A/N: Welcome back guys! This is a slightly longer chapter, but I didn't want to split it for pacing and flow reasons.
Enjoy!
Case Two—Part 2
She was a child in this dream, standing only about 3-4 heads tall. She was still so small.
Her Okaa-san had been receiving many visitors lately. They were usually men in Western-style clothing, which was odd to Tomiko. These men only started showing up after Otou-san left a few months ago. The neighbors next door always hid in their houses whenever these men came by.
Tomiko could only wonder why. She was but a mere four-year-old child.
One day, while she was playing outside in the back courtyard, Okaa-san left to greet some visitors at the entrance to their property. Tomiko paid no heed and continued playing with her favorite ball. When she heard footsteps, she turned expecting her mother, but instead, found a gentleman in a type of haori she had never seen before. He looked to be wearing the same kind of Westerner clothing she'd seen on other visitors.
He chatted with her and even played some games. He seemed like a nice enough man! He even gave her some rock candy.
After playing with her for a bit, he invited her to join him for a walk. Tomiko wasn't sure about leaving her Okaa-san. The man reassured her that it would just be for a little bit—her mother had asked him to watch her while she was busy. He even promised to bring her to a new candy shop nearby.
Reluctant and innocent, she agreed to his offer but only for a little while. Maybe she could show him this nice rock she found by the pond behind the house!
When they arrived by the pond, Tomiko heard loud yelling from inside the house. She couldn't quite make out what was said, but she knew it was her mother's voice.
"Okaa-san…" she said, looking back to the house.
The man tugged on her hand to hurry her along, but she resisted. Something wasn't right.
She tried to run away from the man back to her house. He was much bigger though, and easily yanked her back. She kept struggling, determined to free herself.
Ultimately, she bit his hand and he shoved her away in reaction. She stumbled back and tripped, landing on the stone surrounding the pond. A sharp crack was heard when the base of her head fell on a sharp stone.
Her head hurt. It hurt a lot. And yet, she couldn't feel her fingers anymore.
The last thing she remembered was another man entering her hazy field of vision who said something to the man she was with. Before she could process what was happening, one of them picked her up and tossed her into the pond.
She attempted to struggle but the water was so heavy. Now she realized why Okaa-san always told her to never play near the pond—it was too deep for a child.
It felt like something heavy was keeping her under the surface. When she couldn't hold it anymore, she inhaled, water entering her lungs. She couldn't struggle anymore. Her arms weren't responding. They couldn't move.
Her lungs burned as her vision turned dark.
Where was Okaa-san?
.
Mai woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. Tears obstructed her vision and fell in droves.
She could still feel it. The distress, fear, and despondency of Tomiko before her passing.
It was her second drowning vision, but now through the victim's eyes. Tomiko wasn't even five yet and her life was taken away within the blink of an eye.
"Mai."
And Gene wasn't even 16 yet, and his life was also taken away from him within the blink of an eye.
"Mai."
How unjust and cruel—to perish in solitude knowing nobody knows.
"Mai, wake up."
She was pulled out of her daze as her shoulders were shaken vigorously. She blinked, revealing Naru as the one who was shaking her. How did she not notice him there?
He studied her a moment longer before releasing her shoulders.
Mai took in her surroundings—she was sitting up on the couch… and her whole upper body was soaked.
"I had no choice but to use water to wake you," Naru explained as he moved to a standing position now that she was fine. "But even after you opened your eyes, it seemed you were still in a hypnopompic state."
"I see," she said, still trying to compute what happened. She looked down at her hands, more tears threatening to fall. "Thank you for waking me up." I still saw all of it, though.
"Are you all right?"
No. "Yeah, I'll be okay."
He went to say something but paused at the last moment before returning to his table.
She didn't expect to be comforted by him—it would be out of his character after all. She wiped her eyes and looked around for a tissue box. Instead, she found a neatly folded black handkerchief on the coffee table.
She picked it up and looked to Naru for confirmation, but he had already returned to work. She traced the soft silk with her thumbs. This was his way of comforting her. He could be as aloof as he wanted, but he was kind in his own way. She appreciated it all the same.
She dried her face and was amazed by the softness of the material. "Thank you. I'll wash it before I return it."
Seeing as he had no objections, she gently tucked it into her pajama pockets.
