So this chapter literally came so naturally and so quickly it kinda scared me. o.o lol it normally takes me about two weeks or so of writing to get one of these chapters and then a few days of taking out any unnecessary info. This time I literally wrote nonstop for two days and spent the last week going through and I didn't take anything out. Everything I wrote is here which still freaks me out. I also left this alone for a few days and started working on the next chapter and things are going to start to get interesting very soon. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 4-Professor
February Day 2 6:50 A.M.
Mai managed to doze off for about an hour, but no real sleep. She was grateful and annoyed at the same time. She was still exhausted, but at the very least if she didn't sleep deeply then she didn't dream. If she didn't dream then she didn't see that demon thing. She was okay with that. Just so long as he didn't show up while she was awake.
That's not a possibility right? I'm not going to start hallucinating and see him around here am I?
She visibly shook off the shiver that ran down her spine and got dressed. She left a note on her bed for the priestess to find when she woke up. She had had enough sitting around doing the little bit of homework she brought. Plus it was hard to do it with such little light. So Mai set out for Base, tucking her protection charm in her jean pocket before closing the door behind her.
Walking into Base, she wasn't too surprised to find her boss sipping tea as the sun began to rise. She was a little surprised that her co-assistant was not typing away on something. "Morning," she said absently.
Naru turned around before replying, "Morning, I just made tea." He gestured his cup toward the teapot and mugs on their conference table. He turned back to the monitor that he had been studying earlier.
"Thanks," she answered, pouring herself a mug. Doesn't look like he slept much, either, she mused to herself.
Little did she know, he didn't get much more sleep than her. He turned back around holding a headset. "If you're up and in here, I figure you'd want to get to work. I haven't yet gone over the audio for the second dorm building. Why don't you get started on that?"
"Sure," Mai replied, taking the headset and sitting down next to her boss. She was absently aware that she forgot to put on makeup, but she didn't want to wake up Ayako. Oh well.
Naru did his best to not notice the purple shiner, at least it wasn't swollen like it must have been a few days before. He was still feeling uneasy with his dream from earlier.
"It's here. Mai will be the next victim of this monster." Naru said with clenched fists. It couldn't have happened yet, right? He just had a potential vision of what might happen, not what was happening, right? He needed to know.
He stood back up and bolted for the door, only to be jerked back once again. "Stop." Lin's voice was calm yet stern. "She's fine. She's not in danger. You need to sleep."
Naru knew his assistant had posted each of his four Shiki to each of the dorm rooms their team occupied. He also knew that because of the potential danger their team faced with this case Lin had Shiki tag along with each group as they did their job. By all accounts, if something were to happen to anyone, Lin would be the first to know.
One thing Naru knew from years of research, was that precognitive dreams can come as warnings, even to those who do not normally have visions. A warning of what is to come or what might come, it was never a definite. But sometimes, the measures you take to avoid such outcomes lead you in exactly the same situation as the vision. So when Ayako had said she and Mai would not be joining, he thought that maybe she had escaped whatever fate he had been warned of.
But when he still had the same dream again, he knew something was wrong. It was completely possible that the same fate could happen to either Masako or Kiko, but Naru was taking precautions to protect them. He hadn't expected Ayako to show up the day before with his battered assistant in tow. He hadn't expected his dream to change to what was most likely a dormroom in possibly the same building they were all staying in. He hadn't expected to feel so certain that there was almost nothing he could do to change the outcome of whatever he saw.
"How many times does this make?" Lin's voice broke the young man from his thoughts. "You've been having this dream since the last case. How many times?"
"Eighteen," he finally replied. Naru let out a breath trying to wrap his head around it.
"Each clearer than the last." It wasn't a question and they both knew it.
"Just that she was in danger at first. Just a feeling. Then hearing her. Then seeing her in trouble. Now…" He was grateful he didn't have to finish that thought.
"Now, she is safe. Everyone is. We can only take this one step at a time. This won't be a case where we can be three steps ahead. We knew that from the beginning. You need to accept it."
"I need to send her back or away, anywhere. I can't let her go through that. I can't let any of them."
"Everyone is aware of the dangers involved with this case, and they have accepted it. No one is going anywhere and you need to focus on solving this case." Lin moved Naru back to his bed and then sat on his own. "One step at a time, Oliver. Now get some rest."
