°•○●●○•°
Having spent the whole day once again figuring out the layout of the mansion, the SPR crew decided to get some rest. Lin and Naru keeping watch for the night,
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Mai jumped out of her bed at the loud noise, Masako and Ayako also flinching when the quiet night got disturb.
The door to the girl's quarters once again let out three consecutive banging and so Mai opened it with a frown, just as did the boys whose room are next to theirs— all of them not liking how they were woken up.
When they heard the noise, having such an active missing case made them alert even in their sleep.
"What's going on?" Bou-san drawled out while Mai and the girls stared at Minami who stood at their opposite.
The burly man looked at the girls, glancing at the monk after. "I'm... I'm sorry, it's me Minami. Do... do you know Atsugi-kun?"
"Uh, wh-who...?" Mai and the others frowned, their drowsiness still blurring their thoughts.
Seeing their blank gaze, Minami let out an irritated snap. "My assistant! Just tell me if you saw him, we've been searching for him for two hours but we can't find him!" drip...
Mai opened her mouth to speak but a shiver crawled up her spine as something cold was coming, making the girl slowly look around before seeing a figure staggering by the corridor.
drip...
drip...
"?!" Mai gaped at the sight, Oliver whimpering sadly in concern. "Akemi-sempai?!"
Akemi stands weakly in the middle of the dark corridor. Akemi showed no reaction to hearing her name nor the pairs of eyes turning to gaze at her with wide surprise. She remained staring in oblivion with a blank gaze, her eyes red and Oliver continue to whimper beside her and leading Akemi back to her quarters. The sounds of cries and the screams still fresh on her ears,
"Akemi?!"
"Hey, what happened to you?" Bou-san ran towards Akemi when the heiress threatened to fall on her knees, catching her just in time. Their close contact made the monk realized her cold skin. "-Why are you soaked?"
It was dark, with no light present besides Minami's flashlight so it was hard for them to fully see Akemi's condition. Yet when Bou-san caught Akemi's figure, they finally noted after getting closer Akemi's dripping figure. She was soaked to the bone, her whole body dripping with freezing water as though she submerged herself in a pool. They didn't even know she was out of their designated quarters, why was Akemi outside?
"Suzuki," Akemi hoarsely named, before connecting her blank red eyes towards the direction where she felt the others stood. "We're too late. She's dead." 'Help! Help! Help! Help!'
"And how did you know that?" Masako asks as she lifts her hand over her mouth. The others keeping quiet, waiting for Akemi's answer yet all they got was a sudden cold look from Akemi and the heiress forcing herself to stand up despite her wobbling legs.
They kept still as Akemi walked towards the female quarters, Minami still frozen in place and staring at Akemi with scared caution, a lump on his throat remained still and unmoving while he stopped his breath momentarily— wanting all of his focus on Akemi.
'Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!'
Feeling his alarm, Akemi paused in her steps— tilting her head ever so slightly that it almost came out as mocking and observing. She looked Minami dead in the eye. "What are you looking at?"
Goosebumps rose all over Minami's burly build. His eyes widened in fear at Akemi's sharp gaze, who looked away at the moment of her words and shut the door on his face. CLICK.
Silence passed all over them, Minami quickly excusing himself to try and look for his assistant while Ayako shook off her surprise and marched towards the room Akemi shut herself in with fiery determination and bewilderment. "Akemi?! What happened to you?!"
'Just what the hell was that?' Was all everybody thought and yet none of their question was ever answered. Mai and Masako quietly followed behind, telling the boys to go back to sleep as they got it covered; leaving them alone. Once the two girls got inside, they managed to get a glimpse of Ayako leaning forward to hold Akemi's hand before the heiress could leave yet Akemi was quiet, pulling away her arm to avoid any sort of touch. Mai and Masako kept their silence, watching the two with baited breath and equal confusion. 'HELP!'
Oliver continued to whimper beside the heiress, tugging over her night dress towards the bathroom. Begging her to change her clothing when it continued to drizzle on the floor like rain.
Akemi looked down, right where she knew Oliver would be and petted the dog. With a choked breath, she says: "I saw it..." Akemi gazed at her hands, seeing nothing but red. "Her blood..." 'HELP!'
