Happy 2020! I'm back! Again not as often as I wish I could be but I've been getting a lot of writing done lately and I have so many ideas for this fic and finally know how this case will end. Again, this case was more about character development than the case itself but that's to prepare everyone for the next case which my original idea may change but we shall see. Anyway enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 6-Guidence
"Jin? Jin! Where are you!" Mai called into the purple darkness that surrounded her. She wandered, not quite knowing where she was going, but knowing there really was no such thing as a wrong direction in this place.
"C'mon, Jin! I need to talk to you! You never explained yourself!" She called stopping and crossing her arms. "I know you're here somewhere!"
"I suppose you've caught me," a familiar voice said from behind the teenager. She turned around to see her guide with a rather sheepish look on his face. "Although, I'm not too sure what I have to explain myself for."
Normally, Mai would have smiled at what she could now call her "friend" but she was too confused with what he had told her the last time she saw him. Her reoccurring vision was also not helpful. "I'm not going to lie, Jin, the last time you visited me, you really scared me."
"I'm sorry," Jin replied, though Mai was not done yet. No, she needed to try something before she finished this conversation.
"We need to talk, but why don't we go somewhere I used to go to clear my head," she said with a sad smile and a snap of her fingers. Somehow, it managed to work and the scene faded to a new place.
They were on a large hill, on one side was a park and on the other was a series of houses. Mai sat down crisscrossed and patted the ground next to her for her friend to join. "See that house down there, the one with the pink swing set? I used to live there with my parents when they were alive. After my dad died, Mom couldn't afford the payments so we moved. She kept the key as a good luck charm and then gave it to me shortly before she died. Whenever I had a bad day or was just fed up with the world, I would come here and remember how happy we used to be."
Jin stayed quiet as he sat down, Mai just smirked at her own memory. "The new owners took down the swingset when I was in middle school and I got so mad. I almost went down to yell at them, but Keiko and Michiru held me back. I haven't gone back here since."
"Why are you showing me this, Mai? I'm normally the on showing you things," Jin finally answered.
"Because something is different now," she said looking at her friend. "Or about to be different. Why did you show me where you liked to go when you were alive? Or make me promise to be careful. Am I about to die, Jin? Is that what you're trying to warn me about?"
Jin let out a heavy breath and leaned back, supporting himself on his hands. "I didn't go about this the right way and I'm sorry," he said. "There really is no right way to do it, but there are plenty of wrong ways."
"Wrong ways to do what?"
"You are about to face some intense challenges. Dangerous challenges. They could be life changing and I just want you to think things through before jumping into the fire."
"Is there going to be a fire?"
Jin laughed. Actually laughed, it was a pleasant sound and Mai wondered if that was what Naru would sound like if he actually let himself feel such enjoyment. Cool it, Mai, you can think about that later.
"Don't worry, I don't think a fire has anything to do with what you're about to go through, but I am warning you now so hopefully you won't have to face the worst case scenario."
"That I would die."
The guide's face became sadly grim as he nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."
"And what about the vision I keep having with Yasuhara-san driving? What does that mean?"
"That's something you'll understand when the right moment comes."
And with that the scene and her guide faded away.
April Day 4, 5:15 A.M.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Mai groggily threw her hand onto her nightstand to silence her alarm. With a groan she rolled herself up into a sitting position and stretched. "I don't know if what Jin said really makes me feel any better," she muttered as she stood and padded her way to the bathroom.
"Adachi-ku, Ayase Station."
Upon hearing her stop, Mai hopped off the subway and made her way to Tokyo's busy streets. The case she was heading to wasn't terribly intense compared to past ones, yet her heart still felt heavy. She had hoped that she could cheer up her mother/sister/priestess friend with a cup of coffee and some girl talk, but it completely backfired on her.
Masako was pissed at her but Mai really couldn't blame her. Had the roles been reversed and Naru was showing the medium attention and she walked in without full context, she would be angry as well.
