Here we go! A post case chapter and a little bit of healing for Mai. I'm sorry it took me this long to get this chapter up, I wanted it posted a few days ago but yeah, Christmas was busier than I thought! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and are still enjoying Chanukah! So here is my last update for 2016 next update will be next year and I just want to say thank you everyone for getting me to 500 reviews! I am forever grateful for all of you! Last chapter received the most reviews out of any single chapter I've posted and I can't wrap my head around how happy it makes me that you all enjoyed the ending for the case! Now enjoy this chapter, it's definitely more about Mai's recovery and I had to do some research for a part of it, so if there is anything factually incorrect I apologize but I'm going to take some creative liberties. Enjoy!
Post Case 5- Truths
February, Monday, 5:43 P.M.
A week later, Mai was back in her apartment and her friends had been helping her catch up after missing two weeks of school. She hadn't been back to work all week, but she was assured that Shouta had finally stopped looking for her. To her knowledge, he wasn't violent and it wasn't difficult for him to get the picture. He believed that she moved away. She took special precautions to make sure he couldn't find her, she changed her phone number in her apartment.
That morning was the first time she went running with Tsubame, who made sure that their route was no where near where Shouta would be. Mai was grateful that her friend was willing to go to such lengths, but she also felt like a burden. She tried to shake the feeling away.
Now she was with Hozumi, she told him briefly about the case she had been on and how her friends were willing to help get rid of her ex. But there was one thing that she had to resolve. One thing that had been bugging her for the last month. "Are you sure you want to do this?" the young man asked outside of the store.
Mai took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the object in her pocket. "Yeah. I have to know," she said with a nod. Hozumi opened the door and the two of them walked into the cell phone store.
You see, before she and Shouta broke up, Mai had been having issues with contacts being deleted. She had believed it was just a glitch with her phone and meant to get it looked at, but had forgotten. Now, after realizing what kind of man her ex was, she wasn't sure what to believe. After all, he gave her the phone.
She had separated the phone from the battery and presented both to the man behind the counter. She awkwardly looked up at Hozumi and he did most of the talking. She really didn't know how to explain any of it. She was just glad her eye had almost fully healed and barely required makeup to cover it up. The employee took the phone and plugged it into the computer behind him.
"Are you okay?" Mai looked up and saw Hozumi looking worriedly at her. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath.
"Yeah," she breathed. She just wasn't sure whether or not to be afraid of the answers they would find. She didn't have to wait long, the employee was back within minutes.
"Okay," the man said, placing the phone on the counter. "You and your boyfriend's phones were connected to the same account," he explained. "He most likely did that because he was paying for the plan, but it made your contacts linked. So when he added a contact it would show up on your phone, and when you deleted one, it would delete from his phone as well."
Or if it were the other way around…Mai thought bitterly. She didn't know what to feel with this information. She was glad she knew the truth, but still…Somewhere deep down, she hoped she had been wrong. Hoped that Shouta hadn't given her this phone just so he had more control over her. "Can…" She drew a breath. "Is he able to track this phone? Is there like some sort of GPS thing in there that would tell him where I am?"
The employee looked between the two people in front of him, a little confused. "Yes, actually," he answered, and Mai's heart sank. Was he going to look for her now that the phone was online again? "But I turned it off when I plugged it in," the man explained. "The battery was dead and the tracking feature makes the charging process longer."
"Were there any other features that he never told her about?" Hozumi asked.
"Well, you both had access to each other's text messages," the man said, pulling up the contact for one of Shouta's friends. He tapped a button and Mai was looking at a conversation she never had. "This looks like one of his friends, it's almost like a group chat, but two separate conversations. You could see his and he could see yours."
Mai could just imagine Shouta going through his phone and reading her messages. Not that she had anything to hide, but she still felt violated at the invasion of privacy. She took a deep breath and tried to let it sink in. Shouta was not who she thought he was. She still felt stupid.
"Was there anything else I could help you with, today?" the employee asked, Mai ignored him and let Hozumi finish the talking.
"No, you've been a great help. Thank you." Hozumi picked up the phone and led Mai out. She let him. She felt too numb to move on her own. She watched as he pried the battery out of the phone and handed both pieces to her. She took them and shoved them in her pocket. "C'mon, let's get some coffee. You look like you could use the caffeine."
She nodded numbly and followed him to a nearby café. He ordered for himself and looked to Mai for her order, he paid for the both of them. Once they had their coffee, they took their seats in the back corner of the room.
