Rosebud in Amber: Thank you so much for keeping up with the story, I'm glad you are enjoying it. Yes, stay tuned to L and his adventures into the illogical! lol

bbhelen3162: (bows) thank you so much for your support and prayers; yes, it hasn't been easy but I'm getting there; you are an angel for waiting up for this story I am so grateful to you for thinking I am worth reviewing; I will always struggle to update.

Yoruko Rhapsodos: Thank you for reading! Here's another chapter!

justbecause111: (glomps!) Thank you so much for thinkng so and I am so happy you are enjoying the story! Thanks for all the AWESOME comments lol; I love the awesomeness of your reviews!

Orihime-San: I know right? Imagine GH without the suprnatural! It would totally suck! lol; And don't be afraid of going Doc Phil on me, it just shows you're an intelligent person who can interpret the psychology and the logic I put behind every character I write; this is the reason why I look forward to your reviews, you know? I am so glad I didn't disappoint you (MAJOR GLOMP!)

YunaNeko: Thank you so much! Here's another chapter, I hope you like it as well.

pinchess07: Gosh yours is one of the reviews that made me cry; Thanky you so much 100000000x and I am so happy you liked the story enough to quote it; and yes, L beats Naru in cuteness hands down! I'm just sorry I couldn't update sooner or on a Tuesday; I DO know what a drag Tuesdays are -_-; I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Seb20: Thank you so much! I am so honored! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well; such as it is -_-;

Moira Serpy-Griffy: Thank you so much for thinking so! I love this pairing too much to drop it so have no fear; also, me updating this story takes so long because it was only meant to be a fall back piece designed to take my frustrations out on whenever I'm getting a block on my other story: Shade of Black; hav eno fear I will do everything I can to update more regularly.

alice: I will try so hard, sweetie, don't worry; I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Chaos086: You think so? lol thanks so much for thinking so, I had always wondered how come there are so few people writing crossovers about these two anime; here, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

FictionFantasy VI: Another person who's not pressuring me to update! And someone who shares my love for the L/Mai pairing! (GLOMP) THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU DO UNDERSTAND MEEEEE! I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well! ^_~v

Loveless Soul: I enjoy hearing about people being made happy because of my stories, I hope I can keep up with you expectations; I promise to try and update more regularly lol

Aki no Tsuki: I thought I was not worthy because I can't seem to update regularly enough T-T; but since you guys are so awesome I will struggle to do so! Thank you for appreciating the details I dropped in, you are a considerate reviewer for pointing out such things other people would usually take for granted. In hope you enjoy this next chapter as well.

AN: I'm sorry for the wait; pretty busy right now and I haven't had a lot of time writing lately. And I am going to say sorry in advance for any spelling errors; I have a flu so my vision's kinda doubling at the moment; I'll edit as soon as I get better. I also made this chapter longer since there aren't enough exciting stuff in it. In any case...

Please Enjoy! ^_^v

Chapter 7

Hara Masako avoided her fellow celebrities as a rule.

It wasn't because she disliked any of them personally or any of the sort or that she was timid; it was just because she knew they thought she was strange and scary and yet fascinating. Like an exotic animal they liked to look at but dared not touch. To them she was just... strange.

Sure there were some exceptions to the rule who actually went out of their way to talk to her but to her they were all people who didn't believe in her in the first place or that they thought she was one big scam and treated her and her abilities as a great big joke retained by the network for her ability to gather the occultist viewers and make money for the producers. Luckily she didn't care either way; when her grandmother discovered her abilities she was taught to expect such reactions from other people outside her family. True it made her a beautiful outcast amongst her peers in the private all girls school she went to and sometimes she felt lonely as well; but she was trained and trained well and she was able to cope up with the loneliness... Until SPR came into her life. However she maintained her wariness towards other outside her tight knit circle of friends.

So her being approached by none other than the hottest upcoming pop idol Amane Misa with a big friendly grin on her face was nothing really strange to her. She would have treated the airheaded girl with aloof politeness and casually dismissed her except for the fact that Masako knew this woman was dangerous killer. The girl who was known as the Second Kira.

"Hellooo, Hara-chaaan!" Amane Misa waved over to her as she jogged lightly to her location; her assets bouncing all over the place and attracting way too much attention. Her manager; a man she knew as a police officer named Matsuda, trailed behind her like a love struck puppy.

Masako held her sleeve over her mouth as she politely nodded to the other girl from underneath black sooty lashes. "Hello, Amane-san."

"Aww you're just way too formal, it's not cute!" the bleached blond haired young woman whined at her jumping up and down like an excited child of three. "Call me Misa-misa like everyone else!"

Masako gave her a polite smile. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that. It would be terribly impolite of me."

"Mou, you're just no fun! It's a shame since you're so cute!" Misa pouted before her painted lips spread into a great wide grin again. "Ne, ne! I like you, Hara-chan, so would you like to be friends with me?"

