Chapter 6

Year 2 - Month 5 - Day 19 - Late Evening, close to dusk

Mai felt horrible after she injured the boy in front of her. Oliver was still out cold in her home. And she knew that the group would come looking for him if he would be gone for any longer. She knew she had to take him back. The words he said to her...about coming back to civilization was rounding itself in her mind.

Could I go back?

No! No, they just want to use you!

But, maybe they will have changed after 2 years…

Doesn't matter! They left you in the rain in a forest miles away from the city!

Feeling her emotions getting mixed up she knew they she couldn't just go back to the happy girl in the city. She knew how to take care of herself in the wild. But she was running out of supplies...with summer being its highest, it was getting harder to take care of her crops, with the fact that the rain had stopped for a while and her crops starting to dry up. Perhaps she could return to the city, but at the same time stay away from humans as she could…

Seeing Oliver starting to wake, Mai sat back with a small dagger in her hand with a wooden piece in the other. She was carving up a statue, it was something she picked up about a year ago. It helped calm her as much as singing, and she carved whenever she didn't feel like singing. Though her friends, the shiki like animals, liked her singing and housing the carvings she made. When Oliver's eyes opened Mai was barely focusing on him, because her demons were watching him and binding him so he couldn't get up. It was for his wound from her spirit arrow and so he wouldn't think of getting closer to her.

"Mai?"

She didn't answer only lowered her sculpture which was starting to look like a fox. Next to where she set it was a dragon, wolf and large cat. Which seemed to glowed in strange colors, the fox seemed to glow a dim orange as the dragon glowed a red, the cat a brown and the wolf a silver. Oliver's eyes widen when a fox demon spirit appeared and bowed its head to Mai and went into the wooden sculpture causing it to change to match the others. It became colorful as if it was a painted statue all along.

Mai turned to look at Oliver as she sat back in her small home. "Leave. Civilization has nothing for me anymore."

To Oliver, her voice sounds dead. Like she had given up on many things.

"No, just give us another chance to make things right."

"You had your chance. You left me in the rain. The crew had their chance, they left me in the forest. I won't deal with the humanity anymore. So tell that man his killings on this land will be met with force if he doesn't leave."

"What do you mean?"

"That client. He's killing others in this forest. I've saved a few before they died. Some not so lucky were saved before they could attack others. He's another evil human with no remorse. If he doesn't leave my home then I will have him removed by force."

"Wait let me check into him first. If what you're saying is true then we need to handle this right."

"There is no 'we' Oliver. I won't help you or you're crew if they get into trouble. Now leave my home."

Oliver felt the bindings leave as he sat up. But before he could say anything he was teleported out of the tree house and on the ground. He looked back at the direction where he knew Mai was, only to see her demons watching him to make sure he didn't try to approach their master again. For a moment there he thought he saw Mai watching him as well from the brush of leaves higher up in the tree. Sighing he started his trek back to where he had set up the base of operation.

Mai sat back on her branch, the two new demons, the wolf and fox sat on her lap. They were still rather small compared to the cat and raven/dragon demons she held. Sighing silently she started to hum softly to her demons, after all they loved her voice, even if she hardly talked out loud anymore.

Oliver had left a bit ago now, and she frowned when she felt movement in my forest. Her shiki animals stiffen as she went to the window. So far nothing interesting happened since the last time she had saved some children from that man. Mai had thought he wouldn't try something with all the cameras. Jumping from branch to branch Mai followed the bad feeling.

Seeing the man walking around the forest Mai watched him carefully. The way he moved...he was hunting something. Mai frowned even more. Taking off, she went looking for something, seeing Masako hiding and panting Mai sighed. Just her luck to have to save the one person who tried to hurt her the most when everything was normal. Seeing the man was possessed Mai put up a small barrier and dropped down near her. She jumped and was about to talk. Mai held a finger to her lips to tell her to be silent. She looked over and saw that the man was not pay attention to them just yet.

