So I been MIA for a while and it sort of started when I went back to reread the last chapter. One thing that I really hate is grammar mistakes or when a story doesn't make sense and that's EXACTLY what I got when I read my own story and it really discouraged me from writing further. I went deep into other writers' stories and figured what I liked/hated from their writing styles and figure out a way to still have that little sprinkle of me and then after all of that I had to go back and rewrite the second chapter and now as a reward I give you the 3rd chapter! Don't kill me guys I never knew how hard it was to write a story! Please go reread the second chapter as I feel like it is MUCH BETTER!

The following two days passed tensely in SPR with Naru and Lin making preparations for the trip and Mai worrying about the dangers of exposure. She had called one of her more private contacts and they had repeatedly reassured her that any lose ends left behind would be taken care of and nothing to worry about but you could never completely trust ones safety onto someone else hands. The needed to personally check the situation was dire but it would be near impossible in this case, there would be no way for her to disappear and not raise any questions. She was stuck and that put her on edge. The office was stiffening with untold truths, even if nobody but Mai herself knew that, and the stress over a case this dangerous, but nobody would address it and it was with a silent agreement that everyone would follow Lin's and Naru's lead on the silence.

Now we were all on the road with Naru, Lin, Masako, and myself in the van and the others in Monks car following closely behind as we made our way to Osaka. The tense atmosphere that had seemed unbearable in the office had somehow tripled and I needed an out and soon. Without anything to say, without revealing anything incriminating, I leaned my head against the car window and semi closed my eyes pretending to be asleep while peeking through my eyelashes at the rest of the team members in the car. Masako was directly opposite me on the right side of the backseat with me and I was taking up residence near the other window while Naru was in the passengers' seat and Lin taking the driving wheal.

If we connect the dots we could be a square, I mused silently, on the edge and separated through the cruel sides of the square. Hahaha I'm finally losing it, after all these years what finally makes me lose my mind is thinking we are a square. Ok I'm more tired than I thought. It wasn't until 30 minutes later when I was truthfully drifting off while still questioning my sanity that anything was said in the van.

"She's worried about something. She's trying to hide it but its there in her eyes, plain as day. Mai I mean," Masako said.

"I never knew you cared about her Masako," Naru replied back unimpressed.

"I don't think you know what you did when you returned to England Naru," she snapped back irritated, "as much as we all tried to keep in contact with her she suddenly upped and disappeared off the face of the planet for two years and then when she appeared out of thin air just as suddenly as she had disappeared she was changed. I may have had my petty rivalry with her over you when we were younger but I did care about her. When she came back she was as friendly as she usually was but there were times when I would catch her looking at us with something close to resentment. Not complete resentment but it was there, as if she wanted to feel it, but was forbidding herself from going there. Whatever happened between both of you must have shook her up but I'm more worried about what happened when she disappeared for those two years. She never talks about it and that's what alarms me the most."

"Mai disappeared? Why were we never told of this?" Lin asked surprised.

"Yes, because you were very reachable in England with the nonexistent phone numbers you left us. Before you say anything about how we should have told you once you returned let me just tell you, that she had been back for barely a couple of months and we owed it to her to keep quiet, if she wanted to tell you she should be able to tell you when, and if, she wants to and we are, and will, keep respecting her decision even if it means she never tells us anything. Its been barely three months since you been back and we didn't want to chase her away again. I wouldn't be saying anything if it wasn't for the fact that she's starting to act like she did the first month she came back to us."

"You never saw her in the airport?" Naru asked looking at Masako with that penetrating glare that he used to get answers immediately.

"No, when we arrived at the airport your plane had already left and Mai was nowhere to be seen. We placed a missing persons report after not hearing from her in four weeks and when we went to check again we were shut down by the police saying that she was fine and to stop wasting their time."

Clenching my hands into a fist I realized that I needed to stop listening. I didn't need the reminder of what I had done to and for them, thank you very much, I knew what would happen once I left but they didn't understand anything! Was it self-righteous on my part? Probably. Sighing I closed my eyes half listening to their conversation.

"She confessed to me in the..." And no matter how hard I tried to stay awake to hear what he said next it was useless, I was already drifting off.