Masako blinked at the other girl in surprise. Since working together she had noticed Amane Misa constantly waving at her from a distance and actually getting out of her way to speak to her. Masako wondered if... the girl felt a little lonely as well?

"I would be honored." Masako finally said, taking a mental note to tell L about this.

"Yay!" Misa shrieked in joy and grabbed a surprised Masako's hands in her own and started to shake them. "I know we're both busy right now but let's try to hang out sometimes, ne?"

Masako gracefully inclined her head once. "Of course, if it is not too much trouble."

"AWWW!" Misa suddenly hugged her making Masaki almost push the other girl off. "You're so cute, Hara-chan! Like a doll!"

Before Masako could comment on the common remark about her looks, Misa let go of her and started running off towards the hall Masako just came from. "Bai bai, Hara-chan! If you tell your manager to send my manager your number later I'll text you! And then if we start hanging out I'll introduce you to my boyfriend!"

Masako watched the girl go, Matsuda still following in her heels after bowing to her shyly.

"Hara-sama," her manager, bodyguard and chauffer Takagi called to her and was presenting to her her purple colored celphone which was ringing and showing off Bou-san's number on her caller ID. "A call for you."

Masako wasted no time taking the device and answering the call. "Hello, Bou-san? Is there something wrong?"

"Hey, Masako-chan, can you and Ayako come down here A.S.A.P.?" the monk's voice came out of the receiver.

His words struck a cord in Masako as an image of Mai's smiling face came to her mind. "Did something happen to Mai?"

"Yeah," Houshou replied with a sigh. "She's hooked another case for us and we need you guys here."

The medium's brows furrowed. "Are you still in Futami? I told you I am not intersted in taking part in a police investigation."

"It's more than just a police investigation now," Houshou's voice became somber. "Mai was attacked by a spirit."

Masako's violet eyes widened at that and her hold on her phone tightened. "Is she alright?"

"She was wounded quite a bit but she managed to protect L-erm... Deneuve-san; anyway, can you come?"

Masako looked to her chauffeur pleadingly but the tall, man shook his head sadly at her. Sighing in frustration she sadly answered the phone. "No, I'm sorry, I thought it as nothing special so I'm booked right now."

"It's alright but..." Houshou sighed again and Masako could practically see the sandy haired man run his fingers through his hair. "I guess there's no helping it."

Masako was worried. Without her there then Mai would surely use her perception and Astral projection to investigate the case. That would mean being held hostage by her visions again and when that happened... "Perhaps there is another way to exorcise that spirit before she gets the chance to Astral project?"

"We could try but that could take too long," Housho told her. "And a lot people had already died here, Masako; and I mean a lot. Painfully and brutally too."

Masako almost felt her knees give underneath her. "...I see."

"Anyway, I'll keep you updated; if things change then Ayako says she'll be down here by noon tomorrow, you can hitch a ride with her."

"Alright," the young medium managed to answer calmly. "Please stay safe."

"You too, bye."

Masako sighed as she handed her phone back to Takagi sadly.

"My apologies, Hara-sama," the tall man bowed to her in apology. "Would you like me to try and clear your schedule anyway?"

Masako thought for a moment before smiling up a little at the man. "It's fine; this is Mai we're talking about, after all. I can't help but worry about her but... if it's her, I know she'll be alright. Everyone is there with her, I know she'll be alright."

And she did worry. Because she knew what Mai was going through as an individual with unusual abilities. Although Mai were both surrounded by a lot of people, when she starts to use her powers she would be alone. Especially now that Gene was no longer by her side.

/*****/

"I don't understand..." Nene sat on the couch and being served tea by Mai, still shooting the younger girl a disbelieving look. "H-how did you know about her...?"

Mai settled down beside the older woman and gave her a kind smile before explaining. "Well, Nene-san; I am what you might call someone who has Extra Sensory Perception; I have the ability to look into the past of souls given the right place and event through my dreams. Earlier, I dreamed about your sister."

Everyone listened as she narrated her dream and every word that fell loose from the teenage esper's lips made Nene tear up.

"Th-that was the summer... when everything changed..." she muttered in a choked voice when Mai finished. "Oh Kami I believe I still had my doubts when I came to you but this..."

Houshou listened to every single word and constantly gave Mai worried looks from his seat on the chair across from the sofa both women were occupying. He should have known something like this was bound to happen with Mai around, he really shouldn't be surprised anymore. These past two years Mai, although there no longer was an SPR she had constantly run into random spirits and had manaed to perform some really ridiculous exorcisms all on her own making him put his foot down and had her visit his father at Mt. Kouya for a while to get her some proper training. Ayako didn't like it but Masako and John thought it would be better if she knew how to better handle her growing powers than leave her open to danger because of them.

Inwardly he sighed as he kept his ear in mai's narration.

