I'm ba~ack! Did ya miss me? I missed me, too. I swear to you all, I didn't mean to be gone so long. Anyway, get ready for more shenanigans of the drunken kind, because… well, yeah. This is the first chapter of this case… and really, it's kind of a doozy. Got a lot planned for it. A lot.

Now, On to the comments:

Star0Dragon0Slayer- We all do crazy things, when we're in love… and, while he'd never straight out say it, he does love her…

Joys- thanks. It's nice to hear that. Honestly, working with so many characters can be really challenging.

CaitHawke4Ever- Such is the life of a character in a drama fic… but I love writing it so much.

Airmage- thanks… though warning, that separating by paragraphs thing… it ain't happening. As far as rules go, I don't really follow it.

As far as reviews go, that's it for this chapter. On to the actual chapter!

Chapter 17- Hell of A Feeling

I'm a scholar and a gentleman

and I usually don't fall when I try to stand

I lost a bet to a guy in a chiffon skirt… but I make these high heels work.

I've told you time and time again, I'm not as think as you drunk I am

And we all fell down when the sun came up

I think we've had enough….

All right, All right, It's a Hell of a feeling, though

~Panic! At the Disco- Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

It was uncommon for the whole team to be needed, Mai thought. It had been different in Japan- there hadn't been many them in the first place, and Yasuhara had been a high school student- so he couldn't tag along as much- though she did, but that, again, was beside the point. She'd been an official employee at the time and counting her and Madoka- who'd visited a few times- there had been nine of them.

And even that had only happened once- during the whole debacle at the mansion. She shuddered at the memory. Now, there were nineteen of them, with Professor Davis, Gene, Izumi, Emiko, Tohru, the Connally twins Annabelle, Psyche, and Kuroda. twenty if Takeshi went as well.

Apparently, it was necessary… that was the plan…. Up until about ten minutes later, when Na- Oliver came back in and informed them that none of the members of the fairer sex of their team would be going anywhere near this case… cue and instant and vicious uproar.

Right up until Professor Davis himself came in and told them the same thing. None of the women would be accompanying them on this case. It was far too dangerous for them. They had enough people for this to go smoothly without putting any of them at an unnecessary risk.

When Mai pointed out that she would dream details of the past of the case anyway, Oli- Dr. Davis had rebutted with 'There's this invention called a phone, Mai, and if you don't understand how to use it now, I fear you will never grasp the concept.' She'd very nearly strangled him for that one. It had been close, though, Lin and Takeshi had both had to literally grab her and restrain her from jumping on him and wrapping her hands around his neck.

His smirk had just made her lash out in other ways and she ended up conjuring a blast of wind strong enough to shove him back into a wall (with enough force and momentum to jar him momentarily), to which Annabelle had used her own psychic abilities to cut Mai's off, though she, herself was furiously glaring at her childhood friend and his asshole of a brother.

Yasuhara, Eugene, and Fin had been apologetic, as had John and the Professor. Lin and Takeshi had both been adamant in the decision, backed as well by Takigawa. Adrien had kept his mouth shut- fearing what would happen if he opened it. He'd been behind the idea, as well, but was wise enough that he didn't draw attention to himself- especially knowing the destructive tempers in the room.

When the pandemonium had finally run its course- which really meant when the ridiculous storm conjured by the two weather witches, the heatwave from hell from Izumi and Tohru, the oddly high fevers from Emiko, a tree that had come to life (the Professor had been impressed by Ayako for that one), and the other outbursts of psychic tempers had tempered down (even Oliver had to admit that the PK show provided by Mai, Psyche, Annabelle, and Kuroda was spectacular- though he did not say it out loud), and they fixed the mess they'd made, the professor- who was constantly having to diffuse the situational outbursts caused mainly by his son- explained the reasons for his decision.

twelve bodies in two days.