They both lied down, but only one actually fell asleep. Once he was sure his assistant was out, Naru got up and dressed. If he couldn't be even one step ahead of the game, he sure as hell wasn't going to allow himself to be a step behind this thing.
Day 2, 8:02 A.M.
Lin had woken up and joined the duo in their examination of their evidence not long after Mai had come down. It wasn't too long until the whole gang had been awoken and were all in attendance and awaiting orders. "Nothing odd on the audio, just some footsteps, but that could easily have been someone walking to the bathroom," Mai said, taking off her headset.
"Could very well be," Naru answered. "Cameras do confirm students walking towards the lavatories last night."
"Then, I got nothing."
"Well, good morning," Monk said, finally gathering the attention of the investigators.
"I assume everyone slept well?" Yasuhara quipped, earning a few eyerolls at the bad attempt at small talk.
"I mean, I slept all right, not great," Monk answered cracking his neck, earning a cringe from the medium. "Sorry."
"Before we split up and do whatever it is Naru has planned," Mai began, bringing attention to her, though her eye already did that. "Whichever team that looks into temperature readings, can you check the room Ayako and I are staying? It was freezing in there last night."
"I was just fine," the priestess replied, raising a brow. Mai shrugged.
"Well, I couldn't sleep well because of it. It might not be paranormal and I just might need to layer up to sleep, but it's worth looking into."
"Now, if we might get to work?" Naru's cool tone silenced the conversations. And attention was brought back to him. "Yasuhara, Kiko, you-"
Kiko held up a hand as she took a sip of the coffee in her to-go mug that she brought with her. "I know, I know, back to the library. Find out as much as you can. Look for serial rapists and any public charges of rape within the last twenty years."
"And?"
"Stay close, don't let each other out of our sight," Yasuhara finished as he and his fellow researcher stood up. "And keep the charms on you. Same drill as yesterday."
"Meet back here before lunch to discuss whatever you found, whether you have anything of relevance." The two researchers left to do their part. Naru turned to the other four investigators. "You four will split up and take temperature readings. If you can, talk to some of the students. See if maybe any of them have any idea where this spirit might have originated. They may know more than they think. Do the same with any professors as well."
"Got it," they said in unison.
"Mai, you'll stay here and we'll all meet here before lunch to compare notes."
"So, Masako, what have you been sensing? What exactly are we dealing with?" Monk asked as he was waiting for the thermometer to give him a reading.
"Just as we suspected, we're dealing with the spirit of a serial rapist," Masako replied, then shrugged. "Or the spirit of someone who held the potential to be a serial rapist."
"Potential? You mean this thing might not have brutalized women when he was alive?" Monk jotted down what he saw and they headed for the next room.
"It's possible, maybe even likely." She followed him and kept her sleeve to her mouth. "He could have been incompetent in that aspect while alive and is using his anger to possess the male students to do the job for him. Now that doesn't mean when the spirit was alive he didn't brutalize women in other ways."
"Okay, is that what you see? What you sense? You don't seem one hundred percent sure. I just want to make sure you aren't experiencing the same blockage you were at the theater."
Masako let the ghost of a laugh escape her lips. She shook her head. "No, nothing is blocking me from sensing the property. It's just…" She let out a breath. "This place…it makes me very anxious."
"You're not answering my question." The stern look in Monk's eyes told Masako that she had done enough stalling. She needed to admit what they were facing. "What are we dealing with?"
Masako let out a sigh and leaned against the wall as they waited for the thermometer to get a read of the room. "Definitely a male spirit, probably in his thirties, anger, hatred, this thing is malicious. It's feels like he's feeding off of the fear from the students and from us…"
Monk's lips formed a thin line at the discovery. "I was afraid you would say something like that. Any other spirits?"
Masako nodded as the thermometer settled and Monk was able to jot down the number. "I can hear them crying."
"How many?"
"I can't tell, all can tell you is they can't leave until this monster is dealt with." Goosebumps flared up and down her arms despite not being cold. "And if we don't do it soon, more will join their cries."
Day 2, 11:43 A.M.
"Yasuhara, what did you find?" Naru's voice sounded uninterested as usual, but his eyes held sincerity as the gang gathered in Base.
"Not much, unfortunately," the college student replied, flipping through his notes. "The University has stood here for more than fifty years, some renovations here and there as the amount of students enrolling increased. I couldn't find anything remotely interesting or hinting at a killing or death involved with the school."