Time had stopped having any meaning to me. I might have been here for a while. A day? Week? Maybe a little more than that, I hazily concluded through my muddled thoughts, desperately trying to make sense of anything. Everything was starting to lose meaning to me now and that was exactly how I planned on keeping it. I had interfered once again in their plans by refusing to cooperate and now it was a manner of principle to keep up my act. I had not simply given up my freedom, this one was for the protection of my loved ones but I also wasn't going to make this easy on them. If they honestly thought that, then they really needed to check themselves into the loony bin.

Grimacing slightly I spat out the metallic taste in my mouth. Yeah, I observed, that was definitely blood. Wincing slightly I began to acknowledge the pain throughout my body and cataloging my injuries; three bruised ribs, a broken femur, a sprained ankle, multiple cuts running the expanse of both my upper and lower back and abdomen, a slight concussion and last but not least a broken tooth. Lovely, I thought, as I slightly smirked to myself. They were getting careless if they thought that this would keep me down for a large about of time.

Taking in my surroundings with slightly blurred vision I noted my cage, because honestly there was no better word for it than that. The walls were a dark grey color that seemed to be peeling away along with a crack that ran throughout the expanse of the wall to my right, it was almost impossible to see but also impossible to ignore once you knew it was there. I had been counting the crevices on the crack on the first days of my capture. The floor was cold I noted absentmindedly, I had stopped noticing that within the first day of incarceration, because of other more important things, like keeping myself from crying out loud in pain, which tended to take priority on my to do list over something as insignificant as the temperature of the floor.

My hands we suspended above my head and chained to the ceiling and glancing up I could see the blood had started to collect on my elbows from where the chains met my wrists. I was more then positive that if moved to check, both my wrist would have severe lacerations and had started to swell spectacularly from the amount of times I had repeatedly tugged on them.

The sound of a door mechanically sliding open with a quiet hiss reached my ears and I deigned it important enough to look up. There looking extremely smug about the whole situation was the smug bastard himself. Yes, smug bastard, I liked that better than his real name. From now on that's what I'll call him, I thought vindictively.

"So Mai I hope you like the welcoming committee that I so carefully selected just for your entertainment. Isn't their hospitality just splendid!"

"That's the welcoming committee? I thought they were mere watchdogs that got bored and decided to have a go. If this is as bad as it gets I think I'll just sit down and enjoy the ride," I smartly bit out to him.

"And there is the spirit that I missed! No matter how much I push or pull you won't give in. You see Mai if I ever try to do this to anyone else they simply break under the pressure but not you. Oh but not my special little Mai, I can break you down and put you back together and you'll be more than fine. You'll still be ready for more with that sassy attitude of yours!"

"Glad to be of service my dark under-lord."

Crackling loudly he wiped tears out of his eyes before smiling maniacally at me, "Oh what good fun but my darling I'm here with happy news! You are going to be a new innovation to everyone in this building! Not only did we perfect the drug but created something completely different and we MUST try it out."

A new drug? What was this about? Didn't they already cause enough damage as it was with all the other children within the facility?

Then, as if detaching themselves from the shadows themselves, two men with the traditional cliché black suits appeared behind him.

"This is all cool and stuff but don't you think your being very mad scientist about the whole thing? And please, what's with the guys in the suits! Black? You should make them wear pink, at least that way I'll be able to figure out that; no it's not the same bad guys from the rest, but THE bad guys from Ouroboros. I can't really miss the pink and if I did then I deserve to be captured," I deadpanned sarcastically.

Chuckling darkly he wordlessly motioned for one of the slightly irritated, I noted happily, men and soundlessly he started advancing towards my direction with a syringe in his hand. The liquid within the syringe was an interesting shade of violent purple, almost luminescent, and I froze suddenly. This was no longer a laughing matter; whatever was in there was dangerous. I could feel it from a mile away and so I desperately moved as far away from reach as I could, but being chained to the celling by my wrists as I was I couldn't really do much.

Fear rising in my throat my last thought as I felt the slight pinch of a needle being forcefully placed in my upper right arm was that I was utterly and undeniably screwed.

