Dangerous Souls

Break A Leg

Chapter 9-Opening Night

January Day 5, 6:48 P.M.

"Kyou Oshiro attached herself to Ichika, while Masuyo attached herself to you, that was why Masako wasn't able to sense or see them clearly," Yasuhara explained as he stood backstage with Hoshiko, Ayako and Masako. "Ichika was actually possessed, because Kyou sensed that she had slight psychic abilities and used them to her advantage. Which is why you had so many hard to explain accidents."

"Okay, then why did they steal Masako's sight and Mai's voice?" the young actress asked. The case had been solved and the others were packing up the van, leaving the four to discuss the events and fill in the two investigators who missed out on the action.

"That was Kyou's doing," Masako answered. "She had possessed Masuyo and forced her to kill herself with her fear. Because I was unable to see her the first time I came here and she continued to wreak havoc, it caused everyone to lose their faith in me. And in turn I began to doubt myself, Kyou played on that and took my sight in order to assert her control of the situation."

"Then what was Mai's fear? If yours was to doubt yourself?"

Masako just shrugged. "You'd have to ask her, it could be anxiety of not saying the right thing. Or even the fear that she might say a theory but be wrong and no one would believe her after that. I don't know, but that is her business, wouldn't you think?"

"Point taken, but what about the Sanskrit charm? How does that tie in?" Ayako asked, crossing her arms.

"I meant to mention is earlier, but Masuyo's brother had a picture of his family at a shrine," Yasuhara explained. "In the picture there looked to be another brother dressed as a monk. It's just a theory, but Masuyo's family could have owned a shrine and she left to pursue acting, much like Hoshiko. If Masuyo and Kyou were even a little close when they were alive I'm sure they both might have a little knowledge of it. And who knows what kind of knowledge you can get when you're dead?"

"That would explain why Masuyo clung to you, Hoshiko," Ayako concluded. "Coming from similar backgrounds, it would also explain why Kyou chose to attack you and hadn't made any other attacks since their death." She shrugged. "Kyou could have used Ichika's body to plant the jinx on you to counter the effects of my charm."

"But what about the writing on the wall from your experiment thing?" Hoshiko asked. "I thought only a poltergeist made by humans could affect it. And the chest was supposed to move, but it didn't."

"Naru did put a charm in there to minimize the effects of any spirits, but Ichika must have some latent psychic abilities that Kyou was able to manipulate to her will," Masako explained, "it's something that we have to take into consideration when we go on these cases."

"Really?"

"Yes, several cases ago, one of us was possessed to the point that we had to have him sedated to protect everyone involved until we could extract the spirit," Ayako said. "But it looks like I was right about Kyou's suicide, it wasn't as black and white as everyone thought!"

"She had some drinks and then took her medication that she shouldn't have mixed with alcohol. Hardly a murder, Ayako," Masako scoffed.

"Perhaps, but she did possess Masuyo and made her jump off of the roof. I knew the suicides were fishy!"

"Yes, yes, you were right and I was wrong," Yasuhara replied. "This must be how Monk-"

THUNK!

"Feels!" The college student clutched his head in pain.

"Quit while you're ahead, kid!" The priestess growled, dusting off her purse. The two teenagers laughed at the boy's pain.

"Wait, there's one thing I don't understand, why the nursery rhyme? Why Kagome?" Hoshiko asked, the medium shrugged her shoulders.