Mai was like a bright lightbulb, really. Ever since she met Gene in her dreams the outpour of her abilities just wouldn't stop anymore. It was like Gene's intervention had broken a dam ni her psyche that refused to close up even with Naru's eparture; he sometimes wondered if this was the reason why Naru left; if the young scientist went back to England and turned her down in hopes that she would be able to go back to being an ordinary young woman with a bright and normal future again.

Well if that was his reason then Houshou couldn't wait to see Naru again and gloat right in his face about how wrong he was. The brat deserved it. Because right now Mai was far from the ordinary little teenage she used to be.

As he watched Mai nodded and lay her hand gently over the woman's forearm. "Nene-san... will you tell us about your twin?"

As the older woman sought to collect herself enought to tell her tale, Houshou turned his eyes away in thought and they landed on L sitting in a chair behind the sofa right by Mai. His unblinking eyes seemed stuck on the young woman and he held an almost empty cup of peppermint tea Mai gave him to calm him down after his breakdown earlier. She forbade him to add in any more sugar than she had already put in much to the detective's displeasure. At first L met this scolding with more than a little bit of resentment... until Houshou noted how the detective must have felt the calming effects of the brew seep into his system. The monk smirked at that; he knew just what kind of magic Mai's tea had. Their sugar junkie of a boss had no chance in hell. Honestly, who would have thought that the L he had idolized and heard so much about was a big scaredy cat? Well then, to his credit, he guessed most people would not have been able to handle the sight of a corpse like demon with any amount of equanimity. Especially newbies. He remembered his first bout with the supernatural; a malicious little ghost boy who had a fetish for drowning other children in a family pond. It was a good thing he was soaked through the time his father found him because he would have never lived it down if the old man found out he had peed in his pants.

"It's been so long ago..." Sakurada-san finally began calmly and Houshou found himself turning back to their client to listen. "It never stopped hurting so I figured I should just forget about it all together and I never thought anyone would ask this of me since my brother died," Nene started off. L kept his eyes on her, sharp and ready to pick out any lies in her slightest body language. She took out a locket hidden in her clothes and opened it to show them a picture of identical girls on the right and a picture of their brother Tsutaro on the left. "Her name was Nana... She was older than me by eight minutes and I didn't mind it a bit since she always took care of me. She was the strong twin; I was the spoiled brat. We keep the same design of locket; it was a gift commissioned by our father when we turned twelve."

"What happened to her?" Houshou asked, straddling his chair. "Why isn't she around taking care of the children with you?"

"Because she's dead."

The monk blanched at the blunt answer. "Oh."

Everyone's interest was peaked at this confession. Mai reached out to gently rub circles around the older woman's back in silent sympathy, Nene responded to this with a grateful smile. L marveled at how such a slight gesture from Mai could arouse such a strong reaction from a complete stranger. It gave Nene the strength to continue with her tale.

"It was close to our fifteenth birthday back then, we were so happy because we were going to finally start high school soon but the day before our birthday celebration she was found in our mother's old armoire; hanging by her neck using an old scarf she was planning to wear to our party the next day. They said she committed suicide; I was the one who found her." Nene gave off a bitter laugh and buried her face in her hands with a dry sob. "Our father was so distraught his health started deterioratiing. I was thrown into a state of depression and stopped going to school. Tsutaro was the one who took care of us. He did that even though he was no more than a child himself. Nana had always been my older brother's favorite; I was daddy's little girl."

"I see..." John was looking at Mai who was listening intently to the client. Houshou could hear Osamu typing the client's words away into a laptop on a desk behind him. "It must have been terrible."

"It was," Nene smiled at the blond priest. "The discord in this house became even worse when my father married Kaede-san shortly after Nana's death. We were always fighting. The moment I graduated high school I decided to go to college in the United States far from here. It was the reason why I was away for both my father and Tsutaro's deaths. I couldn't accept the fact that they thought she killed herself."

"Why not?" Osamu asked politely, highly intrigued.

Nene looked him directly in the eye and the complete belief in them made Houshou almost back away. "Because she was the strongest person I know; she would never take her own life because... Ah but you wouldn't understand."

"Because she knew it was tied to your own... and she would never do anything to hurt you... right?"

Nene turned surprised eyes at Mai's words. "H-How do you know that?"

The sad smile on the high school esper's face made L blink and his breath stop. "You're twins aren't you? You're the other half of each other. Two hearts, two bodies, two minds... but each a half of one soul."

Houshou could feel her pain. Damn it, it was one of those moments when he really wished he could land a good one on Naru's prettty face. That expression did not belong on a face like Mai's. He scowled when he saw L still staring at her as though he had never seen such an expression on anybody's face before. It made the monk curious but he decided not to intervene on L's weird fetishes, for now. Just as long as Mai stayed unhurt.

The sandy blond bassist watched as tears welled up in Nene's face at Mai's words before she burst out and hugged Mai's middle. This took the girl aback for a moment before she softened and started to hug the woman back.