They froze, continuing to stare as they realized Akemi's condition. They were too tired the first time from measuring the layout of the mansion as well as worrying about the sudden disappearances of people inside. Adding to that thought, possible ideas on why this place was haunted has started coming up, they had no time to watch over Akemi and realize it. Only knowing she was tired and sleeping right on the quarters, after that— no more news as to what she is doing as they were too busy doing their own work.
But as they stared more and more, Ayako, Mai and Masako finally noticed how sickly pale Akemi was— No, she looked deathly pale and from how her body shivered and teeth lightly chattered she was freezing cold too. Akemi's hair was a bit messy, not her usual organized waves but her blonde curls seemed to be knotted from someone clenching on it and messing it up.
She's lost her glow— staring at them blankly, saying. "I'll go change my clothes..." Akemi made her way towards the bathroom and, they heard the shower running after an echoing click of a lock. The three girls in the room keeping their silence and thoughts to their-selves.
'I don't want to die...' Akemi shut her eyes tight as she heard its voice.
°•○●●○•°
~~~NARU AKEMI~~~
Hours have passed by; Akemi was forced to stay at the base with Naru and Lin due to her weird behavior. She was ordered to remain seated at the vacant sofa by Bou-san, pressed by Ayako to never set foot out of the room without any of them— Oliver not counted along 'them' and was pleaded by both Mai and John to stay safe. Masako never spoke but Akemi could sense the concern of the Empathic Medium along with Yasuhara,
While Naru and Lin barely paused on their work. They could care less if she was with them or not as the sounds of Lin's constant typing kept the room from getting silent, Naru narrowed his eyes at her— watching her behaved form; sitting still on the sofa.
Crossing his arms, turning to face the silent heiress and leaning his back to the long table, sitting on it lightly as he did so. His midnight eyes furrowed even more as he stared at Akemi's heavy condition. Though made sure not to apply any sort of comment. "If this is you acting up to avoid measuring the perimeters, I applaud your determination."
After all, it was a chore that Mai and the others dreaded to do— wishing to have the night longer so they won't have to measure rooms. It has gotten so bad that Mai started having nightmares out of it.
Akemi let out a weak laugh, a small smile finally gracing her lips yet it wasn't enough to bring back the glow she used to have. Though it was a step closer to actually feeling. "Thank you, it runs in the family."
'help. help. help.'
Naru's lips quirked, "Laziness?"
"Determination." was Akemi's quick counter.
Giving a light huff out of his lips, Naru stood straight to stand back near Lin with a twitch on his lips. "It must have skipped a generation."
Akemi once again let out a weak tinkling laugh, knowing it wasn't meant to be offensive on Naru's part yet her strength continued to diminish by the second— her body felt completely fine, no lingering pains whatsoever. It was however, her mental state that felt weak. 'run. run. run. run'
Akemi dryly laughs, once again feeling a surge of her energy leaving her. Feeling her legs loose strength, she tried to examine it with a massage. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny."
Noting of how she responded, Naru looks back towards her. Opening his mouth in hesitation until he decided to go with it, since Lin must have been quite curious as well of her condition, so he might as well get through with this. "Are you okay?"
Akemi paused, lifting her gaze up with a wide look before relaxing with a sad smile upon her face. Lightly shaking her head sideways. "No... not really..." Placing a hand on her stomach, Akemi grimaces. "...I'm quite hungry..." and nobody's okay with a grumbling stomach,
Shutting his eyes, sighing. "You haven't eaten breakfast?" 'help. help. help. help.'
"No... I'm too tired to walk back and forth towards the dining room and kitchen..."
Naru halted, opening his eyes to look at Akemi. "Tired?" 'But you've been sleeping all day,' were the words that left being unsaid.
Akemi drowsily nodded, "I could feel it... mentally." 'run. run. run. run'
Naru's brow lifted, "drained?"
Akemi nods, planning to propose the idea of her spiritual energy being used by somebody else but before she could, the doors to the base opened with the SPR crew looking so dirty with thick dust. 'What happened to them?' Akemi let out a wry smile from their aura— Akemi placing a hand under her nose as she threatened to sneeze right when John stood close to her.
