Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. If I did, the novels would have come out in English long ago.
*****ATTENTION, PLEASE READ! APPARENTLY, THERE WAS A GLITCH ON THE SITE BACK IN MAY, AND NOTIFICATIONS FOR MY LAST UPDATE NEVER WENT OUT. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'VE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU READ THIS ONE!;)
-0O0-
Chapter 35 – Misunderstanding and Misdirection
-0O0-
The room itself was silent, though the thoughts of everyone in it were practically screaming.
Mai stared at Naru, wondering desperately what he was thinking.
Naru stared at the molding, trying not to think what he was thinking.
Madoka stared between Mai and Naru, waiting for one of them to crack.
Lin stared fixedly at the computer screen, wanting very much to grab Madoka and vacate the area immediately.
This situation was definitely not meant for an audience... ugh, and of course Madoka looked positively riveted. Lin couldn't really blame her, though – Noll hadn't shown this much shock since they'd stumbled across the lake containing Gene's body.
Eventually, the silence grew so oppressive that Naru resurfaced from his internal struggle to deal with it. Concerned that his feigned equanimity would falter upon meeting Mai's eyes, Naru focused his laser-stare on Madoka.
Who promptly winked at him. Twice.
Naru's hackles rose immediately – Madoka knew, didn't she? Naru should have realized that any effort to conceal his intracranial battle would be wasted against Madoka's borderline-supernatural powers of observation. If Gene hadn't already been able to psychically pick emotions out of his twin's head, Naru reckoned that Madoka could have taught him how.
Then something clicked in Naru's head – Gene. Gene's spirit! That's what this mess was supposed to be about. At last, Naru had found a flat surface on which to stand.
Madoka's only warning was the sudden visible smugness in Naru's expression.
"Weren't you just as worried about Gene as I was, Madoka?" he asked condescendingly. "I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish by sitting there and winking like a fool."
"What?" Madoka asked in disbelief. Was he seriously going to turn this back around?
Her former student ignored the exclamation. "In case you've forgotten, Mai," Naru said to the space next to Mai's chair, "The state of Gene's spirit is a definite cause for concern." Confident that his incendiary words would push Mai back into Angry Mode, Naru finally chanced a look...
...and was totally brought up short by the stricken expression on Mai's face. What the –?
"Right... Gene's spirit," Mai almost whispered.
Dr. Oliver Davis felt an unusual impulse to smack himself upside the head. In his wild attempt to distract himself and Madoka from his troubling self-realization, Naru had completely lost sight of Mai's feelings for Gene. An uncomfortable swirl of guilt and pain swept the ghost hunter.
"I'm sorry, Naru," Mai warbled, her body seeming to collapse in on itself. "I wasn't really listening."
Wait, why did she sound more worried and depressed about him than Gene? Feeling wrong-footed for the nth time in an hour, Naru tried to sift through Mai's response.
His thoughts were torpedoed by Mai's leaning in and smiling through obvious sadness. "Gene's fine, Naru – I promise." Her voice throbbed with sincerity.
Naru opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"I'm sorry I got carried away. I know you're all worried about Gene." Mai looked down at her hands, and Naru felt an incredibly unwelcome urge to go over and comfort her. Thank goodness Madoka and Lin were in the room, or he might actually have done it.
It can't be that,Naru told himself. There has to be another reason for my jealousy. It CAN'T be that.
"We just had a stupid argument," Mai insisted. "I'm sure Gene will get over it." She smiled softly, rolling her eyes. Naru felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.
It can't be that. That would be foolish... and pointless.
The denial sounded weaker than it ever had, and Naru's just-punched stomach twisted.
"Anyway," Mai said, her gloved fingers locking tightly together atop her knees, "I promise I will tell you if anything about Gene's spirit feels... wrong."
Naru just stared.
"I'm worried about him, too, remember?" Mai reminded him gently.
Feeling oddly like he wanted to scream, Naru swallowed the hot flash of something in his throat. "Yes, I remember." The memory of Mai smiling as she described the wonderfulness of 'dream Naru' crawled slowly across his mind.
Meanwhile, Lin had to physically restrain Madoka from leaping up and getting in the middle of this admittedly huge miscommunication.
"But –" Madoka started.
"Just don't," Lin insisted. Madoka wanted Noll to figure out his feelings – and the more pronounced Noll's jealousy became, the more obvious its cause would be.
Their hushed voices snapped Mai out of her staring contest with Naru. She had completely forgotten that anyone else was there! "And I promise I'll tell you, too, Madoka," she added hastily. "I really didn't mean to upset you guys... I would never let Gene go to the bad."
Madoka struggled between murmuring words of thanks and knocking their damn heads together.
"It's fine, Mai-san," Lin said firmly (while pulling Madoka's rolling chair back towards himself). "We shouldn't have been so quick to accuse you."
To his satisfaction, both Noll and Madoka looked slightly awkward at this pronouncement. At least something useful came out of this incredibly uncomfortable conversation, Lin thought. Neither Noll nor Madoka would be jumping down Mai's throat about Gene anytime soon.
"All of you should go to bed," the onmyouji continued authoritatively, knowing none of the 'bosses' in the room were in any shape to argue. "If any of you would like to be useful tomorrow, you'll need some sleep."
