Chapter 8- Why?
Itsuko? She wondered feeling someone shake her shoulders.
Just where have I heard that name before?
September Day 5, 1:17 P.M.
"I don't know where you've heard it before or what the name is that you find so familiar," a familiar voice said as Mai found herself stiffly getting out of her dreamlike state.
"Huh? Kiko?" Mai groaned as she brought her head up from the table she had fallen asleep on. "Yasuhara? Where's Monk?"
"After we finished the temperature sweep and changing batteries, Monk went to make sure John was all right," Yasuhara explained from the couch. "Like you, he went to our room to take a nap. So what name is so familiar to you?"
Mai relayed the events in her dream to her two friends, while rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. "Itsuko? Wasn't that one of the girls from the summer camp we went to last month?" Yasuhara piped in after Mai had finished.
"No way! You guys went to a summer camp?" Kiko's eyes grew wide with surprise. "No fair! I wish I went!"
"Yeah, but there's something else to the name..." Mai replied, ignoring Kiko's outburst. "Like something recent, something that's not a coincidence."
"Did you have any other visions mentioning Itsuko?" Kiko asked, hopping to jog some sort of memory from her.
But Mai shook her head. "No, I don't think it was a vision, but I feel like I'm forgetting something." She put her finger to her chin in her unique thinking pose. "Something that should be so obvious..."
"Okay, you're sure that what you're trying to remember is from this case and not another one?" Kiko asked, crossing her legs. Mai nodded. "Then let's go over the events that happened. From the beginning of the case."
"Good idea," Yasuhara agreed as Mai took a deep breath.
"Okay, we were told about the suicide that happened last year," she began, closing her eyes, reaching for the memories. "Akahana was attacked just before we were asked to investigate. I tried to go downstairs but ended up on the fifth floor where a spirit tried to communicate with me telepathically...I think." She shook her head, moving on. "I passed out when trying to bring Naru tea and something made the tea boil over and burn my hands. I started having violent visions. I snapped at Naru and when I apologized I had a vision of a demon like thing. Then this ghost maid appeared and I was dragged into room 534. Then I had the visions of suicides and when I woke up I found that letter-"
Both hers and Yasuhara's eyes widened. "The letter!" they exclaimed racing to the table of monitors where files had been placed.
"Naru wouldn't have taken it with him when he went to interview Chuiji Ueda, would he?" Mai asked after the fourth file she looked in turned out to be a dead end.
"I don't see why, or maybe he thought that Chuiji or his dad may have seen it before, or remember the person who wrote it?" The college student remarked also coming out empty handed.
"Maybe, but now we have to wait for Naru to get back so we can make a discovery," Mai sighed, sinking into the couch with an annoyed groan. "And we were so close to knowing something before him, too..."
"Well, we do, we know that Itsuko was mentioned in that letter," Kiko tried to lighten the mood. "That's something."
"Actually, we're more of assuming that she is mentioned in the letter," Yasuhara corrected sitting in the swivel chair next to the monitors. She scowled at him.
"I was trying to make the best of the situation, but apparently that's a 'no go.'" Kiko pouted, crossing her arms.
"Thanks for trying, anyway-"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream interrupted all thoughts as the three of them sprang to their feet.
"That was Ayako!" Mai exclaimed, not really to anyone, more just for emphasis.
The three of them raced down the hall toward the stairs. Ayako lay before them as Masako came running down the stairs and Monk came running down the hall. "Are you okay! What happened!" the chorus of questions bombarded the young woman as she groaned, trying to push herself up.
"I'm fine, it'll take more than a fall like that to take me down," she said, pulling herself to sit on the stairs as Yasuhara and Monk helped her.
"And yet, at Mai's school a locked door was enough to get you down-"
THUNK!
"Ow!" Monk rubbed his head.
"Thank you, Kiko," Ayako said, smirking in said girl's direction.
"Just trying to be of service," she smiled with a salute.
"We should get you back to Base," Yasuhara offered, helping the woman stand.
"I'll go make tea," Masako offered, heading down the stairs.
"I'll go with you," Kiko offered, following.
"Mai, you go, too. Stay together there's safety in numbers," Monk ordered, as he and the college student helped the shaken woman down the hall.
"Right." Mai followed the other girls, only to run into Akahana carrying a tray.
"Are you all, all right?" she asked worriedly as Kiko offered to take the tray out of the woman's hands. "I heard Ayako-san scream, I had already been making tea to offer to you and as I started for the stairway I heard all the commotion."