"Who's it a painting of?" Naru asks when they presented a dusty painting towards him, John beside Akemi deciding to explain the portrait, which was honestly not that extravagant nor is it flashy— just a painted portrait of a dark-haired, middle-aged man who is quite skinny and stern looking by how his small watchful eyes seemed to glare.
"Look on the back," Bou-san nudged his head, encouraging Naru to do as he says.
"It says Meiji 32, March. Self-portrait of Urado." Akemi flinched at the mention of the name, her whole body loosened once more— not out of relaxation, this was a different sensation to what she is currently feeling now. "But who is Urado?"
'Run! Run! Run! Run! Run!'
Akemi's body may have loosened with lack of strength but she could feel her muscles tightened still, tense and alert. No matter the energy she knows she actually has— the energy to once again move freely like a child is present yet it feels like some clog kept it in no matter what she does. She feels so drained— overloaded and tensed at the same time.
"Well, since the self-portrait is so decorated, could it be Miyama or a son?" Yasuhara points out while Ayako handed a dusty John some wet towels to clean himself up. The priest thanks Ayako as the conversation continued.
"If we ask Ohashi-san, he'll probably know..." John says at the same moment Naru froze in his place, perking up in step and started going over the papers rustling them away to find what he was looking for, the others watching him in a state of confusion.
"Wh-what is it?" Mai stutters out, worried over Naru's quick search. His body all hasty yet his expression remained passive,
"There's Ura." Naru took out the paper he wanted to find. Lifting it up close to his face, and he was not mistaken. "Urado"
"Ura?" Naru handed the bill to Mai, who got curious and wanted to look for herself.
"If you look at an angle you can see a character in the middle of the stain." Akemi hid a smile from Naru's words, 'Ara~ He actually caught that when none of the actual Japanese did? Such a smart wizard.'
"Hmmm?" Mai and Bou-san stupidly stood in the room, trying to get a glimpse of what Naru was talking about.
Naru furrowed his brows when the two Japanese citizens remained short-sighted. With a sigh, Naru points out. "It's Do, isn't it? Ura- Do."
Mai and Bou-san blinked, and with one second close of an eye they finally saw what Naru meant. "Oh that's right!"
Bou-san hummed in thought, "Hmmm if you write... Do here... then Out- Urado- By- Were- To Listen- Die- All- Re Came?"
'Huh?' Mai's face contorted, still not getting the message. "Is it just a bunch of characters?" Mai muttered until Yasuhara took a hold of the paper that Bou-san wrote on,
"Wait a sec, Do is written to the left of Ura." The freshman college student states, and once again they looked to see that it was placed on the other side.
Mai dumbly let out, "Do-ura?"
Ayako grunts, rolling her eyes at this ancient message. "That can't be it." While Akemi tilted her head, and innocently states: "Isn't it written on the Meiji Era? Shouldn't the format be read right to left?" lifting her index finger to gesture the directions.
"Oh! Akemi-sempai is right!"
Yasuhara brightens, taking hold of a nearby pen and started scribbling. "And if we add the gaps where we can't read it... I think it translates to something like this."
"Oh, that's amazing!" Ayako, Masako and Mai stared at the results in awe, it is a bit legible now— much more comforting to see compared to its early version.
"I think I... can read it..." Bou-san nods, taking the paper to read it— especially with Lin and Akemi not being able to see what they have written. "— Those who came here are all dying... then the last characters are easy, this is a message for someone, Get out.— "
BONK! BONK!
Mai and the girls, except for Akemi let out a jump from the sudden noise unfamiliar to their ears. The constant typing from Lin was something more of a background music for them already but with the tense atmosphere in place— the sudden sound of a glass was definitely out of place.
Naru once again let out a sigh, Lin pausing from his continuous typing and turned his attention towards the window. The SPR crew followed his direction and watched as Naru made his way towards the window sill with a grudging look.
Opening it, a cheeky grin greeted him but he remained adamant on his frown when Madoka waved a silent hand— Naru sighing as he reached out and helped Madokoa get inside out from the cold. The constantly smiling woman turned to a cheer, holding the weighted plastic bag tighter at the sight of Akemi. Excitement filled Madoka's eyes "Akemi-chan~! Oh! Akemi-chan! What happened to you?!" Madoka huffed on her hands, when she noticed Akemi's decreasing complexion, the elegant and charismatic woman from the magazine she kept reading at her hotel turned to dust.
