Guys! The case is almost over! You know what that means right? More Hozumi! More Michiru and Keiko! and Most importantly Mai's healing! Next chapter will wrap everything in this case up and then the next chapter will be post case and will focus on Mai searching for ways to help stop her insomnia. Once again feel free to check out The Haunt Continues, if you want to see some NaruMai fluff that will take place after this fic is over. If you have any ideas for that fic be sure to let me know! Enjoy!

Chapter 10-Newspapers

February Day 4 8:23 P.M.

"So much for sticking in groups of three," Monk said. He and Kiko were now searching the second dorm building, before heading for the Academic Building.

"Well, he said to stay in groups of three and then Mai runs off without John or Ayako realizing," she replied as they headed up the stairs. "It's easier to keep track of one partner rather than two."

"You have a point-hey!" He stopped one of the students heading to his dorm. "Hey, sorry, have you seen her? She was supposed to meet back at our Base a little while ago and isn't answering her phone." He knew it was a lie, but the student did know. Monk held up his phone that had a picture of the two of them from more than a year before.

The student studied the picture for a second, you could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "Sorry, man, I haven't seen her." He shrugged and walked off.

"Thanks anyway," Monk sighed, crossing his arms. "I know Naru wants us to head to the Academic Building, but all of the students for the most part have returned to their rooms for the storm."

"And one of them might have seen where she went," Kiko nodded. "When did you take that picture with Mai?"

"It was right after one of the first cases we had," he answered. "Mai and Masako both asked Naru to investigate a local park. Mai asked first, Naru declined. When Masako asked, he decided it was interesting enough for him."

"I bet Mai was thrilled." She smiled as they walked down the hall.

"Not at first, but then we found out that the spirit was targeting couples. She wanted to be paired up with Naru, but Masako got to him first." He smiled at the memory. "Long story short, Masako took Naru out for dinner to thank him for taking the case and Mai was bummed out, so I took her out."

"You took Mai out on a date?"

"She needed a little cheering up, and Ayako came along with John."

"The poor priest."

Monk laughed. "It was a fun night. This is the picture I have with Mai's contact info." He pulled out his phone again and showed Kiko the picture of the monk and Mai hugging.

"She reminds you of your sister, doesn't she?" she asked, he nodded. "That's why you've been protective of her."

"They're both stubborn as hell and Mai's only a few months younger than Hoshiko. I didn't like it when Ayako brought Mai here for this case, but I also didn't like any of you girls having to be a part of this. When I found out what happened to her…"

"You thought about Hoshiko and you're almost glad that she decided to pursue acting instead of going to a college where this was going on." She found another student in the hall. "Hey, excuse me!" She grabbed Monk's phone and showed the young man. "Have you seen our friend? We can't find her and we want to make sure she's not out in the storm."

The man cocked his eyebrow up as he tried to place the face on the picture. "That's the chick with the shiner, right?" Kiko nodded. "I saw her about an hour ago coming out of the Academic Building. Not sure where she was heading, but she looked preoccupied."

"What do you mean?" Monk asked, taking his phone back.

"I was coming out of that building too, so I only caught a glimpse, but from what I saw it looked like she was spacing out and not realizing where she was going."

"You didn't stop her to see if she was okay?" Monk crossed his arms and scowled.

"Hey, I saw the eye and I don't want to get in the middle of anything. Not my business to know where she got that from. Not my business to know where she was heading."

"Thanks," Kiko said, letting the boy go.

"The main buildings are pretty much deserted," Masako commented as she watched the monitors. She shook her head. "But I don't see her."

"Found her!" Yasuhara exclaimed, and then sighed once he saw the time stamp. "Well, sort of. I found her leaving the Academic Building almost an hour ago."

"It's a start, we can assume for the moment that she isn't in that building. Good thing Monk and Kiko are in the other dorm building."

"Probably asking around to see if anyone's seen her. Might even help us narrow down our search," the college student said, noting the time of when Mai left the building. "Now I have to figure out which building she went into."