"We're all fine Akahana," Mai said, smiling and taking the tray from Kiko's hands. "Thank you for making tea, we were just about to do that."
"Are you sure you are okay?" The woman was clearly worried, this whole ordeal was taking a large toll on her.
"We are fine, Mrs. Ishikawa," Masako confirmed with a comforting smile, even though it was forced. "You needn't worry about us."
"But-"
"Akahana, you should rest," Kiko interrupted, kindly placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You and your husband have been through quite a bit recently, I'll walk you to your room and you can take a nap."
"Kiko was you name, right? I can't just sit around while you are all in danger of being hurt on my husband and mine's property. I couldn't forgive myself."
"I assure you, any injuries that we sustain during our stay in your hotel are not your fault, in our line of work we have come to know that we should be ready for any kind of danger we many face, if we are injured it is our fault," Kiko explained calmly, turning the woman to face the direction of the lobby. "I'll walk you to your room and you can try to rest, but if you're still jumpy in a little bit, I would love it if you could give me a tour of that beautiful garden in the back." Slowly the girl guided the young woman towards the direction of the woman's room.
"Wait, Kiko, should you really-" Mai began but the girl turned around.
"I'll be fine, I have these." She held up a piece of paper and a beaded necklace with a cross on it.
One of Ayako's charms and a rosary she must have received from John.
She turned back around a led Akahana away.
"It is probably best we don't speak of any specific details of the case around her," Masako commented, as she and Mai headed back to Base with the tray of tea.
"Yeah, I'm not sure how she would handle the amount of deaths within the walls of this place," Mai agreed.
***
One first aid kit and six cups of tea later, the members of SPR still residing in the hotel, minus John who was still sleeping, were gathered in Base. Ayako was in the middle of sipping tea and having Kiko bandage her wrist, while everyone waited in silence for an explanation. "What exactly happened?" Monk finally asked, unable to take the silence.
Kiko finished the wrap and Ayako put down her cup. "Masako and I were upstairs, I was waiting for her to finish in the last bedroom before the stairwell so we could check out the third floor. Out of no where this maid appeared and was yelling to me something about danger and needing to get away-wait not even yelling, shrieking was more like it-"
"I didn't hear anything," Masako interrupted with a shake of her head.
"And we only heard you scream," Kiko added.
"Wait, the same sort of thing happened to Mai. Perhaps it was the same ghost maid," Monk suggested.
"I'm thinking the same thing," Ayako confirmed. "Mai you said you didn't realize she was a ghost until you saw the knife and blood on her, right?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"That was when I realized this maid was a ghost as well, the next thing I knew she was gone and something grabbed onto my leg. Then I was tumbling down the stairs and you all were fussing over me." She finished and crossed her legs. "Looks like whatever's here isn't just going to target Mai and Akahana to prove a point, it's moving on to other targets."
"But, isn't what we're dealing with possessing Yoshiko?" Yasuhara suspected, his hand on his chin a habit he seemed to have developed. "Can the spirit even leave her body with Lin's shiki around? And if so wouldn't Lin know about it?"
Monk pulled out his cell phone. "I asked Lin the same thing before he and Naru went out to interview Chuiji, if there was any movement from the spirit he would know and would've contacted me." He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "And he hasn't, meaning-"
"There's more than one spirit causing trouble here," Masako finished.
"There's something up with this place," Mai pointed out with a sigh. "Just when we think we might have figured things out another piece reveals itself and we're back to square one. It's like the Yoshimi case all over again only Naru isn't possessed this time."
"There better not be any more zombie attacks," Ayako groaned, leaning back. "After going around the grounds I have yet to find any suitable trees nearby for purification."
"I feel like we're missing something," Kiko pointed out, pursing her lips in thought. "Despite the research John and I did I feel like we're missing something very important."
"Do you think you might have overlooked something from before Kaoru and Yoru built this place? An article or anything?" Monk asked but she just shook her head.
"No, there was no record of anything before the hotel was built. At least not at the library in Tokyo-"
"Then perhaps you should do some research at a library in Kyoto..." the cold scoff interrupted the conversation from the doorway. Sure enough the true black clad employer was standing there with his assistant.
"Well, look who's returned," the priestess commented. "Find out anything useful?"
"Ueda-san was unable to tell us much that we do not already know," Naru replied, draping his coat on the back of his swivel chair. "Do any of you have anything to report?"
Grumble...
"Just that I think Mai-chan is hungry," Yasuhara teased looking over at said brunette.