Akemi weakly smiled, "I'm fine Madoka, just drained..." Akemi cringed, maybe not the appropriate time and context to make a pun. Even Naru frowned at her words, but deciding to leave it be and kept his attention towards Madoka who was already beside Akemi, checking her condition with questions.
"Madoka, haven't I already told you how dangerous this is, and not to come near this place?" Madoka ignored the boy and kept pouring Akemi with concern and advice.
"Your hands are so cold! Seriously Naru, what are you doing to the poor girl?!" Akemi let out a wry smile as Madoka ignored Naru's chiding.
"Madoka" Naru glared at Madoka with an extremely displeased expression, the woman finally stopping her antics when Akemi pleaded her with a beseeching stare. So, with an undisturbed sigh, Madoka nods and faces the others,
"Greetings to everyone~!" Madoka smiles towards the other crew, Naru already standing beside her. They have wasted a lot of time now,
"Madoka!"
The woman huffed, "Oh, I knew I was in no danger, so I came." Madoka turns to face Naru, a hand on her hips as she states: "I'm not an idiot like Naru." Akemi felt it, the hidden flinch from his aura. She hid a laugh and a curious stare as she wondered why he acted like that.
Madoka kept her gentle smile, sitting beside Akemi and took out a bag of coffee cans from a convenience store nearby. Handing it out for everyone. Giving Akemi and herself last since Naru doesn't drink canned coffee.
"And then?" Naru tried with his patience, this case already being a hassle enough for him. He wants this case over and done with, though the active paranormal activity was a perk— Naru didn't care enough about it and wanted this to end.
A hand reached out with it's can loosened on the tab. Following its arm, Naru removed his cold gaze from Madoka and he was greeted by Akemi's sheepish smile.
Showing how her whole hand continued to shake, Akemi stretched her coffee out more. "Can you please open it?"
Stiff-faced, Naru pulled open the can and passing it back to Akemi, crossing his arms and turning to Madoka. "Madoka-"
"Help me open it too~" Madoka smiles, however hers was more confident when handing the can towards Naru, who let out a sigh before opening it and handing it back. The two women taking a sip of their hot beverage as though they didn't do anything.
On the side of the room, Mai and Masako bit their lip, envious.
They wanted to have Naru open it too now that they saw Akemi and Madoka do it, but knowing if they did try— they will get nothing but cold rejection. Yet if Akemi were to know of their thoughts, she would have said to go for it— Naru was not the kind of person to reject any help. He's much of a gentleman for that, hiding it with a cold exterior.
Now going back at the topic in hand, Madoka and Akemi were given jackets because of the elevated temperature.
"No danger?" Naru repeated what Madoka has said, a brow raised with a slight doubt on his tone. People go missing without a trace, Akemi is acting in such an abnormal behavior, spirits actively call for help as though they are in grave danger and Madoka just stated it was safe? His doubts have a reasonable claim.
"This is a children's playground."
"Huh?" Hearing that, Mai couldn't help but chime in. "Isn't this mansion's a front garden?"
"I think the kids in the area used to practice baseball and soccer but as you might expect, since the February disappearance they've stopped coming." Madoka waves a dismissive hand. "Of course, none of them ever went missing. In other words, the danger is only inside the mansion. Outside is fine,"
"Is that only true during the day?" Naru cuts in, fully curious and cautious if that was the case.
"Many unforeseeable dangers are associated with ghost hunt." Madoka avoided the question, making Naru's body rigid from clenched patience. "Well, here's today's report."
Mai glanced at Naru who held a hand over his forehead, his shoulder's slumped and filled with aggravation yet the air around him closely resembles to pure acceptance, 'He's... he's giving up...'
"Atsugi-san has also disappeared without a trace, as before he wasn't seen using a bus or a taxi— and about the Miyama father and son situation, turns out Mr. Kaneyuki was a severely mysophobia and was said there was a dishonest incident at the Silk factory. Apparently one of the staff misappropriated the wages of a worker or something, then that worker was dismissed for no good reason. His eldest son was also working in the same factory— he too was sacked. His third son working at the hospital was also sacked and the owner of the house they lived in was Kaneyuki's so they were all evicted— it doesn't stop there."