She finally admitted to Naru about the demon that was haunting her for months, and he seemed to forgive her for not telling anyone sooner. Yet she still felt like she had betrayed him.
Monk had ignored some mysterious Kimiko and Mai still had no clue if she was his girlfriend or what.
She thought that she had solved the mystery of Kuroda's boyfriend and how he tied with Yasuhara, but with the look of determination that Michiru had the day before and that morning in homeroom, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Stop it, Mai, they were two totally different people, she thought with a mental slap to the face.
Lin was still MIA.
And poor John was the only one who seemed to not have any issues. And he's gotta deal with all of us…I'm sorry John…
"I think you need a little help."
The voice startled the teenager from her reverie as she looked down to where the voice came from. A little boy with black hair and a baseball cap stood with his hand held out. "Every now and then we need a guide," he said, his face still hidden by the rim of his cap.
Every rational part of Mai's mind was screaming for her to run in the opposite direction. She had heard of human traffickers using children to lure woman and girls into traps, but this boy…there was something familiar about him. She only had seconds before the light changed for them to cross the street. What should she do?
It's okay, trust him.
At the sound of her intuitional voice, Mai grabbed the boy's warm hand and allowed him to lead her across the street once the light changed.
I hope I don't regret this, she couldn't help but think as she was led away from the case sight.
Ayako wasn't sure how her situation could get any worse. Her mind was constantly somewhere else and she was truly no help to the investigation. Why didn't she just ask Naru to excuse her? He wouldn't say no if she stated that she couldn't concentrate and would be hindrance.
She had hoped that when Mai asked to grab coffee with her the night before that she would be able to take her mind off of her personal life. Instead she seemed to spill just about everything that could go wrong with her life was actually happening. Well, almost all of it.
She followed Monk as he led the way to the second floor for yet another temperature sweep. What's even a point to this? It's almost as if Naru's stuck and doesn't know what to do next. It's not like we've had a lot of activity to go off of,she wondered, letting out a huff.
One that did not go unnoticed. "Everything okay?"
Surprised, Ayako snapped her head to look at the monk, only to avert her gaze. "Yeah, just a random thought," she explained lamely. I can't believe how much I did tell Mai…
"So what's going on with you lately? You've been so distracted and running off as soon as Naru dismisses us," Mai had asked once they received their coffee and sat down in the booth toward the back.
The priestess took a sip of her coffee, keeping both hands on her Styrofoam cup. "Let's just say I have lot on my mind lately," she replied, repositioning to have her head resting in one hand and that same arm supported by her elbow on the table. "My mother came to visit me at work twice this week and insisted we have lunch together today."
"Let me guess, she wanted to know when you were going to settle down and give her grandchildren or something, right?" the high schooler asked take a sip of her own beverage, earning a look from her companion. "My friend Taiki was telling me how his older sister came to visit and their mom nagged her about it. Was I right?"
"Partially," Ayako said with a smirk. "She has been asking me about my love life lately, only this time she decided to mention that she wasn't sure how much longer she would be alive to wait for me to get to it."
Mai's eyes widened and her brow lifted. Was this really what mothers to adult children were like? She would never personally know, of course, but she liked to think that her own mother wouldn't be nagging her to find a husband. Was Ayako's mom really that manipulative?
"Then she sprang on me the news of her mammogram," the priestess continued. Another sip. Her head never leaving her hand. "A few months ago they found a tumor in her right breast and she recently found out that it was in fact cancerous. Suddenly, I couldn't be annoyed by her insistence of grandchildren."
"Ayako…" Mai's voice was barely a breath as she reached out her hand and touched her friend's arm. "I'm…I'm so sorry."
"Thanks." She heaved a sigh. "But I would be lying if I said that that was the only thing on my mind. I only received that news this afternoon."
"Earth to Ayako!" The priestess's memories were interrupted by a hand being waved in her face. She blinked hard as she focused in on a certain bleached haired monk. "C'mon, what's going on? You're never this distracted. Is everything okay?"
Buzz. Buzz.