Even though Naru didn't ask, she knew he was wondering what had transpired in her dream. She was still a bit shaken from her first-person experience, but she knew it was important for solving the case.
And most importantly, for laying these spirits to rest.
After she could finally stomach the idea of talking about it, she relayed her vision to Naru and Lin. She purposely left out some details—such as the drowning part—but Naru was inquisitive as ever. He formulated his questions carefully to get the whole story out of her.
She didn't know if Naru was even aware of Gene having drowned. He lacked a reaction when she mentioned it, so maybe he didn't. Now that she thought about it, Naru wouldn't even have the means to find out about that yet.
As far as he knew, his brother was just missing in Japan or could've eloped somewhere.
It still didn't change the implications though.
It never even occurred to her that Naru may not know of his brother's demise. The thought made her sick to her stomach.
Maybe that was the reason Gene wanted her to keep quiet about telling Naru the situation. It all made sense. If Naru didn't even know Gene was dead, the sudden news from her would devastate him. She had a hard time imagining Naru devastated, but she had to remember he was only human and Gene was—is—his twin.
Feeling her stare at him again, Naru almost made a snarky comment but stopped in his tracks. Why was she giving him a pitiful look? Whatever it was, he didn't need her attention.
She really ought to stop that staring habit she'd been picking up recently. Either she would zone out entirely in his direction, or she would regard him with some kind of emotion he couldn't read.
He frowned, glaring back at her in case she "woke up."
Perhaps, the effects of the vision lingered, which was why she behaved the way she did. He'll have to note that for later.
The next morning started with breakfast with the Morishita family. Well, it was just Ayami and Kana there as Noriko had an appointment for her ankle.
Naru had informed Ayako and Bou-san of Mai's vision from the night prior, so the SPR team kept an extra close eye on Minnie and Ayami during the meal.
Good thing they did because the small child was acting oddly again. She receded into herself and refused to look up when spoken to.
"Ayami, your breakfast is getting cold. Why aren't you eating?" Kana asked her stepdaughter.
The little girl didn't say anything. She held her hands between her knees and kept her eyes down at her hands.
"Aren't you hungry?" Kana sat next to her and leaned toward Ayami. "I wish you would talk to me more. I made your favorite. Why don't you have some?"
When Ayami continued to ignore her, Kana gave a frustrated sigh and left the kitchen.
Mai couldn't help but flinch at the scene. She knew relationships with stepparents could be rough but this was unexpected of Ayami. Granted, she had seen only a handful of interactions between stepmother and daughter. While awkward at times, they were still friendly with each other.
Here, the interactions felt strangely tense.
"Are you feeling okay, Ayami?" she asked.
Ayami didn't say anything save for a shrug of her shoulders. Apart from Mai, everyone dismissed her behavior and began to eat their meal.
"Don't eat the food!" The little girl suddenly yelled out. "It's been poisoned!"
Everyone froze and sent questioning glances to the little girl.
"Minnie told me that my new mother is a witch and that she poisoned the food," Ayami said, her eyes still down at the table. "She's trying to get rid of us."
Naru studied her for a few moments before placing his chopsticks down in favor of grabbing his notebook from his pocket. "What else has Minnie told you?"
Really, Naru? I'm just trying to enjoy my breakfast here!
Ayami opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. Mai wondered if Minnie was talking to her even as they spoke. Could Minnie's voice only be heard by the little girl? Ayami averted her gaze, favoring the view outside the window.
"Ayami-chan, your aunt and your new mother have been injured by Minnie. We need to know what she's been saying." This time, Naru's voice took on a sterner tone.
It seemed to work since Ayami adopted the look of a child scolded. It wasn't enough to get her to talk, however.
Naru stopped hiding his annoyance at this point. "If you don't tell us, other people will be in danger. Now, talk."
The poor girl flinched at his tone and looked like she would burst into tears.
"Naru! Just because you're not getting your way doesn't mean you can talk to her like that. She's only a little girl." Mai glared at him and moved closer to Ayami. He needed to work on his social ineptitude.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if to remind himself he was in the presence of normal people. "Please tell us what you know, Ayami-chan."