She stared at her cup for a long time. She knew her drink was getting cold, but it was still warmer than she felt. "So, now you know for sure," the young man across from her said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What are you going to do with the phone?"
Mai had contemplated throwing it in the pond at the park. She had contemplated tossing it in the trashcan of that very coffee shop. She briefly thought about keeping the device, but there was no way that she would be able to afford the phone bill on top of everything else. So she sighed and took a sip of her drink. "I think I'm going to mail it back to him. No return address. Maybe even go to a post office outside of town so he can't track it back to me. That will definitely end it, right? He'd have no real reason to come after me."
"The phone would be a good reason for him to come after you since he's paying for the bill, but if you send it back…I see what you're saying," Hozumi said with a nod.
"Thank you, Hozumi," Mai said shaking her head like she couldn't believe she hadn't said it earlier. "Thank you for coming with me today. It's your day off and I know you probably have better things to do."
But Hozumi just smiled. "You're welcome, Mai," he said. "And it's no trouble at all, I was in for a day of simple errands anyway. Besides, we need to talk about finding a way to solve your sleeping problem. You've barely slept the last week, am I right?"
"Yeah," she admitted reluctantly, but happy to change the subject. "That obvious?"
The man nodded. "Are you working this week?"
It was her turn to nod. "Yeah, just tomorrow and Wednesday. I've missed two weeks of school, my boss wants that to be my main focus. What do you have in mind?"
"There's someone I want you to meet. It might not completely solve your problems, but it definitely won't hurt and it will help some," Hozumi explained. "Meet me here around six on Thursday?"
"Okay," she agreed with a shrug. He never did tell her what or who this person was.
Wednesday 8:32 P.M.
It was Mai's second day back at the office since before their last case. It was pretty much the same as before the case, quiet. Naru asked for tea several times and had her organizing paperwork, but she wasn't in charge of the case report. No, it seemed that Lin had gotten that done a week before and now they were taking a small break from cases. Not that Mai minded. She was certain that the whole team could use a break.
She glanced at the clock and realized she should head home soon. "Hey, Naru?" she called into his office. The man in black looked up from the file he was reading. "It's eight thirty, is it alright if I head home?"
"Yes, that's fine," he replied. "You're off the schedule until Monday. Have a good rest of your week."
"Thanks, you too," she said. Despite the two of them making amends on the case, working in the office was still awkward. She wasn't sure why. She closed Naru's door behind her as she left and passed Lin in the kitchenette. "I'm heading home."
"Do you want a ride?" Lin offered, Mai smiled. She might not have spoken much with her co-assistant, but she was all but certain that she had finally made it on the man's good side.
"No thanks," she declined. "I'll be fine. Besides I don't want to delay you guys getting to go home. I'll be back on Monday."
"If you insist," Lin replied as Mai made her way to the door. "Good night."
"G'night, Lin! G'night Naru! See you guys on Monday!" Mai called as she closed the door the the office behind her. She stopped short at the stop of the stairs to see none other than Kiko standing in the middle of them. "Kiko? What are you doing here?"
"Naru called me," she explained with a smile. "He probably found one of my belongings somewhere when he was unpacking the equipment after the last case. I'm forgetful like that."
Mai smiled back and laughed. "Don't worry, it happens to me all the time. I need to get going, but I'll see you later, Kiko!" She made her way passed her friend and was on her way.
"I'll see you later! Give me a call and we can hang out!" Kiko called back, opening the office door. "Noll?" she asked once she closed the door. She saw Lin in the kitchenette. "Hey, Lin, is Noll around?"
"He's in his office," he replied, putting away teacups.
"Thanks!" She went over to his door.
Knock. Knock.
"Noll? Are you in there?" she asked.
"Come in." Came his stern call.
She walked right in and smiled with her hands on her hips. "It's about time you invited me to your office. We have a lot of catching up to do-"
"Kiko, close the door, and sit down," he ordered.
"I guess the catching up is going to have to wait? Oh well, it's already been four years what's a little more time?" she replied, removing her coat and sitting down. "What's up?"
"Ryoukuryou."
Her jaw clenched and she held a breath. It took everything she had to not widen her eyes or show more surprise. "That school isn't very welcoming to anyone, especially spiritualists and psychics. You of all people should know that."
"What's his name?" He spoke in English and at that, Kiko found her heartbeat quickening.