Both adults looked down and watched as Monk pulled out his phone to check the message. He started to slide the device back into his pocket but the priestess shook her head. "No, go ahead, take it. I'm sure it's important."
"It can wait, trust me," he said, crossing his arms. He gave a kind smile, hoping she might relax a little bit. "But I have been meaning to ask you, but with the case among other things, I kept forgetting. Sorry for the late notice, but my band is playing at Hashimori's tomorrow night. I can get a couple people in without a cover, I already asked John but he has plans, but if you wanted a night out, I can get you and a friend in."
It was a nice gesture. Really it was. And with how late he waited to invite her it almost seemed like he was nervous to ask her. He even offered to let me bring a friend so I wouldn't think it was a date. Though I don't know too many people who would consider seeing their significant other play in a band a date,she thought to herself. Who am I kidding, that's not why he offered it, he just didn't want me sitting in the audience alone. Or with his new girlfriend. Whoever she is.
Despite her inner arguments, she managed to smirk and cross her arms back. "I'll have to take a look at my schedule. I might be able to stop by after work."
"Hmm…no dancing vines today," John commented with an amused smile. Upon seeing the look the medium gave him he realized she was clueless. "Yesterday, when Ayako and I were in here, the vines were wiggling and moving, not in a malicious way or anything. They almost looked like they were dancing, but they're still today."
"Indeed they are not," she answered in a monotone. "John, did you ever want to be something other than a priest?"
The question caught the young man off guard. "You mean as a kid? Well, yes, not many four year olds choose to become a clergyman. Back then I really wanted to be a monster truck driver."
Now that caught the medium off guard. She was expecting something like an author or doctor or shopkeeper or something. She uncharacteristically raised a brow. "You're serious?"
"Oh yes, I was watching T.V. with one of my older brothers and a monster truck derby was on. I thought it was the coolest thing," he explained, childlike excitement in his eyes as he remembered. "I was also always on the smaller side for my age, as I'm sure you have noticed." He gave a grin at the jab to himself. "So the idea that a little guy like me could drive one of those things, it certainly made me think that for once people would look up to me."
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Four, two older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister," John answered. He cocked his head to the side. "What's with these questions all of a sudden? What did you want to do when you were little? You couldn't have always wanted to be a medium."
"I wanted to be a princess," she answered with a blush.
The priest grinned, the answer did not surprise him in the slightest. His younger sister wanted to be the exact same thing when she was a child. "Isn't it funny how things play out? I'm obviously not behind the wheel of a ginormous truck and you're not in a castle. But, why are you so curious all of a sudden?"
Masak shrugged, another uncharacteristic gesture for her. "I'm not sure if I want to continue show business," she admitted, keeping her gaze at the floor.
With sympathetic eyes, the priest placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, that's quite alright if you decide that's what's best for you. You're young and don't have to have everything planned out yet. The only thing that you should be worried about is your own happiness. You're the only one who can control that."
Masako looked back at the young priest. Such a youthful face yet such a wise soul, it was no wonder he had chosen to become a clergyman, it was truly something that suited him. "Thank you, John, I needed that."
"Anytime, now let's finish up in here. I don't think we're going to get much out of these vines."
"I'm always being led somewhere else from where I'm trying to go," Mai thought aloud, still holding on to the child's hand.
"Don't think of it as being led somewhere, think of me as a guide. After all, that's what I was sent to do," the child said, earning a look from the teenager.
"Who sent you?"
The boy shrugged as they crossed yet another street, heading toward some apartment complexes. "No specific being sent me, I was just asked by another guide to help you out. He said something about him coming himself might confuse you too much."
Jin…the image of her guide appeared in her mind. Not caring if anyone overheard their conversation, the people around them were much too interested in getting where they were going to care. "So you're not a new guide? I won't be seeing you now instead of Jin?"
The boy shook his head. "No, Jin-san is still your main guide, but I might pop up every now and again. My job isn't to be a specific person's guide, I like to move around too much."
"So, I'll see you again?"