"Heh-heh, actually that was me," Kiko scratched her head sheepishly. "Sorry, I haven't eaten since this morning. But continue sorry I can go grab a snack when we're done."
"Do you have anything to report?" Naru was becoming annoyed and it was obvious.
Grumble...
"Wow, you must really be hungry, Kiko!" Monk teased but said girl only looked confused.
"It wasn't me that time," she said with a shake of her head and the brunette next to her gave a sheepish smile.
"That was me."
"If we are ever to get anything done without interruption, I suggest everyone go downstairs and eat something before supper," Naru ordered, annoyed. "Meet back here in an hour, where we will continue without distraction."
"Right."
***
"Naru seems pretty ticked," Mai commented more to herself and to break the silence as she walked back to Base with Monk and Kiko. The others had already left by then and the monk and school girl were waiting for the petite brunette to finish her food.
"I think he was more annoyed that he and Lin's expedition to the Ueda household didn't seem to turn up much information," Kiko assured the brunette. "He seems to be a bit touchy when things don't turn out his way."
"That's Naru for you, I'll never forget our first case, when the old building at your school ended up having poltergeist activity and Naru had said it was just the building sinking into the ground," Monk commented.
"Yeah, he was so disgusted when we had to run out of the building when there was banging and glass breaking and things toppling over," Mai gave a small smirk at the memory. "It turned out that it was this girl, Kuroda, who had some psychic abilities and was causing the poltergeist." She explained to Kiko. "Naru was so angry when he thought he might have been wrong."
"Sounds like he has a bit of a temper..." a voice sounded from behind them. The group jumped nearly a foot off the ground as they turned around.
"Ryouta! It's just you," Mai gasped and laughed a little.
"I'm sorry to have frightened you," the man apologized as bowed, exhaustion was prevalent to his features.
"No, no, Ryouta, it wasn't your fault. We just weren't expecting you pop up behind us," Kiko assured him a few waves of her hands. "How's Akahana? Is she resting?"
"No, she's never really been able to sit down in her life, last I saw her, she was pacing in our bedroom." He replied, looking at his eyes, Mai could see this man was the one who really needed a nap.
"Please, tell her that, if she is up for it, I would love a tour of the gardens around four, in about an hour?" Kiko requested with a smile.
"Of course, Miss Kimura," the man replied, dismissing himself.
"We need to finish this case as soon as possible," Mai noted aloud as they started up the stairs.
"You can say that again, and just think, if they hadn't asked us to come and investigate they would have to deal with a malevolent spirit as well as a newborn," Monk agreed, folding his arms and shaking his head.
"They'd get even less sleep, I remember when Sakurako was born, I was around thirteen, she kept everyone up half the night," Kiko added. "That plus what's going on here, they would never sleep."
"And if this thing really is a follower of Lilith..." Mai trailed off. "Wasn't she also known as 'Baby Killer?'"
Kiko nodded and Monk looked grim.
"Meaning more damage is to come if we don't solve this case," Monk added as Kiko furrowed her brow.
"There's something I don't completely understand..." she mumbled, mentally scrolling through facts in her head.
"What was that?" the monk asked, raising a brow, but she just shook her head.
"Nothing, just talking to myself."
Maybe, but something certainly doesn't add up... Mai thought as they continued their journey to Base in silence.
***
"Now, hopefully we can continue without distraction." Naru was annoyed as ever, sitting in his swivel chair. "What happened in Lin and mine's absence?"
"As far as the other spirits go, things aren't that much different from when John tried to exorcise Yoshiko last night," Masako commented. "They are all terrified and are hiding."
"That didn't stop that maid or whatever from dragging me down the stairs," Ayako remarked as she bitterly explained what happened earlier.
"So the maid has returned..." Naru noted.
"Mai! The letter!" Yasuhara exclaimed excitedly. Mai had almost forgotten about that.
"Oh yeah! Naru, you didn't happen to take the letter I found a few days ago with you did you?" she asked as nicely as she could.
He pulled the piece of paper from his black notebook. "Yes, why?"
"Could I see it?" He let her take the paper as she read it aloud.
"'Dearest Natsuhi,
I regret to inform you that though I have found the hotel that your sister and her former lover had lived in, I haven't been able to locate our niece, Otsune. I know when Itsuko was on her deathbed her last wish was for us to find her daughter and raise her, but it seems that I have arrived too late. Otsune now lives with her paternal aunt and they seem to have disappeared. I have asked around but no one knows where they've gone. I will continue to search and hope to be home in-"
"In what?" Masako asked.