"I went looking for yearbooks or books of that sort that might have had an 'In Memory of' note about a student or teacher who may have died. I came up empty since they stopped printing that sort of thing for this University around ten years ago. The ones I could find were all sporadic in years and really didn't give us anything." Kiko closed her notebook, unhappy that she didn't have much to report in. "I went looking for newspapers they might have kept record of and I found papers from pretty much every prefecture for the last thirty years, except Akita."
"They didn't keep anything printed for this prefecture?" John asked, tilting his head.
Kiko shook her head. "I found it odd and today I figured I could ask the librarians. I asked the one who worked last night, but she wasn't sure, since she had only just started working there last semester. Two were working this morning, one who had worked here for a few years and the other who had been here for twenty and graduated from here a couple years before she started working. Neither one of them had an answer for me. Well, not one that I liked. They had no logical explanation for the missing newspapers."
"I spoke with several professors to see if they knew anything, no one really wanted to talk about the history of the place," Ayako mentioned. "Think that might be connected to the missing papers?"
Kiko shrugged. "Not sure, but I am sure of one thing." She looked at her fellow researcher.
"They're hiding something." Yasuhara's voice took a grim tone as he spoke. In less than two seconds, the ominous glare shining from his glasses faded and he looked to the gang with a cheesy grin. "So how was everyone else's morning?"
"Yasu, not the time for comic relief," Kiko groaned rubbing her temples. The priest sitting next to her on the couch handed her a bottle of Ibuprofen. "Thanks, John."
"Can I have some too, John?" Ayako asked with a sigh. "I've had a migraine all morning."
"You, too?" Mai asked at the same time John replied with, "Of course."
Thus the bottle of painkillers was passed around. "What's up with you guys? Did you not sleep or something?" Monk asked furrowing his brow.
Well, Mai couldn't vouch for any of the others, but she didn't sleep really. From what she could tell spending the night in the same room as Ayako, it seemed like she slept like the dead. "I slept just fine, my head didn't start killing me until about an hour ago," Ayako replied, taking the tablet with a swig of water from the bottle she bought at the vending machine.
"My sleep wasn't the best," Kiko admitted after taking the medicine.
"Neither was mine," Mai said. Not a total lie.
"It has nothing to do with whether they slept or not," Masako said with a shake of her head. "The male presence here is feeding off of the fear of the students and of us. Specifically, the fear from the women."
And it made sense. A lot of sense. From the moment the team arrived, there was an almost draining aspect of the property. Given the nature of the attacks, it made sense that it would affect the women on the team more so than the men. "You're certain?" Naru asked, looking directly at the medium in the folding chair across from him.
"Afraid so," Masako sighed, suddenly feeling a little lightheaded. "I got the feeling when we arrived, but after speaking with Monk, I'm positive the spirit is feeding off of the fear of the women specifically. Fear creates a lot of energy and it takes a lot of energy for a spirit to possess someone. Especially to possess the amount of people this one seems to have. Leading me to believe that this spirit has inhabited the school for a long time but only recently became active."
"A spirit who's an energy vampire?" John asked, tilting his head once more.
"Just when I thought this case wouldn't get even more dangerous," Monk said as he rolled his eyes. He looked to Naru and seemed to read his mind. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees in his folding chair. He looked to each member of the team. "Well? We were all pretty much aware of the dangers involved, but it looks to be even worse than we might have anticipated. Are you girls still willing to remain on this case?"
The girls seemed to each look at each other almost telepathically deciding what their next step was. With closed eyes, it was Mai who spoke first. "I don't have anywhere to go right now, besides, I feel like this is where I should be. Like I'm supposed to be here."
"If Mai's staying, I sure as hell am," the priestess decided, crossing her arms. She let out a sigh. "I'll make more protection charms to help block this thing from draining our energy, but I make no promises that it'll work. I never tried it."
"But it has potential to work?" Monk raised a brow.
"It won't hurt us."
"I'm staying too, we need to help the other spirits here too," Masako added, blinking hard as though to stay awake. She put a hand to her head and rubbed her temple.
"Do you want some?" John offered, holding out the little bottle. Masako held her hand up to decline.
"No, thanks, medicine won't help this headache, but I might lie down after lunch."
"What about you, Kiko?" Yasuhara asked, turning to the girl next to him.
"No one else is backing out, so why should I?" She smiled. "Besides, I know how boring research can be when you're working alone."
