9 Missing, Found And Fighting Back

Previously…

"You said so yourself, one of us is enough. I hope we meet again in the next life," she said having a final look at his pale face and ran toward the mass of corpses on her own.

"MAI!" Naru yelled in horror and before he could go after her, a mass of darkness appear out of nowhere, covering the girl completely and she was gone for good, no trace of her or the corpses from just a second ago. He was left behind alone and in shock. Then he screamed her name out in deep pain and despair.

"MAIII!"

Gene

Gene knew in his last moments of life, when he was underwater, that Noll would be reliving his death soon after, even when they were in different countries. The telepathic connection they'd shared had always worked that way. When they were kids, if one got hurt even when they were separated, the other would also experience the same pain or relive the event as if it was his own. He didn't exactly know how bad his death affected his brother or how much of his feelings were transferred to Noll, but having a similar experience even after his death, he judged the pain he inflicted on his brother should had been great indeed.

He can really tell now, because the pain he was feeling at that moment was coming from his brother due to their recently reconnected telepathy and it was agonizingly unbearable, even if he didn't have a physical body any longer. The pain Noll felt when Mai was taken by the monster was a deep one. This is bad, this is really bad. He thought almost gasping for the air he didn't need anymore, as his brother was hyperventilating in rapid breathing.

Noll had yelled for Mai at first, like if doing so she would come back to his side and try to go after her later, but fell when one of his ankles gave away in pain. He probably twisted it in the previous fall. Right now, he was kneeling on the floor gasping for air and holding his chest. A panic attack was definitely at hand and if he didn't try to calm down his out of control brother, he would be joining him in the afterlife, very soon.

"Noll, you need to calm down! Mai had been well warded just like Ryoko. Susumu isn't going to be able to harm her. Noll! She is going to be fine!" he yelled to his now poltergeising brother. Bones of all sizes were circling around him like a small tornado and he could see sparks of static electricity coming out of his body. He hadn't seen Noll this out of control in a very long time. Even in his current spirit state, he could feel that the oppressing energy slipping from Noll's control was enough to obliterate the whole tunnel and forest above in a blast.

"Damn it Noll, I said she will be fine! Stop it already. If you die here who will go and rescue her? Do you think she would like to know you wasted the life she so valiantly tried to save? She did try to save you, Noll! She loves you that much, idiot!" He kept saying in hope that one of those sentences would have some effect on him and to his deep relief, the flying bones and who knew what else was in that mess, fell still on the ground again.

"Can… can you…reach her?" asked Noll in a weak voice. He was still having trouble breathing, but it was better than before. He was beginning to think more clearly now. Gene was right, he needed to rescue her no matter what. He promised her that much and he would not fail her now. This monster will definitely be in a hell of pain before disappearing for good. He will make sure of that.

For now, he only needed to go back to his usual self. In this particular case, he had known emotions he never thought he had in him, yet Taniyama Mai had demolished all the barriers he had created in hopes of protecting himself from pain, suffering, and death. Even though he would not be able to remain the same as before, now that his deeper emotions had truly awakened, he could still hunt a monster with a cool head and that was exactly what he planed to do.

"I can always try. Just calm yourself and rest a little. I will contact both Mai and Masako and make preparations for an exorcism. Now that he has Mai, he will probably be oblivious to anything else and that is the perfect opportunity to surprise him," Gene said, leaving his brother in search for Masako first. Mai will probably end up in the astral plane soon enough. There, they can make plans.

"Please be fine, Mai," Naru whispered to himself, laying down once he felt his brother leave. Her sudden kiss had taken him by surprise but it was still fresh in his mind. The next time he saw her, she will be in for serious trouble, including her almost suicidal act of self-sacrifice. Once his heart was back to normal, he would look for her and end this madness once and for all.

Team Katsumi

After Lin, John, and Masako had stormed out of the room where the remains had been found to reunite with the rest of their team, who seemed to be in trouble, Katsumi and Ethan had decided to go in on their own, throwing a long rope and reaching the bottom of the hole. Akihiro and Tadashi had stayed behind just in case something went wrong or they needed shelter from spirits, also to pull Ryoko up in case they indeed found her no matter her state.