Naru rose robotically from his chair, and swept from the room without another word.
Madoka shook her head in amazement, then took Mai's hand and pulled her out the door.
Lin picked up Naru's abandoned research, and settled in to watch the monitors. Somebody had to focus on the case...
-0O0-
"Right, so did something happen?" an excited voice asked.
Mai squinted into the ether until she detected Gene race-walking towards her. "I thought you weren't speaking to me," she sniffed.
"Well, that was before I found out that Noll –" Gene stopped himself just in time. Noll was still in the process of figuring things out; there was no way he'd confessed yet. "That Noll was having some... personal issues," the spirit guide finished cagily. Personal enough to interest Mai, yet vague enough to encompass several options.
And Mai's eyes lit up immediately. "Wait, you know what's wrong with Naru?" she asked eagerly. "Oh, thank goodness! He's been so weird for the last couple of days, and I have no idea what to do! I keep telling him that I want to help –"
Gene could just imagine how that offer had gone over.
"But he just won't let me in!" Mai continued desperately. "And Madoka already knows what's going on," she informed her spirit guide.
Of course she does. Gene grinned.
"So I was thinking that maybe I could get it out of her somehow," Mai explained. Not only did Madoka love to gossip, but she had asked Mai to help Naru the last time he'd needed someone to talk to.
"Maybe," Gene said doubtfully. Madoka would be dying to tell Mai exactly what was 'wrong' with Noll... but she wouldn't. In the end, it wasn't her place. Instead, Madoka would hand out as many cryptic clues as possible - just like Gene intended to do.
"But that doesn't matter anymore," Mai said with relish. "You can tell me what's going on!" When Gene remained strangely silent, Mai tried again. "You will tell me, right?"
Her pleading, shining eyes were almost too much to resist; Gene wondered how Noll had managed it. "Well... no," he replied.
Mai's mouth dropped open. "What?!" she cried incredulously. "Why not?"
"Because my confessing Noll's affection will only make his paranoia about my relationship with you even worse," Gene muttered dryly.
Mai couldn't make out the words, but she recognized Gene's exasperated expression. "Is it because you're still mad at me?" she asked heavily.
Gene raised an eyebrow. "No," he said succinctly. He was still mad at her, but that had nothing to do with it.
"Cause that's not fair to Naru," Mai warned.
"Not fair to Naru?" Gene laughed in disbelief. "You mean not fair to you. You're the one who wants to know." But now that she mentioned it... "Though given your rampant promise-breaking, it would be completely fair of me to keep things from you."
Mai rolled her eyes. "As revenge for my not keeping things from Lin-san?" she guessed.
"Exactly." Gene glared.
Mai glared back – and suddenly realized something important. "Wait a minute!" she accused. "You saw Naru tonight!"
"And?"
"He doesn't know anything about the transfer, does he?" Mai asked pointedly.
Gene pursed his lips.
"Does he?" Mai repeated.
"No," Gene admitted. When Mai smiled victoriously, he hastened to add, "Not yet, anyway."
"Oh, come off it!" Mai cried. "Lin-san has known for weeks now, and he hasn't even told Madoka!"
"That you know of," Gene retorted. "But you're right - Lin hasn't told Noll, and he won't..."
Mai fist-pumped.
"Until it suits him," the spirit guide finished smarmily.
Mai wished Gene's foot was closer so she could stomp on it. "Nooooo, he won't tell because he promised!"
"Lin will always hold what he thinks is better for Noll above a promise," Gene argued.
Mai considered his words – given Lin's status as Naru's former bodyguard, Gene was probably right. "Okay, fine," she relented. "But even so, how is that a problem?" Gene opened his mouth to respond, but Mai held up a hand. "If it's better for Naru to know, then so be it. That was our plan, anyway," she pointed out.
Gene sighed. "That's true," he admitted finally. Mai grinned, and Gene rushed to qualify his statement. "But you have to understand, Mai-chan. We're in a very delicate situation, what with Noll being such a stubborn berk." About a few things. "This has to be handled carefully, and I won't be able to help immediately..."
"All the more reason to involve someone who has lots of experience dealing with Naru," Mai contested.
"Yes, but Lin will eventually tell Madoka." Gene stated with certainty. "And then Madoka will tell Father, and then..."
"Everyone will find out," Mai allowed. "But that was always going to happen," she reminded Gene. "And as of now, Lin recognizes the necessity of keeping the transfer a secret until I'm trained up." Mai paused to glare at her spirit guide. "So shut up about it, already. I can't make Lin forget what I told him, so this whole argument is pointless."
Gene smiled ruefully. "You sound like Noll."
"Maybe our personalities are syncing along with our powers," Mai suggested sarcastically.
"Noll would say it's because you're unconsciously mimicking the behaviors of the person whose attention you crave most," Gene noted slyly.
"Then in his mind, I should act more like you," Mai retorted.
Gene sighed again. "Don't worry, Mai-chan. He'll figure out how you really feel soon enough."
Instead of smiling sadly at his words of comfort (like Gene expected), Mai looked up with terrified eyes. "Don't say that!" she cried. "Naru would be so uncomfortable around me that we wouldn't even be friends anymore!"