"There's more?" Madoka nods, Mai and the crew ever so flinched at the piling up characteristic reveal of Kaneyuki.
"The house where his daughters and son's wives also lived was also rented from Kaneyuki-shi and soon they too were forced out. The man's parents were a tenant farmers of Kaneyuki-shi and they were also kicked out."
"How cruel... he was ruthless," Bou-san murmurs yet all of them could agree on his words.
"It turned into a big scandal. Since then, even the local fishermen have avoided the area. So Kaneyuki's popularity plummeted. He retreated to this mountain villa to avoid contact with people. He had servants but they came to work from another area. So, since he kept almost everyone away, rumor has spread that suspicious activity was happening in this mansion. His son Hideyuk-shi became a little worried."
"Worried?" Naru tilted his head,
"Uh-uh, people began to gossip about the reason for his nonstop house renovating." Madoka takes sip of her coffee after concluding her report. The others keeping silent to process it all until Bou-san caught a glimpse of the portrait they found and took it out and showed Madoka.
"Miss, do you know if Kaneyuki had any friends? Was there a person named Urado?"
Madoka's eyes blinked consecutively. "Urado?"
"The person in this portrait," Bou-san pointed to the portrait he carries,
"Oh! That's Kaneyuki-shi."
Naru sighs, his eyes falling towards Madoka. "I guess that's all you have to report." Madoka remained smiling as her answer, Naru giving out breath once more. "It's already dark, you better get back to the hotel, if you don't have any more to say."
Madoka nods, humming as she says goodbye to everyone. Hugging Akemi last before saying good night to Naru while Lin once again waited for her outside— planning to walk her to her hotel.
"Unbelievable, his pen name was Urado." Bou-san shook his head, "That old forger may have been a philanthropist but he was also an eccentric."
"Was he really an eccentric..." Naru voices out, his eyes focused on the papers and portrait of Kaneyuki. "The ones who live here are all dying, naturally here it means this mountain villa. What was in here?" Akemi watched him softly getting to his thoughts, unaware of the equal softness her eyes gave as she watched him work. "Listen to Urado, if only we understood what that meant..."
Masako kept her gaze low, staying has also affected her esteem as the emotions carried around the mansion were strong. "There is something that understood it."
"Huh?" Mai turns to Masako, the girls lifting their gazes to stare at each other.
"Have you forgotten already?" Masako felt her eyes saddened. "The words of the spirits at the seance,"
"Oh..." 'Help.'
Masako nods. "Clearly that was the spirit of someone who came here and died."
°•○●●○•°
~~~AKEMI~~~
Warning: incoming death, blood and gore.
The hours of the day passed by once more with no Hideo Atsugi to be found. The others started to worry over this when two people have already gone missing in the past few days. This once again led to a tight command from Naru to be alert yet his concerned stern didn't last at the mention of Akemi's events at the hallway.
This reached Naru's ears which led to over time at the base by handling cameras on the halls near them, as well as a strict watch— with Naru and Lin catching up on sleep for the night, Naru was more adamant to having the two people keeping watch; Yasuhara and Bou-san to keep an alert eye.
Ayako kept snickering as the girls went back to their quarters first, the sound of Naru's continued rules kept on and echoed around the halls before it got shut out by their door.
"Will you be okay, Akemi-sempai?" Mai's clear observant eyes watched Akemi in concern, Oliver jumping up the heiress's bed to rest beside her.
Akemi petted Oliver before giving Mai a weak smile, "I'll be fine."
"But..."
Akemi lays down her bed, turning to hug Oliver. "I am much more irritated than anything— to be played with by a fiend..." A dark aura surrounded Akemi and Mai silently gulps in non-existent air as she could feel Akemi's aura seep in her skin. "It's unforgivable..."
Mai felt a shiver run up her spine, so did the others as a chilling atmosphere grow around them, 'Akemi-sempai turns her fear into rage... how scary...'
And it wasn't long before it all did turn scary.
