Jezh: Well...what can I say? Ghost hunt for the win, man. And why, WHY IS IT ONLY RELEASED ONCE A YEAR? MOTHERFU-

/dies of censorship/

EDIT: ... I finally realise that I've never spelled prologue properly in the past C: Forgive me, fellow English nazis.

The hospital was eerily white.

Level 2, room 116.

She lay in there, on the pure white bed, her whole body bandaged. Her life hung on by a mere thread, her shallow breathing barely noticeable. The SPR had nearly finished a case, before the maevolent spirit possesed and attacked the high-schooler. The moment it had possesed her, it tried to annihilate the rest of the group, using the latent and massive amout of untrained and sealed power within her.

The only thing it did was harm everyone, including the spirit.

Mai Taniyama.

She was the exuberant girl and optimist of the team, her kind heart and stubbornness both a complimentry and insulting talent. Her parents had left this world long ago, so she was orphaned at the young age of twelve. Now, her auburn brown locks were mussed, and many antiseptic plasters filled her face. She was brought in barely a week ago, and had been like this ever since.

The slow but sure beat of her heart was not promising, as the doctor had told the team. They [the doctors] were extremely grim. They knew Mai from before, as she had done odd jobs for them. And the inflictions of wounds were horrifying, to say the least.

When John had exorcised the spirit among the chaos, it turned menacingly violent, the blood thirst evident in every way. It wanted to consume Mai, recognizing her as a source of power. But it had turned onto the others, to see if it could add to it's own strength first, before approaching the most dangerous one...

Mai reacted quickly, throwing herself at the creature, before it turned onto her, lashing out blindly, grinning as it hissed. It raked it's claws across her back, biting whenever it could, her blood tasting like a personal brand of ambrosia- the wine of the gods. She had given it her all, the others unable to assist- a barrier blocked them, and their attempts.

And despite the fact she finally got rid of it...

When she collapsed onto the floor...

No one thought it was worth this.

Her wounds were deep, the numerous broken ribs made even Yasaharu grimance. Her face was only mildly bruised, but her arms and back were horrifying. Her conciousness was barely there, as her eyes fluttered at the sound of people coming in.

"Stupid Monk, what if she's allergic to these flowers?" Ayako's voice filtered through, teasing slightly.

"My dear, what use of this information is this now? And I belive you were the one to pick them." Bou-san returned, chastising her slightly. John merely stands to the side, discarding yesterday's load.

"Both of you are extremely noisy." Not even bothring to glance back, the three of them knew whom the voice belonged to. Kazuya Shibuya, aka Naru, who was with Lin, Masako and Yasaharu.

Ayako and Bou-san returned that statement with flat defiance, as they added suggestive comments to the mix of little statements. Masako merely observed, as she watched Mai carefully. Suddenly, Mai lets out a faint groan, the first indication of conciousness during her week-long coma, which shuts the whole room up. The still air in the room suddenly exploded, as Bou-san tackled the weakened girl, as she struggled pathetically.

"Bou-san, I can't... breath, need, oxygen..."

"Let go of her you idiot!"

A fist slammed down on Bou's head, and he let go of his prize, whimpering like a little child.

"Ay~a~ko..."

"Urusai..! Bakemono, she just woke up!"

-insert little crying chibi Bou here.-

Aaannggsstt~!

"Mou, minna-san, what's up?" Mai cracked a smile, after a few moments. There was an awkward silence. Mai's eyebrows furrowed, as she struggled to move her arm. She tugged Bou's hair gently, ignoring the pain shooting up her shoulder.

"Mai..."

It wasn't long before he relayed how long she had been asleep. Bou always had a weak spot for her, like a brother. Ayako and Masako stood there grim, waiting for their turn to hug her.

"Haha, whaddaya know? Masako hugging me, of all people..."

Her attempt to break the heavy silence was pathetic, but it made them all smile.

However, Mai knew what was to come.

The beeps of the heart monitor were still steady, but... she could feel it, the tug on her. She was being gathered by a uniquely dangerous force, one of a demigod, of w Soon, Mai Taniyama would cease to exist. It was the thought of the hurt she would cause that brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly held them back, smiling gently at all of them. She let her gaze linger fondly over Naru.

And remembered she could not cry.

Soon, night fell, and those who stayed by her side fell asleep. John was lightly snoring on the chair, whilst Ayako and Bou made a makeshift bed on the floor. Lin took the other side, and Naru held Mai's hand in his.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

'Minna-san...' Tears sprang to Mai's eyes, as she let them flow freely down the sides of her cheeks.

Beep..Beep..Beep

'I'll miss you all... I'm sorry for all the trouble.' Naru shifted a little, nuzzling her hand gently. She smiled, and looked towards her adopted family.

Bee-p...Beep...Bee-p...Beep...

"Please don't hate me...for this..." She hacked out a few coughs, as she tasted a coppery substance all too clearly. This time, they all stirred.

"I love you, Naru. I always have, and I will, for always." She caresses his face, seeking out Ayako's hand.

'Sayonara for now, my family.'

Beep. . . Be-ee-p.

BEEEEEEEEP-

Extended ending:

The silent night was shattered with the pained cry from room 116.

Life was never going to be the same.

So...watcha think? Good starting point..?

Love is appreciated. Reviews are glompraeped and given rainbows. Hugs are loved. Messages are plain awesomeness. Hating me...not so awesomeness... :DD