"The moment she died..." Nene said hoarsely when she managed to calm down. "It felt like someone ripped apart my soul; it hurt so much and I was so upset I couldn't sit still. The worst thing was we had a fight the night before and we weren't talking to each other for the first time in a long time and I was feeling miserable and then before I could say sorry she..."

No one said anything, leaving Mai to do what she needed to do since all the men in the room were at a loss on how to comfort a crying woman.

After a while Nene straightened and wiped her tears away with a tissue Osamu handed over to Mai then sought the Touo student's eyes. "Are you telling me my sister has something to do with the incidents around the house?"

"We're not sure yet," Osamu quickly responded with his enigmatic smile. "But our investigation needs to take another route now that we know someone related to you might be the reason why this is all happening. We are investigating the issue from another angle now."

"It can't be her," Nene looked to Mai pleadingly. "Please...! My sister is the kindest woman I had ever known; she would never hurt the children!"

"Sorry, Nene-san," Housho told her from his chair, it would be better not to give her any false hopes early. "But until we can prove that wrong I'm afraid we'll have to look further into the incidences in the house. We can't be sure if your sister is still the same if she's still around after all this time."

"What do you mean?"

"Spirits may appear benign in the early years of their deaths when they stay around here in the land of the living," Mai explained to her as gently as she could. "But if a soul remains on earth for too long, there's a chance they would change into evil spirits and become affected by the negativity of the world of the living; this is the reason why we have to exorcise or help them cross over."

"No..." Nene shook her head in denial.

Houshou understood this; nobody wanted to believe departed loved ones would ever be able to hurt them even in the afterlife.

"If she did commit suicide then it would be no surprise she couldn't cross over," Houshou nodded thoughtfully. "Suicide victims always pass away with a lot of regret."

Nene bit her lip before sighing and standing up from the sofa and bowing to them all. "I leave everything to you then... Please help us."

"We'll do everything we can." Osamu bowed back.

"Nene-san, why don't you rest? It has been a long night and I am sure you're tired," John stepped closer to her with a smile. "I'll take you to your room."

They all watched the drooping shoulders of the older woman as she exited the room with John escorting her. Before the exorcist stepped out of the door, he and Houshou exchanged a nod telling the monk that John would set up his own barrier over their client's room to keep her safe. Everyone fell silent until the door was closed.

Housho was the one to break it. "Well, I guess that's that." He turned to L with an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, L-san, but looks like we'll be taking charge of this investigation from this point on, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." L replied, still in his position. "I'll just sit back here and observe."

"Masako says she can't come; her schedule's been filled;" the blond bassist told them. But Ayako will be rushing out here tomorrow so she would probably pop in around noon or something."

"We should spread the cameras a little wider to cover the entire house, then," Mai said, her index finger thoughtfully tapping her chin. "Especially the east wing."

"That's where you saw the demon?" Houshou threw his arms over the couch as he looked at the young woman.

Mai nodded, hugging herself with her good arm and shivering. "It was horrifying; the malice I felt from it made me freeze in my tracks. It felt like a bundled up ball of hatred and resentment, Bou-san."

The monk's brows furrowed. "That sounds disturbing."

"It was..." Mai hesitated and the monk waited knowing she was about to allay her fears with him. "Bou-san... do you really think it was Nana-san...?"

"Depends, Jou-chan," he sighed, wincing at the forlorn look on her face. "But it could be she was the spirit orb who showed you that vision."

"I don't know, something's wrong," she sighed in frustration. "No matter how much my abilities grow, spirits could always be so vague."

"One thing we do know is that this thing you and L encountered is no laughing matter," Houshou said, his mind already running through a million miles per second. "It worried me even more that it can use kamaitachi."

"Sounds like it can't be anything else but a demon, either," Osamu nodded thoughtfully making L look at the Touo student. "If it works just like the demon we encountered back in Suwa we'll be in trouble."

"You've encountered something like this before?" L asked the other young man in wide eyed interest.

"Yup," Osamu told him, grinning cheerfully as though telling him about a funny children's bedtime story. "It was the kind that pulled its victims through walls and cut off their necks so it can bathe in their blood."

L paled even worse that he already was and scurried over to Mai until he was crouching beside her.

Mai glared at Osamu. "Stop scaring him."

"But it's true!"

"Anyway, I think it would be safer if you and Osamu pair up with either of us to be sure you'll be safe," Houshou then said, eying up the two younger men. "That way, we'll be able to protect you better."

"Dibs on Mai!" L and Osamu cried out at the same time.

Both young men looked at each other with raised brows and blinked.

Mai and Houshou sweat dropped.

"Seriously?" the monk's left eye twitched.

"What, it's not something you can blame us for, Bou-san," Osamu declared as he adjusted his glasses with a wide eyed look of innocence that practically screamed with mischief. "I mean, Mai is prettier than you. Don't worry, though, I still like older guys."