When they first looked closely to the now underground cemetery, both of them were overwhelmed by the scattered bones laying almost everywhere. The women probably starved to death there and their bodies were probably eaten by rats, or some other animals that could access the tunnels, and their remains were scattered afterwards. Katsumi had been a police officer most of his adult life and had seen many horrors committed by men, yet no previous experience prepared him for such an atrocity. So many bones, so many victims who didn't have justice in both life and death.

He knew now why none of the missing women's remains were found when people went to search for them. They were all thrown or transported here in a tunnel darkness for who knows how long. The injustice made his blood boil and to think his sister had resisted death for that long in such conditions only made him want to destroy the demon even more. They had been calling it a monster, but in his eyes, the thing was no different from an evil demon.

"Hey Katsumi, do you hear that?" asked Ethan illuminating the tunnel as far as he could, but not being able to see much farther. Katsumi stopped his searching for a moment to try and hear what Ethan said, but his blood froze when he distinguished the faint sound of dragging. He knew that sound, it was engraved in his head the night before when he had experienced the worst horror of his entire life.

"Aren't those things from last night? That unmistakable sound is still fresh in my mind. I swear after taking Ryoko back home I will not let her leave again for the rest of her life. Spirits are far more dangerous than criminals," he said shuddering.

"I agree with you on that one. Let's just hurry, Masako did tell us to find her as soon as possible while the spirits are distracted." Distracted by what, was another worry he carried. He hoped Noll and his team were fine. He could feel some kind of pressure coming from deeper in the tunnel.

"Wait, what's that?" asked Katsumi looking at a trace in the earth. Someone had been dragged there and it seemed recent. Wait, wasn't the Taniyama girl dragged while dreaming last night? Since she could astral project or something like that, could that trace belong to her? If that was the case, didn't the girl collide with Ryoko's body there?

"Let's follow this trace. I think we are close. Come on lets hurry!" he said running, following the dragging marks on the ground until the figure of a woman in a fetal position was visible. Katsumi's heart was now full of adrenaline and even if her hair cover her face he could tell it was her. He had found his sister for heaven's sake. Her torture was finally going to end today, once and for all.

"Please, be alive," he prayed and knelled down next to her. She was cover in dirt, with a lot of cuts, pale as snow, with less weight than before and cold, but she had a pulse, although weak, but her heart was still beating nevertheless. A deep wave of relief and happiness rushed through him and before he knew it, he was taking his sister's cold body in his warm embrace. Tears of happiness ran down his face and he smiled like never before. She was alive.

"I found you, sister. Everything will be fine now. You did well holding on for so long. I'm so proud, so glad…" he said to her and to his surprise she kind of sighed or maybe he just imagined it. Either way he lifted her like a delicate princess and began to walk back as fast as he could.

"Akihiro, we found Ryoko. We are turning back now," said Ethan on the radio and both of them stopped in their steps when a male scream, deep in pain, echoed in the tunnel. Ethan turned in the direction and swore. He recognized the voice, it was Noll and something really bad had happened to him.

"You go ahead and take Ryoko out. I need to find Noll, now!" he said to Katsumi and he dashed in the direction the scream came from, as if his life depend of it. He wasn't going to lose another cousin to this cursed place and he ran as fast as he could with only a flashlight and guts as his defense for the deep darkness, yet he didn't care. Noll needed help and he was going to give it.

Lin

Once Masako had warned him of Asami's plan to use Naru and Mai as bait for the other team to rescue the woman, he knew things were going for the worst case scenario. Noll would always get overboard when it came to saving Mai and even if he was glad that the narcissist had awakened his human side because of her, the potential danger he could immerse into was very worrying. If his father was told of all the crazy things his only remaining son had been doing lately, he would have called Noll back to England for sure. He had been tempted to tell Professor Davis about them, especially when he almost died a few weeks ago, yet he couldn't deny the young man the opportunity to experience something more than tragedy.

One of the things that made him forget his hostility toward the Japanese was the past of the twins. They were mistreated and beaten by an alcoholic mother. For heaven's sake, their mother died right in front of them and the body was decomposing when the neighbors finally noticed the strong smell coming from their apartment. They found the twins starving to death and then took them to an orphanage where the other kids feared them.