"You overheard." They held a stare down. Neither one of them were pleased with what they had found out.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He finally broke the silence, his tone held a worried sound that, oh so reminded her of the Noll she grew up with. "You should have come to me-"
"Go to you? What a joke!" she laughed. "I didn't even know you were here, Noll!"
"Kiko-"
"No! Oliver Davis, Gene had just died and I had no idea you had even left England! I had no idea that Gene was even in Japan! I was dealing with this guy because I thought he was something he wasn't! He just used me for his own gain! And you tell me I should have gone to you!" Old wounds had been reopened, for both of them. "Why didn't you come to me? You even had Madoka quiet! You and Gene were my best friends, I loved Gene and I love you, but why didn't you find me? I know you're trying to find his body, but why didn't you think I could help! You're not the only one who wants closure from his death-"
"We're not here to talk about Gene's death, it has nothing to do with what happened to you-"
"Oh really! It doesn't matter that what happened to me happened just after I heard about Gene's death! It doesn't matter that just when things were starting to get better, I get that news and everything spirals downward!"
"You should have filed a report-"
"Are you kidding? And make that situation last longer than it had to be? He has money, Oliver, his family would have gotten him out of it and I would still have to deal with him! The whole thing would have gone public and I would be pressured into thinking that I deserved it! That it was my fault! That there was no way that he could do anything like that and what did I do to make him hurt me!" At some point both of them had stood up. This was the first private conversation the two had had with each other since they were both in England over four years ago. So much for catching up. "All I could do to make the pain go away was switch schools and start over. And it worked for awhile, now I have you, someone I practically grew up with telling me I should've done things differently!"
"Kiko, it's not that you should have done things differently-"
"Well, you should have done things differently, you should have told me you were in town! Oliver! I had to fucking Google SPR to find that there was a branch in Japan!" Naru was taken aback by her outburst. Kiko cursed occasionally, but never like this. She took a deep breath, tears in her eyes. "Do you feel like an ass, yet? Because I do." She closed her eyes and reached for her coat. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you, that wasn't fair I-"
She was cut off when she felt arms around her. "I'm sorry," he said, feeling her arms wrap around him. "I wasn't fair to you, I shouldn't have made you relive it."
"I'm sorry too," she replied, her fists clenching his shirt. "Gene was your brother, I shouldn't have made you feel guilty for not coming to me after his death. I can't even imagine the pain you feel."
"I shouldn't have made you feel guilty for not telling me what that bastard did to you."
The tears fell and Kiko found herself sobbing in the chest of an old friend. Things weren't back to the way they were before, but they were closer. And Naru felt just as helpless as he did when he saw his own brother dying…
Thursday 6:17 P.M.
"Okay, so what are we doing out here?" Mai asked as she followed Hozumi down the street. "You said I was going to meet someone who could help me."
"And you are, we just have to get to her store," Hozumi replied as they stood waiting for the crosswalk sign to light up.
So it's a she, Mai noted as the light changed and she followed him across the street. Now I have something, but nothing at the same time. "How much farther?"
"Only another block," he said, and he was quiet for the rest of their walk as Mai wondered just where the heck he was taking her.
Her questions were answered when he held open the door to a spa for her. She raised a brow but entered into the building to hear tranquil music and sounds playing. The lighting was dim and peaceful in a way. There were plush chairs set up on one side of the room and behind the desk on the other side was a young woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties.
"Hi, Natsuki," Hozumi said with a smile. "Is Izumi back there?" He looked toward the door next to the desk.
"Hozumi-san, good to see you, yes, she's back there," the woman said with a smile. "Take a seat and I'll go get her."
The woman disappeared through the doorway and Hozumi led Mai to the chairs. "You can sit, she'll be right out," Hozumi said, but refused to sit. Mai had just sat down when another young woman came through the doorway.
"Well, look who it is," the woman said with a smirk. Mai had to admit she was beautiful. She was about as tall as Ayako with deep amber eyes and long, silky bluish black hair tied in a ponytail at the nape of her neck, she also had straight cut bangs and a lock of hair on either side of her face. "I was beginning to wonder when you would come and visit me." She turned and flashed a grin to Mai. "You must be Mai. I'm Izumi, it's nice to finally meet you."
The woman gave a bow as Mai stood up to do the same. As she did she noticed a shiny diamond on her left hand. "Pleasure, to meet you too, Izumi."