"I hope so, you've already helped me once." He turned to look up at the teenager, finally revealing his face. And more importantly, his green eyes.
"So, what's been going on before you talked with your mom?" Mai asked the priestess.
The woman scoffed and looked away. "Completely trivial, really, compared to what I've dealt with today." Her index finger tapped on the front of her cup. "I had been doing some soul searching, especially after this past case-"
"Wait, what happened last case?" Mai interrupted, her eyes going wide. "Did something happen last case?"
"Nothing like that," Ayako replied with a roll of her eyes, before she sheepishly looked down at her cup. "But I won't lie, there was a point I thought things were going to escalate."
"You and Monk? About time!" Mai grinned as she sat back only to have a realization. "Wait a minute, he's-"
"He's been obsessed with his phone the last few days, I know." She let out a breath. "Whoever she is, she's definitely not gonna let him go." She gave a sad smile.
"Kimiko seems a bit clingy if you ask me," Mai replied with an eyeroll as the priestess looked back down at her cup.
"Kimiko, huh? Beautiful name…"
This was not the reaction Mai had been expecting. She was expecting jealousy and anger and probably some name-calling. In all honesty, she was expecting the young woman to act similar to how she did when she realized Masako was also competing for Naru's affection. Instead she seemed to have resigned and submitted herself to the sidelines.
For a woman who had shown such fiery passion and emotion in the past, this was…a shock to say the least. "So are you going to tell him?" she mustered up to courage to ask.
"And ruin the relationship he has now?" The priestess raised a brow. "C'mon, Mai, even I'm not that heartless."
"So whatare you going to do?"
"The only thing I can do, keep going." She took another long gulp of her drink. "Like I said, nothing happened on the last case so he is free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants. As am I."
"But-"
"I've got plenty of other things to worry about at the moment, Mai." She held up her hand and smiled. "Thanks for your concern, and for listening to me wallow for a little bit, but I'm going to be just fine. Things in my life are changing and while I'm not happy with the route they seem to be going, there isn't anything I can do to stop it. I just have to endure and hope the end result is worth it."
With a sigh, Mai leaned back in her seat with a pout. "If you say so, but please, if you need anything, ask me. Don't make the same mistake I made and keep everything to yourself. Trust me."
At that Ayako smirked. "I won't if you won't."
"Deal."
Naru glanced at his watch while he was reviewing the audio from the night before.
4:59 P.M.
Mai was late. Of course, this wasn't uncharacteristic of her, not entirely at least. However, since she had received her phone from work she was usually pretty good about letting Naru know when she would be running late.
Today was not one of those days.
Naru let out a breath as he stared at his device, willing a text to appear that would never come. There were several possible explanations to his assistant's lateness.
She could have gotten stuck with afternoon cleanup.
She could have fallen asleep on the train and missed her stop.
She got distracted talking with friends.
Perhaps a teacher wanted to go over an exam. Though it was the start of the new term…
There was one more option that he had a sinking suspicion was the most accurate. She had a vision to a possible lead and decided to follow it. On her own.
He didn't like the idea of it. Not one little bit. However after the stunt he pulled the night before, both going on his own and using his psychometry to force Mai to explain about the demon attached to her, he really couldn't be angry with her.
He replaced the headphones on his head as he made the final judgment call.
Fifteen minutes. If she doesn't call in fifteen minutes I'll call her, he decided hitting the play button.
Fifteen minutes should be fair, right?
"Ogawa-san!" Ayako exclaimed as she and Monk reached the top of the stairs. The older man was several steps in his ascent when the investigators found him. "You're not supposed to be coming up here."
"I'm fine, Himari-chan, just left something upstairs," he replied continuing, albeit struggling with his knee, up the staircase.
The monk and priestess looked at each other and immediately descended to stop the man. Ogawa was putting up a bit of a fight when Monk arrived to bring him back down to solid ground. The priestess raced down to help guide the older man into in office where his chair was. "Ogawa-san, you need to relax, you fell yesterday and you're still limping," Monk said, practically forcing the man to sit in his chair.