Mai winced at the thought. True, she'd thought that Japanese ghosts and dark entities were worse, but that had been before this case. All twelve victims that had been found were women. Not only that… but they had all in some way, been connected to the…. Occult. Like they themselves, these women had been known to be psychic- or had, at least, insinuated that they were.

This in itself was a bit terrifying. There wasn't any link to the cause being a serial killer, either, other than what looked like coincidence, there seemed to be no real psychical similarities. Some were brunette, some blonds, others, still, were redheads and every color in between. Same with skin tone, height, and weight… religious background.

There was also evidence of others besides the twelve already found. By the time that the professor was done explaining, the women of the crew had decided to go along with the wishes of the eldest ghost hunter in the room.

Though none of them liked it… at all.

This was probably how the lot of them had ended up back at Winter Hall, all with some sort of alcoholic beverage in their hands. Masako was the first to speak. "I'm worried." She whispered it, as if she were admitting to a fault of some sort, as she clutched the cup of sake that Mai had handed her. Her large violet eyes were a bit dull. Mai shook her head, putting aside her own cup of the same liquid.

"We shouldn't be. They've been in the game longer than us." She reminded the (partially retired) television celebrity. "It's not like we haven't dealt with a malevolent spirit slightly like this anyway…"

"It was worse than you think." Madoka (who'd been the only one of them not to say a word- probably because she knew what had really happened to those women) said it softly. So much so that Mai was the only one who picked it up.

"Madoka. We all know I'm going to dream of it… you might as well tell me." She muttered, though the reaction that the pink-haired woman gave her did not make her feel better about this. Madoka just shuddered. "You don't want to know, Mai."

"I'm going to know anyway. I already had a dream…" she winced as Sakurako's head shot up, and those large, dark eyes narrowed on her ward. Madoka had jerked, eyes wide with shock, as well. Obviously, she'd not been expecting that, which worried the younger woman all the more. What… what had happened besides what she'd seen?

"I… don't know…" Madoka was still unsure.

"Again, Madoka, I'll just see it anyway. I didn't get a pass with the damn mansion… you know, with the man who turned himself into a demon? Yeah…. Got to get my throat slit." She frowned. "It's nothing I can't handle."

"When did you start having these dreams?" Sakurako asked quietly. Her dark eyes narrowed on Mai's golden ones and the girl winced. "Ah…." She muttered. A few days ago…" she muttered. She looked down into her cup, before she downed the sake like a shock of whiskey.

"Mai…" Annabelle muttered. "You really should have told us." Her eyes, now dark and stormy grey, were also narrowed as she glared at her cousin, who just sighed and shook her head.

"I… didn't know until they showed us the pictures. That's not how my dreams work. I still don't know how my dreams are triggered… but … I dream cases before I know about them, only to find out when the professor or Dr. Davis-"

"Mai, can't you just call him Oliver?" Madoka asked.

The small brunette snorted. "Sure… when they start making snow-cones in hell…"

"You do realize that in Dante's Inferno, the ninth circle of Hell is the coldest place in existence, right?"

Mai just shrugged. "Still," she said. "That makes it too cold for snow-cones. It'd never snow there, making snow cones impossible." She smirked. "I will not call him Oliver. Or Naru," her voice became a whip at the last part when Masako opened her mouth.

Ayako sighed. "Dear Kami, Mai, don't you think it's time to give it up?" she asked. Masako sighed, as Mai's eyes flashed, her temper reared up.

"No. I don't." she hissed. "If I did…" she shook her head. "I'd prove him right. Again." She hissed.

"Mai, what do you mean?" Masako asked softly, her worried purple eyes went dark with confusion. The brunette looked away, her body stiffened, and her jaw clenched. Izumi and Emiko looked at each other, thoroughly confused as well. However, Annabelle stiffened as well, her grey eyes glowing silver with anger.