With a sinking heart, Gene remembered that Noll's misunderstanding was actually only Central Problem 1 of 2. Even once Noll did realize the truth, there would still be Mai's staunch belief that Noll couldn't possibly love her back. Gene groaned internally.
Hmm... maybe I could send Mai back with a coded message to Madoka. Something like, 'just lock them up until they get the idea.' Gene could tell Mai that he was talking about trapping the ghosts up together... no, given their current topic of discussion, Mai might see through that...
"And then how could I be his partner?" Mai continued, practically hyperventilating.
Gene was almost positive that Noll would love that Mai was his new partner... once he got over the initial shocked-betrayed-angry freak-out. "It'll be fine," Gene assured. "Trust me."
But Mai didn't want to talk about her Naru-problems anymore, and endeavored to shift the conversation back to their original argument. "Then trust me when I say that that telling Lin-san was a good idea," she shot back.
"Agree to disagree," Gene offered, realizing it was time to leave off both arguments. When Mai balked, he continued, "That's the best you'll get out of me." And yes, I'll leave the Noll issue alone for the time being. "Besides, I need to tell you something about the ghosts."
"You already did – one murdered the other." Mai grimaced. "Besides, I got to experience it for myself earlier this evening."
"No, not really," Gene shook his head. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. You didn't stay for the end."
"Well, Madoka woke me up," Mai explained. "But it was pretty obvious what was about to happen."
"Madoka woke you?" Gene repeated grimly. "Then she needs to be careful. Linda – the female ghost – isn't happy right now." Suddenly, the dream world warped a little – everything turned a shade darker, and a slow chill crept over his skin. Gene sucked in a breath. He shouldn't have used Linda's name...
"You say that like ghosts are happy in general," Mai joked. Then she noticed the changing atmosphere of their meeting place. "What's happening?" she asked nervously.
"The ghosts aren't thrilled with all of this interference," Gene surmised. "You should get back, Mai-chan. Tell everybody that it will be worse today."
"Worse?" Mai gasped. "There were three attacks yesterday!"
"Just tell them," Gene insisted. "Lin's shiki is guarding your room, so get as much real sleep as you can – because it is going to get worse." Without further ado, Gene reached out and pushed against Mai's forehead. "Tell them to watch out," he reiterated.
Mai was suddenly so exhausted that she hardly even woke upon falling back into her body. As her head sank back onto the pillow, Mai wondered hazily whether Gene was just strengthening the connection between Mai and her weary body, or if he could somehow actually make her sleepy. Maybe she should ask Naru in the morning...
-0O0-
Madoka Mori stared fixedly at the back of Mai Taniyama's head, silently mulling over interrogation methodologies.
Mai had pretty much identified the major players and motivations of the house's ghost population, so all that was really left was deciding on an exorcism technique. It was also apparent that Noll and Mai were not going to wind up making out in a closet on this case, so Madoka had decided to follow Lin's advice and leave it alone. For now.
Consequently, Madoka elected to focus her energies on the next item on her list – rumbling the Big Secret Thing happening under her nose.
"Mai-chan, is Koujo's shiki still in here?" Madoka asked casually. She wanted to question Mai and Koujo separately, so the last thing Madoka needed was her sneaky boyfriend's shiki to tattle on her.
"No," Mai replied, brushing out her wet hair. She was glad that the shiki had left when they'd woken up - showering while being watched was not pleasant.
"Excellent," Madoka muttered to herself. "Now, how to begin?" Years of training encouraged Madoka to line up the facts – and everything she'd observed thus far suggested that Mai, Gene, and Lin were working together to hide something from herself and Noll.
Which was strange all on its own, really – if anything, the teams should be Mai, Gene, and Madoka vs. Noll and Lin. Or even Noll, Lin, and Madoka vs. Mai and Gene. In all her years with SPR, Madoka couldn't remember Lin ever siding against both her and Noll simultaneously. Not even once.
And honestly... what could have compelled Mai go to Koujo for help? Though Koujo's unspoken affection for Mai might render him willing to assist, Madoka would definitely expect Mai to ask someone else first (herself included).
So what was going on?
The state of things in their little circle was even weirder than usual – Noll was in the midst of an emotional epiphany, Koujo was keeping secrets from her, Mai was up to something sneaky, and the always-informed Yasu wasn't sure what was going on. (Madoka had texted him immediately upon waking.)
Madoka briefly considered calling Ayako for information... but then the bride-to-be would openly grill Mai, and Madoka would be rumbled. No, she'd stick to questioning Mai and Koujo.
Thinking Koujo's name pissed Madoka off all over again – seriously, why was he even involved? The last time she checked, Lin had been driving the 'stay out of it' bandwagon...
Movement on Madoka's periphery drew her attention back to the next bed, and she watched Mai re-tie the bow on her left glove.
"I can usually judge how active a haunting is by how many times a day I have to tie these," the teen psychic announced.
Despite her mood, Madoka couldn't help chuckling. "And the verdict?"
"This is the most action I've seen in about a year."
The lead investigator nodded thoughtfully. "We did have three major incidents yesterday." Madoka studied Mai's arm-coverings. "You have a pull, there – by the elbow."