"Oh please, I may have knee problems but I'm not helpless!" Ogawa said exasperated, with a wave of his arm. Then he looked over at the priestess. "When did I get here? I was just in the greenhouse. Matsuzaki-san, I hope you're taking good care of my son."
Sharing an equally confused look, the younger adults turned back to the gardener. "We found you trying to go upstairs," the monk explained earning a raised brow.
"Who's Himari?" Ayako asked crossing her arms. The man scrunched his brow as the gears turned in his head. "You looked right at me and called me Himari-chan."
"I don't know a Himari, but that name does sound familiar. Hm...I wonder why…" He scratched his chin in thought as the investigators shared another look.
"You stay here with him, in case he tries to run up the stairs again," Ayako said, making her way for the door before her partner could object. "I'm gonna grab John and Masako and let Naru know what is going on. Keep Ogawa-san occupied, I'll be right back."
"I am sitting right here you know!"
Lin was almost starting to regret his decision to search alone. Sure, his Shiki were a big help in searching the areas that he went to, but having the person who actually experienced the place would have been extremely helpful. Even if that experience was in a dream halfway around the world.
He had made good on his word to Oliver, though, he had searched the few more places that were within a few hours journey outside of Tokyo. He had come up with absolutely nothing. And thus he had covered all of the possible locations that would be easy to investigate with the local cases.
Now their next step would either to be to take some time off and investigate areas that were more than a daytrip away. Or they would have to sneak away during cases that were not local. They could claim they were researching, which wasn't a total lie, but if their clients ever became suspicious…
Yes, there could be a problem.
So there the Chinese man sat, inside his car, phone in hand, debating his next move. To call Oliver, or not to call Oliver. That was the question.
Of course, he knew exactly what would happen if he called his young boss. Most likely a similar situation that happened the day before. Where he decides to go rogue and investigate a dangerous spirit alone. He may have been an adult in the eyes of most societies, but he was still not much more than a child with frequent tantrums.
With a sigh, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and started the car. The young manager hadn't reached out to him for an update yet, so there was no reason to give him one now.
Putting the car in gear, Lin turned onto the road and headed back into the nearby town. He wasn't going to get back to Tokyo until late, so he better start now.
"I thought your voice sounded familiar," Mai said smiling down at the boy who had come to guide her. "It's good to see you again, Dai."
"It's good to see you too," Dai replied as he led her across another street.
"You're going to have to see me again and explain how this whole spirit guide system works," the high school girl teased as the boy looked up at her.
"Jin-san hasn't?"
"He's rather cryptic with his explanations if you haven't noticed."
The boy pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'll talk to him about it. I really thought he would be more open with you after you guys reconnected."
It was Mai's turn to raise a brow. "Am I really that big of a topic in the spirit world? Does everyone there know about that?"
"Generally speaking, all of us spirits guides can identify living people who have a strong spiritual connection. It's even easier to spot those with a strong connection to one or more specific guides. When one of these people becomes 'lost,' as we call them, it basically becomes common knowledge."
"Jin and I have a strong connection?"
"More than you know."
"Care to explain?"
"There are some things that only you can figure out. We are limited in what we can say."
Mai couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. Finally the two ceased walking and she blew out a breath. "You're just as cryptic as Jin."
"Hey, I don't make the rules," Dai said, letting go of Mai's hand and crossing his arms. "Trust me, I would love to tell you the meaning of life, and how to attain world peace, and why you always lose just one sock in the wash, but I am sworn to secrecy!"
Mai had to let out a laugh. It was obvious that this whole spirit guide thing was very frustrating to the young spirit. The boy only looked up and pouted.
"It's not funny."
Mai continued to giggle, much to the dismay of Dai. "I'm sorry, Dai, but that was pretty funny. And pretty accurate of the other questions I had for you."
"I've helped a couple other people and they asked me about the socks and the wash. There is a reason for it, but I can't tell you."
"If you told me you would have to kill me?" Mai teased, earning a terrified look from the boy. "Seriously?"