Their past wasn't exactly an easy one and that made him open to them a little. He decided to teach the twins about the legacy of his family, which had a long tradition of onmyoujis, to control their growing powers. That was his initial intention, just teach the sons of his teacher with a tragic past and out of control spiritual power. With time however, they became family to him. A family he intended to keep safe.

"Damn it, Noll, just don't kill yourself this time," he whispered to himself, almost reaching the location Takigawa had pointed out before. He already knew both Mai and Noll had fallen underground when Takigawa called him asking for help. He feared the fall wasn't accidental, but made by another spirit equally dangerous.

"Oh, no!" yelled Masako behind him and he turned to face her, but while doing so, he felt three of his shiki move in for an attack. A big one at that. They were already in danger.

"What is going on Masako? Lin?" John asked confused at the pale faces of his friends. So many things were happening one after the other it was hard to keep up to all of them.

"Naru and Mai are being attacked, just like last night and the monster is coming for them," Masako said in a low voice.

"Damn, we need to hurry up!" Lin yelled and was going to run out when Masako stopped him.

"Wait, Lin… Asami's spirit is there too. Nothing you can do will change the outcome. She is watching it all in waiting for the right moment to strike back. Let's find Takigawa first and…" Lin's intense gaze made her shiver for a second, now she knew where that death glare came from.

"I will not leave Naru on his own no matter what is in the way. You can either follow me or stay behind, but no one will keep me from doing what I must," he said turning back but then something odd happened. One of his shiki returned to him, one stayed by Noll's side and the third one disappeared at the same time Mai did. He was already too late.

Mai

"Wake up, little girl. Wake up, shining one," a voice said to her but it seemed so distant, so strange to her senses. It was the kind of voice where you couldn't exactly tell if it belonged to a human or not. But if it wasn't human, then what was it? Oh no, was that the monster? No, no, no. She didn't want to see those red shining eyes ever again. She was already frightened enough to face that thing a second time, but what if it was going to eat her?! Should she try to fight her way back to Naru? Should she go to the astral plane instead? Oh hell…how do I go there again? She always just woke up in the endless void of floating souls and then Dream Naru… no wait, Gene, right? Yes… Gene, he was a spirit or something like a guide…was he there? Could he help her? She definitely needed some at the moment. Man, where was Ayako when you needed a massive cleanse?

"You are a funny one, little one. I like you the most of all the new people my master is in contact with," the strange voice said again right after what seemed like laughing.

"Who are you? Am I dead? Oh man, I really did it this time. Naru, please forgive me, I really didn't mean for us to see each other in the next life. I wanted this one for sure…" The strange voice laughed again, this time with more humor in it. Just what was going on?

"You will see when you open your eyes, shining one. You are far from being dead. My master will never forgive me if I ever let something like that happen when I can prevent it," the voice said again and Mai decided to take the chance. She opened just one eye first, but something pure white was blocking her view. Then she tried to open both and the same white covered her entire view.

"There is only white…" Mai said and suddenly the white mass moved to reveal a big head with pointed ears, like a huge dog.

"How rude, I'm not a dog. I'm a mighty white fox. Know your familiars, little one." The fox voice resonated in her head once again.

"I really must be dead! I'm seeing a white foxed already," she almost screamed to the fox, who only seemed more humored.

"Worry not, you are not dead, little one. I'm one of Kouyo Lin's familiars…well, I'm technically yours for the time being, but he is my main master. I sensed that you could see me and hear me now, so I tried it. Your perception has gone up a great deal in the last two days," the fox said looking at her with warm amber eyes.

"Oh… sorry for the dog thing. So, where am I? The only thing I can see is white everywhere. Wasn't I taken by the monster?" she asked siting down.

"Well, he is here…and is trying to get you pretty badly. I thought you didn't want to see his shining red eyes, so I blocked your view with my body," the fox said. "But if you want to see him, I can do that too," the fox said and tried to move away but Mai impulsively hugged the fox in fear.

"Please don't! White is fine by me. Can I ask how I'm I still alive? I was sure the thing would consume me or something," Mai said releasing the fox's soft fur.