Gasping, Mai slapped a hand over the offending joint. Then she wiggled her fingers, feeling around for the weak spot.
"Other glove, Mai-chan," Madoka drawled. "And you seriously need to calm down about the scars. Do you really think my seeing them would matter?"
A flash of nervousness sped across Mai's face. "It would matter to..." Gene. "Me," she finished aloud.
An alarm sounded in Madoka's head - something was off in Mai's tone.
"Do you think Naru's feeling okay?" Mai asked abruptly, the thought of Gene reminding her to ask this very important question. Gene had refused to tell her what was going on with Naru, so Madoka was her last hope.
"Huh?" Madoka had been too busy thinking to pay attention. "What about Noll?"
Mai blushed at Madoka's sudden and direct stare. "Do you think Naru's... feeling okay?" she repeated shyly.
"I think he'd feel more okay if you were open about your dealings with Gene," Madoka said bluntly, figuring that Mai was referencing last night's (surface) issue.
Mai's eyes widened. "I – I wasn't talking about that," she stammered. "I meant about his – well, you said he was having, um..."
"Spit it out, Mai-chan!"
"Emotional problems!" Mai finally yelled.
Madoka had to grin. "So I did." Yes, Noll was having emotional problems – long-overdue, inappropriately hilarious emotional problems.
The lead investigator's sly smile only worsened Mai's embarrassment. "I, um, I'm worried about him," she managed to explain. "But Naru won't tell me why he's upset."
At this, Madoka had to bite down forcefully on her tongue. No matter how badly she wanted to move the action, Madoka grudgingly agreed with Koujo – no one else could confess for Noll. "Well," she hedged, "That might be because Noll himself doesn't really know."
Mai frowned. "Yeah, he said something like that..."
Madoka's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Noll did?" How unexpectedly forward of him. "And you said he doesn't open up to you."
The teen psychic only blushed harder. "Well, I kind of forced it out of him," she admitted.
"Whatever it takes," Madoka encouraged brazenly. "Keep at it, Mai-chan."
Mai bit her lip, obviously lost as to what 'keeping at it' entailed – but Madoka was more than ready with a suggestion. "You could probably get the ball rolling by telling him about that fight with Gene." And while you're at it, tell ME, too.
Now it was Mai's turn to be surprised. "What? No way!" she refused. "That would start more of a fight than it would end," she added unthinkingly.
And Madoka jumped on it. "Really? Why would that be?" she asked casually, hoping to take advantage of Mai's distraction.
But Mai was so conditioned not to talk directly about the transfer that lack of focus wasn't a problem. "Because," she replied hazily.
"Ugh, because why?" Madoka officially lost her patience. "What aren't you telling us, Mai-chan?"
Instead of responding, Mai spun in place on the bed.
"Don't ignore me," Madoka warned – but Mai waved a frantic hand.
"One of the spirits is here," she whispered urgently. Now that she thought about it, Gene had said it would be even more active today...
Madoka stood, instantly on guard. "Which spirit?"
Mai's eyes swept the room. She hated not being able to see the ghost... "I think it's the woman," Mai finally pronounced. "Linda."
Madoka relaxed infinitesimally. "At least it's not the killer," she mumbled.
But Mai sucked in a frightened breath. The minute Madoka said 'killer,' the feeling in the air changed. "What the –?"
A loud popping noise informed the girls that the lamp between their beds had shorted out. Bravely, Madoka bent down to check out whether the bulb had burst...
...and the lamp whipped upwards, connecting hard with Madoka's skull.
Mai watched, horrified, as the lead investigator's eyes rolled into the back of her head before she fell face-first onto the bed. "Naru!" Mai screamed. Red, wet blood spread across the pillowcase. "NARU!"
As the sound of running feet pounded down the hall, Mai raised her arms into a defensive posture and faced the now-visible Linda. "Why are you suddenly attacking?" Mai accused, completely forgetting Gene's warning and Masako's lessons about speaking calmly to spirits. "You were fine before... well, better than that other guy!"
The ghost's eyes flashed.
I need help! Linda's angry voice sounded in Mai's head.
"Whacking people with furniture isn't exactly going to inspire their generosity!" Mai observed, trying not to look at Madoka's very still body.
I need YOUR help, was the only reply.
"You should have just said that!" Mai replied, moving swiftly around the bed and stepping between the spirit and Madoka. "You don't have to attack my friends to get my attention."
Linda shifted a bit, highlighting the huge translucent stain on her chest. A warning rang out in the back of Mai's mind – something about that wasn't right... but a familiar whistle broke her concentration.
Lin's shiki lit up the room, but the ghost vanished before the glowing ball of light got anywhere near her. By the time Lin, Naru and Gregory raced into the bedroom, all that remained was that metallic dragging sound... and Madoka out cold on the bed.
"Guys, Madoka needs medical attention!" Mai yelled. "Like right now!"
Less than a second later, Lin was on his knees beside his girlfriend. Naru sat down on the opposite side of the bed, studying Madoka's wound.
"Mai?" he asked quietly. "Can you sense that she's conscious at all?"
"No," Mai breathed, her voice rising in panic.