"Remember the day that Mai got so worked up that Takeshi took the two of us to spar somewhere? Yeah… that was Cambridge University, and we weren't the only ones there. Both of the other sets of twins… Yasuhara, Lin…. They were all there." She took a sip of her own glass of scotch (she'd shrugged at the raised eyebrows, just because she was Irish didn't mean she couldn't enjoy scotch) before she spoke again. "Well… they decided to pair her up against Dr. Davis…"

Masako winced. "Ah… he won?" she asked softly. Psyche sighed. "That… doesn't explain it…"

"he found out about the lightning thing." Mai muttered, her face going red. "And he… used it."

"Lightning thing?" Ayako's red brow shot up as she asked, her hand went to the younger woman's arm. "Mai… what is the lightning thing?"

Mai winced. "Imagine… if you could change the weather, Ayako… and it happened to start a lightning storm whenever you… say… had a… reaction…. To Monk?"

"What reaction do I have besides anger?" Ayako's sudden defensiveness made the brunette smirk. "I don't have any other reaction." She insisted. Taking a sip of wine, though her voice was more forceful than it usually was, which just made Mai smirk, though she said not a word.

It was actually Emiko who snorted. "Oh, please… it's not like you two hide it… And if you really think that you do… well, I have news for you." She smirked, her eyes glinted. Izumi shook her head. "You're almost as obvious about it as Mai and Annabelle are forced to be."

"What the hell does that mean?" the two cousins snapped.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "Really, you two? You get turned on and cause lightning storms." She said bluntly, as per usual.

Much like Tohru- who was nursing a Bloody Mary in the corner silently watching the exchange- Izumi did not speak much… actually, she had a tendency to talk less than the other girl, and she tended to be way blunter when she did speak. Case in point… Mai went brilliantly scarlet and let out a high-pitched sound that was more like a teapot going off than anything, and Annabelle's jaw dropped, while her own face went the exact same shade. Two pairs of eyes- one silver, the other gold, were glued onto their friend in horror, anger, and humiliation.

"WhY wOuLd YoU sAy ThAt?" Annabelle shrieked her voice cracking, at the same time that Mai screeched "I dO NoT!" instantly, their respective glasses of liquor broke. Sakurako snickered at the outburst and raised a brow in Ayako's direction.

In the months that they'd been in England, Sakurako, Ayako, and Madoka had gotten together a fair few times, they'd become friends, and with that, came certain… knowledge as to their passions. "Now why does that sound familiar…?" she chuckled, eyeing the other woman. Ayako glared at her.

Mai's eyes narrowed at the redhead, even as Izumi turned back to Ayako and said, "If you were in Mai or Annabelle's shoes, you'd be lighting up the sky on an hourly basis." Her voice was dryer than the martini she was sipping on, "It'd be worse than what Mai and Annabelle do right now."

Ayako gaped at the girl, her eye wide as dinner plates. "Why I never…"

"And now you have." Izumi drawled lazily. "Get over it. You want Takigawa so bad, just go for it. It's highly unlikely that he would turn you away." She took another sip, smirking as she let out a slight hiccup. "Maybe even give the rest of us some relief, because the tension is getting thick enough that I'm about two seconds from just buying the lot of you adult toys of the… vibrating kind."

Emiko snickered as the women in question gaped in a comically horrified way at her sister. "Man, Izu… how much vodka is in that? You're so talkative tonight." her eyes were a bit glazed as well, though her Long Island Ice tea was just as bad. "Though she's right. If you want him that badly, just jump him, already."

Ayako just worked her jaw without saying a word, glaring at the twins. "I have no clue what you're on about…" the muttered.

"You want to have hot jungle monkey sex with Takigawa." Izumi spoke slowly, annunciating each word, as if speaking to a child. "If you need me to tell you again, I don't mind…. But come on. We all know. Just own up to it already."

Mai burst out laughing at the look on Ayako's face, the tension draining out of her, as she did. Psyche snorted into her honey whiskey and coughed, tears coming to her eyes, while, Tohru just sighed, leaning over to snatch the martini from her friend. "Enough of that from you, Zuzu." She said lazily as Masako was choking on her drink. "You can't just tell people who they want to fuck and expect them to fall in line."