"My master prides himself on his work. He created a very special warding charm for you. Do you see the flickering light above? It's the barrier in action and I'm a second line of defense. I move where you move and protect you if harm is in your way. I think you should face your pursuer. You should give the thing a taste of his own medicine. He does fear and he fears the kind of power that protects you. He is no longer seeking your energy, but your life," the fox said and Mai unconsciously shivered.

"He can't harm me, right?" she asked trying to muster her courage back. She needed to find Naru and make sure he was fine.

"Don't you worry, Mai. He will be fine, just don't pull another stunt like that or you will definitely kill my brother on the spot next time," said another voice in her head. A very familiar one, Gene.

"Geez, don't I have any privacy here? Why is everyone popping up inside my head? Anyway, is he really fine? He was so pale before, I thought he was going to collapse any moment." she said worryingly.

"It was dark Mai and Noll is pale by nature. Although he was really going to be in trouble if the attack prolonged too much. Anyways, I think you should do as Yuki said. We need a little more time for all of us to be in the right place at the same time. Can you do that? Noll will be here soon and he will make sure the fox doesn't hurt you," said Gene.

"For how long do I have to keep it distracted?" she asked back. If facing a frightening monster means the end of this nightmare for good, then she was in all the way.

"Good then, just ten minutes Mai. This will all end in ten minutes," Gene said already feeling her resolution. He always feared that his brother would never let anyone from the opposite sex be close to him, but for an idiot scientist, he managed to catch a really good match for himself all on his own. He was actually kind of impressed with his brother. Who knew an arrogant narcissist could attract the attention and loyalty of a sweet soul like Mai.

"Well, I guess I will live for another ten minutes, once Naru finds me and the monster is gone, he will kill me with his own hands," she said trembling at the thought of what kind of tortured he could have in store for her. Gene only laughed.

"You are both idiots. Yuki, keep her safe. I think you already know how important this girl is, right?" Gene asked to the fox, who nodded in understanding. Good, now it was time to finish this. He gave Mai one last look and then he was gone.

"Are you ready, little one?" The fox asked and she took a deep breath and let it go. Just ten minutes, ten minutes to end it all. Be strong Taniyama Mai. Just ten minutes. She repeated to herself and the fox moved to show her what he was keeping away from her.

"Ten minutes of hell…" she whispered when she could see the scene in front of her. Although there was no light, the fox seemed to shine in the darkness and she could see a bit of the closer things to them. Right in front of her was an enraged thing no longer resembling a human being, but a wild beast at best.

It was mostly covered by a dense cloud of darkness, but she could see the abnormally long hands with even longer nails that she would have called claws. The eyes were deep red and its face was as dark as the cloud that covered most of it. She could barely distinguish rows of fanged like teeth, which were brownish and were halfway open to reveal a deep red long tongue. If it wasn't for the fact it wasn't exactly a smoke spirit, she would have called it an Enenra (a monster make of smoke). The thing extended one clawed hand to her and hissed like a mad cat or something like it.

"You must…die," it said and she tried not to shiver in fear. She needed to buy time for the exorcism and to save all the restless souls trapped in that place. Please, hurry up Ayako. She said to herself and gave a step forward.

"Just try it, monster!" she yelled and the thing lurched at her with a killing intent so strong she almost backed up. Yet she remained rooted to the spot. The monster hit the invisible barrier with such strength that it flashed white like the moon. Still, it held the attack, but then the corpses from before began to surge up from everywhere and surround her circle barrier.

"You…will…die," the thing said and lurched toward her once again. Mai prepared herself to inflict the nine cuts on it when the thing bounced back by the repelling barrier. That made the monster even angrier than ever before. The other corpse like spirits all came at her at the same time and she found herself covered by spirits as far as she could see. If the barrier failed in such an attack, she would be dead in an instant, yet it resisted the pounding time after time which gave Mai a little courage.

"Let see how you like to be hurt back!" she yelled, steeling herself. She raised her hand and put the feeling of all the victims of that creature in her mind. She would give those poor souls a bit of justice. The fox snarled at her side, ready to join the fight. Good, Mai thought, let's see who goes down first.

"I'm with you, shining one. Fear not, your courage will give you strength," said the fox and so she performed the nine cuts again and her personal battle begin. Ten full minutes, no matter what.

AN: Many thanks.