Houshou looked up at the younger man wryly. "I'm touched by your devotion, Shounen; really, I am."

"Hm, interesting," L suddenly piped up solemnly as he sat observing the entire thing from his seat. "Really, Takigawa-san, I didn't know you were into boys."

The Touo student and monk froze like petrified rocks. Mai blinked wide eyes in her seat.

"Not that there's something wrong about that," L, oblivious to the trauma he was creating, looked at each of the men in turn curiously. "So? Who's the bottom?"

Osamu began with a nervous twitch and spluttered. "H-hey, wait a minute, I think there's a slight misunderstanding-"

"Pf-WHAT? YOU GOT IT WRONG!" Houshou shot to his feet like a released spring. "I am NOT sleeping with him!"

"And here I thought Takigawa and Matsuzaki-sensei had some sort of mutual attraction with each other." L continued, ignoring their protests.

His words made Housho shoot to his feet, a blush lighting up his face like a Christmas tree. "W-what makes you say that?"

L just continued to look up at the taller man with a wide eyed, innocent stare. "Isn't that the logical conclusion you come to when you see a man always looking to get one woman's attention through bickering? It's a reverse psychology thing, isn't it?"

"WHAT? I would NEVER!"

The potential blood bath was interrupted by the sudden sound of laughter and the three men stopped to stare at Mai who was doubled over on the sofa trying to hold it in.

"I'm sorry...!" she gasped but broke off again as another spate of laughter attacked her. "Really, I am! It's just that... Ahahahahaha! I knew someone would misunderstand you guys someday! Ahahahahhahaha!"

L watched in fascination as both his male employees' faces softened at the sight and the detective marvelled at the ability of such a slight emotion from the girl influence the mood around her.

"Mai, maybe you should get some sleep, you're tired and you'll need to rest; we can talk about plans in the morning," Osamu said, beginning to usher her out of the room, exchanging a nod with Housho as he did so. "Come on, we'll fetch John along the way."

But they were all taken aback when L suddenly plastered himself to Mai's arm, covering her away from Osamu's potential touch almost protectively.

"I'll take her to her room." he announced before standing in a slouch and beginning to pull her along. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

Mai blinked and looked back at a gaping Housho and Osamu as L dragged her away from the room, shrugging her shoulders in a helpless gesture as she was eventually pulled out of sight.

A few moments of silence convered the entire room at their exit before Osamu broke it, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Should I folow them?"

The sandy blond man frowned then shrugged it off. "I guess he'll be fine as long as he's with Mai."

Osamu scratched the back of his neck for a bit before speaking again. "Hey, Bou-san, do you think L likes Mai?"

"I'm not even sure," Houshou replied, just as confused as he was. "For me he looks like a kid clinging to his mother. Has he been like that at school too?"

"No," Osamu shook his head. "In fact, from what I've observed of him, he's got a bad case of aphephobia and mysophobia. To be honest, I was kinda surprised when he allows Mai to touch him; he's never let anyone do that before, or at least not that I've seen him allow anybody that privelege."

The monk crossed his arms over his chest and frowned thoughtfully as he thought about this. "Well I guess it's okay as long as he doesn't hurt Mai; besides there's something about that guy that's kinda... pitiable; like it would make me feel like a right bastard if I deprived him of Jouchan."

"I agree," Osamu nodded at that. "I don't know why but he seems vulnerable somehow; despite the sarcastic little pokes and the feeling like he's laughing at us because he thinks we're stupid."

"Let's just leave it for now," Houshou sighed before shooting the monitors a wry look. "You want to stay here and look out for the monitors?"

"Do I look like Lin-san to you?"

"Ehehehe, just asking, come on, let's find John and get some sleep after I'm done putting up wards around the other rooms; tomorrow's going to be a long day."

/*****/

L kept on pulling at Mai's hand even as he entered her room with her in tow, vaguely noting how soft her skin was in his rougher hand.

Being forced by Watari to train in various forms of martial combat and weapons as well as trained for tennis, he had the callouses to prove them that had thickened his palms despite the fact that he had hardly had to do anything physical at all. A very male part of him appreciated the girl's softness. A fact he had only become conscious about when they finally reached her room and noticed he had yet to let go of her hand.

He dropped it like a hot potato.

It was one of her mysteries that she always felt so clean. It weirded him out that he would welcome someone else's touch than his own. He needed to find out how she did that.

"What's wrong, L-san?" Mai asked him softly and the baggy eyed detective looked up to see the plain concern in her eyes; apparently she hadn't noticed how he managed to space out at the softness of her skin. "Are you still scared? It's alright, I don't feel it near; it can't touch us here either since Bou-san set up wards in my room before I went to sleep."

L scowled at that. Somehow it displeased him that she thought he was so weak and that he needed to be protected. Then again the fact that he needed that protection because he was afraid was enough logic to not put him into a tantrum.