Naru nodded grimly, reaching out with a cautious hand. Very, very carefully, Naru touched Madoka's less-bloody temple – and used qigong to pass a small wave of PK from himself to his unconscious mentor.
Locked onto it as she was, Mai felt a disturbance ripple through Madoka's aura. "That did something, Naru," she reported, walking around the bed and leaning over him. "Do it again."
Mai was so close that Naru could smell her freshly-washed hair... and how could he be thinking about that while Madoka was bleeding inches away? "Back up," Naru hissed, trying to ignore the warmth of Mai's bare leg against his knee.
His next poke to Madoka's head was consequently harder – but apparently, that was a good thing. Madoka groaned softly, leaning into Lin as his hand moved to cradle her head.
Naru heard Mai suck in a breath. "She's coming around!" the teen psychic squealed into his ear.
Had she gotten closer? Naru swiveled around to censure Mai – and missed colliding with her face by an inch.
Much closer, he thought numbly.
Naru's gaze fell inexorably to Mai's shocked-open mouth. Mai had shot backwards when she felt him move... if she hadn't, Naru would have wound up kissing her.
The surge of emotion that this realization engendered was almost unmanageable. Naru was absolutely sure that the tumult in his head was visible on his face – and Mai was staring straight at him. She looked just as stunned as Naru knew he did – at least he wasn't blushing, though.
Though how could he be sure when the heat from Mai's face felt like it was burning right into him?
Naru knew he should say something... but his brain was blank and his mouth refused to form words.
"Noll! Mai!" Lin's voice barked. "Get cold water and some gauze!"
More used to getting caught up in the moment, Mai actually snapped out of it first. "Right! So sorry, Lin-san!" Mai turned around and raced for the base, berating herself for standing there like a love-struck idiot while Lin tried to revive Madoka.
Naru moved unthinkingly over to the window, pulling out his phone with hands of stone. He punched in the number for the nearest hospital (Naru always made sure to have such information handy on cases), and informed the receptionist of Madoka's condition.
"The ambulance is coming," he reported tonelessly upon hanging up. "They said to avoid moving her head very much, though it's a good sign she's awake."
"You used PK to wake her up, right Dr. Davis?" Gregory asked, his voice a mix of nervousness and amazement.
Naru had forgotten he was even there.
Lin's head snapped up. "You did what, Noll?"
"I'll be fine," Naru said dismissively. "It was hardly anything." He could not say that about whatever had just happened with Mai.
"Noll," Lin started.
Unfortunately, Mai chose that moment to come back with the bandages – and ended up receiving the long, hard stare that Lin would have leveled at Naru.
"Sorry it took so long," Mai apologized, misreading Lin's anger. She sat down on the bed, handing Lin a wet washcloth and a roll of gauze.
Lin shook his head very slightly. "Are you sure you didn't use too much PK, Noll?" he asked pointedly, eyes on Mai.
Mai's own eyes widened – she hadn't even thought about the PK! Did Lin mean that she should go over and level out Naru's energy? But he looked okay... and he felt okay to her senses.
"Yes," Naru insisted, idly wondering how Lin could be so aloof and yet so nagging at the same time.
Though at least if his mind was idly wondering about something, it must be working properly again.
And indeed, Naru's mind was working properly again – and all too ready to account for its temporary breakdown. Naru gritted his teeth, fighting very hard against the increasingly clear conclusion to his quandary.
Meanwhile, Lin looked to Mai for confirmation of Noll's PK status report. Finally understanding what he wanted from her, Mai scrutinized Naru carefully before nodding slightly.
Lin breathed a sigh of relief. At least there would only be one hospital patient today.
The barely-conscious Madoka groaned in pain as Lin pressed the gauze into her hair, mollified only by a soft wet something sweeping across her forehead. She vaguely thought she heard clinking in the distance - sort of like the noise a wire fence made when someone climbed it. "Are we outside?" Madoka asked confusedly.
Lin, Naru, Mai and Gregory exchanged a four-way look of concern.
"No," Lin answered slowly.
"I hear something... clinking..." Madoka told her boyfriend.
Lin was more concerned with the slurry quality of her words than their meaning. "The ambulance will be here soon," he reassured her.
"Clinking, not dragging?" Naru asked interestedly, realizing that Madoka must be hearing the noise that he and Mai noticed yesterday. But to him, it had sounded like dragging – and Mai had said the same.
"I used to climb a lot," Madoka replied unhelpfully. "Haunted places have big fences."
"You mean you investigated private property when you were a kid?" Mai asked shrewdly.
Lin and Naru looked up, surprised by Mai's deduction. She threw them a dirty look.
"Well, how else was I going to research?" Madoka mumbled. Then her face screwed up in pain. "The clinking is hurting my head."
Naru glanced at the most reliable medium in the room – but Mai shook her head. "I don't hear anything," she said softly. In all the chaos, she hadn't even noticed that the dragging sound had stopped.
"I do," Gregory said unexpectedly. "It does sound more like clinking than dragging."
Mai and Naru exchanged another look. "Maybe it's the other ghost?" Mai suggested. "One drags, one clinks?"
Naru sighed in frustration. "I have nothing better at the moment," he admitted. Any further thoughts were lost as the screeching of an ambulance cut into his awareness.