"Too bad we don't have cameras outside," Masako commented then shrugged. "Then again, they would be destroyed in the snow."

"Yeah, keep your eye on the Science Building and wherever Lin and Naru went." A few clicks and he was looking at a different angle with the time stamp an hour before. "They might have missed something."

"Okay." She turned her attention back to the monitors. Then a thought occurred to her. "What if Mai came to the same conclusion we did?"

"You mean that the headmaster was Nakajima's partner?" The girl nodded. He shrugged. "I don't see how. I mean, even with the research we did we're reaching."

"What if she had a vision and that's why she ran off?" Masako asked, her hands were together inside her kimono sleeves. No one would guess that from their hidden position she might have been praying. "It wouldn't be the first time."

He paused his video and looked at the medium. "You think Mai had a vision and went to approach Yamasaki-san." It wasn't a question. "She had a vision about what this man has been doing and she would go try to stop him herself?" That was a question.

"I'm thinking Naru's probably thinking the same thing," she said, looking at the monitor in the upper right corner. "They just entered the Tech Building, that's where Yamasaki's office is."

"I'm not going to like what I'm going to find, am I?" he asked as he switched camera angles for the same timeframe. "Nope, I definitely didn't like it. Remind me to never doubt you again. The luck of the spirits are with you."

"What are you talking about?" She never received an answer.

"Lin, your Shiki?" Naru asked as he and his taller assistant walked quickly into the Tech Building.

"They haven't found her, yet," Lin replied.

"How did we lose her?"

"Something blocked my Shiki and she slipped by." Lin kept his hands in his pockets. "She's not in danger, otherwise my Shiki would have found her by now."

That only made Naru walk faster. He didn't like this. He did not like this one bit. It was bad enough what Mai went through just before the case. It was worse what she had to endure now that she was here. His nightmares certainly didn't help matters. Neither did him becoming possessed.

"She's going to be okay."

"I know."

Lin was about to respond but shook it out of his head. Madoka's going to have a field day when she hears about this…

Naru's phone rang stopping both men. "Yasuhara-san?"

Her eyes snapped open and she bolted forward. She found she was sitting in a chair and rested her elbows on her knees. She felt as thought she had been holding her breath. She probably was. Her head was held in her hands as she felt the tears fall from her eyes. But why was she crying?

"Th-that voice," she stuttered as she spoke. Her finger brushed against the spot the demon had scratched. It had scabbed over. She felt cold to the core, but she wasn't sure if whether she was trembling because of that or because of her sobs. "B-but I thought…"

She felt horrible. So scared. So vulnerable. Mai despised it. She was better than this. Better than to allow a recurring nightmare to get the better of her. But that voice at the end. For whatever reason, it shook her.

Was that Naru? She wondered. It sounded like him, but different. Why?

With a shaky breath, she leaned back and rested her head on the back of the chair. She wiped away her tears, but kept her eyes closed. She had to calm down. She had fallen asleep at some point, the last thing she remembered was having an internal argument with a spirit's voice in her head-

I really am going insane…

Mai opened her eyes and tried to figure out where she was. She was no longer with Ayako and John. I am so going to get an earful on that… She wasn't even sure she was in the same building. She was sitting in a plush chair facing a desk. Standing up she walked over to it, placing a hand on the wood, not completely sure why she did it until it was too late.

The wave of emotions that flooded her was overwhelming. Regret. Pain. Depression. Sadness. Hatred. Despair. Each one hit her like someone had thrown a brick. When she closed her eyes she saw why.

An image of a girl not much older than her, bent over the desk. He skirt was pulled up and the headmaster was behind her.

She opened her eyes and smacked her fist on the desk. "Sick bastard!"

On the brightside, because when you were working in a very dark place you tend to be appreciative of the little sparks of light the universe threw at you, Mai understood what the demon had told her before.

You're looking at the wrong incident.

We were never looking for a past incident. She let out a breath. We needed to find the current incident.

The sound of rustling and shuffling startled her. A bead of sweat ran down the back of her neck as she slowly turned. She held her breath, silently praying that she was only about to see a spirit and not the headmaster standing behind her.

