Chapter 19

After the meeting broke up, Mai got up to make tea for everyone and iced coffee for Bou-san. While the others had been setting up the equipment at the abandoned house, Ayako had commandeered the company van and Hirota as a driver and gone shopping when he returned to base on his own. Mai handed out drinks to everyone before settling down next to Yasuhara and began pulling things out of the box. The box itself was the size of a small packing box and it was almost overflowing with newspaper clippings, notes, books, and even some pictures all jumbled together.

"Whoa... is this a diary?" Mai asked as she pulled out a journal. She opened the book and flipped through the pages. They were dated and a quick glance through one page told her it was indeed a diary.

Mai looked at the box again and held her head in despair as she realised the task she and Yasuhara faced.

"I think I want to run away," she said dismayed.

"Ahahah, what are you talking about, Taniyama-san? You're supposed to be a member of the Shounen Tanteidan, right? So this sort of thing should be no problem." Yasuhara's glasses glinted as he sounded a bit too cheerful. "But, just in case there's anything... sensitive, I think you should read through the diaries first."

Mai looked at Yasuhara confused. "Sensitive...?"

"Of course, Taniyama-san. After all, I really don't think it appropriate for me to read about any umm... girl issues. It'd be quite embarrassing, and I'm a bit too delicate to be reading about such matters."

Mai could see that Yasuhara was clearly amused but couldn't understand what sort of "girl issues" could possibly embarrass him.

"You really are dense sometimes, aren't you Mai?" Ayako said exasperated. "He's talking about if the girl wrote anything about having her period or if she wrote about any romantic encounters in there."

Mai's eyes widened as she blushed.

"My, Matsuzaki-san. How crude." Masako said primly as she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono.

Masako turned and looked at Mai. "Which reminds me, Mai, we haven't finished our talk about you propositioning Naru."

"Wha-! I did no such thing!" Mai exclaimed mortified. "Ayako and Bou-san suggested I did the same thing earlier today, too. Just where did you guys hear anything..." Mai's voice trailed off as she suddenly realised who'd been spreading the rumour.

She whirled around and glared at Yasuhara. "Yasuhara-san! What have you been saying about me and this investigation?!"

"Mai! Be quiet!" Naru snapped from where he was reading through the papers Yasuhara had given him during the meeting. "Do your work first. Your foolish gossip can wait until after that!"

Mai shrank back from the annoyance in his tone before turning to glare at Masako. Her look spoke volumes. 'It's your fault I got in trouble.'

Masako turned away with her nose in the air. "At least I've been useful and did my job," she said haughtily.

Ayako struggled to muffle her laughter as Mai puffed her cheeks like a little child in a snit.

"By the way, Mai, you should know that that stupid monk was throwing a fit the entire time we were coming down over everyone sleeping in one room together." Ayako asked amused.

Mai blushed slightly. "Yeah, but that's what Naru decided, and it's work related, right? Besides, I've been out here for most of the time."

Masako looked at Mai strangely. "What about sleep, Mai? You're not like certain individuals who seem to forget that human bodies require certain things like food and sleep."

"Umm..." Mai looked away awkwardly.

Ayako pat Mai on the head. "Don't forget, lack of sleep is a woman's worst enemy and is very damaging for your skin."

Mai laughed. "Yes, Mom. I'll remember that for when I get old like you."

Ayako rapped her sharply on the head. "Don't talk to your sister like that."

Mai laughed again as she rubbed her head. Masako was covering her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono, but Mai knew that she, too, was smiling. To her side, Yasuhara watched the three of them with a gentle smile.

Mai felt the knot of tension inside her finally loosen. While she didn't have any answers and she hadn't dealt with how she felt about things yet, she was starting to feel a bit better about facing her questions and finding her answers.

'Ah, come to think of it, nobody's asked if I've had any dreams or about Gene.' Mai felt her eyes sting as she realised again just how much these people cared about her and how important they were to her.

Yasuhara reached into the box and started pulling out some papers. "In any case, let's get started, Taniyama-san. I'll take care of the loose papers and stuff, while you can take care of the diaries."

"Roger." Mai said still smiling.

It was 2 A.M.; Mai was still in the base reading through the girl's diary, while Ayako and Masako had since gone to bed upstairs. With the Irregulars present, and given Masako's and Gene's assurances that the house was empty of spirits, Naru finally gave the okay to use a couple of the bedrooms upstairs to rest in. As a result, the women's team took the bedroom the Katou couple had been staying in while the men's team claimed the Nishimura couple's room. The room the child had been staying in was left empty. John and Hirota had also gone to bed at the same time as Ayako and Masako, while Bou-san hung around the base and went through the case file. Naru and Lin were busy at the monitors checking through the various tapes as they came back from each battery and tape change.

Unfortunately for Mai, the Sengokus's daughter had been an avid writer and chronicled her life in great detail. While it might be useful for when she read about something significant, it also meant that she had a lot of text to work through in the meantime.