'But if he get close enough he'll notice…'

Pulling Masako close to my person she made a gasp. Mai quickly looked in the direction of the man, he had heard her gasp. The grin and butcher knife was clear to her eyes even in the darkness that it falls upon the earth. Without warning Mai took to the trees as silently as she could. He couldn't be able to find them that way. Since most never look up…

Mai jumped from branch to branch going to the cottage where she swore to never set foot in. Mai sighed as they got some distance of the man with Masako clinging to her. Mai stayed silent as she dropped at the door frame. Mai set her down and was about to back away when she gripped her hand. "S-stay until everyone gets back?"

Mai sighed. While she knew staying or anything with other humans was a bad idea she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it, she couldn't leave a human in a time of need. Mai guess that settles it. After this case, they'll see if she'll give humanity another chance. Entering the cottage Mai saw only Oliver and Lin were in the room. Oliver stood up when Mai entered. Lin looked shocked as well. "The owner is possessed."

Was all Mai said as she sat in the corner far away from everyone in the cottage. She watched from the corner of my eyes to see Lin call the search party back from the forest. It wasn't long before they returned. Though when Monk and Ayako tried to approach her Mai's demons appeared around her in their medium form. Hovering over her as if to protect her. To them, these humans were the worst of all.

Mi felt her powers spiking so she held out her hand which lead for her powers to take form. Colors of light purple and blue turned dark, it shined deeply as she held it out for her demons to eat. She offered more to her newly born demons or whatever they were. She ignored the looks of her old family as she fed her demons.

"Mai, what are those creatures?" John asked as he sat nearby.

Mai thought about answering him. She guessed she really didn't have a choice. If she was to try to live in the human world again, she needed to try to keep an open mind. Despite the dark feelings she had she knew she had to at least try…

In her hand the light changed to a dark blue and purple, no longer stable as her powers reacted to her emotions. Her demons greedily ate it up. Slowly Mai lowered her powers, it wasn't often she fed her powers to her demons but when she does it always feels like a shower after a few days of being covered in dirt. It felt….cleansing…

"They just appeared one day." was all that Mai stated about her creatures who fed off her powers and the harvest she can make. It was silent, which unnerved many of those in the room. But most of all it was something Mai welcomed. She didn't want to talk.

After awhile the lights in the cottage flickered a bt. Things got dark as the shadows moved with the darkness in the room. Mai felt her demons seize up as they formed a guard around her. For a moment nothing happened in the darkness. But when the owner came into the view from the window Mai slowly held out her hand for her powers to make a weapon for her to use.

As the lights came on, there was a knock on the door. Monk went over and saw it was the owner of the land. But before he could answer the door, it swung open and dark energy entered the room. Masako passed out from the darkness while Ayako fell to her knees, but for all purposes stayed aware.

"I see you found the troublemaker. I'll take her to the police so you can leave."

"First things first…" Mai stated as she threw her power weapon towards the man. He obviously was not paying attention as her weapons power as it struck him straight threw the chest. He screamed and his body convulsed.

"Mai!" Monk shouted shocked. "That's dangerous! What if you kill him?"

"The man is already dead, or haven't you figured that out." She glared at the monk who was rushing to the man's side. "I'd step away if I were you."

"Huh?"

"Kekekekekekekekekeekekekeke…"

The man started to stand as he reached out to grab Monk by the throat, only for Mai to push him out of the way. Though she pushed him hard enough to have him hit the wall, knocking him out. Ayako went to rush to his side but stopped when the man grabbed Mai by the throat. "You'll pay for that brat."

"Let. Her. Go." Oliver stated as he glared. John tried to get his bible only for a dark energy to push him away and trap him in a bubble. Lin whistled but his shiki were stunned as we Mai's.

"Kekeke, you'll have to find her and me first." And with that the man holding Mai disappeared. Same with her shiki, as soon as she was grabbed they disappeared. Oliver glared at the spot where the demon was. It was burnt and left scuff marks. Soon the others were wake up or had their powers released.

"What? Where's Mai?" Monk stated.

"She was taken in your place." Oliver stated. "Lin get started on finding Mai. We aren't leaving her again."

The group nodded. Even Masako who looked only a little worried about Mai's well being.

Welp, this took longer than needed. Next chapter is the end of this arc to follow the arc of mai getting back into civilization. Enjoy!