"Izumi's my fiancée," Hozumi explained. "She's also a Reiki practitioner. I asked her if she might be able to help."
"I hear you've been having some insomnia," Izumi said. "And I think I might be able to help you out. If you're willing, we can talk privately."
"Uh…" Mai couldn't find her words fast enough. She really hoped her skepticism wasn't visible on her face. Reiki? Isn't that like auras and chakras or something? She wondered. "Sure…" she agreed slowly with a nod.
Izumi led the way as Mai followed her through the doorway, leaving Hozumi out in the waiting area. The hall was dimly lit as well as light fixtures were high up on the walls shaped like candles. She was led to a small room that was also dimly lit and there was a massage table and Mai could smell lavender in the air. There were two chairs in the room and Izumi flipped a switch and Mai could see everything perfectly.
"Sit down," Izumi said walking over to a small desk in the corner of the room. There was a teapot and two cups. She poured tea into both and handed one to Mai after she sat down.
"Thank you," Mai said, taking a sip. Izumi took a seat across from her.
"I know, you're confused," she said simply as she took a sip of her tea. "You don't know who I am, you barely know my fiancé, and you have no idea what Reiki is or how it's going to help you."
Mai gave a small laugh. "Sorry, but you are spot on."
Izumi smirked. "I hope you don't mind, but when your sessions with Hozumi weren't having the effect you were hoping for and he mentioned a spiritual approach, he told me a bit of your story," she explained. "I know you're a ghost hunter and a latent psychic, but please don't be mad Hozumi for telling me. It really helps if I know a bit of your background to see what we have to do to help you."
In all honesty, Mai had every right to be angry and skeptical of the woman across from her. But for whatever reason, she wasn't. It's okay, a voice told her. You can trust her.
Mai had closed her eyes and taken a breath. She let it out slowly. "I'm not mad," she said. "But what exactly do you know about me?"
"Well," she began, turning to place her cup on the desk. "I know you've been doing this for the last two years. I also know that you're not in a very good place right now. You're in a place very similar to Hozumi when I first met him. I was also in that dark place in my mid-teens."
"You were? Why?"
"I was suffering from depression and anxiety, pretty much from middle school into high school." She crossed one ankle behind the other and folded her hands in her lap. "My parents didn't believe that there was anything wrong, so I was on my own." The woman shrugged. "I tried exercising, meditating, pretty much anything you could think of that could help, but it didn't. I became very withdrawn and shut just about everyone out. At one point was even considering ending it all. Then I went on a trip with my family to Kyoto. We visited Mt Kurama and the energy in the air was healing in of itself. I ended up getting the best sleep in years after visiting the mount."
"So I should go back to Kyoto?" Mai blurted without thinking. She covered her mouth immediately. "I'm sorry-"
But Izumi laughed. "No, I'm not saying that." She held a hand up to wave away the comment. "But that is what sparked my interest in Reiki, Mt Kurama is the birthplace of Reiki. I researched on the Internet and found books on the subject. All Reiki is, is spiritual energy used to heal the mind and body. I learned how to use it and its form of meditation to overcome my anxiety and depression. And when I met Hozumi, he actually was investigating a case at my high school at the time, I told him about it. I was able to help him out of that dark place, so he thinks I can help you too."
Mai looked down at her cup in thought. "You said Reiki is using energy to heal the mind and body." The young woman nodded. "I'm assuming you plan to heal my mind, but what exactly are you intending to heal?"
The woman smiled as she stood up. "Well, why don't we start with a basic reading? You can take off your coat, you know." Izumi walked behind Mai as the girl took off her coat and draped it over the back of the chair. "For this, I just want you to breathe. Focus on your breathing and empty your mind. Yep, just like that."
Mai closed her eyes and continued her breaths. She could feel the woman's hands lightly rest on her shoulders. They were both completely still, but Mai felt like she was moving or something was moving.
"You've been touched by many," Izumi said after a moment.
"Excuse me?" Mai snapped her eyes open.
"Just breathe, Mai," the woman said. "What I mean is you have been touched by many spirits. Not surprising, if you consider your profession. But it's affected you negatively, hence the anxiety and insomnia you've been feeling the last few months. Now you are a latent psychic, which can explain why spirits are drawn to you, you've seen them on cases right?"
"Yeah, I was even told I was a medium on a case. I don't know how true that is, though."
"But your abilities prior to that were of visions right? In your dreams?" Mai nodded. "Head still, please."
