Happy Turkey day to all those gobblers out there! Here is a special treat to wash down that wonderful food. Just pause for a moment before you read to think about what you are thankful for. For me it is my family that is close enough to love but relaxed enough to let me be free. A job (or I should say 2) that keep m busy but pay the bills. A great place to live with the freedom to write what I want, do the job I choose, and celebrate any religion I choose. One of the nice things about Ghost hunt is that it has multiple religions that accept each other. I would love to see the characters sit down and talk of their beliefs, it would be a great open discussion and I think everyone would learn a lot. No matter what beliefs you may have each person has to deal with demons, (figuratively and sometimes literally) Our pasts that make us unique and sometimes broken, and we have to choose to push through, or let the weight of the world crush us. I hope no matter who you are you have met someone like Mai, someone with an indomitable spirit she can push through her own problems and still have the strength to help a friend in need.

Enough with the author chit chat. Lets get to the meat! This is the End, please enjoy and review. Tell me, should I continue?

Dreamwalker

Naru sat in his office tapping his pen against the empty tea cup. It had been 3 weeks since he'd drank a cup of tea and the withdrawal headache was crowding in on his ability to function. He resisted the ingrained habit to call for tea. Madoka would assuredly bring a cup of what some may describe as having derived from tea leaves. It was fit for human consumption, barely.

Staring at the cup he remembered how close he had come to losing control, the table flipped across the room without a thought. When Lin knelt by that tree with Mai…

He shouldn't think of it, irrational thoughts were not productive.

A tentative knock came at his door. He ignored it not wanting to talk with Madoka and stared back at the file in his hand, Lin's handwritten assessment of the previous case. With his personal account as to Mai's choices on the bank of the river styx. It was a close thing, reading through the transcription made him nearly lose it again. She was fragile and he couldn't help her.

Another knock came at the door, less tentative, he recognized it as Mai's. He opened his mouth to call her in then held back. Mai was still in the hospital, she would be released today and Matsuzaki-san stated clearly she was not coming near the office for the rest of the week. She recommended the same for Lin but his assistant had other ideas. Likely Yasuhara was at the door playing a trick on the boss, him or the monk but it was hard to figure either one would be this quiet.

"Naru?" Mai's soft murmur came from behind the door.

"Enter," he told her wondering how and why she was here.

The knob turned and in stepped Mai, cup of tea in hand. She set it on the desk and he paused for a moment to look over Mai, she was dressed comfortably cargo pants and tasteful t-shirt that said 'This is my job,' with a picture of a sleeping cat, Gunther or Garfield or something. Naru vaguely recognized the shirt, Bou-san had bought it since Mai slept so often on cases. She often slept in it. He reached forward and took the cup, sipping the soothing tonic, enjoying it silently.

Mai still stood there, her face looked flustered and she loed toward the ground like she wanted to say something but was afraid to interrupt.

"Was there something else?" Naru asked.

"Well I was hoping to discuss the case with you, if you have a moment."

"I look forward to seeing your report, then I will ask questions to fill I the inevitable blanks."

She sent him a glare then looked back to the ground, "I won't be writing it down, I would rather you minimized how much you keep on file also."

Naru quirked an eyebrow up at her, forcing her to continue.

"I will not write down my experience," she stated firmly meeting his eyes. She moved the chair from the corner up to across from Naru's desk. "I believe it should be regarded as Lin's shiki and abilities, a useful tool to be used as needed but not discussed openly because of the dangers it creates."

"We shall see," Naru conceded to wait until he heard her story before passing judgment.

"Isabella Russo moved to Japan with her father, mother and two older sisters when she was 12. On her quincerera, something like… sweet fifteen." Mai shrugged unsure exactly what it was but Naru nodded for her to continue. "The dance was held at that location. Being the youngest she had felt left out and odd especially being new in country and school. Her Quincerera was supposed to be special, just for her, her boyfriend of 2 years had been getting more serious and she had hoped for a really special day." Mai shook her head thinking back. Naru watched as she sipped some of her tea and continued taking another sip of his own. "It was not to be, her boyfriend pretty much broke up with her, then right before the special dance, her sister announced her engagement, stealing all attention from Isabella. She left the party and walked the backrooms. There a voice commiserated with her, the demon offered her friendship and power, to be the center of every dance." She lifted her eyes to meet Naru's, "A dance to the death. I dreamt this while you and Masako were on your walk."

Naru nodded, "I woke up and she was in my head, screaming. Berating me and moaning over stealing the spotlight. I can't remember too much about what happened outside of myself. Her voice was painful screeching. Bou-san I believe told you guys because when I looked at the monitors you were entering the dancehall. The demon sent Gaki and other spirits to attack you. Bou-san kept me in the base but I could tell Lin was hard pressed protecting you and Masako. Somehow he got slightly separated and took a hit rather than let your or Masako take it. I got free from Bou-san and went out into the dancehall, with Bou-san, myself and the shiki Lin had in the base added to the fray we beat the gaki back but it was too late."

She looked down into her tea, taking another sip before running a finger around the rim. "We all had our scrapes but Lin had taken multiple injuries, he was bleeding heavily and quickly lost consciousness. The demon watched with the spirit, it watched enjoying his pain, and our misery at seeing him go and not being able to do anything. The girl seemed to be on a high, not so much enjoying it but being overwhelmed by it. Somehow it became clear in that moment. The girl only wanted to be free, while the demon would never let her go. Lin's dieing…" she sighed tapping a finger on the edge of the cup. "It did not help the girl, I think with each death she became less herself so I reached out to the girl, offering the freedom and peace of death if she stopped everyone else from being hurt. I offered to accompany her to death if everything was reversed. For a moment I thought the demon would override the choice but," she hesitated again staring deep into her nearly full tea cup. Naru let the silence stretch taking another sip from his cup, happy the was still more left although thinking usually it seemed like there was a lot less tea in a cup. Mai finally raised her head to look at naru. "A willing sacrifice is more powerful than a reluctant one. There were stipulations, I couldn't tell you guys, the demon seemed to reverse time so no one knew what happened."