Behind her was the bookshelf, but it wasn't books she was looking at. No. Paper covered the shelves and books. Blood red messages were written all over them.

How could you?

You monster!

You can't get away with this!

She heard more shuffling behind her. She turned around and realized who was with her.

Rot in hell! You don't deserve to live! You did this to us!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sharp sound once again startled her as she snapped her head in the direction of the noise. Great! What now? She held her breath and bit her lip as more rustling went on behind her.

"Mai! Mai, are you in there! Open the door!" And she let out her breath in relief.

"Thank God," Ayako muttered, resting against the wall with her phone to her ear. "Okay, John and I will make our way back to Base if Monk and Kiko are heading to them." She paused again, the priest next to her had crossed himself realizing their friend had been found safe and sound. "Yeah, I hope we get answers too. Bye."

"Mai's been found?" The priest asked as the priestess shoved her phone back in her pocket.

"Yeah, Yasuhara found her on the cameras and Naru and Lin are with her." She pushed herself off of the wall and headed for the exit. "Apparently, we missed a lot."

"That's great news!" John smiled, then sobered up. "What did we miss, exactly?"

"Not too sure," she admitted. "Yasuhara wouldn't tell me on the phone, but I think whatever we missed, Mai didn't. And that's probably why she ran off."

"Where did she go?" He followed her outside where the snow was coming down like a blizzard.

"To the headmaster's office."

"What were you doing in here?" Naru asked once Mai had gotten the door open.

She looked around at the messages etched on the walls and bookshelves. "Oh you know, a little redecorating. It seems to have really livened up the place," she said crossing her arms. "I think I've found my calling."

Amused, but didn't dare show her, Naru's face remained impassive. "How did you end up in here?"

Feeling rather sarcastic in the moment, Mai shrugged. "I'm going to assume I walked." He did not look amused. "Honestly, I wish I knew."

"It looks like our theory was right," Lin said, interrupting the two. He was standing at the bookcase that had been covered in paper and the messages. "Seems you've found the missing newspapers, Mai."

"Yamasaki must have ben worried that we might suspect him if we found anything about the murders," Naru said, assuming his thinking pose.

"You figured out Yamasaki was raping students and staff?" Mai asked, then immediately felt stupid afterward. Of course he knows, you idiot. You're never a step ahead of him.

"Someone left a USB drive with a video on it," Naru replied.

"Of course, Chinatsu said something about leaving a message for you guys." The sparked the young man's interest.

"Chinatsu? The victim from Wednesday?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah, turns out Yamasaki's been forcing her to have sex with him since before summer started. Poor thing, I really thought that she was, you know…" She bit her lip and shook away the thought. "But I saw her coming out of this office last night. And something clicked. I talked to her when Ayako and John were checking the temperature in the lounge of the Academic Building."

Naru turned to his taller assistant. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Lin had migrated over to the windows, which were also covered in the newspapers. "She could be the 'Chi' in the video, it would fit the timeline." He continued studying the writing on the papers. "We still don't have anything definite connecting Yamasaki to Nakajima. I doubt we'd find anything in these newspapers either."

"What would the headmaster have to do with a serial killer from twenty-five years ago?" Mai asked with a raised brow.

"Turns out he was a professor here at the same time of the murders, he left shortly after Nakajima killed himself," Naru explained, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. "Lin, Monk and Kiko are locked out. Go let them in."

"Fine," Lin nodded reluctantly. "Neither one of you are to leave this room."

He left and Mai looked up at her boss. "So what did you want to tell me now that he's gone?" She may not know everything about him, but she knew him well enough to know something was on his mind.

But Naru walked over to the window his assistant had been studying and made mental notes of the writing. Despite the fact he couldn't read quite a bit of it.

Mai shook her head and looked down at the papers on the desk. The dates varied. Some were as recent as the week before, others were from more than twenty years before. But all from Akita.