"Yeah, but since I'm not sleeping, I'm not having dreams," Mai explained. "I'm not even having visions while I'm awake. Well, that's a lie, but I'm still not having as many visions as I have had in the past."
"Okay, well," Izumi began as she released Mai's shoulders and came back to her seat in front of the girl. "I think I know why that might be." She grabbed her tea and took a sip. "You've battled some tough cases, I assume. If they're anything like what I know Hozumi has faced, I know you have had your fair share of scary situations."
Mai's mind flashed back to the case at the mansion back in April. Urado's face inches from her own. She shuddered at the thought. "You could say that, but what would that have to do with my abilities? Yeah sure, the cases can get scary at times, but they always end up resolved."
"Simple. It's just one word." Izumi held up one finger as she spoke. "Fear." She watched as Mai knitted her brows. "Fear is a very powerful emotion. And it can force our minds to do some pretty incredible things. For example, having memory loss after a traumatic accident. In order to protect itself, the mind blocks out that incident completely. I think that's what we might be seeing with you."
"So my mind is blocking visions? But why allow me to see spirits when I'm awake? Are my abilities evolving to the point I become a medium? I just don't understand." Mai shook her head.
"Well, that's just it, your abilities have been and are still evolving. It's still far too early to tell whether or not you're becoming a medium, but I think the saying 'when one door closes another one opens' holds a lot of truth here."
"Because of the darkness I've faced, my mind closed off my visions but allowed me to see spirits as clear as people?"
Izumi bobbed her head side to side. "Yeah, that's about what I think is going on. But like I said, fear is very powerful. It affects us all differently." She leaned back in her seat. "I'm prone to panic attacks when I'm truly afraid. Hozumi, well, Hozumi completely shuts down. He can't verbally say he's afraid, and can't verbally say anything. Your fear is manifesting itself in constant anxiety and insomnia. Is any of this making sense?"
Mai looked down at her empty up. "Actually, yeah," she said with a sigh. "It does."
"But understand this, Mai," Izumi said. "These are extreme cases of fear. When the mind can't cope with the overwhelming emotion. This isn't the same as when you trip and scare yourself as you almost fall, but catch yourself. You just happened to have been living with your extreme case for so long it's become almost normal."
"So, what I'm going through isn't like the scary part of a case where it gets better later on," Mai interpreted in puzzlement. "It's more like a constant of fear of what happened and what will happen. Like I'm afraid of the unknown?"
Again, Izumi bobbed her head side to side. "I think you're on the right track. But that's okay." She leaned over and placed a hand on the girl's hand. "It's also okay to admit how scared you get during those cases, because you aren't the only one. Every member of your team gets scared in those situations."
Mai thought for a moment. "I guess so, but not Naru…I don't think he's ever been scared in his life. Cautious, yes, but scared?"
"Naru's your boss?" Mai nodded. "Remember what I said about fear affecting us all differently?" Mai nodded again. "Well, from what Hozumi has told me about your cases, I think your boss has been scared quite a bit."
Mai made a face. "Naru? No way!"
"Think about it, Mai," Izumi said, leaning back into her seat. "No one's fearless. Weren't there times where he became extra cautious when things took a turn for the worse? When he made sure his ultimate goal was that no unnecessary risks were taken?"
Once again, Mai's mind flashed back to the Urado case. Naru sure was jumpy, back then. She remembered the Ishikawa case. Even Kiko's case, and the summer camp with Miyuko, she reminded herself. And then there was their most recent case. Everyone was freaked out. And no one was expecting Naru to become possessed.
So yeah, Mai could see Izumi's point. "So what now?" she asked. "Do you really think Reiki will help me? Like you said, one door is closed, are you going to try to reopen it?"
"What I'm going to do," Izumi began, "is channel my energy into your body to help balance out your own. That will hopefully help calm down the anxiety and help stop the insomnia. I make no promises that everything will go back to the way it was before, but I will do what I can."
"Okay," Mai agreed with a shrug. "What do you need me to do?"
"Lie down on the table and just breathe. Empty your mind and focus on the energy moving within you."
Mai obeyed as she got up and went to the table. Izumi lowered the lights and the peaceful music and noise was all of a sudden more noticeable. Mai closed her eyes as she felt Izumi place her hands on her in various places with a purpose.
She started from the bottom up and the sensation was so new and odd for Mai. Just like when Izumi had her hands on her shoulders, she felt like something was moving. This time was no different, but she knew what it was. It was Izumi's energy. She had never felt anything like this before.