'At least the earlier years were easier since she was still so young and not used to writing,' Mai thought wearily. 'I'm almost afraid to find out how much she wrote in high school though.'

Mai turned the page and rubbed her eyes as the words on the page blurred. A few moments later, the book slipped from her nerveless fingers as she drifted off into sleep.

Naru looked up from the monitors he was watching at the small sound of a book falling behind him. Turning, he saw Yasuhara picking up one of the journals Mai had been reading.

"It appears she's fallen asleep while reading," Yasuhara said quietly. "What did you want to do, Shochou?" he asked Naru.

Naru sighed. "Cover her with a blanket and let..." Naru's words trailed off as he focussed on Mai.

Lin looked up from where he was checking through the data, when Naru suddenly got to his feet and went over to Mai.

Bou-san glanced at the young man. "Naru-bou?" Bou-san called quietly.

Naru knelt by Mai studying her carefully.

"Shochou?"

Naru sighed and shook his head slightly. "I told her yesterday, that it was safe for her to sleep and that that idiot wasn't such an insensitive clod as to show up in her dreams, but for her to decide to go and see him..."

Bou-san looked at Naru steadily. "Is she asleep, or has she gone out for a walk somewhere, Naru-bou?" he asked quietly.

Naru shrugged. "It looks like she's decided to go out for a bit. She's in a trance."

Bou-san shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that, after all that time avoiding sleep because she was afraid of seeing your brother, she's suddenly decided to go see him, after all."

Yasuhara chuckled slightly. "But it's very much like her. It was only a matter of time before she finally got over her uncertainty and took action."

Mai was surprised to find herself suddenly standing in a small barn. The place looked familiar, and it only took her a moment to realise that it was the same place she'd been trapped in the day before. She looked around for a moment curious as to why she was there, when she glanced up at the loft. In her current state, she wouldn't be at any risk of falling through the floor...

Mai moved purposefully towards the ladder when a hand grabbed her by the arm stopping her. Turning, she saw Gene standing behind her with a slightly troubled and embarrassed look on his face. Mai felt her chest go tight. As much as she wished he would move on, at the same time, she was so happy to be able to see him again. She stared at him silently for a long moment.

"Mai," he said quietly.

She couldn't help smiling in delight at the sound of his voice. His tone held a hint of embarrassment, as though he were caught in a slightly awkward situation. And even though Gene's and Naru's voices were virtually identical, the hint of feeling and warmth in Gene's voice distinguished it from Naru's colder, more sarcastic tone.

Mai turned and smiled at Gene. "Gene, what are you doing here?"

Gene laughed slightly at Mai's question. "I think that's my question," he said amused. "Shouldn't you be asleep rather than wandering around in here?"

Mai blushed a little in embarrassment. "......I wasn't exactly planning on coming out here like this." She finally admitted. "But it almost feels like Naru's keeping me confined to the base, so I was sort of hoping to slip out and take a look around."

Gene chuckled softly. "That's so like you," he said smiling at Mai, "but you shouldn't wander around so much this time."

Gene's expression sobered as he looked up at the loft. "Naru had Hara-san take a look up there earlier today, and she wasn't entirely sure of what she saw. What do you remember from being up in the loft yesterday?"

Mai cocked her head. She remembered feeling cold and shivering the entire time she was up there and just curling up into a little ball. At least until something started coming towards her from out of the darkness... But by then, full dark had fallen outside, and it was pitch black inside.

Mai frowned as she explained what she remembered to Gene.

Gene nodded. "Do you remember how you felt when the sounds first started?"

"...I remember being scared and wanting it to be mice or rats, but..."

Mai's voice trailed away. Gene said nothing and waited for Mai to continue.

Mai sighed. "I was scared of something... whatever was out there. But I was also scared of moving too much because it didn't seem safe."

Gene nodded. "I'm not entirely sure where that thing came from, but it wasn't here when you were first locked in."

Mai looked at Gene worried. "Am I... are we in any danger here?"

Gene gave her a small smile. "Fortunately, whatever it is only eats flesh, so we're both safe right now. But it would be dangerous if you were to get trapped in here after dark on your own again." Gene's expression was very serious as he looked at Mai. "You were lucky yesterday. Lin sent his shiki out looking for you, and they were protecting you when that thing got close. The blood up there was from it after the shiki struck out at it. If it weren't for Lin's shiki, things could have ended up much worse."

Mai shivered slightly at the thought of how close the thing had gotten to her when she suddenly realised she could see inside the barn. Yesterday, when she'd been trapped in the loft, she couldn't see anything.

She looked at Gene. "Gene, if I go up there, will I be able to see anything?" she asked. "I seem to be able to see in here right now even though it should be pitch dark."

Gene sighed. "You might be able to see something," he admitted. "Naru's having Hara-san take a look tomorrow both before she leaves and once she gets back though."

