained loose. I bite my lip, "When you first hired me, it was out of pity. One orphan helping another, and I understand that. I don't normally like it when others pity me, but your pity is what helped me realize my gifts, and it helped me meet my family. It also helped me meet Eugene, who's admittedly annoying but he's like the older brother that I never had." I swallow the lump in my throat and stare down at our hands before continuing in a whisper, "It also helped me meet you. I don't know what I would have done had I never met you, Naru."

Everything is painfully silent for a moment, before his hands tighten on my own. He sighs and leans forward. I feel cool yet oddly soft lips press against my forehead for a moment, before Naru stands up.

'He doesn't even kiss mother anymore…' Gene murmurs in the back of my mind. I ignore him though; I don't want to acknowledge what he just said.

I'm still determined to make Naru understand that I love him and not Gene (haven't exactly figured that part out yet…), but I really don't have any hope that we'll be together. I know eventually, I'll have to move on. However, in all honesty, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over my narcissistic professor.

He stands up completely and offers me a hand. We don't speak as we continue the walk through, but Naru walked closely behind me.

"So you didn't feel anything at all?" Lin asks me, typing on his laptop.

I sigh, and rub the bridge of my nose, "Well, it was like something was just barely touching the edge of my consciousness."

"Like there was something there, only it was trying to hide." Madoka says, biting her thumb.

I nod, "Exactly."

Lin and Madoka were talking to me about the walk through in the base, while Naru and John had left a little while ago to go see Yasu about the research.

A sudden wetness between my legs makes me blush and I face palm myself, "Dammit."

Madoka looks alarmed, "What's wrong, Mai?" I look at her and give her the 'you-know-what' look, and she seems to catch on. She sighs, "Mai, you're supposed to keep track of this thing. You can memorize the mother of all languages, but you can't keep track of your period?" Lin stops typing for a moment, before resuming with a small smile on his face.

I'm glad you think this is funny! I glare at the onmyoji, who just snorts in response. Madoka digs around in her purse until she produces a pad. She hands it to me with a wave of her other hand in the direction of the bathroom that had been provided to us.

On my way in, I stop by my bag and grab a fresh pair of underwear, before walking in.

•

I watch the little brown haired woman deal with that blood between her legs. That was one of the biggest turn off's about women. They bled like that every month. It was seriously gross.

But I'll be damned if this one wasn't sexy.

Long brown hair that nearly reached her waist, with cinnamon brown eyes, large breasts, a small waist, and a very plump behind. She had some muscle on her too.

I close my eyes for a moment and imagine what it would be like to have her underneath me with her face bloody from my love taps and have her screaming for me to stop. I'd continue to screw her brains out with her screaming for help… but no one would hear her.

I open my eyes to find her looking in the mirror. Her eyes are wide and she's staring directly at me. I chuckle, "Hi, little girl." I lunge. She screams and then I knock her out.

Yasuhara's Point of View:

"John." I grin at the priest that's standing there with the big boss when I open my apartment door, "Mai didn't tell me you were back from Australia."

John nods, "Yes, well, Mai is a very busy woman."

I let the two of them in and lead them to my couches. I grin at John, "You should have been with us on the last case, John. Mai could have used you guidance. She made a slime ball beat the crap out of himself." John laughs good naturedly.

"What did you find, Yasuhara?" The big boss cuts in the middle of our conversation.

I clear my throat, "Well, the school has always been just that— a school. Except, it used to also be a school for a lot of people who were being flown in during wars, for training, equipment, engineers, and pretty much everything else that has to do with that." I run a hand through my already unruly hair, "So that means that literally any language could have been in the school at the time. Now, mind you, this was nearly a hundred years ago, when mechanics was just being put on the market. Latin wasn't an uncommon language, especially in nineteenth century Japan. The fact that this ghost speaks Latin isn't surprising whatsoever.

"However, Mai got pretty specific when she called me. So, I looked in to what she told me to, and she was right. A report was written about a murder case. A girl named Abelta was going to school there while her father was working on some ships for Japan. The girl had been sheltered all her life, so the only language she knew was Latin. The boy involved, however, was very unsheltered, and he knew plenty of languages, including Latin. The report doesn't disclose his name, so I can't give you that, but I can tell you that this guy spoke to her a couple of times and they established a kind of relationship."

"What kind?" John asks me, and I laugh.

"Basically, they were friends with benefits. The girl was just playing some type of 'going against daddy's rules' thing, but it kind of backfired on her. She claims that she fell in love with him, and that's why she did it."

"Did what, exactly?" Big boss asks with narrowed eyes.