"Glad to see you guys were more productive," Ayako said, standing up from the couch and walking to the window. The amount of annoyance in her tone set up a tense atmosphere. "You manage to come up with a plausible theory involving Yamasaki, and we managed to lose Mai."

"She's been like this the last hour, hasn't she?" Yasuhara whispered to the priest.

"You have no idea…"

"I can hear you!"

"Ayako, do you still feel like the spirit here is draining you?" Masako asked, hoping to break the tension.

The priestess let out a huff and leaned against the windowsill. "I'm exhausted, irritable, and extremely pissed off. But what else is new?" She took a deep breath and turned to look at her. "Why?"

Masako seemed to be looking passed the priestess and out of the window into the night. Yet her vision didn't get that far. "Why didn't I see it before?" she wondered aloud. Before anyone could question her, she said, "A spirit has attached itself to you. Since yesterday, I believe."

Ayako looked behind her and through the window, but only the medium was able to see the faint image of a young man in the glass.

"I want to apologize," Naru finally said after a moment. The comment made Mai turn around to see him looking at her. "I'm sorry for anything and everything I said and did earlier. I wasn't in control and I won't let that happen again."

Mai just shook her head and let out a breath. She honestly wasn't sure what to feel. She wasn't angry with him, at least, not about the possession. She pretty much knew what happened the moment he kissed her. She knew Naru would never do that to her. He didn't think of her in that way, that much she was sure of. She honestly didn't see the need for him to apologize for it.

So, she took a step away from the desk, making sure not to touch it or anything on it, and sighed again. "Naru, I'm not mad at you for that," she said slowly and shrugged. "I knew you were possessed. I knew then and now that you aren't that type of guy. Honestly, I'm over the whole situation. It's probably best if we forget about it, okay?"

Naru looked at her for a moment and Mai couldn't quite read the look in his eyes. He may not care for her more than just an assistant, but at least his apology seemed sincere. She gave a half smile.

"Thank you, though."

"Kiko, I think we found an answer to where the newspapers are," Monk said as he followed Lin into the headmaster's office.

"I should probably apologize for being snippy with the librarians," Kiko admitted, rubbing her neck. "I somehow don't think they know they were being kept in here." She walked up to the desk and touched one of the papers. He eyes dilated and she drew a sharp breath. She snatched her hand away with a low curse.

"You saw it, too?" Mai asked, and the girl nodded. She noticed the confused looks of the men. "The messages were written by the girls who were killed by Nakajima and…" She gathered another breath. "I'm certain several of them were raped by the headmaster as well. Their energy is laced in the writing."

"You saw the spirit's memories?" Monk asked, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu. "Again?"

"I don't know what Kiko saw, but when I woke up in here I put my hand on the desk and saw an image of the headmaster and a student," Mai explained. "I don't think I have to say what exactly they were doing."

"One of the girls who committed suicide might have been assaulted by Yamasaki," Lin offered.

"My vision wasn't here," Kiko said with a shake of her head. "It was of Nakajima and one of his victims in an alley somewhere." She turned to the shorter brunette in the room. "I didn't know you were touch clairvoyant."

"Neither did I," Mai said with a raised brow. "What is that? Knowing things when I touch something?"

"We'll have to add it to your resume, girlie," Monk said, ruffling the girl's hair. She scowled up at him. "What? It's entirely possible you have another latent ability."

"And those abilities can turn up during times of stress," Naru finished. "You've certainly had that this week."

"I can't even argue," Mai shrugged. "So what now? We can't exactly tell Yamasaki-san what we know until we exorcise Nakajima. And we can't call the police, one because of the storm, and two because we can't report him if his victims won't come forward."

"The headmaster must have gone home, no one's seen him and it's just the students who live on campus and a few of the professors left," Monk said. "We won't be able to tell him what we've found until after the storm anyway. So all that's left is to get rid of Nakajima, but how? We're in the middle of a snow storm and the campus is too large to trap him."

Naru had assumed his thinking pose yet again and looked to Lin. "I know that look," Kiko said with a grin. "You've got an idea."