"Did anyone find out anything from talking to staff?" Naru said, bringing back everyone's attention to the case.
It was John who shook his head. "A lot of the professors are adamant that nothing like this has ever occurred before recently."
"They also seemed very uneasy that we were here," Monk added crossing his arms as he leaned back. "We certainly have our work cut out for us, only our questions outnumber our answers and clues. Most of us have been here since Monday and the paranormal activity seems to have ceased for the time being. I hate to say it, but I don't think we'll find any more information or clues until this thing attacks again. And if what Masako says is true about the spirit draining energy from the students and from us, it's very likely it's planning to attack again. And soon."
Naru's mind involuntarily flashed to his nightmare. He mentally shook it off and looked out the window. Snow had started falling again. The news had said there was a big storm coming, he wasn't sure if this was the start of it. "Everyone should go and get something to eat. After lunch, Kiko, Yasuhara, keep digging. If there are missing chunks in the history of this place, then there must be some sort of clue as to why we have this deranged spirit in the missing pieces."
"And when we reach bottom? If we come up with nothing?" Yasuhara asked, somewhat unsure they could find more info.
"Dig deeper. History is missing, not erased." Naru turned to the rest of the group. "Matsuzaki-san, I want you and John to visit Yamasaki-san, he was never interviewed yesterday. See if he's had any experiences."
"Got it," they replied.
"Hara-san, Monk, talk to some of the students, use Masako's fame to connect. Offer to give readings, see if maybe they know something that they didn't think was important."
Monk raised a brow, but nodded in agreement. "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving. Cafeteria?"
Everyone nodded in agreement and walked out, leaving just the two workaholics. The younger of the two wishing he had taken up the offer of medicine. His head was throbbing. "You never went back to sleep this morning."
"There was work to be done."
"Don't push yourself, you didn't sleep much yesterday, either." Whether the young employer heard him, Lin wasn't too sure. The young man was intently watching the cameras. Making sure his team made it to the cafeteria together. "You won't be able to help any of them if you burn yourself out."
Day 2, 6:34 P.M.
Mai was actually starting to regret her compromise to Ayako. She was getting restless sitting in Base. There wasn't much to do and it looked like even Naru was antsy sitting in there. Lin was quite content with his typing. Maybe he was writing a novel? Or maybe he liked to freewrite? Journal, maybe?
Mai made a mental note to ask her co-assistant about it later. Though she sort of doubted the man was writing anything of fiction. She shook her head of the thought and turned her attention back to the monitors. Naru was at the table behind her going over his file and notes of this case.
She made a mental head count of the team. From the camera on the second floor of the library, Mai could see Kiko go into a room and Yasuhara come out of the same room. Using it as their Base, like the Ishikawa hotel…Mai noted. She turned her attention to another camera.
Monk and Masako had been talking to a couple of students just as the medium fainted dramatically. Mai raised a brow, but continued to watch. With her in Monk's arms, he said something to the students who bowed apologetically. A minute later, when the students were gone, Masako stood back up straight and they walked off like nothing happened.
Masako, you little con artist. Mai shook her head, knowing that the students probably weren't going to give them the information they needed. Mai subtly wondered whether Masako's past faints on cases were to get attention from Naru? Definitely more of a probability than a possibility.
Mai shook her head again and looked for John and Ayako. They were still trying to find the headmaster. Who the hell has a meeting just before a blizzard and one that lasts more than five hours? Mai wondered shaking her head. She remembered how annoyed Ayako had been when Naru asked them to keep looking. He better tell us something worth while when we find him, she remembered the priestess saying.
She found the duo talking to a couple of professors. They don't look like they want to talk about the weather, let alone whatever horrid history they know about the place. Mai rolled her eyes. It looked like Ayako wasn't going to leave a stone unturned and it looked like the elderly professor was not thrilled at her enthusiasm.
Well, with that the whole team was accounted for. No attacks to speak of at least not to anyone on the team. Guess I should look at the other angles and check on the passing students-
It felt like an icy finger stroked up her spine, sending goosebumps to appear on her arms and legs. She felt that cold pit in her stomach from the day before and was sure she might never feel warm again. An icy breath brought a chilling whisper to her ear. Building two, camera four…
A wave of nausea passed over her as she regretted eating anything for lunch. Her eyes looked for the camera that the voice told her to find. It was the Academic Building. She glanced at the clock hanging by the window. Classes are in session until at least seven, she remembered. She found the camera.