°•○●●○•°
Akemi ran in the midst of the dark abyss with no goal in mind but to never reach the demon who still continued to plague her mind. Playing with her still,
A sense of dread and threat streaming inside her body made Akemi realized that it finally caught her, 'It's— It's here!'
Akemi took a sharp right turn despite running in the middle of the dark, her chest was starting to hurt and she couldn't scream herself awake. The annoyance that her body betrayed her made angry tears come out in heaps of thick droplets. Akemi was starting to get angry with her situation yet she couldn't do anything but to continue running— knowing that if she faced the demon, her body would completely betray her and once again run; her senses screaming for her to get away or she'll die. Survival instincts getting the best of her.
She felt something cold and hard bump into her and Akemi lifted a hand to turn a knob and went inside— it was quite weird though. Her environment remained void of any light and color as well as things yet she could feel how there were objects around that limits her from suddenly turning or moving anywhere.
"Hic... hic..." Wiping the tears away from her cheeks, Akemi glances behind her to see Urado, deranged and skeletal fully grinning towards her in bloodthirsty determination. 'Eh? Urado...?'
Akemi's noise went on deaf ears when none would come out, placing a hand on her neck— she felt something warm seep out of it and pulling her hand away, she saw it drenched in blood. 'Ah!'
Hands held her arms and Akemi panicked when she felt her body grew weaker, 'No! Let go!'
The hands on her arms were firm, looking to her side, Akemi was weakly dragged and she saw two burly men was helping her by lifting her up slightly. 'Eh?... helping...me...up?'
Akemi's thought process continued to diminish, despite being in a vision— however, she felt it wasn't hers. It felt like the same on the Cannibal's case, where she stood on the same shoes as the spirit there and thinking it as a possibility made Akemi's skin crawl— it's going to happen to her again.
Akemi's heart started to beat, not from fear nor anger but it disgusted her to feel a sense of pleasure and enjoyment from what was going to happen next. Another person appeared in the room, and Akemi's eyes widened at the sight of a white lab coat with a sharp blade in his hand. He turned to look at her, exhausted and demoralized; from the way he looked at Akemi made the heiress know she wouldn't like what's to happen next.
The two burly men, let go of her but she fell right on her knees— it baffles Akemi how weak she felt as though her bones and muscles weren't cooperating.
It was then another body was dragged in and Akemi froze at the sight. Hideo Atsugi was being dragged by the two henchmen, pulling him right towards the operating table. Seeing the bucket just beside it made Akemi finally found her voice. 'No! Let him go! DON' YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!' Akemi placed all her strength in her legs and stood up but only taking four steps made her loose balance.
The two henchmen turned their attention towards her, or particularly the owner of this vision and walked towards her in obedient steps. Pulling her up, she thought it would be enough in some way but they let her stand right in front of Hideo Atsugi, whose head was laying out on the edge of the operating table with his body strapped in tight. The doctor that Akemi saw, once again took out his knife. Akemi didn't want to see this. No sane person would ever want to see this yet it turns out Akemi wouldn't be able to see it.
Because the doctor handed her the knife,
She was going to experience it.
'No! Stop! Don't reach out! Don't get the knife!' Akemi continued to beg, her tears practically streaming out of her eyes already and made it hard for her to breathe. Yet the cold touch of the knife pressed on her weak hands. 'No.... please no...'
Hideo Atsugi's blank eyes started to wake; Akemi could see herself clearly by reflection of his eyes. Thick tears streamed down her cheeks with her pure white night gown remaining clean yet the rusty sharp knife was slowly lifting up on her side. The Akemi on her reflection giving out a smug grin as inside Akemi continued to plead.
'Take me instead! Let it be me! Please!' Death never scared her. She has died already for who knows how many times now, the fear of dying was long gone especially when Akemi knows what would be waiting on the other side and who; Her parents.
'NO!' Akemi grips the knife tighter in her hands and cut through Hideo Atsugi's neck, the problem of it was Akemi's arms were weak and it took a lot of time for her to finally reach the middle, prolonging Hideo Atsugi's pain.