She could almost feel her own negative energy leaving her body. By the time her session was over, she felt lighter. No, lighter isn't the word, she thought to herself. Balanced. Whatever Izumi had done, Mai felt more balanced than ever. "Thanks, Izumi," Mai said after she grabbed her coat and they walked out of the room.
"You're welcome," the woman said as they walked back out into the waiting room. "Aw, what a gentleman you are, waiting for us," she teased as they came out to see Hozumi still sitting on one of the chairs.
"I had to make sure you didn't sacrifice her," Hozumi teased back, earning a scowl from the woman.
"Oh, look, Natsuki, we have a comedian!" Izumi rolled her eyes and turned to the young woman behind the desk who was chuckling quietly. "Better watch out, he'll be selling tickets and before you know it we'll have plenty of business but for all the wrong reasons." She crossed her arms and pursed her lips as she leaned against the desk.
"That's a fantastic idea," Hozumi grinned. "Maybe I'll go on tour."
"Solo tour?" Izumi smirked, he smiled back.
"I need an opening act."
"Okay, Izumi you have work to do, you guys can save whatever that is for the honeymoon," Natsuki interrupted.
"I'll see you tonight," Hozumi said, turning to Mai. "Ready to head home?"
"Yeah," Mai said, turning back to Izumi and bowing. "Thank you again!"
"Anytime, Mai-chan!"
"So? How do you feel?" Hozumi asked as they walked out of the building.
"I'm not where I used to be," Mai admitted, but smiled up at her friend. "But I think she did help."
"Good."
"So how long of a way does she have to go?" Hozumi asked as he put his feet up on the ottoman in front of his couch. His fiancée came over with her mug and cuddled up next to him.
"To be honest," she said taking a sip, "she's got a lot of damage."
Hozumi muted the T.V. "Was kind of expecting that, but what kind of damage are we talking about?"
"Where do I begin?" She put her feet up next to his. "There was a lot of residual spirit energy on her, but that's not surprising with what she does. What is surprising is how long it's managed to stay a part of her."
"Where was it gathered?"
"There was some on her ankle, but when I touched it, all I felt was her being grabbed there. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about her arms." She unconsciously looked at her own. "From the scars I saw, though they were barely noticeable, I think that's what triggered her abilities to start evolving."
"I believe it was after that case that her nightmares began," Hozumi admitted. "Psychic abilities are known to be brought out through a shock-"
"Both figuratively and literally." She snuggled up closer to him. "Even though the shock occurred months ago, there's still some residual energy. But I'm more worried about how her mind is processing everything."
"What did you see when you looked into her head?"
"I didn't look in, well…" She pursed her lips and scrunched her brows. "I visualized. But that's not the point. I was right, her former abilities closed themselves off after the shock of that case back in October, but it wasn't just fear that's holding her back."
"And her spirit guide? She's hasn't mentioned him on her cases recently. Did her mind block him?"
"I looked for the door to her guide when I touched her head," Izumi said, a shiver went down her spine. "I found the door, it was locked. I think it might have been her mind's doing to protect herself because she was afraid of she's seen. But once I channeled my energy into her, I think I was able to balance her out at least enough to unlock that door."
"And? Will she be able to contact her spirit guide?"
Izumi shook her head. "I couldn't open it and her mind didn't try to. It's almost like it couldn't sense the door, but I think I know why." She took a sip from her mug. "I could sense something dark, and not the residual energy I had sensed before. No, this wasn't energy that I could help balance out. This is something dark and intelligent and it wanted her. Whatever it is, it's blocking the door. Meaning, it's no longer her mind fearful of past experiences. Meaning-"
"Something followed her home."
Friday, 7:09 P.M.
Mai was sitting in a folding chair in the kitchen of Michiru's home, said girl was behind her with a blow dryer and brush. Keiko was sitting at the table fighting to open a pack of pocky. "I still can't believe Shouta was such an asshole!" Keiko growled as she struggled to open the packet. "I hope you kicked him so hard he'll never be able to breed! I really didn't see this coming!"
"That was the problem, no one really saw it coming," Michiru said with a shrug as she turned off the blow dryer and sectioning another layer of hair to be dried. "He was manipulative as hell and always seemed like a nice guy-"
"But you saw through him," Mai finished as she sat with half of a wet head. "You saw what he was doing and tried to stop it and I didn't listen."