The view was pointing down the stairs as a girl walked up them. She reached the top and seemed to greet someone. Mai grabbed the headset and turned on the audio for that area.
"Hey, I can't talk right now, I'm way late for class." The conversation sounded normal enough.
But then whomever she was speaking to, Mai couldn't see him, laughed. His laugh sent another chill down her spine. "Hey!" The girl's arm was grabbed. "Let go!"
"Shit." Mai didn't wait a second longer. She had to stop this. She removed the headset and rushed to the door. "Academic Building!" she shouted to the surprised men behind her.
Glad that she had spent her free time studying the floor plans, she ran to the Academic building. Old snow crunched under her feet as fresh snow began to dust her head. She didn't care. The cold air was warmer than the pit of her stomach. She ran into the building and quickly found the stairwell that their camera occupied. "No sign of her," she muttered between breaths.
The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. Maintance closet. Third floor.
Nodding, Mai ran into the hallway of the third floor, hearing her friends behind her. She didn't know exactly where the closet was, but felt a pull to towards one specific door. "Mai! What are you doing?" Naru had finally caught up with her, just as she opened the door.
Inside, Mai found the girl from the camera, pressed up against the wall next to the shelves of cleaning supplies. A man was holding her their as she struggled to get away. Her eyes pleaded, but her voice could not out of fear. Feeling an ache in her chest, she looked to Lin. The assailant was oblivious that he had been found and didn't sense Lin's attack.
A jab to the neck knocked that man out cold, his body crumpling into the Chinese assistant's arms.
"And you're positive Yamasaki can be found in his office? He's been MIA from us since we arrived on Monday," Ayako asked as she crossed her arms.
"That's where he should be, Miss-" Kohaku replied, narrowing his eyes trying to remember seeing the woman when he escorted the rest of the group on Monday night.
"Matsuzaki, Ayako, I arrived yesterday," she answered, returning to her question. "Yamasaki-san is in his office right now, yes?"
"Again, that's where he should be, but I'm not his secretary. I just help out in his office from time to time."
"Thank you, Kohaku-san," John interrupted, grabbing Ayako'sa arm and pulling her away. "We'll go talk to Yamasaki, enjoy your evening."
"What was that?" Ayako asked, once they were a decent ways away from the student.
"You were both getting agitated," he replied. "He doesn't like Yamasaki-san any more than you do and he's trying really hard to not show it."
"I haven't even met the man." Ayako rolled her eyes. "Kohaku was probably looking for him too, or maybe this guy has a habit of disappearing for hours on end. He's probably sick of it."
"Yes, but why would Kohaku go looking for him? He's just a student, not the headmaster's secretary. If he needed help on a paper or project he would go after a professor, right?"
Ayako looked at the intuitive priest and furrowed her brow. "I think I'm starting to see what you're getting at. So why did Yamasaki choose him to be our guide, so to speak? And if Kohaku really can't stand him, why does he feel that way?" The priestess crossed her arms again and shook her head. "Does this have anything to do with our investigation? It's not like the headmaster played with a spirit board and conjured up a demon rapist, right?"
At that, priest managed to laugh. "I somehow don't see that to be possible, Ayako," he laughed, but sobered up with a smile. "However, I don't think we can rule anything specific just yet, not until we have all of the information."
"Somehow, I get the feeling we never get all the information." Ayako shook her head as they headed for the headmaster's office. "At least, not until it's too late."
"So, how often do you have to use that little fainting trick of yours?" Monk asked with a smirk. He and the medium were wandering the halls of the Science Building. "Learn it for the show?"
"Actually, it didn't start out as a trick," she answered, her mouth behind her sleeve. "Seeing and channeling spirits used to take a big toll on me when I was younger, so I was prone fainting spells. I usually woke up a few minutes later, after the spirit left, but later I managed to go through the experiences without passing out. So when the director asked me if there was a way to make my show more dramatic, I told him about my history with fainting. Then the next day when we were filming a spirit showed me a vision that took more out of me than I expected. I fainted right on camera."
"Okay, I'm not seeing where you decided to start using it as a trick." Monk raised a brow.
"When I came to, my director first asked me if I was alright." She stopped and looked up at her friend. "Then he asked me if I could do it again, he wanted a better angle."
"Jeez…
"This is bad," Yasuhara commented coming back into their research base. He held a few books. "I'm resorting to books about the hauntings of Akita!"