Mai frowned. "Still, if it's okay and safe, I'd like to take a look."

Gene climbed up the ladder first and helped Mai up into the loft as she climbed up after him. He glanced around before his gaze settled onto the furthest corner. Mai stared at the corner as well. It looked strange. Almost as though there was nothing there. Not the walls, not any aspect of the barn, nothing seemed to exist in that corner. It was a literal void.

"What is that?" Mai asked confused.

Gene cocked his head to one side as he looked at the blackness. "I don't know. It's almost as though someone's made a small hole or pocket between this world and some hell."

Mai continued to stare at the blackness when suddenly two blood-red eyes stared at her from the nothingness. Mai gasped in fear and shock.

"...At a guess, I think it's time to go," Gene said as he stared at the eyes.

Mai glanced up at Gene, but before she could say anything, he wrapped his arm around her waist and leapt down from the loft pulling her with him. Mai almost shrieked and closed her eyes as they jumped down and the ground came rushing up to meet them. However, there was no sudden hard impact. When she felt firm ground beneath her feet again, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see that they were standing on the road outside the Nishimura residence.

Mai shivered at the sight she'd just seen when she realised she was still clinging to Gene. "Ah, sorry." she mumbled awkwardly and blushed.

He shook his head and smiled. Mai couldn't help blushing even more at the sight of his smile.

"That," she complained, "is definitely not fair."

Gene looked at Mai smiling in confusion.

"That smile. There's no way anyone could resist it."

Gene laughed at the petulance in Mai's voice. He pushed her towards the door. "You should get back to your body," he said. "Otherwise, Naru'll yell at you again."

Mai grimaced at that comment. While he hasn't necessarily been yelling at her all the time, he certainly wasn't holding back in letting her know exactly what he thought of her actions.

"And tell that idiot scientist not to worry so much about being an insensitive clod when he's not being stupid. He should only worry about it when he's being an idiot."

"Eh?" Mai turned to look at Gene, but he was already gone.

The tension in the base was almost palpable when Mai opened her eyes. Naru and Bou-san were standing around Lin's chair by the monitors, while Yasuhara had a serious expression on his face as he watched from behind. Mai blinked a few times as she got oriented. 'Ah, that's right, I must've fallen asleep for a bit.'

"Did something happen, Yasuhara-san?" Mai asked quietly trying to get Yasuhara's attention.

Naru, Bou-san, Lin, and Yasuhara all turned at the sound of Mai's voice.

Naru glanced back at the monitors for a moment before he moved over to where Mai was sitting.

"And just where did you think you were going, Taniyama-san?" he asked icily.

Mai grimaced at the anger in Naru's voice. 'He's definitely not in a good mood.'

"Someone seems to be keeping me locked up, so I wanted to go for a walk," she said coolly as she looked away from him.

Naru raised an eyebrow at Mai's tone of voice and reply. "And why would you think someone was keeping you on a short leash, Taniyama-san? If your actions are beyond reproach, there should be no need for it."

Mai sighed in resignation. There was no way she could win against Naru when he was in this sort of mood. "I went back to the barn I was locked up in yesterday," she admitted.

Naru shook his head. "I take it you met that idiot, then?"

Mai smiled wryly at the way Naru referred to his twin. "Yeah," she admitted slowly. "He seemed a bit embarrassed about showing up though. Which reminds me, he told me to tell you not to worry about being such an insensitive clod when you're not being stupid. Only when you're being an idiot."

An obvious look of displeasure spread over Naru's features at that comment that Mai couldn't help giggling a little. Naru glared at her, but it only caused her to laugh harder.

"Did Gene call you an insensitive clod? Those words have been bugging me ever since you said that Gene wasn't such an insensitive clod as to show up in my dreams."

Naru ignored her question. "What did you see in there?"

Mai sobered up immediately. "I went up to the loft again. Gene said we were safe because whatever was in there only ate flesh. But he also said it would be dangerous to be trapped in there after dark."

Mai frowned as she tried to find the right words to describe what she saw in the loft to Naru. She described the void and the eyes she saw staring out of it.

"When did you see them?" Naru asked sharply.

"Eh? 'When'?" Mai frowned. "It's not like I looked at my watch or anything, but it happened shortly before I woke up. Gene took me away from there as soon as they showed up."

Naru considered her statement briefly when he glanced at her. "Mai, go get some sleep. Only this time, make sure you don't go wandering off anywhere."

"But..." Mai started to protest but quickly fell silent under Naru's hard look. "Okay..."

Naru stared at the shoji for a long moment after Mai left the base.

"Naru-bou?"

Naru slowly turned away from the entrance to find Bou-san watching him.

"No, it's nothing." Naru moved back to the monitors. "Lin bring up the data that's been recorded from the camera in the loft."

Bou-san and Yasuhara exchanged glances before returning to the task of reading through the various papers in the box.