"She assaulted every female that came in to contact with him." I tell him simply, "But here's where it gets interesting, instead of leaving other girls alone, or telling the police, he just kept making conversation with random girls. Eventually, Abelta was arrested by the Japanese police."

"I thought you said it was a murder case?" John asks me, perplexed.

I nod, "It is, just give me a moment." I push my glasses up on my face, "Well, soon after, the bodies of dead girls from the high school started to turn up. They all appeared to be not only sexually assaulted, but they had been the victim of some kind of sadist with whips and chains."

"Good Lord." John says, his eyes wide.

I nod, "Yeah, it was never proven, but Abelta screamed most nights that it was the boys' fault. Finally, the police had enough of her screaming and they shot her."

"So there are a possibility of two spirits." John asks, "It could be a female still assaulting girls—"

"But you have to figure, why was she assaulting those girls?" I ask, "If her claims were true, she could have been trying to save those other girls from a fate she probably endured."

"So Abelta could be trying to ward off other girls from the young man who did all these things?" John asks quietly, "That would mean either she's confused, or the spirit of both are still in the school."

"It's a high possibility." I say, "But what gets me is, if these spirits have been here since the nineteenth century, why act out now?"

"Maybe one of the children did something to bring this all about." John says, "Maybe something like amateur devil worshipping, and instead of calling the devil, they got his demon."

"No." Big Boss cuts in our conversation suddenly, "He wouldn't be a demon yet. If he was called on by a student, then that could mean that he's transitioning between an angry spirit and a demon. If he was already a demon, Lin's shiki would have sensed it, and Mai would have—" Boss's eyes widen ever so slightly, "Mai's charms. They wouldn't work against him."

"Oh no." I say, a sudden sense of foreboding filling me until it feels like I'm going to throw up.

As if on que (I swear God hates us, sorry John) Boss' cellphone rings, and he answers, "Madoka, tell me you aren't calling because Mai's gone missing." … "We'll be right over."

He hangs up and stands, "Yasuhara—"

"I'm coming," I say, grabbing my apartment keys and my wallet, "Let's go." I follow a hurried John and Boss in to a sleek looking black car. A few moments later, we're speeding down the road to go save our favorite little cinnamon-eyed secretary.

—

We're there in under ten minutes, although considering we were doing fifty in a twenty-five, I'd say we got there quicker than we were supposed to. It's a wonder we weren't stopped by the police. Lin is standing by the door when we show up. Soon we're following the long legged man in to the school, and in the back of my mind, I'm wondering where everyone is. It's very early in the morning, but it's nearly six o'clock, and I don't see any teachers or janitors or anything like that. The halls are completely empty.

"Oh, good, you're here." Madoka says on a sigh of relief as we walk in.

Just in an attempt to lighten the mood, I grin at the pink-haired woman, "I know you're completely in love with me, but for Gods' sake woman, you're married!" Madoka rolls her eyes, but grins at me.

"What happened?" Boss asks in a measured tone.

"Mai was having…" Madoka pauses, "Issues, and—"

"What kinds of issues?" I ask, curiosity making me lean forward.

Madoka sighs, "She'd started her monthly."

I feel my face scrunch up, "Gross."

Madoka rolls her eyes, but continues, "She went to the bathroom, and then we heard her scream. Lin kicked the door in, but Mai had already been taken." She looks at Boss, "Mai may be an idiot, but she's not stupid. She wears that bracelet you gave her for graduation all the time. It's water resistant, so she literally never takes it off."

I keep forgetting it was Boss that had sent that to her.

The dark haired professor sighs, "Well, with out Hara-san's help, the only way we would be able to find her in time is with psychometry."

"But won't that harm you?" I ask, "You know Mai would kick all of our asses if anybody ended up in the hospital over her." John casts me a look, and I grin sheepishly at him.

Oops. Forgot. No cussing in front of the Father. It's a pet peeve of his.

"I don't believe it's any of your business." Boss tells me coolly. I roll my eyes as he walks over to her bag. After digging in it for a moment, he pulls out her wallet. In the front of it is a slide, and he pulls two pictures out. One is a photo of a gorgeous woman with big cinnamon eyes and a wide smile holding on to her baby belly, and behind her is a man with brown hair and a happy tilt to his otherwise straight face.

These were Mai's parents.

Madoka sighs, "I never get tired of seeing that picture. She looks so much like her mom." Lin nods in agreement.