"Oh nooo, the cops are here again," Madoka groaned. "Better sneak out the back."
Given the situation, Mai tried not to laugh. She had, in fact, almost smothered the urge to giggle when Lin cracked up.
Mai wasn't sure whether to be more amazed that Lin was laughing, or that he managed to hold his hand perfectly still against Madoka's injured head while laughing. She looked to Naru for an answer... and found him fighting a smile, as well.
"We will make sure to re-enact this moment for Madoka when she is fully conscious," Naru drawled amusedly.
Mai's mirth bubbled over, and Naru felt a swoop in his stomach as the wide smile he was used to girls aiming at Gene was directed at him. Feeling off-kilter again, Naru closed his eyes and waited for the world to go right.
"Gregory, go flag down the paramedics," he ordered. "I'll go set up the autopilot on the cameras, and Mai –" Naru's eyes snapped open. Did he always say her name like that? His voice actually sounded warmer when... "Please pack Madoka an overnight bag for the hospital," Naru finished stiltedly, almost racing for the door.
Mai gave Lin an astonished look. "Yeesh, is Naru that twitchy about smiling in public?"
-0O0-
Hours later, Mai sat in base and sipped her tea. "How are you doing, Madoka?" she asked feelingly.
The older woman shrugged – and then winced. "Not great," she grumbled. "The drugs are wearing off." Madoka threw her boyfriend some sad-puppy eyes.
"You can have another pill in an hour," Lin stated uncompromisingly.
"Half an hour," Madoka haggled.
"No."
"Forty-five minutes?"
"Just give it to her now, Lin," Naru advised, not looking up from the case update he was typing for Martin. "Madoka obviously wants to take a second trip to the hospital; a drug overdose should do the trick."
"Naru!" yelled a scandalized Mai.
"Nooollll," Madoka moaned. "I do not have the patience for this right now."
"Exactly what I think to myself every time you go off on a foolish tangent about nothing," Naru informed her.
"Narcissist!" Mai scolded. "Leave Madoka alone! She's got a concussion and stitches!"
"So it would be okay if she only had the concussion?" Gregory asked curiously.
"No," Mai qualified tightly. "But I thought the excessive number of injuries might spark some compassion!"
"Two hardly counts as excessive," Naru noted evenly.
"So then what's your threshold for compassion, Noll?" Madoka asked leadingly, her drugged-up mind feeling less inclined to leave Noll alone about his Inner Drama. If he was giving her no quarter, then she'd do the same...
"Probably ten injuries," Mai muttered.
"Five?" Gregory guessed. That sounded like more than enough to inspire anyone's compassion.
Madoka's eyes glittered wickedly. "Nah – it must be three."
Naru raised a querulous eyebrow. "Three is only one more than two," he stated.
"Ah, but evidence speaks for itself," Madoka flashed a smarmy grin. "Mai-chan sustained three injuries on the Reed case... and you were certainly compassionate then, Noll."
Naru stopped typing mid-word.
"Carried her out to the car..." Madoka sang.
"So did Lin," Naru bit out.
"Threatened at the doctors in the ER to get her faster treatment..."
"We needed to get back to work."
"Offered to pay out of pocket when we couldn't find her insurance information..."
"How did you know–?" Naru cleared his throat. "Of course I offered to pay on behalf of SPR – Mai is an employee."
"Right, that's why you pulled out your personal credit card instead of the company one." Madoka offered the gaping Mai a drug-addled wink.
"I didn't have the company card," Naru replied through gritted teeth.
"I was standing about five feet away from you, waving it in the air," his former instructor noted meanly. "Gee, I wonder why -"
CRACK!
Madoka's drinking glass broke in half, and a small deluge of water sloshed onto the floor.
"Um... my bad?" Mai apologized. It had to have been her – Naru had way too much self-control to poltergeist. It was odd that she hadn't felt her powers spilling over like usual... but then again, Mai's focus had been on tamping down the raging-blushing-nervousness caused by Madoka's insinuations.
Meanwhile, Naru closed his eyes and forcibly slammed down the mental guards which hemmed in his PK. Even as energy swirled through him like a tempest, Naru couldn't quite believe that he had just poltergeisted like an over-emotional novice. His PK was much closer to the surface than usual, since he'd actually used it today... but seriously.
Luckily, Mai seemed to be taking credit for his disturbing lack of control. The glass was just about the same distance from Mai as from Naru, so it was feasible that the easily-rattled Mai had lost control of her powers and broken it. Mai's obvious embarrassment helped his case, as well – she appeared just as uncomfortable with Madoka's idiocy as Naru felt. Of course, her embarrassment was likely fueled by uneasiness – after all, Mai's romantic interest lay elsewhere.
This time, the sick feeling in Naru's gut was less of a surprise... though no less unwanted. It can't be that.
"You feeling okay, Noll?" Madoka probed mercilessly. "You look rather ruffled."
Naru threw her the most savage glare he could muster without losing grip on his still-spiking powers.
"There's something strange on the monitor," Lin interrupted loudly, turning so that his eyes could bore into Madoka's. Was she trying to cause another scene?
Foolish question, the onmyouji realized as Madoka put out her tongue. Of course she was.