Naru nodded. "So you made a contract with the demon and it took several days to kill you?"

"No," Mai told him firmly, "I made a contract with the spirit, the spirit was bound to the demon but had the ability to overrule him still. When she crossed over, he was still contracted to her, not me. She passed over taking him with her. I was free once she had crossed over."

"A loophole," Naru smiled at her clever idea, "was that the plan from the start?"

Mai shook her head. "No, I didn't realize it, didn't see it until Lin was there. He convinced me to return, I wasn't sure if he or someone else would be hurt by me returning but it seemed to work out for the best."

"I see," Naru tapped his fingers on his desk, wanting another sip of tea but knowing the cup would be empty by now. "Lin returned after 15 days, saying you would be ok, why did it take you so much longer to return?"

"My body was not in too good of shape." Mai said honestly. "I did come back to it and reconnected but it needed time to heal."

"One day you were having multiple organ failure, three days later there was hardly any signs of the problem."

"I am unable to explain that." She shook her head. "I was projecting and when I came back my body was mostly healed."

"Projecting?"

Mai nodded looking down. "I met," she hesitated in her explanation. "The best I could describe him as is a guardian or demigod. He discussed my abilities, helped me get a bit better grip on them."

"Your abilities?"

"I can still dream and astral project, but I have more control. Dreams are a gateway between people, the way a mundane reaches into the ethereal and leaves traces there. I have been accidentally or with Gene's help finding these 'traces' and passing along the information." Naru nodded, it made somewhat logical sense. "I learned how to actively seek these places, also when a mundane reaches into the ethereal I can connect with them. See parts of their dreams or talk with them." She shrugged, "Or so he said I should be able to. The other part is more dangerous." She met Naru's eyes and held his gaze, he saw something more in them, an age, a knowledge that hadn't been there before. "I can learn to astral project into different realms. If I don't learn to do it myself my abilities will grow and do it themselves. I could wake up among demons or worst, angels."

"Angels?"

Mai shook her head, "I don't know, they live on a different plane or something. Suffice to say they would likely not welcome me uninvited. I am still unsure about this myself there is more dangerous things I don't understand at all I was warned not to speak of lest the walls have ears."

Naru nodded, unsure as to what to say, the idea did seem farfetched, but what Lin had said about meeting Charon sounded just as far gone and he trusted Lin with everything. "I should go, Ayako will get worried."

"Mai we aren't done."

"I am," Mai stated with finality. "You can make your own choices. Write up what I told you or burn the file. I will not talk of it again. Above everything what I learned makes that information dangerous. I am telling you but not the rest of the crew to protect them." She picked up his old tea cup and set it on top of her own before turning to the door and leaving. Naru reached for the teacup that remained, surprised to find it full. He drank it down in two gulps then leaned back into his chair trying to decide what to do.

The door burst open with Madoka moving into the room like a storm. "Ayako just called," She told him as he tilted his head to look at her. "Lin and Mai have been released. They were a little late, Mai fell asleep and they waited for her to wake up before leaving the hospital. They are having a get well party at Mai's apartment tonight." She eyed him evilly. "We are going."

"They just released Mai? How long ago?"

"She just called two minutes ago."

Naru shook his head, how had Mai been here? He must have dreamt it, just his imagination playing tricks. Nothing more. His hand landed on his tea cup, still warm, a drizzle of tea remained at the bottom.

"Fine, I could use some real tea."

"Noll!"

He smirked tipping his head to look at her, "Was there anything else?"

"Someday, someone will deck you and I will be smiling, watching from the corner." She turned and slammed the door on her way out. Naru had to smirk at her childishness. He made sure he was never close enough to get decked and usually someone stood between him and any trouble, like Lin.

His eyes landed on the file Lin had given him hesitantly. He also was hesitant like Mai at giving him too much information. For everyone's good he trusted his assistants, both of them. He pulled the waste basket out from beneath the desk and held the file above it. Pulling a lighter from his desk he lit the bottom corner of the file and watched as the flame licked its way up the file, once it was fully consumed he dropped it into the basket.

Madoka pushed into the room again not bothering to knock. "Noll, do you have that report Lin gave you? I was going to email a copy to," she paused as she stared at flame slowly dying in Naru's can. "What was that?"

Naru poked the ashes a couple times and they crumpled into nothing. "Nothing important."

Madoka surveyed his desk and noticed the missing file. "That was what Lin wrote." She accused.

"While he was medicated." Naru dismissed it, "Rubbish, I would rather not ruin Lin's reputation by sending a copy of that to England."

"You mean?" she stared at the ashes but not a single piece was usable. "We don't have another copy!"

Naru raised his eyebrow in annoyance. "Could you have your pity party out there?" he asked motioning out the door.

"What are you going to do about that?" she pointed to the wastebasket.

"I was going to wait for the cleaner but if you wanted to clean it that is fine," he handed her the waste can. "If you don't mind some of us are trying to be productive." Madoka threw the can at him storming out of his office again, muttering unintelligible curses.

So... What do you think? Tell me Tell me tell me!