"Don't be ashamed," her firm voice caused him to lift his eyes and look at her and blinked when he didn't see a trace of mockery or laughter in them. Her sincerity shone through her cinnamon colored eyes with a brightness that might have blinded him if they were any more confident. "No one in your position could have handled it any better; believe me, your reaction was perfectly natural."

"But you-"

"I've been doing this for a living, remember? I've got seniority on you," she flashed him a bright smile that made L think he was going to have an asthma attack. Was it possible to forget how to breathe? "I might not look like it but I was pretty scared back there too. When I saw that thing as I was astral projecting, it scared me so much I couldn't move; and I didn't even have a physical body back then either so that speaks volumes about how dangerous that thing was. So don't feel bad.

"Fear is perfectly natural," she told him confidently, with eyes too old for her age. "Fear is what makes us careful and helps us live to see another day. There's nothing to be afraid about wanting to live another day as long as you don't hurt anybody else in process; at least taht's my opinion about it."

He considered her and her words for a moment. Her acceptance of his weakness was extraordinarily ordinary in a way that brought comfort to him; it was different from the staggering disappointment he had experienced with Watari when he refused to perform for the old man and exceeded his expectations. With this girl there was no pressure, no drive, not motivation, no reason to excel. It was everything he sought and learned to hate as L. And yet he couldn't resist responding to her in a vulnerable manner. It helped that she didn't reject his vulnerability; instead she accepted it; welcomed it with open arms.

Another to add to her mystery.

"...I'm not good with ghosts..." he admitted after a while.

She smiled at him warmly and patted his hand in a motherly gesture. "I know."

"Taniyama-san?"

"Mai."

"Eh?"

Her smile seemed even warmer now than before. "I'd like to think that we're friends, L-san, so why don't you call me Mai?"

He hesitated, rocking on the balls of his feet for a little while as he thought about the pros and cons of her words.

On the con side it was never good to be involved with your test subjects. On the pro side it would be easier to gain her trust and get her to let him observe her a lot more closely.

He looked at her again; he guessed it wasn't so bad to get involved with the girl; it wasn't as though he was going to care about her, after all. There was nothing special about her except this affinity with the supernatural and as soon as he found out this mystery then he would just leave her and that would be the end of it. He had nothing to lose.

"...Mai."

If anything, her eyes glowed when he called her name. "Yes, L-san?"

"About what happened earlier…"

Mai blinked up at him. "What about it?"

"Thank you."

Mai seemed taken aback by this; clearly she was not used to being thanked. "Y-you're welcome."

L cocked his head to the side like curious parrot as he observed her gestures closely. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she flailed around, a blush running across her face she was trying to hide desperately with her hands.

L found this odd. Was she not used to being thanked at all?

"A-anyway," she continued, still flustered as she turned around and began to walk towards her bed. "You should go and get some rest; it's already late and we have a lot to do tomorrow."

The thought of going back to the base or anywhere without her somehow filled L with a feeling of terror and acute uncertainty; it was the main reason he spoke out in unison with Osamu when Houshou announced they needed to be with one of them at all times so they could be protected. After what happened... it just didn't feel safe in this house anymore when he was not beside her; he knew this was not logical but he couldn't help himself.

He desperately thought of a reason to stay. "How did you... what was it you did when you fought that thing; I want to know."

"Ah," Mai turned back towards him in surprise then nodded in understanding, thinking he was still trying to investigate the case. "I tried to exorcise it."

L face faulted. "Say what?"

"Exorcisms," she indulged him in a matter of fact tone. "When things like those attack, psychics generally try to make them go away and protect ourselves and others using exorcisms. The first chant I used earlier was called the Fudou Myouo; Bou-san taught me that; Ayako taught me the Nine cuts, the second thing I used that pushed that demon away."

"But the demon was already pushed away once even before you started chanting, what do you call that?" L asked his eyes wide and truly fascinated at what she was saying.

He was never a big believer of religion; he was no believer of God; except for the purely rationality and logic behind them and its functions in a person's life that may be involved in a case so information like these went over his head quite easily. Hearing it said and reading about them in theory was one thing... seeing it in action was another.

Mai had to giggle at the face he was making. "Those were my shiki. It was something Bou-san's father taught me when he sent me up to Mt. Kouya to try and control how I astral project; the shiki came a bit later because Bou-san's dad noticed how these little demons kept following me around all the time so he taught me how to make contracts with them."

"Contracts?"

"Uh huh," Mai nodded merrily, spinning around and flopping down on her bed, grabbing the nearest pillow and hugging it to herself like a stuffed animal. "Shiki are demons employed by a caster; normally they could be used readily by onmyouji but since Bou-san's dad told me I had an affinity with them anyway that I should try it out despite not being able to use onmyoudo; they've been with me ever since."