"Mai. It's not your-" Keiko began, but was interrupted by the blow dryer.
Michiru spoke louder. "He was isolating you, but he was smart about it." She continued to dry the girl's hair. "You're a very independent person, always have been, so if you weren't up for hanging out with us it wasn't a big deal. It also wasn't hard for you to come up with an excuse to bail on us. You were already going through a funk and while Shouta seemed to bring you back out of your shell, you still weren't your normal self."
Mai exhaled loudly. Almost three weeks had gone by since the break up and she was still pretty upset with herself for everything that happened. She was trying to mend the bonds the demon had showed her were fraying. First and foremost, she had to start with Michiru and Keiko. They had been there for her through thick and thin and she let a boy get in between their friendship. She wasn't sure if she could forgive herself for that.
"I know, Michi. I-"
"I'm not done, Mai." Michiru stopped the dryer and pulled out the last section of hair from the clip and began drying again. "Truth is, I started to see it. I started to see how he was isolating you. I started to see how you were distancing yourself further and further from us. I started to see the confusion in your eyes when you would look at us at lunch. I started to notice the bogus excuses to not hang out and when we asked you to bring Shouta ice-skating with us, I snapped. I could see your hesitation and I knew it was because he didn't like you spending so much time with us. I knew you were starting to trust him more than your own self and it honestly scared me." She finally finished the drying and turned off the machine. "It scared me that one of my best friends was going through something I was barely able to escape."
Mai's eyes widened. There was just no way. "Michiru," she said, as she turned around to look at her. "Akira, did he-"
But the girl shook her head. "No, he didn't hit me." She put her brush and blow dryer down and leaned against the counter with crossed arms. "It didn't get that far, luckily."
"You didn't tell me this," Keiko said after swallowing one of the chocolate covered biscuits she was finally able to open.
"I didn't tell anyone." She shrugged and let out a breath. "He was trying to isolate me and would say things about how he wanted me to look and dress and act. I went along with it for a little while, but it felt so wrong. I was always taught to listen to my instincts and my instincts were telling me this wasn't right. Get out. So I broke up with him."
And something clicked in Mai's head. "He was the one who started the rumors."
Again, Michiru shrugged. "Yeah, I think we can safely assume he was the one who was telling people we broke up because I was secretly a lesbian, but it didn't work out in his favor. I made sure that word got out that he was the one who made me play for the other team. Hasn't bothered me since."
Mai stood up and hugged her friend. She finally understood her outburst a few weeks before. Understood why Shouta didn't want her hanging out with her friends. And Mai was glad she ended things before they went further. Glad that there was still a chance to make amends.
"I'm sorry, Michiru," Mai said as Keiko walked over and joined them. "I wish you had told me sooner, but I understand why you didn't."
"I knew at the moment you wouldn't have believed me."
"No more secrets, guys, please? I don't think I could handle going through this again," Keiko said, squeezing tighter. "We need to be able to trust each other. We need to go back to being besties again. Sisters before misters?"
All three girls burst out into fits of laughter at that. Things were finally starting to feel normal again. "Okay, well, I'm glad you decided to do the same thing I did after my breakup," Michiru said as they all broke free from the hug. She pushed Mai into the bathroom to look in the mirror. "What do you think? Feel like your old self yet?"
Mai looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was much shorter than it had been in months. It was back to its old bob with layers and frayed bangs. She was still much too thin compared to her old self and her eyes still had dark circles despite the cover-up she used, but she looked almost normal again.
She brought her hands up to her hair and tossed it around. "I love it!" she exclaimed. She felt light and free and more like her old self than she had in months.
Things were getting better. Finally. Things were starting to look up.
I figured out I would have Reiki become part of Mai's spiritual healing after I found out that it's the inspiration for the healing aspect of waterbenders in Avatar the Last Airbender. And I knew that Izumi would be the one to help her around the time that I came up with Hozumi as a character and decided to introduce him. That's why I didn't have Hozumi and Mai become love interests. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone too much.
Next Case- Case 10- Hoax-An office building is being plagued by strange occurrences and Naru's convinced it's a Hoax. So why does he take the case? Mai begins to learn just what kind of control Shouta had over her.
The next case will be short and will focus on Mai's healing. She's finally going to learn to accept the help that's been offered to her, seems that she's been struggling with that concept lately.
Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews! I hope every one of you has a save, happy, and healthy New Year! Thank you all again for sticking around this long!
Until next chapter!