After a bout of sniffles and a few tissues later, the girl was finally willing to speak. She explained that the doll started speaking to her after moving into the home. Minnie said that her aunt and stepmom were evil and not to interact with them. If Ayami didn't follow her commands, she would be punished—her room would be messed up, or Minnie would set her up to get in trouble. The doll sometimes brought other children here too and they would all meet to "chat."
Of course, the unspoken piece was that none of these children were alive.
It was clear Minnie had been trying to separate Ayami from her adult guardians, which was a sign of a deeply malevolent spirit.
With some convincing, Ayami finally allowed SPR to take Minnie and deal with her in any way they saw fit. In return, SPR promised to keep her and her family from harm.
Not soon after this agreement was a yelp heard from the hallway. Mai was the first to hurry out and felt goosebumps run up her arms at the sight. They found Kana further down the hallway backed up to a wall. Her tremoring hand pointed to the opposite wall when she saw them approach.
Etched into the wall with what looked like blood was, "I will have my way."
On its own, the statement already commanded attention. But as the spirit's motives were unclear, the words felt all the more foreboding.
When Noriko returned from her appointment later, Kana was already packing to leave. She briefly tried to convince her new family to leave as well, but Noriko was stubborn. She wanted to see this through but urged Ayami to go with Kana.
This was where the family dynamics came into play. Ayami was still closer to Noriko than Kana, especially given the damage done by Minnie already. Thus, the little one opted to stay with her aunt a while longer.
Kana was too frightened to be hurt by the little girl's decision and left soon after.
Mai wished she could help the situation but understood that it wasn't her place. Their family had to sort this out on their own.
Bou-san offered to exorcise Minnie as their next step to officially rule out the doll being the source of the haunting. Meanwhile, Naru left to do some research on the history of the property to develop a better picture of Mai's dreams.
Seeing their resident monk in his religious attire was interesting—there was almost a different air about him.
Compared to Ayako's prayers, Bou-san's chants were much stronger in tone. Not quite forceful but with an edge compared to Shinto's gentle nature. Whether that was Bou-san himself or the nature of Buddhist exorcism scriptures, she'd have to study more to find out.
When he was done with his ritual, Mai left to watch Ayami while Ayako painstakingly scrubbed the blood-like writing off the wall. The miko grumbled more than she did clean so Mai felt no remorse for ditching her.
Mai remembered catching a whiff of the fire Bou-san was using to burn the doll right before hearing Ayami call out.
"Mai! There was a little girl!" She said, pointing to the spot. "She just fell in the water!"
Mai knew this was likely a trick by the spirit… but what if there actually was a drowning little child? "Okay Ayami-chan, you stay right here with Noriko-san. I'll go check."
When she approached the pond, she couldn't find anything. It wasn't until she saw the bubbles coming up to the surface and the small hands flailing out that she panicked.
Without a second thought, Mai jumped in. The pond was deeper than she'd thought—she was fully submerged by the time she reached the child.
The girl was small with short black hair with her back turned to Mai, her arms moving about in the water. Mai swam closer, reaching out to grab her arm and pull her to shore.
The journey felt so long like time was in slow-motion. Why was the surface still so far away? And why was this little girl so heavy?
Briefly glancing back, Mai gasped in water when she saw what she was dragging with her. It was the deathly pale corpse of a little girl with gauged-out holes for eyes. Blood pooled out like tears as weeping was heard despite being underwater.
Water infiltrated Mai's lungs as she struggled to release herself from the corpse, which now had grabbed a hold of her wrist.
"Stay with me, Okaa-san! It's not safe up there." The little girl's wrinkled skin stretched as her mouth widened from cheek to cheek. Visible cracks opened on her ghastly lips.
Mai released her wrist and attempted to get away, yanking at her arm to break free.
"Why won't you stay?! You keep leaving!" Tomiko wailed, now clawing at Mai's wrist with her softened nails.
Between fear and lack of oxygen, Mai slowly lost consciousness as everything began to go numb. The burning in her lungs dulled and her body stopped struggling.
Just as her eyes closed, the picture of a healthy and alive Tomiko flashed into her mind.
"MAI!"
She shot up with a lurch and expelled the water in her lungs. This sent her into a coughing fit between her heaves for air. Stinging tears hung in the corners of her eyes from the force of her coughs.
She was next to the pond now, it seemed.