"I don't know, the letter stops there, but now we know who Itsuko is." Mai replied looking to the two who knew about her dream.
"And what was your vision about, this time?" Naru asked.
Once again Mai relayed her dream to everyone who listened intently. "Now, how did we miss a clue like that?" Ayako snorted, leaning back in her seat.
"We didn't have enough information to realize this was indeed a clue." Naru replied rationally. "Where is Father Brown?"
"After the meeting this morning he went to take a nap," Yasuhara explained.
"He's still asleep, he must be getting sick or something," Kiko added worriedly.
"Probably, he didn't looking exactly peaceful when I checked on him," Monk added.
"You don't think something may have possessed him like when that spirit possessed Mai on the Urado case, do you?" Yasuhara suggested.
Naru shook his head. "Not likely, however," he turned to the medium, "Miss Hara would you mind?"
"Of course not, I'll see him right now," Masako agreed, standing up.
"Monk and myself will accompany you, in the meantime, Lin go over the footage of when Miss Matsuzaki was dragged down the stairs." With that, the three members left the room.
Oh sure, Masako always gets to go with Naru like that, whenever he wants to be near me it's because I'm too much of a danger magnet to just walk down the hall by myself, Mai thought bitterly as she frowned. I'm surprised she hasn't fallen down the stairs yet like on most of our cases...
***
"Mr. Shibuya's speculation was correct," Naru declared as he and the other two walked back into Base several minutes later. "Father Brown indeed had a spirit lingering around him."
Either Ryouta or Akahana are outside, or it's one of the other guests who could potentially overhear us, Mai concluded mentally. Huh, I'm surprised there are still people at the hotel, they must leave the building really early and come back really late or something.
"The spirit was terrified and appeared to be trying to drain energy from John to try to calm itself down," Masako explained. "Once we cleansed it, John began sleeping peacefully again."
Completely ignoring the medium's explanation, Naru continued, "Because we have yet to completely identify the nature of the spirit possessing Yoshiko-"
"Actually we do, she's a servant of Lilith and has a very violent history, that seems like nature to me," Ayako corrected.
Naru's eyebrow gave an almost undetected twitch as he sighed. "You've been spending too much time with Mai, Miss Matsuzaki, we do not yet know who exactly this entity is or why they have remained on the property for so long." He ignored the glares from both women and continued. "Because we have yet to completely identify the nature of the spirit possessing Yoshiko or anything else that resides here, no one is to remain alone for even a minute. Tomorrow is the start of a new month, October to be exact, and we all know the history of October second."
No way! It's already October! Mai's head screamed at the realization.
"Miss Matsuzaki, Miss Hara stay close to each other, the closer you are to either Monk or John even better," Naru ordered, turning to his body double and their guest. "Mr. Shibuya, Kiko, stick to Monk and John and-"
"Let me guess, I am to remain at Base under your watchful eye," Mai interrupted mockingly with a pout. This was indeed becoming annoying.
"Well, if we are all finally on the same page, it looks like the plan is settled," Naru replied mocking in his own way. Ignoring yet another glare from his petite assistant.
"I take it that when John wakes up you're going to have him exorcise Yoshiko again?" Monk concluded.
"What if it doesn't work again?" the priestess piped in. "What would we do then?"
"John's exorcism will work," Naru confirmed confidently.
"What's with all the sudden confidence in our little priest?" Monk inquired skeptically. "After the trial run last night, I can see that Yoshiko isn't a very determined person so why did his exorcism fail?"
"Despite the fact that the more determined and strong willed someone who is possessed is, it is very difficult to exorcise the spirit out of them, but when the possessed has completely given in to the power of the entity it becomes nearly impossible, which is why Father brown mentioned that the next exorcism will take a long time," Naru explained, opening his black folder. "Once the exorcism commences, only Father Brown, Lin and myself will be in the room at that time. Miss Matsuzaki, I expect that you will be able to make enough charms to seal that room from the inside." The priestess simply nodded.
Naru took a sip of the teacup next to him and grimaced at the concept of its cold temperature. "In the meantime, Kiko, Shibuya, visit any nearby libraries and look for information on the property before the hotel was built. Mai, Lin and I will go over the evidence from today, Lin, did you find anything from when Miss Matsuzaki fell?"
The Chinese man just shook his head. "I'm afraid our cameras around the area went to snow just before and during the event," he explained showing everyone the footage of static and then everyone crowding around Ayako at the bottom of the stairs.