"I've said too much! But we're here. I hope you find the answers you seek," Dai said, waving at Mai as he slowly faded away.
"Thanks, Dai, come visit me again soon!"
"You can count on that!" The boy gave one last cheeky grin before finally disappearing.
"If there was a spirit attached to him, it's gone now," Masako said once she and the other met outside in the hallways. Takuya could be heard scolding his father on his reckless actions, from inside his office.
Once it was determined that John's exorcism abilities were not needed, he and Naru returned to Base to look at the footage to get a timeline of what happened. Monk, Ayako, and Masako were still deliberating in the hallway.
"Well, either a spirit attached to him for a moment or the guy's got Alzheimer's or dementia or something," Monk said crossing his arms. He turned to the priestess. "Any opinions? You are our registered medical expert."
Ayako could only shrug. "Not sure, but we need to figure out who Himari is. Ogawa-san doesn't remember her now, which is definitely strange." She shoved her hands in her jean pockets. "If Himari isn't directly associated with him, I would say this was more likely a case of attachment influence."
Masako nodded her head in agreement. "I wonder if John and Naru found anything on the cameras when you guys found Ogawa-san," she said aloud, behind her kimono sleeve. "The vines seem to react to different activity around here, I wonder if they are related."
Monk and Ayako shared a look. "Definitely worth looking into," Monk agreed.
Keep dreaming about a better world, you keep wishing for some clarity. Always hoping that a lighting bolt, is gonna save you from this gravity…
"How does Yasuhara do this?" Mai muttered to herself as she pulled her phone out. "Uh oh, I guess I'm in trouble. Moshi, moshi."
"You're late," Naru's tone held some warning to it when he spoke, but it also held something else. Relief?
"Sorry about that, Nau," Mai replied sheepishly as she shrugged away from the device despite the fact that her boss couldn't see her. "I may have found a lead."
"A text would have been nice."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I came up with this lead," she said with a roll of her eyes.
Imagine how that conversation would go, "oh yeah, Naru, remember Dai? The little boy who was haunting the summer camp last year? Yeah he appeared and lead me through town to show me something we missed." I'm sure everyone would be thrilled. Mai thought with an amused smirk.
"I'm sure it's along the lines of a vision or something, however a heads up to anyone on the team would have been appreciated."
"You're right, I wasn't thinking," she admitted, though for once she didn't feel too bad admitting that she was in the wrong. "But I'm okay, I'll text you when I'm on my way back to the site."
"Do that, but also send a text in an hour if you're going to be much longer in your researcher," Naru said. Mai's smirk grew into a smile, her boss may have been all business but it was little ways like this that he showed he cared about her. As a friend and assistant of course.
"Will do, Naru!"
"Good luck."
With that, Mai hung up her phone and slipped it back in her pocket. She looked around to where Dai had led her. She was in the residential part of Tokyo, standing in front of a small somewhat dilapidated house. She shrugged and headed up to the front door. "Well, my guides haven't let me down yet."
Knock. Knock.
A solid minute passed before Mai heard footsteps approaching from inside the house. She waited patiently as an elderly woman opened the door. "Who are you? What do you want? I'm not interested in candy or cookies or whatever you have to sell," she said, keeping the door half closed.
It took Mai a little by surprise but then she realized what she probably looked like in her school uniform. "Actually, I've been looking for someone specifically and I think I found them," she said with a smile. "May I come in, Himari-san?"
We've had quite a bit of development for our leading ladies, don't you think? One more chapter to this case and it will be a longer one. I hope you guys enjoyed! How does Yasuhara manage to change everyone's ringtone without them knowing? Brownie points if you know the song!
Due to recent events I'm taking a semester off of school and plan to focus a bit more on my job and writing. I hope by the end of 2020 to have something I'm working on published even if it's only on Kindle but it's one of my new year's resolutions! Along with posting more to this fic than last year. Fingers crossed I stick with it!
Hope you enjoyed! please leave a review!