"What were you doing in there?!" Jumping at Ayako's worried voice, Mai turned to her right expecting to see the redhead. Instead, she came face-to-face with Naru.
Very close to her.
Completely soaked to the bone.
"That was the stupidest thing you've done," he said, his eyes closed in frustration. "What's your explanation?"
Ayami ran up to them from behind Noriko who stood behind the trio. "It's Ayami's fault! Ayami told Mai-nee-chan a girl was in the pond."
"A little girl?" Ayako questioned, taking Naru's spot after he stood up.
Mai nodded. "I saw a little girl drowning, so I jumped in to save her." Now that she said it out loud, it sounded very suspicious. "I think it was the little girl from my dream last night. She pulled me under thinking I was her mother."
Naru seemed to consider her words for a moment before sighing again. "We'll discuss this later. If you're fine now, I don't need to stay here."
You would stay here if I wasn't okay?
He picked up his dry jacket and headed back to the house dripping wet.
"Wait, Naru," she called. He turned back.
"Um, thank you. Again."
He held her gaze for a second longer before continuing his way.
As Ayako checked her for injuries, she gave a recap of what happened.
"I was putting away the cleaning supplies when Ayami-chan and Noriko-san were yelling your name. I nearly had a heart attack! I guess Naru returned to base just in time for Lin to catch what happened from the cameras. I swear Naru ran out so fast I nearly missed him. I was surprised, so I ran after him. When we realized where you were, he jumped right in to save you," Ayako recalled. She paused for a moment before smirking. "Kind of like a knight in shining armor," she teased.
Mai rolled her eyes but couldn't help the gentle warmth on her cheeks.
Naru would have done that for any one of them! He just happened to be the quickest to the scene. Noriko still had an injured ankle, Bou-san was on the other side of the property, Ayako was in heels, and Lin was probably going to help but Naru beat him to it.
Helping her up, Ayako walked her to the door where Noriko was waiting for them with towels. Mai dried up and changed clothes before heading to the base. She didn't know what was more frightening, getting the air sucked out of her the night before, or nearly drowning by some ghost girl.
All she could say was that drowning had to be at the top of the list of deaths that frightened her.
Bou-san started questioning her condition the instant he saw her walk in. She took a gander to say she looked like a drowned rat with her towel draped over her head.
Seeing her glum demeanor, he ruffled the towel into her hair. "Heard Naru saved you like a knight in shining armor," he teased only loud enough for her to hear.
His goading was successful because she jumped away from him with pink cheeks. "No way! If Ayako told you that, it's because she couldn't get to me in time because of her crazy heels!"
"Hey, they're the Jimmy Choo summer collection! I'm not risking breaking a heel when there's a perfectly capable younger person to save you," Ayako defended from the couch.
Hearing that, the two at the door nearly felt their eyes roll far back.
Before either could formulate a response, Naru entered the base. Mai would rather bite her tongue than admit it out loud, but how could a person look that good with half-dried hair?
Some people just had it all.
With everyone there, the group recollected the events from that afternoon starting with Mai's experience with Tomiko. What was startling was the realization that it happened simultaneously as Bou-san uncovered Minnie from the fire despite seeing her burn to ash.
It became apparent they still didn't have any connecting pieces—that is until Naru revealed his research findings.
Given Mai's dream the night before about Tomiko, Naru searched the records for children of that name who resided here. Tachibana Tomiko was the sole daughter of Tachibana Ooshima, a widow who had inherited her husband's estate and property following his death due to Tuberculosis.
Tomiko was reported missing at the age of four several months after her father's death. Ooshima was found dead a few days after. Information was lacking on the why or the how.
The future families that resided here after suffered various deaths—either by young children or females ages 15 and older.
Mai still wasn't great at formulating conclusions, so she relied heavily on the thought processes of the other members. Given her experience with Tomiko's corpse, Naru, Bou-san, and Ayako surmised that the hauntings were Tomiko's doing.
She didn't feel quite right about it, though. Well, at least for part of it. Something in her gut told her there was something else at play.
They ultimately agreed that it wasn't safe for the Morishitas to stay in the house any longer. Noriko and Ayami were slated to leave for a hotel that night after Masako and John arrived—Naru had called the other two members given the extent of the incidents.
By the time the pair finally arrived, the sun had begun to set.