"So, let me get this straight," Yasuhara said, leaning against their conference table. "Since yesterday a male spirit has been tagging along with Ayako and instead of having her energy totally drained from Nakajima, he's been fueling her with rage? And that's why she's not as tired as the rest of you girls?"

"Yup," Ayako replied with a sigh. "And yes, it's as crazy as it sounds."

"It explains why she's still so energetic," John commented.

"Okay, but Kiko seemed to be better today than yesterday," Yasuhara countered.

"You, her, and Monk left the campus to search a lead, she even said that after she left the campus she felt better. She was better today than yesterday, but the longer the activity goes on and she's here, the more drained she'll feel," Masako replied. "I myself feel like I haven't slept at all this week, though I know I did."

"Then who is this spirit that's following Ayako?" The college student crossed his arms. "We only have one male spirit-"

"No, we have one definite male spirit, Nakajima," John interrupted. "But there was another death here that we've overlooked."

"Oh God, what was his name?" Ayako shook her head as she racked her brain. "The possession victim who committed suicide. Didn't he end up raping his girlfriend?"

"Tsukuda Hiroki," Masako replied, with her kimono sleeve at her lips. "He is standing right here, you know."

"Sorry. So why is he attached to me?" Ayako asked with a raised brow.

"He wants justice for his girlfriend," Masako replied with a sigh. "And for himself. Mai was right, he didn't intend on ending his life. Nakajima decided for him. He sensed your anger at the situation and wanted to help you keep your energy up to get rid of Nakajima."

"But why me?"

"Beats me, we all know how useful you are in an exorcism." The medium's snarky remark caused the vein in the priestess's forehead to pulsate.

"You wanna say that again!"

"That's why he chose you," Yasuhara said as he snapped his fingers. Earning curious looks. "Think about it, Nakajima has primarily targeted girls who are more…docile…" Before Ayako could hit him, he put a hand up. "Once he possesses someone, he looks for the easiest victim. The one that won't fight. The one who would hesitate to stop him. You're too headstrong and feisty for him to overpower, Hiroki probably sees that as being our advantage."

"But Mai's headstrong too, why attack her?" The priestess shook her head.

The priest looked down and frowned. "Mai hasn't been herself in a while," he said. "And on this case she's been especially quiet and withdrawn. Not exactly a hard target for this spirit."

"And he knew attacking her would hit us all the hardest," Ayako admitted bitterly. "And definitely so after what happened earlier this week. In a sense, she was the perfect target."

"Glad to know I'm still a favorite among dangerous spirits," a voice quipped, causing everyone to turn to the door.

"Mai-"

She held a hand up. "I only heard your part of the conversation, Ayako, I don't want to know the rest." She walked over to the conference table and sat on it. "What did I miss?"

"Ayako has her very own Casper following her around," Yasuhara said, earning a scowl from the priestess and a nod from the young psychic. "He thinks Ayako is the one that can take down Nakajima."

Mai nodded again. "Did he happen to say how Ayako will be able to defeat Nakajima and restore peace and harmony to the school?"

"Unfortunately, he did not," he replied, both of them held very straight, very serious expressions as they spoke.

"But, Ayako was the first one to suspect Yamasaki," John countered. "That could be the reason why Hiroki thinks she might she able to stop this?" Another thought occurred. "Was his girlfriend not just a victim of Nakajima, but of Yamasaki as well?"

"You hit the nail on the head," Masako commented, looking at the window.

Monk looked down to the high schooler that stood next to him. "Are you confused? Because I'm confused?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm barely following this."

"Where are Naru and Lin?" Ayako asked, changing the subject.

"Getting something ready," Monk replied, hands in his pockets. He turned to John. "He wants us to get ready for an exorcism. We're ending this tonight."

Mai's eyes had wandered to the window, where she could see the faint image of a young man looking pissed off and relieved at the same time. Hiroki…

February Day 4, 9:33 P.M.

Mai found herself, along with the rest of the team in the basement of the dorm building. Lin was kneeling on the floor working on something she couldn't quite make out, but Naru hovered over him with a flashlight. Monk and John were on either side of the Chinese assistant, all decked out in their exorcism best.