Hideo looked at her in pure anguish and torture, his mouth gaping wide with screams Akemi would never hear yet forever remain in her mind as the silent sound of it struck her to her core. His eyes kept looking at her as Urado pushed the rusty knife deeper in his neck, while the doctor tried to drain his body out by pushing up his blood.
'.... no ... no… no....' Akemi cried out, 'This is what he did.... what he does to the missing people...' Death was never Akemi's fear. It was that inflicting pain on others with nothing to help was the worst she could live on. 'I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry.' Akemi repeatedly apologizes under her breath, her body once again dripping down only for the henchmen to catch her in time.
'Ah.... Where are they taking me...?' Akemi felt her feet touch the wet floor and another choking sound came out of her throat as she tried not to cry anymore but it seems her tears won't stop any soon when she gaped at a tub in the middle of the room, Hideo Atsugi's blood filling it to the brim.
"What... the...?!" Akemi felt her feet left the floor and the heiress gained conscience and started to squirm. 'No! Let me go! No! NO! LET ME GO— ARGH!!!' Her whole body sunk; her sight filled with newly-spilled thick crimson blood. It felt so warm. So nice. So, addicting— I've never felt so alive.
"NO! That's not me!" Akemi tried to reach her hands out of the tub, finding anything to pull herself up but her body remained still and submerged. "It's his thoughts! NOT MINE! It's his! no! no!"
I've never felt so alive...
"KYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Akemi screamed, the metallic taste of blood getting in her mouth— involuntarily tasting it as she started to gulp in air that's not present. Akemi's sight was slowly diminishing and she knew she was close to the end; more blood went through her throat and Akemi got traumatized forever.
"AKEMI!"
Finally, air was given.
°•○●●○•°
"Mai!" Mai's eyes caught a glimpse of light, her teary eyes quickly looking for Akemi but she was nowhere around. Her cheeks stung but Mai didn't care, all she could think about is: she's alive.
"What happened?" Ayako and Masako stared at Mai in concern, they both were peacefully sleeping when a cry woke them up, looking right in the middle bed was Mai with her eyes wide-open and screaming her lungs out. Ayako realized the girl was still sleeping and couldn't wake her up— her only resort was to slap.
"Uwahhh!" Mai sits up her bed and hugs Ayako tight, "Ayako! It was awful! It was awful!" 'I really thought I died...Why did I dream that!?'
KNOCK—!
KNOCK—!
KNOCK—!
Dozens of hasty knocks broke their silence and Masako took it upon herself to open the door to see Bou-san, Yasuhara and John looking around their room in frantic worry— the sounds of Mai's screams reached their ears and were quick to get up when they heard it on the monitors.
"What happened? Are you guys, okay?"
"What was it?" was Bou-san and Yasuhara's quick questions though it got cut off when their eyes finally gazed at a crying Mai.
"Mai?" Bou-san's eyes soften in worry, his voice coming out a whisper as Mai turned to him with bawling tears.
With a shaky voice, Mai said with pure difficulty: "I had a dream... a terrifying dream..."
And the high school girl explained to them all what she saw, she was near to burst in tears once more when she was about to get to the part on how her death happened but a hand on her head made her pause. Looking up, Bou-san's and the others stare at her in care. "That's okay. You can stop. It's a horrible thing to remember, sorry if you had to relive it."
A heavy atmosphere visited the group, more on Mai as she still felt the fear crawling her body, it wasn't until the doors to their quarters opened once more. Mai and the others turning their head when Naru and Lin stood,
'Naru...' Mai let out a breath when Naru walked towards her with a cup of warm tea in his hands. Handing it to her, 'Wha—! he's not dressed in black! He's wearing only p-p-p-pajamas— wait? he wears pajamas!?'
"Are you alright?" Naru earnestly asked, pushing the tea cup towards Mai with a soft Klink.
'Huh?' Mai blinks, her eyes moving towards the tea which she took. 'Ah... the scent of black tea— it's so strange. I feel calm somehow.'
Mai nods, after taking a whiff of the tea, sending Naru a grateful smile. "Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks."
"Hn." Naru nods, his eyes moving towards the others who watched the two with a look. The sight of their conveying message made his lips twitch yet it turns into a frown when he noticed a lack of person.
"Where's Akemi?"
And that was when a long piercing cry sliced their ears.