Slowly blinking my eyes open I turned to the hand that was shaking me awake. Following the trail of the appendix I realized that it was connected to none other than Lin. The van was at a complete stop and looking beyond him I could see the building in which we would be staying and had been my prison for many years. I was dreading this. Everything. Nothing. It was confusing to be here again so I mentally began to picture all of the memories from this "facility" and squashed them into a little box in the back of my head and firmly closed it shut.

Now looking at the building in a more objective light I scrutinized each detail. The building was a stereotypical grey with white trimmings in the sides and there were a few windows that were scattered haphazardly throughout the building making it look like the people who had built it had placed them there at random. Counting I estimated that there was at least ten floors that were visible and that was not counting the floors that were underground where, as the agents had specified, were then added to the total amount of floors. In the center of the building as thought someone had stamped it there, was an intricate design that took up most of the space.

The outer design was diamond shaped while the rest of the design look like it was trying to escape the confines that it had set up. There were delicate lines that swirled and intertwined with each others while random markings that looked random at first but in actuality were spaced out exactly four centimeters apart from each other and if you took the time to actually count them you would realize there was a total of six. It looked beautiful, in a delicate but strangely resilient way, but the real meaning of the symbol was much sinister than what it appeared.

Sighing quietly I made my way to the back of the van to open the back doors and started unpacking the equipment before Naru made a smart ass comment about being lazy or his personal favorite of how this is what he paid me for.

The agent, Minaru, came out of the building and smiled at everyone, patiently waiting until he had all of out attention.

"Your base is this way," he said and without another word he started leading the way inside. Closing the van door as quickly as I could I quicken my pace in order to catch up with the rest of the SPR gang. Instantly the air-conditioning rushed and cooled us from the outside and looking around the building smelled and looked like a hospital. The underlying smell of antibiotics reached my nostrils and another secondary smell that is only distinctive to individuals that already knew what it was reached my senses.

White walls and even more impossibly white floors met my sight with the exception of the middle, where there was a strip of red. It mockingly looked like a red carpet as if to insinuate that your destination was glamorous or somewhere that you wanted to go. Shifting the monitor that I had unknowingly carried with me I followed Minaru with determined steps while keeping my face carefully blank. Almost immediately I realized my mistake and as fast as my blank expression had graced my face it immediately shifted to nervousness and I started looking at my surroundings in wonder.

Taking an immediate right we kept walking through the hallway and after encountering the very first room we entered it without much grandeur. The most obvious thing about this room was that it was probably used to be a security post with the most obvious signs being the numerous monitors that took up all of the space of the wall directly facing us. They were all turned on and marked clearly stating the room that they were observing and the time. The wall to the left of it also had monitors but they were all curiously blank.

Curiosity getting the best of me I walked forward and placed the monitor on the coffee table and once freed from my burden I walked towards the closest monitor that was shut off. Feeling my way around the monitor I finally found the power button in the back and gently pushed it but the only reaction I got out of it was muted static. Turning back around after I had pushed the button to turn it off I headed back to where the SPR group was waiting.

"This will be your base of operations" Minaru began, "it is also as you may have guessed one of our old surveillance rooms and has extensive coverage of every room. The monitors to your left as your young friend has already proven are completely useless. They are, what we assume, the surveillance cameras to the underground level to this facility and even though we have tried to get them working we have been unable to do so. If at some point we have access to those floors we can either place your own equipment there or try to fix the problem once we have direct access to the problem."

"Your rooms are in the second floor and meals will be provided to you along with anything you may need. The second floor used to be the residential sector for those scientists that would stay overnight so they are equipped with anything you may need. As a courtesy gesture we will turn off the cameras in your rooms in the morning between eight am and ten thirty am in order to give you privacy to change and other necessities the same can be said for eleven to twelve pm at night. We will also be staying with you on the second floor but we will be taking rooms once you decide in which ones you would like to be situated in. For now Daichi and I have some surveillance and rounds to make," then without another word Minaru exited leaving us to our own devices.

Immediately taking charge Naru began firing orders "ok everyone I want you all to go and unpack your bags from the vehicles and nobody is to room by yourself as everyone will be paired off. Takigawa and John you are to room together, Lin and I will take another room while Mai, Ms. Matsuzaki and Ms. Hara will be sharing the last. You should be back here in an hour at most and I want Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki to make wards around their respective rooms and then the base, as I am not taking any chances with this case. None of you are to be on your own for any reason and has to have at least another team member with you at all times."