She pondered for a minute before she smirked. "Besides, if Ayako really had a lady boner for the monk, she wouldn't really waste time fighting with him… not unless she got off on it like foreplay."

"Are you insinuating that she gets turned on arguing with him?" Kuroda smirked, adjusting her glasses over her White Russian. "Because that's what it sounds like…" the others roared with laughter at the spluttering priestess. Masako just patted the redhead's back with faux sympathy.

"There, there," she smirked. "I told you they all knew… now if only Monk knew about that copy of the Kama Sutra you've got…" A sly grin covered her face, as she jeered at her friend, to which the others shrieked with laughter.

Madoka just smirked as she sat back, happily secure in the knowledge that she'd completely redirected the conversation- and, while she really got a kick out of where it had headed (and really, watching Ayako suffer was a plus), she could only hope that Mai was wrong about dreaming about it.

Outside Winter Hall, where the shadows of the surrounding forest kissed the sunlit meadow where the mansion stood, looking directly into the sitting room, a pair of blood-red eyes gazed longingly at the women inside. Filled with a rapturous lust for what was inside the room, it moved forward a step, one step closer to the house….

Only to howl in agony as a bright, glowing golden-white line seared through it, disintegrating its arm.

It needed those women.

It needed their bodies…. Their powers.

Soon, it hissed. Soon I will have you- each and every one…. You will not escape…. And without so much as a sound, it disappeared into the waning light of the sunset.

XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX

Elsewhere

The unpacking went by quickly and quietly, unlike usual, where they all joked around… but this was different. The air around the whole team was… grim. Even Yasuhara and Eugene- the resident jokers- were silent. Oliver could not help but feel the spike of fear travelling through his brother's body, invading his own.

Takegawa's mouth was set in a grim line, and John was muttering as he searched his books with Adrian and Fin, all were praying that they would find an answer. "We really should have told them…" Takeshi said softly. His eyes were dark with worry as well.

"We still don't know what we're dealing with…" Takigawa pointed out. "It could just be a serial killer…" even while he spoke, Oliver was shaking his head, a grim look on his face, his indigo eyes dark with trepidation. If he was worried, the monk thought, then perhaps they should all be worried… after all, it wasn't often that the man was worried- or at least showed that he was worried.

"What do you think we're up against?" Yasuhara asked, frowning. "Because you of all people have to have a theory, Naru."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Oliver's voice had turned icy, his body was stiff. At this, the young man cracked a smirk, while Eugene snickered. Oliver scowled at his brother and shook his head. "I'm hoping I'm wrong, anyway…" his frown deepened as he walked through the door.

Instantly, the memories crowded him. He was no longer with the group. Instead, he was there, watching the scene as if it were a movie.

She ran through the hallway, her eyes wide with horror and fear… bearing cuts and bruises all over her body, she bit her fist as she ran, trying to keep the sobs and screams from coming out. She had to run.

She had to get away from…. It… oh, god, why was this happening to her? She hurt… everywhere… the blood dripping down her body left a trail… but she wouldn't be another victim… she would escape.

Oliver stumbled back a few feet, right into Lin, who had the grace to catch him. Putting a now cold, clammy hand on his forehead, Oliver sucked in a breath. "Shit." He growled.

"Woah, big boss, I don't think that I've ever heard you curse like that… though it was beneath you." Yasuhara snorted. Oliver turned to glare at him, his indigo eyes narrowing in contempt. Jerking his head, he brushed off his clothes and sighed.

"I do." He stated. "Usually, however… in this case, I really couldn't find anything more eloquent to say." He replied. "Because shit is actually the nicest word I could come up with at the moment." I just hope I'm far enough away…. He silently added. He didn't want any of the others- especially certain brunettes with whom he seemed to share an odd connection of sorts- to see what he'd just seen…

There was going to be hell to pay in the first place, he didn't need a hysterical woman to deal with when he got back…

"She'd kill you for that…" Eugene muttered. "If she ever knew you thought that, she'd absolutely murder you, brother dear…" he shuddered at the thought of Mai ever finding out his brother thought of her as hysterical. The image was rather… brutal.

