Lin sank down into her, his tongue swiping over her teeth.

"Do you love me?" Mai asked breathlessly, after a moment.

He was offended; Lin would never kiss someone without feeling anything. But then he remembered her affair, and it made sense.

"Of course. And you?" Perhaps I have been a fool...?

"Of course," she repeated, grabbing his tie and pulling him, his lips, to her.

"Mama! Bad man!"

The couple looked up at the toddler hanging on a woman's legs, the same woman who had been talking with Mai. They followed his finger and saw Simon standing with a camera.

"I'm going to punch him," Mai decided, standing up sharply. "I'm pregnant, so he can't hit me back, right?"

Lin was thinking of beating her to it when the nearby woman stormed up to Simon and hit him so hard she busted his lip.

"We don't approve of creeps like you in my town!" she exclaimed, while her child cheered her on. She then turned and did a little wave at Mai. "Nice to meet you, dear! I'm glad your partner found you. Good luck with your pregnancy!"

And she left into the sunset like a super hero...or maybe a cowboy.

"Bye," Mai said faintly.

Simon was rubbing his mouth. "I'm glad you're safe, Mai-chan," he said, and for once she believed him. "Let's talk later, okay?"

He ambled back in the direction of the shelter, a sad twinkle in his eyes.

Lin hoisted her up onto his back suddenly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck quietly thankful because of the whole barefoot thing - she really should work on thinking things through.

"I decided to leave yelling at Naru to you." Lin was so strong, even his legs were steady. "I know you like yelling at him."

Mai kissed the back of his neck. "You know me so well!"

And Mai really yelled at Naru. He was looking almost cowed by the time she was done, practically panting.

"I just didn't want to see anything happen to you, Mai-san," Naru sighed, his shoulders sagging.

The girl softened. "I know! But I'm an adult, even if I don't deserve to be. I care about my baby but I care about these spirts too! If they do turn out to be all those woman that man hurt, then they deserve to be helped."

Naru rubbed at his head. "...I understand. Just don't haunt me if something happens to you, alright? That's the last thing I need."

"Like I'd want to!" Mai puffed out her cheeks in irritation. "I'd much rather haunt my Lin!"

Naru raised an eyebrow. "My Lin...? What - Actually, I don't want to know. Please don't explain."

He pushed away from the bedroom wall and was almost out the door when he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and make sure not to be alone with Hana-san."

"What?" But then he was gone, and Lin was walking through the door, kicking it close behind him...and all was forgotten.

Mai slid out of bed, resting a hand on a sleeping (he had come down with a migraine, but she had been content to just lay with him a while) Lin's arm for a moment before slipping on her robe and shuffling out of the room.

She put a hand to her stomach as she entered the kitchen - her bump was getting pretty big now. It had been...about seven months since she had Simon had made their mistake. Seven months...how did I manage to remain so oblivious?

Opening the fridge, Mai was startled by a voice.

"Hello, my dear." It was Hana, sitting in the darkness at the table with tea. "I thought you might have trouble sleeping, so I made you a cup as well."

Two Naru's spoke as one inside her head. Make sure not to be alone with Hana... "Um, I should be getting back to bed..."

The old woman smiled. "I'm sure that young man can wait a little longer for you." She pushed a cup of tea into Mai's hands when the girl tried to sidestep away. "You know, my husband and I used to be passionate like that."

Mai took a sip of tea to try and hide her expression while she figured out what to do. "Your husband?"

"He was a monster. He took woman like yourself into our home, raped them, took their children...stole their children...all because I couldn't give him any."

Mai was beginning to feel dizzy, and she braced herself against the table. "Is he...the one in the lake?"

Hana laughed too loud, putting a finger on her eye to wipe away a tear. "Oh yes. The bastard was so afraid of water, almost as much as I was afraid of him. But he's still here, you know. I can still hear him, tormenting us all." She smiled. "I'm saving you, you know, by putting the poison in your tea. He can't hurt you if you're dead."

Mai stumbled over to the kitchen counter, retching, the teacup smashing to the ground. Faintly, she could hear crying, so many people crying. Her eye was drawn to a lighter sitting innocently on the counter. Sometimes you have to be destroyed before you can be reborn. Hundreds of eyes were on her now.

"Be at peace," she whispered, grabbing the lighter and touching the flame to the curtains. Hana didn't react; she simply closed her eyes.

Mai sank down, and in the moment before the poison took her, she saw a man who was almost Naru standing above her, cradling a baby boy in the crook of his arm.

"Twins..." she breathed, her eyelids sliding closed.