Nodding once I made my way with the rest of the SPR team to where the van was located while simultaneously blocking the conversations happening around me. Slinging my bag over my shoulder I patiently waited for the others to catch up and then after following the exit directions found the stairs and trekked up to the second floor. At once the floor took a homier feel with the walls being a soft cream color and coffee tables being strategically placed bellow mirrors and both flowers and candles placed at the centerpieces of each table. It had a slightly sophisticated and modern air to it and Lin opened the first door and glanced inside. Walking behind Masako and Ayako I followed them as they began walking to the door across from the one Lin had claimed for him and Naru and entered. Absentmindedly I noticed that John and Monk had taken the room next to our. The first thing to register was that it was not just a common bedroom as I had expected. The sitting room that we had walked in had soft moss green interior to it and the accompanying furniture was obviously oak. Walking further into the apartment-like room I noticed that there was a door that opened up to where there where two queen beds situated opposite each other.

Placing my bag on the first bed that was within reach I, knowing that I was going to have to share the bed with Ayako, took the right side of the bed as it was the farthest away from the door and with no windows in the room it made it the safes place to be if someone was to break into the room. Unzipping my bag I started to place my clothes into the drawers in the nightstand and, after making sure everything was to my satisfaction, headed back to base with Ayako and Masako.

"Mai?" Ayako asked hesitantly.

Glancing sideways at her I raised my eyebrow and gave a noncommittal grunt signaling my acknowledgement. Looking like they had gathered courage from my non-comment Masako continued after her.

"Look I had a talk with Naru and we talked about the day that he left for England and how you had met up with him there and he told us what happened. The only hole in the story is that he claims you were at the airport the day that he left but we never saw you there but we never even knew you were going to the airport. It is also right after that this when you disappeared. Your disappearance wasn't because of what Naru said right?"

Irritation washed over me, they honestly thought I had run away with my tail in-between my legs because of a rejection? Ok I actually deserved that. The happy go lucky personality that I had showed them made the possibility not that farfetched and right now I resented that. Calming my irritation I mentally counted to five before responding.

"No guys it wasn't like that. Yes, he did hurt my feelings when he turned me down but I did accept his decision. If that is what he thought then who am I to make him believe anything different when he already had everything figured out in his mind? There was something that needed my attention so I had to leave for a while and I am sorry that I couldn't keep in contact with you guys but I really didn't have a way to do so."

"But you know that you can come to us for anything right Mai?" Ayako stated, "you're like my little sister and I would do anything for you and I know Masako feels the same way."

"I know guys and believe me when I say I would do anything for you guys." And with that the conversation was over neither knowing how serious and true my last statement was. No matter what I will always place their security and happiness above my own and nothing could change that. Yes, sometimes it was hard controlling my emotions but considering everything I'm doing the best I can.

All too soon we reached the base where the rest of the team was already assembled and Monk was already slapping seals over the walls for protection. Naru glancing up closed his notebook and addressed the team, "since the cameras are already set up this makes things much easier so we are going to be concentrating on temperature readings and finding where the ghost are located. Miss Hara do you sense anything?"

"Yes there are multiple spirits here and they are all in pain. I cannot tell you how many there are because some are being hidden by the presence of others but I do feel a concentration of spirits on the fourth floor. They are all so angry. But apart from this I feel something evil here and I have never felt anything like this before. Vengeful spirits, although I can sense a couple, are nothing compared to this and it honestly frightens me, it's dangerous and you shouldn't try to approach it."

"In that case I would like you to go to the fourth floor and start clearing out the spirits that are there. The quicker we get the spirits that are harmless out of the way it should be easier pinpointing what the evil entity is and thus exterminating it. I want you to take Takigawa with you when you do this. I don't want the spirits that mean no harm to add to the strength of the unknown entity and thus make it stronger."

Making an affirmative motion Monk and Masako left the room and the rest of the team crowded around the monitors and watched them as they climbed the stairs. Opening the door to the fourth floor they walked in on what appeared to be a beautifully decorated ballroom but with chaise lounge chairs scattered around the room. Curiously enough for a such a ball like-room there was only one window and it was high enough that nobody could climb up there without a sizably long ladder and the curtains that were placed on the only window were wine red and obviously thick enough to prevent any kind of sunlight from coming in if they were closed.