Mai and the rest of the group were up against the wall behind the group of men, trying to stay as out of the way as possible. She was almost skeptical that they would be able to end things tonight.

Naru, I know you think we're going to exorcise Nakajima, but a simple exorcism isn't going to get rid of this guy, she thought to herself. He's a monster. You don't hunt monsters. Why start now?

"Hara-san?" Naru called over his shoulder. Masako closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Hiroki is riling up the female spirits," Masako said, trying to sense locations. "He's agitating Nakajima." Mai herself could feel an uneasy heaviness settle in the air. "He's coming."

"Father Brown." Naru turned to the priest, who had his Bible at the ready. He even had a little book light attached so he could ready in the dark.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God," John began, spraying holy water every so often.

A knot wound tighter than a drum in Mai's belly. Normally, John's exorcisms were somewhat calming, like they brought a type of peace as it expelled the spirit. Not this time. No, the whole situation made her feel tense and lightheaded. Even nauseous.

"He's here…" Masako's words were barely a whisper. No, more like a whimper. Mai swallowed hard. Chills went up and down all of the girls' spines.

"Monk." And Monk started his mantra. Another wave of nausea passed over the teen, she looked to her side and saw she was not the only one feeling sick.

If anything, Ayako seemed to be the one most stable. Maybe there was some truth to what Hiroki thought, Mai thought.

She heard a squeak come from the other side of Masako and dared to lean over and look. "Kiko?" Mai heard Yasuhara's concerned voice. Mai saw the terror in her eyes.

"I can't move," she whimpered and soon Mai understood the feeling.

"He's definitely here," Mai said as she was suddenly glued to the wall. It was like her shirt was sewn into the wall forcing her to stay still. "Naru, I don't think it's working."

"It will," he said, turning his attention back to Monk and John.

I can't even do the nine cuts! Mai's thoughts raced. She looked to her left and since Masako wasn't completely against the wall, she saw the look of pain on Kiko's face. What's wrong with her?

Her questions were soon answered as Masako was shoved against the wall with a thud and a grunt. "Masako!" But her thoughts didn't stay on her friends' conditions for too long. She tried her best to focus on the exorcism being performed in front of them. Nakajima was just trying to distract them. He didn't want them to continue and destroy his spirit, literally.

Stay calm, Mai. He just wants to scare you. He wants to use you to distract everyone and stop the exorcism. You can't let that happen-

But it wasn't enough to contain the squeak that erupted from her throat. She was amazed she didn't scream. It was absolutely terrifying to feel something grope your breast, but not see the culprit. She looked down to see her clothing was undisturbed, but the feeling was ever present.

Oh God! He's doing this to the three of us! She shot a sympathetic look to the girls next to her. They were both biting their lips to keep from crying out. The ghostly hands seemed to wander further down. Please, no! Not there! Not there!

Tears pricked her eyes as she tried to conjure up some sort of plan, some way to get out of this situation. Someone…stop this…

Fight it, Mai!

The words snapped her eyes open. She couldn't tell you where it came from, but she suddenly felt a sense of calmness. A sense that everything was going to be okay. The hands were still there, but made their way back to her breasts. She took a deep breath and let it out. Get your filthy hands off of me!

She was able to move her arms again and once she formed the seal of the Immovable One, she no longer felt the hands on her. "Nau maku san manda bazara dan kan!" she chanted quietly, but forcefully.

"Mai…" Masako said quietly as the hands that were on her disappeared. She snapped her head up to the ceiling. Banging sounded from the walls and floor around them. "He doesn't want to give up."

Mai continued to chant the mantra Monk taught her a year before. "Better stop that, girl." The growl startled Mai and she stumbled on her words. She gasped when she felt hands on her again.

"Not again!" she groaned, keeping the seal and continued the mantra. Finally she raised two fingers and pictured Nakajima's yellow eyes. "Rin, pyou, tou, shah, kai, jin, retsu, zai zen!"

