Thanks to everyone again. I guess I pinned it when I said there would be upsetness. But hopefully this suffices. As soon as I post this, I will post the preface type thing to the next story in this set of three. Please read it two. It is going to have a large relation to the first story. For those who read it, then yeah. You can probably guess its subject matter!

Cookies to those that catch my FF:CC reference.

Disclaimer: Its in the first chapter


Epilogue-

Mai was wandering around looking for anything left lying around the area. There wasn't much anymore, a few cord her and there (Mai made sure she had those which she had borrowed from her neighbours.

After picking up all the cords, and inspecting the room, she determined that it was empty.

"Right then. I'm going to go to the pond, and bring back the camera there." Mai put her microphone on her ear, and walked out the door. The rain had stopped about 20 minutes ago, and she was glad to be able to go back outside. She wanted to see the pond again.

Nobody responded, and Mai realized the place was particularly devoid of people. Ako sat at the kitchen table, and Naru was sitting in a chair flipping through whatever it was that he always seemed to find so fascinating.

Mai sighed and opened the door to the outside air. Takigawa and Ayako were loading stuff into the vehicle. Mai passed John the bundle of cords, and a few other things that she found lying around. "I'll be back." She started up the hill, and turned on her microphone.

She was almost at the top, when Masako called for her. "Mai!"

Mai turned. "I'll come too." Mai nodded, and they continued to the top of the hill, before seeing that the path that had once been simple to get up and down was now destroyed.

"well." said Mai. "I'm okay sliding down, even if I get a bit muddy. But you..?" Masako looked down the path. which was now covered in mud to the point that the best footholds from before were now useless.

Mai almost laughed. "You go first." Masako said.

Mai closed her eyes before bursting forward onto the mud and successfully sliding down without getting covered in mud.

Masako was surprised she managed. It looked tricky. Ayako was right behind Masako all of a sudden. "That was amazing Mai!"

Mai blushed a bit. Ayako looked carefully at the path, the began stepping down slowly. Masako followed in her footsteps, and the two of them made it to the bottom together.

Mai smiled, and they continued into the pond area.

Ayako looked around. "This place is so pure! You guys really should have left the exorcism to me! Honestly!"

Mai sighed. "Yeah, I really believe you. Especially since you have given us a such good reason to believe you before now."

Ayako just sighed. "Oh yeah? Well, I'll show you some day." Masako started snickering a bit, before quickly covering her mouth. "What?" Ayako said, looking over to Masako.

Masako had a particularly blank expression on her face.

Ayako sighed. Mai went over and grabbed the camera and stand. Her bag, as well as the makeshift tent had already been disassembled, so it was all that disturbed the beautiful scenery.

"yeah, okay, maybe some day Ayako." Mai turned and looked out over the water.

I hope you're happy Kiseki. Maybe he was waiting for you to come to him.

A voice in Mai's ear disrupted her thoughts. "We're leaving now. Hurry up and bring the camera." It was Naru.

Mai sighed and looked over to the other two, who were silently surveying the scenery. "Yeah okay, its time to go."

Ayako looked around a bit before they started out towards the car. "I hope we can come back to this place."

Mai turned now too. "But you were right Ayako. This place is so pure. The trees..."

One of the things that Mai had always found amazing about the pond area was that there was never any wind. But there was a sudden, and lonely gust that blew through the area. It grabbed a memory, and continued on its way to end off in a cave somewhere.

The trees rustled around the three SPR members for the first time they had every heard. The trees, in a wave formation, bent over once, and resumed they original position as if waving.

Mai waved back, and they walked out of the area for the last time.

--Fin

-The 3lemon3