"What is it, Lin?" Naru asked, beyond ready to change the subject. He moved swiftly over to the computers, Gregory on his heels.
As he hadn't actually seen anything strange, Lin had to think fast. "I saw a flash in the hallway... but I think it was something in base throwing light on the screen."
Naru frowned – Lin rarely made such a mistake. "We won't know unless we rewind the tape," he reasoned, sitting down beside Lin.
Deciding to flee while Naru's back was turned, Mai leapt from her seat and grabbed the tea tray. "I'm going to make more tea," she whispered to Madoka, keeping her voice low so that no one else could hear. Naru and Lin would almost certainly order Gregory to go with her, and Mai really needed a moment alone.
Or rather, Mai's instincts told her that the ghost wanted her alone.
The minute Mai had re-focused on the case, she'd felt a strong, deep-rooted urge to find Linda. The dragging noise was back, too - and it was obvious that no one else heard it.
Madoka just waved a cheery good-bye as Mai snuck away.
-0O0-
Carefully and slowly, Mai re-positioned the kitchen camera so that it would only take in about half of the room.
Even as she did it, Mai could hear Naru's angry voice in her mind. He was going to be sooo pissed about this. Madoka would be mad, too, once she was herself again...
But the thought of an injured Madoka only reinforced Mai's decision to flagrantly break SPR's rules. Mai knew Linda wanted to get her alone – her instincts said so, her spirit guide said so, and Linda herself had pretty much said so... after she attacked Madoka.
An attack that Mai blamed squarely on herself.
Gene had warned Mai in her dreams – but she had been too busy obsessing over Naru and her own embarrassment to really understand everything he'd said. If Mai had listened more closely to her spirit guide, Madoka might not be on a medicine high right now.
Mai had thought Gene was simply saying that the case would get more dangerous, and everybody needed to be careful. But after sitting in the hospital all morning with nothing to do but think, Mai realized that Gene mentioned Madoka specifically because she was Linda's new target – for the crime of waking Mai up before the ghost was done with her.
The very least Mai should have done was mention to Madoka that the attacks might get worse. But instead, Mai focused her attention on the part of Gene's visit that most concerned her – Naru's 'petty emotional drama' – and got so caught up that she barely even noticed Linda manifest in their bedroom.
What kind of 'lead investigator' was she, exactly?
The kind that won't let anyone else get hurt, Mai answered herself fiercely.
When she was done futzing with the video camera, Mai turned to the thermometer. Even if Naru and Lin couldn't see that there was a problem, a temperature drop would certainly draw their attention. Luckily, Gene had taught her how to fix that.
As a living medium, Gene had the same distaste for spirit-killing exorcisms that Mai and Masako shared. Whenever it seemed that SPR was leaning towards unnecessarily wiping out a soul, Gene would take evasive action. He'd had several tricks for getting alone time with a spirit – one of which was using a heat source to fool the thermometers.
Quickly and quietly (Mai couldn't help but feel like Naru could sense that she was up to no good), Mai placed a fresh cup of boiling water in the corner by the thermometer. Naru liked corners because there was less chance that the equipment would be damaged in an attack. Mai liked this corner because there would be fewer avenues for spirit-chilled air to hit the thermometer. Mai made sure to place the water close enough to balance the chill induced by the presence of a ghost, but far enough away that the temperature wouldn't immediately climb higher.
Satisfied with her (necessary) sabotage, Mai turned back to the tea. It wouldn't be long, she knew.
And it wasn't.
Mai had barely dropped another sugar cube into Madoka's tea when a telltale chill swept the kitchen. Mai's eyes flicked to the nearest window out of reflex, but she already knew it wasn't the wind.
Hands up and at the ready, Mai whipped around and locked eyes with the female ghost's pale form... and was surprised by the visible calm in her gaze. That doesn't exactly gel with the events of this morning, Mai mused. Did Linda have mood swings like Georgie Reed? Mai's stance softened slightly as she remembered the confused, misunderstood mental patient.
No, Mai – stay sharp, the transfer student reprimanded herself. Linda might not have done anything awful to me, but Madoka has ten stitches and a grade 2 concussion. Mai placed her foot on the doorjamb, ensuring an escape route should the ghost try to lock her in. Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Mai reached out with her senses. Sadness, pain, frustration, and hopelessness... Mai felt like the whole room was drowning in sorrow.
And the whole time, Linda just waited motionlessly. Waited and watched.
"You said you need my help," Mai reminded her quietly. "And here I am."
Linda only tilted her head.
Mai's instincts pinged again. "You... want to tell me something, right?" Even as Mai spoke, she questioned her intuition's accuracy. Hadn't she already seen everything during the dream? Madoka may have woken Mai up before the actual death occurred, but...
And then Gene's voice echoed in her mind... 'You didn't stay for the end.'
The air shimmered as Linda drifted slightly away, and Mai caught a glimpse of her chest. That huge silvery stain spread across her dress, stemming from a long, thin hole in the midst of the ripped-open dress. It was directly below the dress's low neckline, and looked sort of like a ragged keyhole...
Then the spirit shifted again, and the sun shone through Linda's figure from behind. The dress seemed to gain a bluish tinge, and the silver staining turned red as blood.