"Eugene, shut up, please." Oliver grumbled.

"She's not the wilted flower you seem to see her as, you know." His twin carried on. "She's got a spine of steel, and a waspish temper straight out of hell." He pointed out.

"And how would you know?" Oliver seethed.

"Well, I've been keeping tabs on her and- wait, how do you not know? She helped you break the lab when she first arrived from Japan, she's very nearly set you on fire- did you realize you were smoking last night when we told them they couldn't go? I felt the energy…. And it came from Mai." He shook his head. "If you keep up your current attitude mum and dad are going to have to use that grave they had dug for me… for you."

"Wrong name on the gravestone for that…" the younger Davis twin pointed out.

"You do realize they'd get another one for you, right?" Eugene smirked. Oliver just rolled his eyes.

"Can we please focus on the case instead of Davis' marital problems with Taniyama?" Adrien growled behind them. "I'm wanting to get home soon… and the sooner this case is taken care of, the sooner I can get there.

There was silence once again after that, none of them were keen on taking this job. Somehow, it just felt wrong. Almost like they were in the wrong place. Like the evil had left, and the only thing remaining was the residue of evil… a veil that had been left by whatever had cased this.

Oliver- who had completely ignored Adrien's verbal barb (much to his brother's annoyance) turned to the two Omnyoji. "Can you send them out?" he asked of the two. "I have a bad feeling." Nodding Takeshi and Lin whistled, and two bright orbs of light floated in front of them.

They split up into groups of two- each of them went a separate direction. With this much ground to cover, even with all of them, it took quite a bit of time… time they realized that they did not have. Eugene shook his head as he frowned at his brother. "I'm not getting a reading at all, Noll." He reported softly. "It's like whatever was here… is gone."

"That can't be right." Yasu butt in, his own face held an unusual frown as well. "Everything I've read is saying that this place is the starting point, the place the soul is tied to…. Why- how- could a spirit just up and leave…?"

"There was that one case… remember, Noll?" Eugene started slowly, his face draining of color. "Six years ago… when the spirit moved… because…" he trailed off, horror showing on his face.

Oliver went pale as well, his eyes darkening, and he whipped around to face his twin. "You don't think…" his voice was deathly quiet, calm… deadly. Eugene nodded slowly, his face twisting to mirror his brother's dark look. "I think…" he told Oliver, "that it's the only explanation…"

"How though? Unless…"

"Unless he caught the trail of a few souls… through another connection…"

"Eugene, you don't think…?"

"What the hell is going on?" Takigawa yelled suddenly. "Naru, seriously, what are you talking about?"

"The ghost got a new target through Oliver." Lin answered, his eyes narrowing. "How that happened is beyond me.."

"I thought this one went after women? Why would it find a new mark through Naru?"

"She must have connected with him when he used his psychometry." Eugene hissed. Lin blinked, jerking his head to the older twin, eyes blazing with fury. "What?" he snarled.

"I don't know how… I made sure I wasn't anywhere near her." Oliver snapped. "Specifically for that reason."

"It's after the girls, isn't it?" Takeshi asked.

Oliver was already turning around, his face paler than normal. Eugene was cussing as he followed, with Lin right on their tails. Oliver turned back to the others. "Yasu, John, Takigawa, Takeshi, Adrien, Finn, take down the base. It's moved." They jumped into action.

"Oliver, we've waisted too much time…" Eugene said. Oliver shook his head, glaring at his brother.

"We'll make it." He snapped. "We've got to make it." He was behind the wheel of his car in seconds. "mother fucker," he snarled as he turned the key- for some reason, the action seemed to take hours instead of seconds. The car roared to life, and Eugene jumped into the passenger seat.