"In principio." John had finished the exorcism as he kneeled down next to Lin. Monk was kneeling now, too.

"Matsuzaki," Naru turned around and Ayako approached him. She held out a charm, but Naru shook his head. "It's your seal."

Ayako nodded and knelt down next to Monk. Mai looked curiously, but was unable to see what was going on, but Monk pulled something off of the ground. Did they really do it?

"Hara-san?" Naru asked, again, turning his head. "What is the status on Nakajima?"

The medium took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "He's still here, but he's faint. What are you planning?"

At that, the four kneeling on the ground, stood up. Something was in Lin's hands. "A simple exorcism wouldn't take down Nakajima," the tall man explained, holding a little wooden doll.

"You sealed him in a hitogata?" Mai asked with knitted brows. "I thought that type of voodoo could only be done for weaker spirits."

"That's why it took four exorcists," Naru explained. "Lin alone couldn't seal him into a hitogata, Nakajima had too much evil in him."

Mai noticed the different elements of the little wooden doll, it was different than what she had seen before. Like with hers a couple cases ago, Nakajima's name was carved in to the wood. It looked like John had blessed it with anointing oil and there was an indent from where Monk's kunai had pierced it. But the major different was the white paper seal that stuck to the front of it.

"All that's left is to burn the hitogata and hopefully that will purify the evil in it," Naru finished. "After that, we'll all get some rest and pack up after the storm."

February Day 5, 6:50 A.M.

With Nakajima's spirit purified, Masako confirmed that the other spirits of the property were able to cross over. She even said that Hiroki gave a special 'thank you' to Ayako for her seal.

"It was my pleasure," the priestess had said.

Everyone noticed a lightness in the air despite the snow falling on them, which had made burning the hitogata a little more difficult than it should have been. Nevertheless, once the cleansing had been completed everyone was ready to finally rest easy. And everyone did, except Mai.

Now she sat at the desk by her bed working on a chapter of work that she knew she missed thanks to the past week. She hadn't slept at all. To be honest, after her last dream with that demon, she was afraid to fall asleep again. She knew this wasn't good, but she'd just have to talk to Hozumi about how her insomnia is only getting worse.

But, do I tell him about the demon? She wondered, biting her lip. What if he really is something my mind created? I'd be thrown in the loony bin. Masako would have sensed if a demon was attached to me, right?

Out of nowhere, a shiver went down her spine. Go to the window. A voice told her. She obeyed.

The sun was rising over the horizon. The storm had not been nearly as bad as the forecast predicted and had ended sometime in the night. It left a decent amount of snow on the ground, but she was sure they would be able to leave later that day.

What am I supposed to see? She wondered, searching with her eyes. Finally she saw it. She drew a sharp breath as the priestess next to her stirred.

"Mai? Mai, what's wrong? It's seven in the morning, the sun's barely up," the priestess groaned, not wanting to get out of bed. She looked and saw the emotion in the teen's eyes. "Mai, what is it?"

"We're not going to have to tell Yamasaki about what happened…"

Was this case clean cut? No, but neither were some of SPR's other cases. Also if you watch any ghost hunting shows or documentaries their conclusions are full of speculation and sometimes some things are never answered. And this case dealt with the very touchy topic of rape and abuse and I tried to tackle it in a different way than I have seen done on this site.

This issue is far more common than anyone would like to believe and should never be taken lightly. Physical abuse is easy to spot, but the mental and emotional kind can go unnoticed until it's too late. I will be covering Mai's recovery from Shouta over the next couple of chapters because unfortunately, something like this doesn't go away. And she doesn't even realize the effect he's had on her. But we shall see.

Also again, abuse is a very serious issue and I urge anyone who is reading this who may be going through something like Mai or my other characters have gone through or know someone who is, seek help. You are worth so much more than what someone else may think of you or may tell you to think. Don't allow anyone to tell you what you are worth and if you are in an abusive relationship (whether with a partner or even a friend) talk to someone. There is a way out. Don't give up.

Hope you enjoyed!