The spirit had them cornered. It had caught them off guard, while they were packing things up in the living room. Lin had gone off in the van to buy lunch. They were alone.

They thought they had successfully exorcised it. They were mistaken. Now it was back, angrier than ever.

Mai stood beside him, eyes closed, chanting a mantra. Her voice shook a little, but she stood her ground, like a true experienced ghost hunter would.

The spirit hissed viciously at her, a pure manifestation of rage and hatred.

She raised her fingers, preparing to perform the Nine Cuts. "Rin pyo to sha kai-"

The spirit charged with blinding speed. Mai was thrown violently against the wall. She screamed.

"Mai!"

He tried reaching for her, but she was thrown again, this time toward the fireplace. Her head smashed against the mantlepiece and she crumpled to the floor, silent and motionless.

"MAI!"

He ran to her, but then he heard a low growl, and froze. He glanced over his shoulder. It was coming for him next.

At this rate, they would both be killed. But if he destroyed it...then perhaps, at least she might survive...

There was no time to hesitate. Naru turned resolutely toward the spirit, gathering energy in his hand as fast as he could.

It charged.

It was nearly face-to-face with him when he unleashed the energy. The spirit let out a horrific scream, and then it was obliterated.

In the following silence, Naru gasped for breath. Dust and debris rained down. The blast of energy had blown a hole into the adjoining room.

He could already feel his body beginning to shut down.

He didn't have much time. He needed to tend to her as much as he could before he collapsed.

He crawled to her side, gently turning her over to face him. "Mai, speak to me, say somethi-"

That was when he realized her head was bleeding. It had already formed a pool beneath her.

There was too much blood. She was bleeding out too quickly. He couldn't stop it. She wouldn't make it.

"No...Mai...stay with me...please...I didn't do this just so you could d-die on me..."

His lips were numb. He felt faint.

He clasped her limp hand in his. "Mai..." he said weakly.

Darkness clouded his vision. Strength leaving him, he lay down in the pool of blood.

"Ma...i..."

They heard clapping.

"Congratulations, miss," the bartender said. "You are now the winner."

Mai's shoulders shook. She was crying.

She turned to look at him. "Naru, I'm so sorry, I..."

But he had a strange smile on his face.

"...So that's what this is about..." He began to chuckle softy.

Mai wasn't sure she had ever heard him laugh before. It was eerie. "N-Naru...?"

He shook his head. "It was all pointless. We're already dead."

"What...?"

And then she remembered.

Mai looked down at Naru lying lifelessly next to her prone body. She screamed.

"NO!"

She fell to her knees beside him. "Get up! Get up! Get up, you stupid narcissist! You can't do this! Naru, you can't do this! Please...please..." She sobbed hysterically, but she knew it was too late. Help wouldn't come in time.

She didn't know how long she sat there crying. It could have been hours. It could have been years. Time was irrelevant to her now. She remained rooted to the spot, overcome by grief.

And then she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Mai looked up, and saw Gene smiling sadly down at her, tears streaming down his face.

"Gene..." Guilt tore at her heart. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Gene shook his head. "It's not your fault, Mai." He pulled her to her feet and enveloped her in a tight hug. "It's not your fault."

She sobbed into his shoulder, apologizing over and over. Gene gently pet the back of her head, whispering words of comfort. "It's okay now. It's all over. You don't have to suffer anymore..."

It was warm in his arms. That warmth gradually spread through her, calming her. Before she knew it, her tears had stopped.

Then finally, Gene pulled away to look down at her. "Mai." His voice was kind, calm. "Do you see the light?"

She turned, and saw it in the distance, bright and welcoming. She nodded.

"Walk to it," he whispered.

She looked at him. "But-"

"Don't worry," he said, gazing down at his twin's body with a mix of pride and pain. "He's waiting for you."

She took a shaky breath. "Promise you'll come too."

"I will. But you have to go first, okay? Trust me."

She wiped her eyes, voice breaking. "I always have."

He smiled fondly at her.

Mai felt the light's pull. She took a few tentative steps forward, then looked back at him.

Gene nodded reassuringly.

She took a deep breath, and walked towards the light.

"No..." It couldn't be true. It couldn't. Though in her heart she knew the truth, she still couldn't believe it. They couldn't be...dead.

Then suddenly, she realized that Naru was no longer beside her. Mai looked around in a panic, before spotting him walking towards the bartender.

Naru crossed his arms. "Explain."

Decim obliged. "It is said that when people die, they are sent either to Heaven or to Hell. Quindecim exists for the purpose of that ruling. This is a tribunal of the soul. Those who die in the same moment are invited here in pairs to be judged. I am an arbiter, and these games are used to make my judgements." He bowed. "My apologies for deceiving you."

Mai paled. "Does that mean...Naru is going to Hell?"

"...I cannot answer that."

"Do you mean you haven't decided yet? Because...you saw what he did, right?" She pointed a shaky finger at Naru. "He sacrificed himself for me! Twice, even! You know he doesn't deserve that!"

"I can only say that you are the winner, miss. The ruling has already been decided. Now if you will please step into the elevators, you will learn your outcome."