"We had a camera on the staircase and another one at the top down the hall didn't we?" Yasuhara asked, looking at the other monitors. "Did they both go to snow at the same time?"
"We had a total of three cameras in that area, because of how many had reported being pushed down the stairs. One down the hall facing the stairwell on the fourth floor, one on this floor which we just saw and another one in the stairwell on the fourth floor, all of them went to snow at the exact same moment," Lin answered, showing the three pieces of evidence simultaneously.
In the corner of one monitor there was a dark blip of a spot in the hallway at the top of the stairs, Mai did a doubletake.
What is that? She thought, squinting her eyes trying to see it clearer, but as soon as she tried, it went away. What was that? Was I the only one to see it? She scrunched up her face as she thought about it. Must have been nothing...but it's never just nothing, not with this job.
"So it's unlikely that someone erased the footage when we were all away from Base?" the young medium inquired once Lin paused the videos.
"They would have to go back to the same moment in each piece of footage, it's even more unlikely that multiple people messed with the connection of the cameras and Base at the exact same moment," he explained.
Monk nodded his head in thought before adding his two cents, "So, it looks like the idea of a human source is out of the question-"
"Excuse me, I'm not interrupting, am I?" the young woman appeared at the door.
"Not at all, Akahana, did something happen?" Yasuhara jumped right up assuming his boss-like position.
"Oh no, nothing like that I was just hoping Kiko might be free," the woman tried to laugh off her obvious unease. "I promised to give her a tour of the garden."
Yasuhara looked over the girl mentioned who nodded and smiled. "Well, would it be alright if we did our extra research after she shows me around, Kazuya?"
"That's fine, meet me in the dining area and we'll grab something to eat before heading out," Yasuhara agreed and the two left.
"It just doesn't make sense..." Mai mumbled under her breath. Why is Akahana specifically being targeted?
"What was that?" Ayako asked, squinting her eyes suspiciously.
"Don't mumble, Mai, it's very childish," Masako sniffed behind her kimono sleeve.
"Well, you're starting to sound like a certain narcissist I know, maybe you two went on one too many of those forced dates..." Mai grumbled again, making sure only the medium could hear the last part.
"It doesn't make her wrong, Mai," Naru cut in, stopping any catfights. "What's on your mind?"
The brunette gave another sigh, what was up with her? What's with all this sighing? "The theory right now is that 'L' is a follower of Lilith, right?" Once her employer as well as some of the team members nodded she continued. "And Lilith is known as the 'Baby Killer' because of the whole agreement with the three angels not to harm newborns or children or something, right?"
"What point are you trying to make?" Naru was becoming impatient again.
"Why Akahana? Why target her now?" she asked wonder in her voice. "Surely there were other guests who were pregnant in the past, and even when we arrived I saw a couple of younger children Otsune's age in my vision or younger. So why Akahana? And why now?"
"Let's not forget that you have also been targeted by this thing as well," Masako added, but Mai just shook her head.
"Masako, you and I both know that I am a danger magnet, I managed to get second degree burns from tea." She turned her attention back to everyone else. "With how long 'L' has resided here, and attacking mainly men, why wait until seventy or so years later to attack another female or child?"
***
She was standing in the woods, wearing a black cloak similar to the ones she had seen in those American fraternity initiation movies her friend made her watch. She kept her head bowed down, something was telling her not to look up yet. She could see an inverted pentagram drawn in the dirt as she stood by one of the points. Crescent moons with upside down crosses attached to them were drawn artistically around the pentagram. "It's time," she heard the man next to her declare as everyone went to their knees and chanted.
"Lilith Lamia, Lilith Lamia, maledicam terrae, maledicam terrae," everyone chanted, even Mai did.
What language is this? Mai wondered as they repeated the incantation.
Everyone continued to repeat the chant as the man next to her chanted something else. "Lilith lamia, et maledicam terrae qui ambulant per eam. Exaudiet vocem nostram! Appareant pro nobis et vindicas atque benignissimus!" he exclaimed as a black mist rose up from the center of the pentagram and their chanting became louder and the ground began to quake.
Are they raising Lilith? A shiver rain down Mai's spine as the mist morphed into a beautiful young woman, naked yet clothed by snakes. An amused chuckle erupted into the air.
"Who has dared to call upon me?" the woman said, shooting a glance directly at Mai, then one at someone on the other side of the pentagram, another one the other way and finally landed her eyes on the man who had been running the whole event. "A hefty price you must pay for my services."
I-I thought we were only dealing with a follower of Lilith, not her herself! Mai found herself completely frozen as she watched the events unfold.