"Can you turn on the lights?" Masako asked.

Some time later when Monk was finally able to find the light switch everything came into focus and that was when I realized that the only reason we were able to see how the room looked like was because of the cameras night vision.

Masako then walked to the middle of the room and closed her eyes, looking serene, peaceful, and confident as she stood there. Her aura seemed as thought it was illuminating the room and as she had a content simile she began.

"I know that some of you are scared and hurt about what happened to you or maybe you might not understand what is going on but I am here to talk to you. Right now you are in the middle. You are no longer part of the living but you have not yet reached the eternal rest you rightfully deserve. Don't you think that sounds much better that being stuck in this in-between? I can help you if you would only let me. Let me guide you into happiness and what you so rightfully deserve."

After a soft shimmer a girl that looked to be about five appeared before here with tears in her eyes as she stared longingly at Masako before smiling gently and disappearing. As if that had been the catalyst, more and more children appeared in front of Masako before shimmering out of existence. As this was happening Masako's content smile turned into full blown euphoria as she extended her arms and turned her face towards the ceiling. Finally turning she gave a smile to Bou-san and then started walking towards him. Half ways through, her foot froze and her previous smile immediately vanished. The foot that had been raised to take her next step was suddenly yanked violently backwards and she fell gracelessly face-down into the ground.

A figure that seemed to be of a smoky consistency stood above her with a wicked grin and horribly disfigured face. Leaning over her he stared intently and stopped moving while Masako scrambled to turn her attacker. Monk had already launched forward in order to come to her rescue but a quick "WAIT!" from Masako made him pause.

"You came to me. You knew that I could help you but you don't know how to go to where you need to be. I can sense that you suffered so much more that the ones that have made peace with what happed to them but you can't continue like this! You are giving them the power that they do not deserve or need! Forgive them and watch as you come out as the victorious one in this fight."

While at first it seemed that the entity was listening attentively it suddenly snapped its head up to where Monk had this hands in ready position to start his exorcism. Enraged it roared right in Masako's face and the lounge chairs that had been scattered across the room were violently flung at the walls. With one last snarl it disappeared.

Worriedly I watched as Masako got shakily to her feet and nodded an affirmative to Monk's question if she was all right.

"I want you two to head back to base," Naru said and looking sideways I realized that he was talking to Monk via phone.

Once Monk and Masako had returned the discussion began, "this is troubling, although we knew this case was dangerous and we did make some headway with the spirits that I have just cleansed the last spirit was frightening not only because of the amount of power that it displayed but also because I feel that the entity that approached me actually wanted to pass on and one of the less harmful spirits compared to the other ones I can feel lurking in the background."

"I agree, there is also the way it reacted to how I had placed my hands, it is obvious that it knows what it is and intelligent enough to know that it means danger for it. Not only does this prove that it can avoid my attacks it also shows that the last group of investigators didn't try to make them pass on peacefully first but were being forceful. This means that we will have some heavy resistance for the rest of our stay here."

"This is our first day here and a reaction this violent is concerning but not unusual with the severity of the case. For now everyone is exhausted since it has been a long day of travel and then with this. I suggest everyone go to sleep and get ready to wake up early in the morning tomorrow to start the day afresh" Lin said.

With a disgruntled grunt Naru agreed and everyone gave a sigh of relief and started making their way up to their bedrooms.

As I lay here, listening to their slow, rhythmic breathing, indicating that they were sound asleep, I allowed myself to think about the situation I was in and how I was going to deal with it if things went to hell. If I slipped up then they would know the truth and that was not something I was comfortable with. They didn't need to know how much blood was in my hands and the things I had done to keep them safe. Not only would they feel indebted to me but also they would feel responsible for what happened and I would hear nothing of it. This had been my decision, my burden to bear and there was still the huge possibility that they would hate me for everything and I wouldn't blame them. Hell even I would blame me if I were in their shoes. Thus with my self doubts and hatred I was finally able to close my eyes and fall asleep.