Upon entering the house, Masako was immediately pushed back by the negativity consuming it. The space was dizzying to the point that she—conveniently—collapsed into Naru's arms the moment she entered the base.
The medium revealed that the spirit possessing Minnie was not Tomiko, but Tachibana Ooshima. The despair from losing her daughter caused her to claim multiple children on the property as reparation. Their spirits remained trapped here ever since, acting as her servants.
Aside from Masako's shameless fainting act, Mai was in awe at how quickly the other girl picked up on the spirits. It was a reminder of how powerless she was compared to the medium. Masako could just come right in and solve the case as quickly as that, while it took Mai multiple visions just to get a bit of context.
She had a long way to go.
"But that can't be it," Bou-san said, ripping her out of her thoughts. "Jou-chan had an incident with Tomiko-san earlier. She must have something to do with the hauntings. I'm sure of it."
"Didn't the research say that females of the ages 15 and older were also victims?" added Ayako. "Could it be Tachibana-san attacking the women out of envy? Or maybe Tomiko-san is mistaking these females for her mother?"
Masako shook her head. "I don't feel Tomiko-san's presence here." She placed a sleeve to her mouth and closed her eyes. When her eyes opened, she shook her head once again for confirmation.
"Maybe it's because she's in the pond outback," Mai suggested.
The group followed Mai to the pond where she pointed at the exact area she had spotted Tomiko underwater. The image of the pond from a different time flashed through her mind, effectively causing a bout of nausea.
Masako walked along the perimeter to get a sense of the energy here. "I can sense a presence here but it's not very clear. The spirit does feel young, however," she said, looking out along the surface of the water.
"Really? I feel sick just being here," Mai admitted, overwhelmed by the vacillating emotions of distress and loneliness.
"You may be a better match for Tomiko-san's wavelength, while Hara-san is more in tune with Tachibana-san's," Naru noted as he crossed his arms.
Just like with Gene, she thought. "So, Tachibana-san is looking for Tomiko, and Tomiko is looking for her mother."
"How tragic. So close yet so far away," said John. "I gander we should first remove Tachibana-san from the doll. Then, perhaps she will reveal herself."
Everyone agreed and returned to the house.
John's exorcism was similar yet different from the other two Mai had seen. While Bou-san used Buddha beads and Ayako used a pair of Gohei*, John used a crucifix and holy water.
When he recited his scriptures, Minnie's eyes shot open causing Mai to nearly crash into Bou-san's chest. The doll shook rapidly as the crucifix placed on her forehead seared a mark into the porcelain before breaking off. When they burned her this time, she burnt cleanly.
To accompany the Morishitas to their hotel, Naru sent Ayako and Masako to ensure that they wouldn't be followed by the spirits. That left Mai, Naru, John, and Bou-san to squander about figuring out the case until the two ladies returned.
"It was amazing what Masako could do the minute she got here," Mai said as she, John, and Bou-san checked the rooms' temperatures. "She got all that info within a minute of being here!"
"I agree. I wonder how old she was when she started working as a medium?" asked John as he pulled the curtains closed in the room.
"If I remember correctly, her show started seven years ago. How old are you, Mai?" Bou-san asked.
"16."
"Then, she would have been eight or nine."
Mai recorded the temperature in the room before leading the group along to the next one. Why did Naru send three people to complete a task she could've done by herself?
"She was probably practicing earlier than that. I remember having weird dreams even when I was four," she shared. "Who knows, Masako might've been seeing spirits way before that too."
"We'll never know lest we ask her. On that note, you're really something too, Mai-san," John started. "You were able to connect with Tomiko-san and even made physical contact with her."
Bou-san slapped her on the back, nearly knocking the clipboard out of her hands. "Yeah, that's no simple feat."
"But it took me days to get to that point! It's still hard for me to control my dreams as it is. I have a long way to go until I can get anywhere close to Masako's level."
Bou-san and John exchanged glances.
"Every psychic is different. I don't know much about your abilities, but you and Hara-san have different skill sets. You shouldn't compare yourself."
"Exactly. Not to mention, for someone who's only recently started training, you're not doing too shabby." Bou-san ruffled her hair. "Naru mentioned you two being on different wavelengths, so that could affect what spirits you detect."
She sent a small smile, "I guess you're right." The two returned her smile with grins of their own.