L followed her and crouched in front of the young woman; thumb against his lower lip as he gazed at her like a child listening to a wonderful bedtime story. "So they're like... those shinigami who controls the Death Note."

"No, demons aren't like that; they're not gods," Mai shook her head at him. "Sure they're special, but they exist in a whole different plane. They are more connected with the living than the afterlife. You could say they live in a place in between life and death."

L's eyes were practically shining ebony pebbles in his pale face. "Can I see them?"

"Well..." he watched her as she thought for a bit, obviously a bit troubled. "Nobody's asked to see them before and I've always assumed they didn't want to be seen so..." she pursed her lips and held out her index finger as though waiting for a bird to land on it. "How about it, guys? Do any of you want to meet L-san?"

L's eyes widened when he felt something cold brush against his arm and eeped in alarm, clutching onto Mai's leg as he looked around her room warily for any signs of ghosts. "W-what was that?"

Mai sweat dropped. "That was one of my shiki greeting you; figures you won't be able to see him."

L turned wide eyes at her; half frightened, half wondering. "They're not going to hurt me?"

"Of course not."

"But I can't see them?"

Mai winced. "Not without any strong psychic abilities, you can't; not even Bou-san or the others are able to see their phyical form. If anything, I think the only person who would be able to see them would be Lin-san and Bou-san's dad."

L pouted at her. "I don't like being with things I can't see."

Mai sweat dropped. "Are you serious?"

"I want to see them." he said with renewed determination.

He was a person who liked things to be tangible and explainable; unwrapping the mystery that was Taniyama Mai was enough of a chore he did not want to include her shiki into the mix of things on his 'To Investigate List'.

Mai's brows knotted and tried to think of a way to divert the man's attention but one look at his burning, unblinking black eyes and she knew there was no way he was going to let her rest about this. The young esper scrunched up her nose in thought until finally, an idea came to her.

"Alright," she finally said, turning to the English detective resignedly. "I'll introduce you to them but you're going to have to sleep in this room tonight."

L blinked in surprise at the announcement. "Sleep? Me?"

Mai nodded. "Yes."

"...I don't sleep."

Mai smirked at that. "Then you should find a way to do it if you want to meet my shiki."

L frowned. "That's cheating."

"No it's not," Mai rolled her eyes at him. "Are you forgetting that I can astral project? It means I can walk on the spirit plane and dreams are easily accessible through there. I can visit you in your dream and show them to you because that would be the only time when you would be able to touch and see anything spiritual."

L blinked but glanced at her warily as though trying to decide whether or not to believe her before chewing on on his thumbnail in agitation. "I suppose I could take sleeping pills..."

"No you can't, it needs to be a natural sleep, besides," she looked outside her window and into the dark night with an expression that could not be mistaken for anything other than anxiety. "With this kind of spirit on the loose, we need to be alert. So maybe we should do this another time, okay, L-san?"

"But I don't sleep."

"You slept really well back in the van on my lap." she pointed out in confusion.

L blinked at that, looked up at the ceiling and scratched the back of his head. "I really am not sure how that happened either."

Mai blinked down at him from her bed. "Do you have insomnia?"

"I believe that is the relative term for such a malady, yes." he deadpanned.

Mai scratched her chin thoughtfully before sighing. "Well, there's not much I can do about that; I'm okay now so go back to your room and I'll sleep."

L felt the same panic and fear he felt earlier when she started to turn away from him; when he thought about being anywhere else but beside her. So instead of moving away he started drawing circles on the wooden floor. "...I don't want to."

Mai's eyebrows rose at that. "Eh?"

L hesitated for a bit before grabbing the pillow she was hugging and embracing it himself. "I can't just leave you alone after what happened! What if you went out of your body again and nobody's there to wake you up? Nu-uh, I'm staying right here."

"What? You can't stay in a girl's room!"

"I'm the boss here and what I say is law," L puffed out his chest as much as he could in his crouching position. "And that's final! You can't make me change my mind!"

Mai slapped a palm on her forehead wondering how she got into these kinds of messes before she sat back on her bed in seiza and posed in a meditating position. "Fine; do what you want. But don't blame me if Bou-san finds you here and strings you up in a tree."

L grinned in triumph, just watching her; he then found a chair near the wall; got up and placed it at the foot of Mai's bed. He then climbed onto it and crouched down, staring at the silent figure there. "What are you doing?"

"I'm meditating." She replied in a quiet voice, almost as though she were in a trance.

"What for?" L continued to pry with interest.

She dropped her stance and instead of the irritation L was expecting like he would normally see in other people he kept on peppering with questions, he saw a wealth of patience there that he had barely even known existed. "Walking through the astral plane is pretty dangerous considering what else I can encounter while I'm there; so I'm giving my spirit body some rest and the best way to do that is to meditate so I can control where it's going and keep it here inside me."

L thought about this for a moment before speaking again. "You are not planning on leaving your body here tonight?"