XXXXX- LINE BREAK -XXXXX

Winter Hall

They were all asleep- save for Sakurako. She smiled as she cleaned up the mess left behind by the younger women. She looked up, eyes glinting, as she heard the wind's howl. A sneer twisted the woman's features, and her eyes glowed with power as she stared down the being outside the window. "You will leave. Now." She snarled.

For now, perhaps.

The disembodied voice sounded not out loud, but in her mind. They will not always be with you. All I have to do is wait for the time they are out of your reach. She snorted derisively.

"I do not have the inclination to deal with you, dark one." She hissed. "You will not touch them. Any of them."

I will, though… perhaps not now…. But sooner or later, they will come to me.

With that, it disappeared into the night. Sakurako snarled. "What… what was that, Sakurako-san?" she turned to face Izumi, who had woken up prematurely. She frowned at the young woman. "you… you heard that?" she asked softly.

Izumi just shrugged a shoulder. "It wasn't quiet. Mai, Masako and Anabelle heard it, too. They're asleep though."

"They are also mediums. So, Izumi, how did you hear it?"

Izumi shrugged again. "I don't know." She replied. "But I also saw the lightshow you just put on…. Are you like Mai and Anabelle?" Sakurako gave a start, her dark eyes went wide, and she all but jerked away. She hesitated for a few seconds before she sighed.

"I am." She confermed. "though I am older, more experienced… and I have different powers outside of my control over nature." She replied. Izumi yawned. "So… you put the barrier up, then?" she asked.

Sakurako's eyebrow shot up. "For someone who only is able to control a body's temperature, you see quite a bit more than you should." She murmured. It was Izumi's turn to raise a brow, though hers came with a sardonic smirk.

"Really?" she asked. "That's what you're getting out of this? I never said that I was unaware of auras…. Or power surges at three in the morning while suffering from jet lag." She drawled. Sakurako laughed.

"I had no idea…" she murmured. Izumi just snorted.

"What was that?" Izumi's abrupt question took the housekeeper by surprise, and Sakurako just balked for a second. She considered the best answer before she spoke.

"It was…. another being. Not like Cassandra." She said, "But not a demon."

"So…not a vengeful spirit or a demon?"

"No. He is a different being altogether." Sakurako frowned. "He's been long in this world. Longer than they originally thought." She muttered that last part. "How did I miss that…?"

As she spoke, there was a pounding at the door… accompanied by Mai's groan of annoyance from behind them. She shuffled toward the door, looking like she'd just woken up- complete with the… shirt that she'd started wearing to bed. The housekeeper cleared her throat to get the young woman's attention, and Mai's sleepy golden eyes, large and half- lidded, met hers. She gave the half-drunk woman a grin.

"you might want to change that shirt, Mai-chan." She drawled. "Before you answer the door."

Mai looked down, frowning as she tried to process what the other woman was saying before she flushed, and jerked away from the door as if it had burned her. "Ohmygod," she gasped in one breath as she did. She looked furtively at the other woman, and then made a dash to her room. Chuckling, Sakurako made her way to the door, while Izumi just watched her friend run away in amusement.

"It's not like all of us don't know she's wearing those… I'm guessing they belong to Dr. Davis?" she asked. the Sakurako chortled.

"Yes… but just because the whole household knows about it, doesn't mean everyone you know does." She pointed out. Izumi grinned. "I think she looks cute." She said, as Sakurako opened the door. Oliver was the first one through the door, followed by his brother and the others. Takeshi looked at his aunt, eyes narrowed.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked,

"Why wouldn't we be?" came Kuroda's voice from the doorway to the sitting room. Like Mai, she'd managed to drunkenly put on some pajamas, though hers was a nightgown, it shared the same color as the dress shirt Mai had been wearing. Her black hair was out of its braid and in complete disarray, and her eyes dark behind skewed glasses that she'd obviously just shoved on. By her side, Yasu the fox yipped at the newcomers.