"No...no! That's not right! That doesn't make any sense! He doesn't deserve to go there! I should! I should have fought harder! I shouldn't have let him lose!" She fell to her knees, clutching her head. "If one of us has to go, it should be me!"

Naru sighed. "Mai. Give it a rest. It's already over."

She turned to him. "Don't you care?! It's your soul!"

"Look who's talking. I doubt most people would ask to be sent to Hell. You're being stupid."

"Well you were stupid for letting me win! You said you knew what you were doing! But you really didn't know anything!" She let out a strained laugh. "I shouldn't have believed you..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Say what you will, but I have no regrets. This is how it should be." He looked away, adding quietly, "...This way, you can still meet Gene."

She felt like he'd stabbed her in the heart and twisted the knife. "...So you're just assuming Gene will make it into Heaven too?"

"Why wouldn't he?" he said coolly. "I'm sure Heaven is just teeming with meddlesome personalities like his." He didn't say it, but she still heard the implication- because he's the good twin.

"And what about you, Naru?!" she cried. "What about you? Don't you want to see him? He's your brother!"

He was silent for a while. Then he sighed, still looking away. "...I suppose I would live. Or die, as it were."

"You...you cold, emotionally stunted..."

"I'd fit right in, wouldn't I?" He smirked slightly. "Hell might not be too bad. I wouldn't have to deal with types like you." Then he turned away from her.

She wanted to slap him. And kiss him. And cry her eyes out. Instead she just knelt there, too stunned to speak.

Did he really expect her and Gene to go off and have a happily ever after without him? How could she even face Gene again, now that she'd allowed his brother to be sent to Hell?

Gene... She remembered the look of pain in his eyes. He said he would be coming too. Did that mean his unfinished business was over, now that Naru was dead? Or did he only say that to make her feel better, merely performing his duty as a medium? Her heart broke at either possibility.

She hurt. It hurt a hundred times more than after her disastrous confession. But at the same time, she could almost laugh. She'd thought that loving Gene would spare her of this kind of pain. She was only fooling herself.

It had been Naru all along.

She loved Gene's smile, his warmth and his kindness. But they were all the more special to her at first because she'd thought they came from Naru. If she had gotten to know Gene while he was alive, maybe things would have been different. But it was Naru who she really knew, Naru who she'd really fallen for.

Her feelings for the two were jumbled from the start. And they remained jumbled; in attributing all her feelings to Gene, she ended up dismissing everything she felt for Naru.

She thought back to her confession. She could admit it now- Naru's response had hurt her. That was why Gene seemed so ideal. While there was no hope for a relationship, there was no fear of rejection either. She could love him and not be hurt any further. So she had taken comfort in that, content with a one-sided love, while ignoring the possibilities that lay right in front of her.

...Naru never actually told her how he felt, did he? Only that he was 'used to' girls choosing Gene over him. Had he even thought about what she meant to him? Or did bringing up Gene give him the perfect excuse not to think about it?

Whatever it was, she was now sure of two things.

One: During the game, his actions had spoken louder than words.

And two: If there was a single thing she could still fix, it was this misunderstanding.

Mai clenched her hands into fists, gathering her courage.

Meanwhile, Naru was using his PK to take liquor bottles from the bar, then stack them in a precarious pyramid formation. He had to admit it was nice, being able to use PK without worrying about how it affected his body.

The bartender cleared his throat. "Sir, if you could please refrain from doing that..."

"Alright." Naru released his PK, leaving the bartender and the woman scrambling to catch the bottles as they toppled over.

He knew it was petty, but he was in a foul mood, and these people had put him through quite an ordeal. He felt no guilt about it.

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like some of my questions answered," he told them. "First of all, what are our bodies made of now? I assume this pain is only an illusion?" He touched his head, wincing. It still hurt, but probably not as much as it should have.

"Secondly, at what point after death does this judgement take place? And what about spirits who remain in the mortal plane? When are they judged? Does it make any difference if they are exorcised or cleansed?"

The bartender looked slightly harried. "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer."

Naru scowled. "I don't see why not. It's not as if we are in a position of being able to do anything with the information. Surely you can at least satisfy my curiosity."

Mai chose this moment to get to her feet and stomp over to him. "Listen, idiot scientist!" She grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him to face her. "We're dead! There are more important things to be worrying about right now!"

"Really?" Naru raised an eyebrow at her. "I would think that our being dead rather relieves us of anymore worries, does it not? Do remember, it's that kind of thinking that causes spirits to linger."

"It's that kind of thinking that makes us human, Naru! And I know that doesn't come as easily to you, so that's why I'm reminding you now! This is the only time we have left!" Her voice broke as she said it. "Don't you have any regrets? Any at all?!"

"I don't see the point in..."

"Just think about it!" she begged him. "Please!"

Naru sighed. "Fine." He thought about it.

It was beyond frustrating that he wouldn't be able to finish his research, but beyond that, he couldn't think of anything. He'd lived his life the way he wanted to, short as it may have been. And his contributions to the field of parapsychology would speak for themselves. He hoped that someone would have the presence of mind to perform an autopsy on his brain, but he'd written that in his will, so it didn't cause him too much worry.