If the comment was supposed to bring a smile to his partner, he failed miserably. In fact, she failed at being a research partner. Her focus wasn't on the newspapers in front of her, but on the falling snow outside. "Mmmhmmm," was her response, barely noticing his return.
"Hey, you okay? You've been distracted all day," Yasuhara asked, placing the books on the table. "Is you're head still bothering you?"
"What?" Kiko blinked hard and looked back at him. She shook her head. "Sorry, yeah, my head still hurts. The medicine didn't do much." She rubbed her temple.
"It's been a few hours, it's probably wore off, ask John for some more when we get back to Base."
"Yeah, I'll do that," she lied. She knew the medicine wouldn't help. She wasn't even sure sleep would help, no matter how much she wanted to take a nap on one of the surprisingly comfy-looking couches in the open room just outside. A nap sounded really good at the moment.
"Kiko?"
"Sorry, distracted." She felt a shiver go down her spine. He knew something was bothering her. And she knew he knew, might as well come clean. "What Masako said earlier, about this thing drawing energy from fear. You don't think this thing could draw energy directly from us, do you? Like, fear just makes us vulnerable and allows him to take advantage of that and steal our energy directly. Would that be the reason why my headache won't go away?"
"Okay, slow down." He came around the table and sat in the chair next to hers. "Ayako gave you an extra protection charm after lunch right?" The girl nodded. "And it hasn't been helping?" She shook her head. "So two charms won't work, wanna try three?"
"Yasu, I'm not taking your protection charm from you. That just screams bad idea." She pushed his hand back as he tried to hand her one of his charms. "Besides, we don't even know if more of these things will work if it was already able to draw energy when we all had one."
"It's worth a shot, besides, I feel fine and I have a second one in my other pocket." He placed it on the table for her and stood back up. "I'm going to grab some coffee for both of us, you look like you could use a little caffeine."
"It's going to have me in a riled up mess."
"Riled up mess or take a nap in a haunted library."
"Haunted by an energy vampire, you forgot that part."
"Coffee it is! I'll be right back." And he cheerfully left her in their research room. Kiko softly smiled and looked at the books he brought in.
"'Ghost Tales of Akita?'" She shook her head, but opened it nonetheless. "Well, what do we have to lose?"
Lin and Naru pulled the unconscious man out into the hall, while Mai approached the terrified girl who had slumped to the floor. Mai knelt and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, who immediately pushed her skirt down to cover herself. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Mai asked, trying to get the girl to speak. She shook her head. "Can you tell me what happened?" The girl let out a shaky breath, a tear falling from her face.
"It wasn't him…" she muttered, choking back sobs. "He couldn't do this. His eyes…"
]"What's you're name?" But the girl was not up to answering any of her questions. "Do you want me to take you to your room? I don't think it's worth trying to make your class tonight."
The girl remained motionless as Mai stood up and approached the boys. Naru turned to face her as Lin propped the man against the wall.
"She's in shock, she's not going to talk here or now," she said, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe of the closet. "I say we take her back to her dorm and I'll interview her. Are you going to have Lin carry him back to Base?" She tilted her head to the side. "That'll draw a lot of unnecessary attention."
"I'm well aware," he replied, assuming his thinking pose.
"What's wrong?"
"I saw an empty conference room back towards the stairs, I'll have Lin stay with him in there until Hara-san can determine whether or not he is still possessed. I'll accompany you to her dorm."
"No offense, Naru, and I know I'd be breaking my own compromise agreement, but I doubt she'll be comfortable with you following her to her dorm and interviewing her."
"I'll let you interview her while I wait outside, but I'm not letting you walk alone to the dorms." He turned his attention back to the unconscious attacker.
"Fine, but what aren't you telling me?" Mai knew better than to argue with that tone.
"The man who attacked her wasn't a student," he answered and it was only then did Mai realize the man was in a suit and tie. He still looked so young, but Mai knew Naru was right.
"He's a professor…"
Naru nodded grimly.
I hope you all enjoyed and I meant to write this in the last chapter but thank you all for 400 reviews! I can't even begin to tell you how happy and appreciative I am for getting this far! I hope you all continue to review and that you are here for the long haul! Thank you all again and I'll have the next chapter up by thanksgiving!
Thank you for 63 chapters and nearly 5 years of this fic! I wouldn't have done it without you!