She kept thinking about Bou-san's last statement as they continued through the house. If two spirits were on different wavelengths, did that mean they would never be able to meet? For some reason, she felt like it didn't work that way. The rule applied to humans and spirits. So, then why couldn't Tomiko and her mother sense each other?
Wait, what if they were so consumed in their own "drama" that the spirits couldn't sense anything else? If they could somehow get mother and daughter to listen to them, maybe they could reunite the two and solve the case.
By the time the trio returned to base, Ayako and Masako had returned from escorting the Morishitas. With the use of Ayako's charms, Ayami was able to leave without being followed, which was a relief.
With the group together now, Mai made quick work to mention her thoughts.
"Your deductive reasoning skills may have improved," Naru said, hand to his chin. "Looks like the quizzing you whine about has borne fruit."
He wasn't exactly wrong, but she glared at him anyway for his compulsive tendency to make offhanded comments. "Should I be thanking you?"
"I don't need your thanks. Just revel in your newly acquired IQ point." How he could look so casual saying that, she would never know.
Masako cleared her throat. "What was your plan, Mai?"
Sending one last glare to Naru, Mai turned to the medium and was surprised to find her frowning. "Oh, I was thinking we could try talking to them… and maybe they'll just voluntarily move on."
"That sounds good in theory, but would the spirits even be willing to talk to us?" said Bou-san.
Naru nodded. "Spirits consumed with negative emotions are exactly that—unable to see past their death and the world after death," he added. "However, that is not to say it would be futile to attempt."
"I agree. I would like to try a cleansing before resorting to exorcism," Masako agreed. When Mai tilted her head in question, the other girl used this opportunity to educate the ignorant. "When spirits are exorcised, they're essentially being destroyed, or killed."
Mai shuddered. Subconsciously, she knew this, yet hearing it out loud was disturbing all the same. To be killed twice… what a tragic existence.
To test this plan, they had to find the location of Tachibana Ooshima.
Naru had Masako and Ayako complete a full walkthrough of the house while Mai was ordered to take a nap—he didn't phrase it like that, but that was essentially what he was saying.
As usual—well, at least as of recently—Gene was cryptic with his "hints."
"If Naru didn't tell you what to look for, then he's probably trying to train you as an investigator. He wants you to figure it out."
"But I'm not an investigator! I'm a 'gofer!'" she denied.
"You're a 'gofer' in the same way Lin is a 'gofer,'" he smirked. "Lin gets Naru all the crap he wants, but he's also an investigator. You're not a full one yet, but that doesn't mean you're not a trainee."
She huffed. "Okay, let's say I am one. Then, I need clear directions! You two need to remember I'm a person of average intelligence!"
"I'm sure Naru is very aware of that."
"Gene."
He laughed, "I still want to support the idiot's lesson plan, so instead I'm going to let our rabbit overlord take this one."
She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Looking around for Usa-sama, she found him hopping out of Naru's office over to the entrance. She glanced back at Gene in question and he gestured for her to follow the deity.
Opening the door, she followed Usa-sama into the astral plane. They passed by hundreds of orbs before the scene changed to that of the Morishita house from a bird's eye view. She nearly got disoriented from the height but remembered that this was all in spirit. She could even see as her coworkers traversed around the house.
"So, this is actual astral projection?" she whispered.
Usa-sama led her into the home where they passed by John and Bou-san in the hallway and she could see her body on the couch in the base.
That's when she noticed another notable presence. While there were child spirits here, they conglomerated into a "feeling" and less of a presence. This other energy, she felt flickered and burned, emanating pure hatred.
Ignoring her instinct's warning, she led the two of them directly to it. From the top-left corner of the living room floor, a dark flame-like energy rippled and escaped in droves. She realized then that this was the exact spot where Minnie was found the night before!
She gulped and stepped into the room, immediately feeling like she just walked through a thick dense wall. She felt a tug at her ankles pulling her back. Usa-sama had tugged her sock as though warning her from getting close.
She smiled reassuringly. "I just want to get a closer look. I won't get too close."
The rabbit deity didn't move, as if questioning her common sense. Eventually, he pulled away, but not before giving her a look that said, "If you're going to be stupid, I can provide some protection, but even I can't protect you from yourself."