Yes, he was confident that he could move on in peace. There was nothing to regret...

No. That wasn't true. Martin and Luella...

As soon as the thought came to him, he couldn't breathe.

Now it was sinking in. Really sinking in. He was dead. His parents had now lost both of their sons in Japan.

And Lin...he'd be the one to find their bodies. He would no doubt feel responsible.

How would any of them recover from this...?

He put a hand to his forehead, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. How could he have been so careless? So selfish? He should have gone back to England and stayed there. But no, he just had to come back to Japan. For what? For research? Suddenly he couldn't think of anything less important.

But no...that wasn't the only reason. If he could do it all over again...he knew he wouldn't do anything different. He'd needed to return to Japan. And not just for research. It was for...

He looked at Mai. She was watching him, tears in her eyes, face slightly red.

It was for her. He'd come back for her. Quite suddenly, he was certain of this, without a doubt. Why didn't he realize it before? Why didn't he...

She was dead because of him.

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

He was the one who dragged her into all this, the whole ghost hunting business. He knew it was a dangerous job to have. He knew how much trouble she constantly found herself in. But he didn't push her away. He kept her close. He didn't save her. He couldn't save her. He'd gotten her killed. And he would do it all over again if given the chance, because he couldn't let her go.

Mai was wrong. He did deserve to go to hell.

Mai watched the emotions play out across his face. He was breathing heavily now, eyes wide. It seemed she had finally gotten through to him. She felt relieved, but still deeply sad. Why did it have to take them until after they'd died to realize these things? They were both fools. Complete and utter fools.

She stepped closer to him. "Naru."

He didn't seem to hear her.

She stepped even closer. "Naru, look at me."

He was still lost in his own thoughts.

Mai reached up to him. Her hand brushed his cheek.

Naru flinched at her touch, snapping back to reality. He looked down at her, trepidation and confusion in his eyes. She had never seen him look so vulnerable.

Mai smiled through her tears. She reached up to the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair, then pulled him down to meet her lips.

Naru froze. He stayed stiff and motionless all throughout the kiss. But when Mai released his lips, he didn't pull away or push her off. He just stared at her, uncomprehending.

"What about..." he began.

"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "It doesn't matter how I feel about Gene. I choose you."

Then she kissed him again.

This time he responded. He gradually brought his arms around her, bringing her closer, and kissed her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

He didn't understand why she changed her mind, but he didn't care. He knew he didn't deserve to have her, but he didn't care. The kiss was salty and wet with her tears, but he didn't care. The bartender and the woman were staring at them, the woman red-faced, but he didn't care. He was beyond caring about anything but this moment.

When she finally pulled away, Mai hiccuped, "I should have done that a long time ago."

"Would have, should have," Naru murmured apathetically. "Doesn't matter now." And he pulled her in for another kiss.

Afterwards, she cried against his chest, wailing at the top of her lungs, soaking his shirt with all her regret and pain. He held onto her tightly, so much that it hurt, but she didn't mind. She didn't want him to let go.

She didn't know how much time passed after that. But when her sobs had quieted to sniffles, the bartender approached and said something to them. Mai didn't hear exactly what; she was too emotionally exhausted to care. But she felt Naru sigh and nod, then he took her hand and led her away.

Mai followed unthinkingly, her eyes focused only on their hands linked together. When they came to a stop, she finally looked up, and saw that they were standing before two open elevators. Dread filled her stomach.

She tried to pull away. "No-"

But Naru grabbed her by the shoulders and silenced her with a kiss.

He pushed her backwards toward one of the elevators, mouth still on hers, and didn't let go until she was inside. When he pulled away, she looked anguished. "Naru..."

He cupped her face in his hands and leaned his forehead against hers, looking her straight in the eyes. "It'll be okay," he said seriously.

He had no logic or facts to back that statement. It was just a feeling.

But perhaps he should have trusted more in feelings when he was alive.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better..." she said, sounding whiny enough to make him crack a small smile.

"Idiot. It's the truth."

Tears leaked out of her eyes. Mai leaned upward and gave him one last kiss.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

His smile widened. A true, genuine smile that reached his eyes.

"Goodbye."

He stepped away.

Naru went into the other elevator.

The elevator doors began to close.

In hers, Mai had her hands clasped together, eyes squeezed shut.

"Please...please...please..." she prayed desperately.

In his elevator, Naru stared at the floor dully, resigned. He let out a small sigh.

The doors closed. The elevators took them to their respective destinations.

Later, the black-haired woman sat at the bar as Decim prepared a drink.

"Both sent to reincarnate, huh?" she mused.

Decim nodded.

"Makes sense to me," she smiled approvingly. "They were both good people. They were just too slow in realizing their feelings."

She secretly hoped that they would meet again in the next life. Those two deserved a second chance.

Decim poured the drink into two glasses and handed one to her. The woman took a long drink.

"...You know, that boy reminded me a little of you," she said, grinning at him.

"Did he?" Decim deadpanned, then drank from his own glass.

What he wouldn't admit was that the girl reminded him a lot of her too.