We all watch as the boss stares at the photograph impassively, before looking at the second one. It's a picture of the entire SPR team. It was just before we left to go on the case that would eventually lead us to Eugene Davis' body. Mai was still sixteen and she had her short hair. I was standing next to her while Monk was behind her next to Ayako. Boss was standing on the other side of Mai, with Lin behind him and Masako on the other side of him. I'm not even sure who was taking the picture. I think it was timed.

Sometimes I missed the days when Mai was still that happy-go-lucky and that careless, but then I remember how grateful she is for the rest of us, and I can't help but be grateful for my favorite little fire cracker either.

Boss silently closes his eyes and grasps each photograph in a different hand. Soon enough, Boss opens his eyes, "She's in some type of storage unit." He turns to me, "Get the blue print."

I run over and grab the large piece of paper. I trace a line to all of the storage units. There are eight of them. I glance up, and there are only five of us.

Dammit!

Madoka grins suddenly, and walks over to Mai's bag. She pulls out the little pink cell phone and flips it's open. Whoever she calls, she puts it on speak phone, and they answer on the second ring, "Hiya Mai-chan!"

That was a guy. A younger sounding guy, but still a guy. Why the hell would Mai have the phone number of a younger guy on her phone? I'm curious now.

"Metigami Natsu! This is Koujo Madoka, I work with Mai. We need your help. Mai's gone missing and we don't have enough people to cover the building. Bring your brother."

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" The boy answers cheerfully, and then hangs up.

Madoka calls someone else, and they pick up on the first ring, "What's wrong?" The voice was really deep and made the phone visibly vibrate in Madoka's hand.

"Hakashi-kun!" Madoka greets cheerfully and surprisingly informally. She must have met him earlier yesterday, while Hakashi-san was helping with the base, and they must have become friends, "Mai's gone missing and I was wondering if you would like to come help us look for her?"

"I have chest club at two-thirty." Hakashi-san says, "As long as we're done before then."

"I'm sure we will be."

"Then I'm on my way." The phone hangs up.

"When did all of them trade numbers?" John asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"She had all of their numbers before they left the office." Boss says, "Mai always keeps our clients' numbers on hand for situations."

Fifteen minutes later, all three boys are here. Apparently, these same three boys were the ones who had shown up at the office with the case. They looked like an odd bunch. For one, two of them were twins, but one of them wore glasses. They both had bright orange hair and bright golden colored eyes. They were about my height, and to be honest, they looked pretty damn awesome.

The last guy was humongous. He was almost as tall as Lin, with silver hair and dark eyes. He looked like he played some type of sport, but he apparently didn't if he had to be back for chess club. I can bet you no one messed with the chess club though.

"Alright, boys," Madoka says, ushering them over to the blue prints, "There are eight storage rooms, and Mai is in one of them. I need you three to check this one, this one, and this one." She points the three closest to us out.

"We'll take this one and this one." Natsu says, pointing to the two nearest to the base.

"I'll take this one." Hakashi-san says, pointing to the one by the gyms. He left the closest one after the twins' out.

"I'll do this one then, I guess." Madoka says, sounding annoyed. She just wanted to get away from the base, and also annoyed that Hakashi-san didn't listen to her.

Lin smirks at her, "Noll and I will do these." He points to the ones farthest away from here. Madoka scowls at him and I laugh.

"Then I'll do the last one."

"Alright," Boss says, "Grab a radio and go."

"Empty over here." Madoka says.

"Nothing here." Natsu chirps.

"Or here." Kaname chimes after his brother.

"She isn't here either." I say in to the walkie talkie.

"It's clear." Lin's deep voice says.

"I found her." Hakashi-san rumbles, "You might want to come see though." I run towards Hakashi-san's closet. We all get there at the same time, and we find a shirtless Hakashi-san holding his now soaked shirt to a large gash on Mai's cheek.

"Lin, call an ambulance." Boss and Madoka say at the same time. Madoka shrugs off her jacket and rips the sleeve off. She folds it in squares and holds it to Mai's face.

"Uh, Boss Man," my teeth chatter, "You might want to calm down a little." The man in question was staring down at Mai with frosty eyes. His hands were clenched at his sides, and I could see a nerve jumping in his jaw.

"Noll." Lin growls before answering the person on the other end.

"What's wrong with him?" Natsu asks me, huddling in to himself in an effort to escape the freezing atmosphere.

"Boss has an ability that can cause the temperature to drop when he gets angry or frustrated." I bite out, "Right now, I think he's angry."

"That's unfortunate." A deep and twisted voice says. We all look up to see a warped man standing in front of Mai.

Boss growls, the sound barely sounding human. I'm forced to my knees as a pressure settles over all of us. The only person that doesn't crouch to the ground is the boss man himself.

Oh no.

Boss is losing it.