Dangerous Souls

Nightmare

Chapter 3-Tension

February Day 1, 1:12 P.M.

Naru was not happy about the situation. No, "not happy" didn't nearly fit the description of what he was feeling about the situation. After seeing Mai's makeup job, well, it really didn't help the anger he was already feeling. It more so transferred his real anger back onto the man who did that to her. Needless to say, Naru was furious. And he wasn't thrilled that Ayako would go behind his back and not tell him ahead of time. Of course then he would have just dreaded their arrival.

"She must have made a damn good argument back in Tokyo last night, didn't she?" Naru remarked dryly, pushing himself from his thoughts.

Ayako nodded. "At least that bastard didn't hurt her enough to damage her determination."

"Does she know you are informing the whole team?"

"Well, she figured out from your phone call yesterday that I told you." Naru looked as though he might actually protest. "Calm down, I listened to the message, I think it might have been clairvoyance as to how she knew. That or I fell for her bluff."

"Mai bluffing? Remind me not to play poker with her," Yasuhara commented, earning an elbow from the medium next to him. "Ow."

"What compromise did she bribe you with?"

Ayako opened her purse and pulled out a small stack of papers. "You know your assistant well, that's for sure. She suggested being on Base duty with Base sealed up with protection charms. I made plenty for everyone, as well."

"Look at you coming all prepared," Monk teased, earning a smirk from the priestess.

"I knew this place was going to be dangerous, but Mai insisted on coming. Might as well be prepared."

"Naru, the witnesses will be here soon," Lin commented from the monitors.

Almost immediately afterward, there was a knock at the door. Yasuhara stood and went to answer it. Mai, John, and Kiko all filed in. "Good, now we can get some work done," Naru said, arms still crossed. "Mai, you'll stay here and help me conduct interviews with Lin. Miss Hara, do another walkthrough of the property and show Miss Matsuzaki around. I want you two to compare what you sense now to what you may have sensed earlier this morning. John, if you would accompany them?"

"Sure thing."

"The rest of you, I want you to set up cameras and microphones in these areas." Naru handed a clipboard to Kiko. "Once the interviews are complete, we'll go over the angles and adjust them accordingly."

"Got it."

And that was how Mai found herself sitting at the table directly across from their witnesses, with Naru and Lin at the two heads like bookends. They had interviewed five already, but for the most part it was only shadows and voices and objects moving out of place. Little things that didn't really call for a paranormal investigation team to be called in. So why was Ayako so adamant that this case was too dangerous for her to attend?

Then the next girl came in, she was probably around eighteen or nineteen, with black hair cut into a pixie with fringed bangs. What was a little startling to Mai was the girl's big dark chocolate eyes, they looked empty. Not the kind of empty that possession victims obtained. But another kind, whatever it was, it made Mai grateful she didn't eat that day.

"Have a seat," Naru said, motioning to the empty chair across from Mai. The girl nodded and sat down. "What's your name?"

"Rina Maki." She looked down at the table, she was so tense Mai could feel the pressure from where she sat.