"I'm too tired to do that, besides, we still need to investigate tomorrow; I'd rather keep my strength up on both ends until I absolutely need it."

L thought about this and had to agree; it was wise of her to keep her strength solid. "I see."

"That said, why don't you try to get some sleep, at least?"

"I can't."

He heard her give off a frustrated sigh, assumed her position and went back to meditating. After a few more minutes, the English detective managed to hear the soft sound of her breathing and noted the relaxed sight of her form.

Sleep.

He wondered now how he would be able to do that. Was it just a coincidence that he had managed to sleep in her arms because of her calming scent?

He took a deep breath and caught a whiff of lavender in the air. The room smelled of her but he did not feel sleepy at all although it managed to strangely calm him. On the contrary he wanted to just sit there and watch her sleep and he wondered, deep inside, just what she was dreaming of.

It was the first time in his life he regretted that he had difficulty sleeping.

/*****/

"Dammit this is impossible!"

Mai winced as Housho flopped down on the sofa.

They had been interviewing the staff once again for further clues about the mansion's history and the people who used to live there; looking for any clues to the haunting like leads to curses or grudges or even insistent lost spirits who might have grown engrossed with the previous owners of the house.

Needless to say that they have come up with nothing new.

"I'm back~!"

Everyone in the base looked towards the door where the bespectacled researcher came in from holding up a rather thick manila envelope in his hand late that morning and singing his arrival. His usual smile firmly planted on his face. John waved at them from behind the younger man.

"Hey, guys, just in time; so what did you get?" Mai greeted them sweetly as she gathered the microphones and cameras to her alongside Houshou who already had a mile long round of cable hanging over his shoulder.

L, in the meantime, was ensconced on the sofa drinking a cup of Mai's tea using his thumb and pinky to gently pick up the cup. As usual he was in his odd crouching position as though trying to isolate himself from the world in general.

Osamu and John had set out very early in the morning to acquire a new set of records on the house that dated back during the time of Sakurada Nene's childhood, the Touo student swearing up and down that he was going to knock down the library and police archives door if he had to. Mai had managed to wake up a little after nine o'clock, feeling tired as she always did whenever she had one of her dreams. The maids had informed them of their departure so Mai, Houshou and L ate breakfast in the base and started gathering the equipment they needed to set up surveillance cameras around the house.

"I think you better take a look." Osamu told them, setting the manila envelope on the table they used during the interviews and started pulling out the papers in them.

The others surrounded the pile and took a peek of the contents. Mai gasped when she saw the heading of one paper which looked like a photocopy of the local newspaper. The bold black letters rose up screaming at her the way only front page news can do.

SAKURADA HEIRESS COMMITS SUICIDE

There was a black and white picture underneath it showing the form of the girl hanging by a looped, purple scarf tied around her neck while the other end was tied round the pole used for hangers in a large armoire. The armoire was so big it was actually tall enough to fit her plus the half foot her feet couldn't touch. Her hands were at her sides, her eyes white and unseeing and her mouth in a silent parody of a scream.

Mai gasped and covered her mouth with a hand as though trying to contain her horror. It was a horrifying sight to see especially since she remembered how vibrant and alive this girl was in her vision of the past. The large contrast left her shaking.

"Kami..." Houshou whispered quietly as picked up the photocopy and read through the article. "Poor girl."

John nodded. "It is very sad, indeed; however, there's another curiosity in the article."

"Eh?"

"Why don't you read page 2?" Osamu told the monk grimly.

Houshou turned to the next page and ran his eyes through the second part of the article. "The hell...?"

"What? What is it?" Mai asked, walking around the table to Houshou's side to take a look at the article from over his shoulder.

The mink handed her the article to save her the trouble, knowing it was impossible for her to accomplish the feat without climbing on a chair. "It seems that Sakurada Kaede was going on about Nana being killed by our client."

"What?" Mai grabbed the paper and read it through, her eyes widening at the statement left behind by the twins' stepmother. "Impossible! Sibling rivalry?"

"Tsk," Houshou clucked, his mouth twisting into a displeased moue. "Something smells rotten."

John and Osamu both nodded their heads in agreement.

"Should we schedule another interview?" Osamu asked.

"We should," Houshou agreed. "Why don't you stay behind here in the base while we set up the cameras so you can start on that interview?"

"Sounds like a plan." Osamu grinned up at him.

"Okay," John started gathering their equipment. "Why don't you pair up with me, L-san? L-san?"

Everyone turned but saw the baggy eyed detective looking closely at the photograph he had suddenly swiped from Mai's hold. He was staring at it with scary intensity while slouching beside their resident esper, the pad of his thumb against his lips. "This is no suicide."

Every occupant in the base stiffened as they stared at the English detective in surprise, speechless at the sudden deduction.

L merely looked up at all of them and threw the photocopy of the news article back on the table for all of them to see.

"This is a murder."

/*****/

Please Review? ^-^;