She yawned as she stumbled over to Sakurako, bleary and with an oddly docile grin. Takeshi froze at the sight, his eyes widening a fraction as the swaying- obviously drunk girl examined him. "Keshi-kun, what're you doing back?" she asked, giggling.

'Keshi-kun?' he thought dumbly. "Ah, Kuroda-san…."

"I though you went on a case without us, you meanie," her giggle morphed into a pout, and it downright terrified him. "You really… how much have you had to drink?" he asked she giggled again, her pout changing almost instantly. "This many!" she laughed, holding up all ten fingers.

Takeshi turned toward his aunt. "Uh…"

"Don't look at me." She said. "I'm the housekeeper. Not the parent. They're all old enough." She said, before turning to the others. Oliver seemed to be one of the few- besides Lin- who was not at all put at ease over this whole show. "Tell me." She said quietly.

"The… thing… I don't know what it is… it latched onto Mai through me." He told her. "And through her, he found the others."

"What's that mean?" Kuroda asked, cocking her head to the side. Takeshi shook his head. She wouldn't understand anything until the morning. "I'm taking her to her room." He informed his aunt. Sakurako raised an eyebrow but waved him off. "At your own peril." She muttered. Takeshi snorted, as he steered the young woman out, hands on her shoulders.

Izumi smirked as the others pretended not to notice the fact that Kuroda's face had turned as red as a fire hydrant. The fun, however, was not yet over, she noted, as she saw Mai appear at the top of the staircase. She looked over at the team who had been sent out and a brow raised as she noticed something else that was just as interesting as the ghost- or… being, in this case.

Dr. Davis' gaze had strayed to the stairs, where Mai was descending in a bathrobe. Her hair was still messy, and it was obvious to the housekeeper that she'd kept the shirt on. "What's going on?" she asked, picking the small fox up and carrying him with her.

"That is a wild animal, Mai." The young researcher stated.

Mai shrugged. "He's part of the family, now." She replied. "He can't live in the forest anymore. His leg was too damaged by the trap I found him in. Never mind about Yasu. What's going on?" she, at least, seemed to be sober, Oliver thought.

"You're being targeted." He told her succinctly. She blinked.

"Well, that's new. I get fair warning this time." she said dryly, though her gold eyes (still rather disconcerting to Oliver… he missed the cinnamon shade they used to be) glittered. She seemed… different. Usually- at least these days- she could not stand to be around him outside of the lab. For now, it seemed, she could stand him.

"Not quite. He's probably here, already." Finn said from the doorway. Izumi chuckled. "Nope. Sakurako scared him-or it, whatever it was- away." She countered.

"We're safe for now… so long as we stay in the boundary."

"Which will be hard for Mai, as she never does what she's told." Oliver muttered. At this, those gold eyes narrowed. She cocked her head to the side as she frowned at him. "I follow instructions quite well, Naru…. When they aren't stupid." She replied.

Naru.

She'd called him Naru… and again, his PK spiked. His eyes flashed with victory. That was three times, now. Something stopped him, then, and his eyes narrowed… examining her… enough to realize that her golden eyes were slightly glazed, much like Kuroda's had been….

Shit… she was drunk.

"And here I thought you were actually being the responsible one." He muttered. He turned to the housekeeper. "She drank as well, didn't she?" he asked.

"More than Kuroda…. Less than Ayako." The woman told him. "You'll have to explain all of this again… tomorrow. She'll never be able to remember.

Naru groaned, even as his brother snorted, relief coated his mind, though, and to be honest, so was he. They were safe. For the time being. The older woman had made sure of that, relieving the ghost hunters of that stress, for now, at least.

The only thing they had to deal with now… was the incredibly drunk bunch of women that were apparently scattered throughout the house.

Okay… again, sorry for the wait. I've been really busy with life in general, so I haven't had time to update, or really write anything in general. Thanks for sticking with it for so long. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, read and review (I'm looking at you, you 190 some favorites) really, more reviews get me hyped.

Thanks for reading. AOP