Because it IS blood, duh. Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself – she'd known it was blood when she'd first seen Linda in the solarium.
Wait... why was there blood?
"You... you were choked," Mai whispered confusedly. "I was there! I was you, and the guy who killed you... Charles... he choked you."
The ghost stared intently at Mai.
And Mai stared intently at the hole in the dress. That's where the blood must have come from, she guessed. And the shape, the placement... would make it a stab wound.
Mai looked back up at Linda's expressionless face. "Why would he stab you if you were already dead?"
It didn't seem like Linda was going to answer... but suddenly, she swept out an arm. Almost immediately, the scraping sound started up again. But this time, it sounded a little different. It was more like rattling – the noise reminded Mai of the metal bells that performers shook during festivals in Japan.
More like the 'clinking' noise Madoka and Gregory had heard this morning.
And suddenly Mai noticed the chains around Linda's wrists and ankles. She'd thought it was rope before... "Metal on stone," Mai realized, following the length of the chains with her eyes. The wrist chains were almost pulled taut, like they were attached to something... but Mai couldn't see where they ended. The ankle chains had weights on the end which rested on the floor. "That's what making the dragging noise," Mai said to herself.
But Linda shook her head slowly.
"No?" Mai asked confusedly. "But what else could it be?" Linda lip curled into a sardonic smile, and Mai swallowed hard. Forcing her best Masako-voice, Mai entreated the ghost. "Do these chains hold you in this house?" she asked slowly. Linda gave Mai a significant look... and dropped her gaze to her chained feet.
Mai nodded in understanding. "Okay, the ankle chains hold you to the house. But what about the wrist chains? What are they attached to?" Linda's face twisted, and suddenly Mai knew the answer. "They hold you to the other ghost... to Charles." The room went colder, and Mai was suddenly glad she'd used Gene's temperature trick. She couldn't risk the others being hurt. "Is he holding you here?" Mai asked, trying to draw Linda's attention back to their conversation. "Why would he choke you and stab you? I don't understand!"
The ghost regarded Mai for another moment, and then cocked her head.
Are you sure you want to understand? Linda asked, her voice bouncing around in Mai's mind. I tried to show you before, but you left before it was over...
Mai gasped a bit as she felt the words crawling across her consciousness. She was used to hearing things that other people couldn't, and she'd thought that Linda had been talking those other times. But now Mai realized that somehow, this spirit was speaking directly into her mind.
Linda only stared – waiting for her answer, Mai realized.
"I – I do want to understand. I'm sorry about before, I didn't exactly wake up on my own." Mai tried to sound as gentle as Masako did when she talked to spirits, but somehow her voice always sounded nervous.
Linda's eyes flashed. I know.
And then Mai knew that Gene had been right. "You shouldn't have hurt Madoka for that," she said rather coldly. "She was only trying to help me."
The spirit glared and twisted in place. The chains rattled, and the blood flashed red again, but Mai forced herself to remain motionless. Linda was obviously having a tantrum.
Mai glanced at SPR's camera, which still pointed uselessly in a different direction. But the twinge of fear she felt was overwhelmed by relief; the ghost had already attacked Madoka for interfering, and Mai couldn't let Naru, Lin, or Gregory follow suit. Linda wanted to tell her something very badly, and was willing to hurt others to do it. Mai saw no other option.
So the teen psychic took a deep breath, and straightened her spine. "Alright, well, no one's here now and no one's coming. What do you need to tell me?"
Linda cocked her head. I will show you. And she began to drift forward.
Mai forced herself to stay in place as Linda came towards her. The chains clinked ominously, but Mai kept her eyes trained on Linda's. The air around Mai grew colder, and her gaze flicked to the temperature gauge for a moment. The hot water was still sitting on the table, and there was no beeping to indicate a drastic temperature change. No alarm would go off in the base.
This was The Plan, Mai reminded her nerves firmly. She wouldn't run... but she couldn't quite keep her fingers from shaking, either.
After all, Linda was right in front of her now... this was the closest Mai had consciously been to a violent entity since the Urado case. Memories of his horrible face and breath came over her and - no, no! Must be calm, don't think like that. Linda didn't seem to want to hurt Mai – so long as she listened to the whole story.
Steeling herself once more, Mai's chocolate eyes opened to meet Linda's silvery ones. Up close, Mai could see tear tracks on Linda's face. A wave of compassion flooded her, and Mai managed to stay calm as the ghost extended a manacled hand towards her face.
-0O0-
AN: Yeah, I finally finished another chapter! I had a good time with this one, I hope you guys like it:) I still feel like I didn't edit enough...
I was so upset when I found out that chapter updates didn't go out for the last one. Lol, I thought to myself, "Oh no, now my readers are going to think I suck even worse at updating!"
Anyway, I'm settling into my new job, not working sooo many hours - and most importantly, making a lot more money lol. I think I can even afford a new car soon! Which is good, because mine recently went on fire. For real - on fire.
And as a special treat for all my loyal, awesome, patient readers - there should be a very entertaining scene in the next chapter;) It was actually supposed to be in this chapter, but it kept getting pushed back... you know, by plot and stuff:)