Never did she think she would be judged by a rabbit. Then again, many things came to be that she thought were impossible. And yet, here she was.
She gave him a nod and turned around, slowly approaching the dark energy. "Tachibana-san?"
The energy rippled as though reacting to her. Swallowing the dry lump in her throat, she raised her voice to sound more confident. "I know you're looking for Tomiko-chan. I know where she is."
Within the blink of an eye, the energy mass launched toward her like a bullet, stopping right in front of her face. It manifested into Tachibana Ooshima, the "Okaa-san" she remembered seeing through Tomiko's eyes. Unlike the vision, this figure looked closer to a horror movie depiction of an Edo ghost.
Mai sucked in a breath as Ooshima hovered over her face with eyes full of contempt. "You're lying! That's all you people ever do!" A strong force of wind was blown her way, nearly knocking her over.
"I'm not lying! She's looking for you! She's in the pond!"
Instead of hearing what she said like Mai was hoping, the ghost perseverated on one part.
"I see… I knew my poor Tomiko had drowned. They said she ran away… they promised that if I gave them the deed, they would ensure Tomiko a good life even without her father's support. Instead, they drowned my innocent little girl!" Ooshima began wailing, negative energy releasing from her in waves. Children's cries were heard throughout the house.
A forcefield of light kept the energy from touching her spirit, which Mai deduced was Usa-sama's doing. Not your best performance there, Mai, she said to herself as she backed away.
She heard yelling as Masako and Ayako ran into the living room. "The spirit is angry. I don't know what could have provoked her, but she's here."
The two didn't seem to notice Mai's presence even when she called out to them to get away.
"Do you think you could cleanse her?" Ayako asked.
"She's consumed with rage, but I want to try," the medium said, stepping forward cautiously. "Tachibana-san, you must let go of these children. You're keeping them from returning to their real mothers. Tomiko-san is waiting for you! You must pass on so you can be with her."
Ooshima slowly turned towards Masako, "Just as I ache for my daughter, so will others!" She swung her arm and sent what seemed like a wave of air Masako's way. Instead of air, the medium's kimono was sliced in various areas.
"Masako!" Ayako called, surprised to see damage to the kimono out of nowhere.
"What's going on here?!" The rest of SPR crowded into the living room.
Ooshima's apparition was visible enough to the non-sensitive members as they stared in utter shock at the sight before them.
"LEAVE!" The group was pushed back as a force sent them nearly flying.
"Our Father," John began to recite as he flung holy water in Ooshima's direction. "Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name-"
"Please don't exorcise her! I will find a way to cleanse her!" Masako called out.
John's recitation was enough to make Ooshima retreat, but not before her exit broke the floor to reveal a well underneath the house. Masako was then yanked down by the ankle and swiftly dragged toward the well by small transparent hands.
"Masako!" Mai lunged forward and grabbed onto the other girl's wrist before she could fall in.
Masako's eyes widened not only in fear, but now that she could see the other girl. "Mai! Please don't let go!"
Mai wasn't sure how much she could do in spirit form, but she could feel herself struggling.
A familiar presence appeared behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Mai, you can't let your spirit fall in there. Let go of Hara-san. She will be fine."
"But Gene-"
He shook his head and signaled something to Usa-sama.
And then, everything faded to white.
Gohei* = Wands used in Shinto. They usually have two "zig-zag" shape papers attached to them.
A/N: **Please Read the Ending of the Note!**
Finally, some more NaruMai interactions! Now, that we're starting the bulk of things, I'm so excited to write out their development. I have a "type" of relationship I love where the pair gradually creates a special relationship without ever having one to begin with. Does that make sense?
No? That's okay. It's probably a good thing I kept it cryptic then LMAO. If you're curious about an example pairing, just lemme know! I don't want to ramble about it here, haha.
Anyhow, as for the case—I wanted to make the case with an added layer of depth to the history and motives. Since we already know the ending, I didn't focus so much on the creepiness of the doll. Rather, the spirits behind the doll. I'm no horror writer, but I hope it's the least bit creepier (by even 1%)!
***Do you prefer shorter 3k chapters, or longer ~5-6k chapters? I usually do longer because I don't want the story to drag and not have enough substance per chapter, but those also take longer to update. Curious about what you guys think!***
And thanks for your comments so far! Means the world to me to hear from you all!