Chapter 2

She dreamt that night- the same dream she had earlier that day. The boy, the blood, the footsteps, the gun. Everything replayed before her and she woke up to find tears staining her cheeks. Sweat and tears soaked her pillow case but she didn't care. The boy's face filled her mind. He was not a stranger, he was someone familiar. He was important yet she didn't know who he was. Why does it hurt so much to know that he was dead? She felt lost when she didn't even know his name. Or is it because of that?

She sat up, pulling her legs to her chest. Sleep was impossible. She stayed like that for a while, rocking herself every now and then, waiting for her thoughts to wear out. She glanced at her alarm. 5:01. She should still have about 30 more minutes of sleep. It didn't matter. Sleep has become an impossibility for the night.

She breathed deeply. It was another day and it already didn't seem promising.

"Kagami-san will be staying with Mariko from now on," Naru explained to the client. It'll be dangerous for all of us if you stay here, since you have no way of protecting yourself. Reports will be sent to you everyday."

Kagami-san didn't protest. "I understand. I'm sorry for shooting at you and threatening the others." He bowed to them in apology.

"It wasn't your fault, Kagami-san," Mai reassured him. Kagami-san raised his head to look at the girl. "How about you Mai-chan, are you alright? I heard you collapsed."

"I'm fine! That wasn't your fault too." I think.

Kagami-san doubted her words, she could see it but he wished her words to be true. Trouble was, Mai isn't so sure about her collapse, and the mention of it brought an onslaught of images she didn't want to remember just then. She waved to Kagami-san a last time. "Say 'hi' to Mariko-chan for me."

"Ne, Naru," Mai said, placing the tea on his desk. She hesitated. Should she tell him? Before Mai could make up her mind Naru asked, "What is it, Mai?"

Well, she might as well. "Can this case perhaps..." she fidgeted, finding her words. "Is it possible that there was a boy who'd been shot here?"

Naru stared at her, his eyes reading her. Before she could retract her question he spoke. "Was that what you saw in your dream?"

"Yes," she answered, avoiding his probing gaze.

"I thought you couldn't remember."

"I couldn't then. I'd dreamt about it again last night," she explained. "But, that's all I remember-a boy...dead." It hurt to say the word, to accept it. "A man- at least I think it was a man- he was pointing a gun at me and...um... he shot me." Again.

"You mean, the person who's memories you saw," Naru said carefully. Yes! That's what she meant. Did she have to be specific? There was this nagging idea in her head, however. It felt like the bullet was intended for her. But, then again, it wasn't her memories she was seeing... it was someone else's. She gave him a slow nod.

"And, you dreamed about this at your own home." Hadn't she already said that? Where else would she have slept last night? What's with the questions? she thought.

"Yes," she answered again, unsure of where this was going. He hadn't asked about the dream yet.

"I'll have Lin look into it."

"Oh. Ok." That's it? She lifted her head to look at Naru, but he wasn't looking at her anymore. He was scribbling something on his notebook. So they were done.

"For now, take Bou-san with you and check the speakers."

"Bou-san! Naru says we should check on the speakers." The monk stood with a grunt, cracking his back as he stretched.

"You're getting old, Bou-san," Mai teased with a laugh.

"Don't worry about me. You should worry about Ayako. I've been hearing her knees creak." Bou-san leaned in on Mai's ears for a show of whispering. "Dried up ligaments, porous bones and all the things that come with age. Let's go!"

THUD!

Mai froze, her head ached. A body slamming... and then, as soon as it came, It was gone. Bou-san lay sprawled on the floor. Ayako's foot was suspiciously stretched out where Bou-san's feet would have been, a satistief smirk plastered on her face.

"Are you daft woman!?" Bou-san lurched to his feet, glaring t Ayako as he massaged his nose.

"That looks painful, Monk,"Ayako said, feigning concern. "Are you alright? I was aiming for your mouth to slam on the floor. Your nose saved it. Be grateful." Ayako took a sip of her tea.

"Did I or did I not give you instructions?" Naru interrupted before Bou-san could retort. "Refrain from childish banters, or I'll make you finish it out in the cold."

"Let's go, jou-chan," Bou-san said after a few seconds of assessing his chances, relenting... for now.

"So?" Bou-san asked, eyeing her intently. They were on their way to the 3rd floor speaker.

"Hm?" Mai raised her brows in question. "Do you feel anything?"

"Huh?" Bou-san narrowed his eyes, unsure if the girl is playing with him only to find that she wasn't listening.

"You've been spacing out on me, jou-chan. I'm hurt." Bou-san held a dramatic pose, but when Mai failed to respond with the giggle he'd expected he grew concerned. "Are you alright, jou-chan?"

"Yeah." Bou-san looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just tired. Didn't get enough sleep last night," she confessed.

"Oh!" Bou-san was relieved. "And, what activities, might I ask, kept you up last night?"

"Nothing. I just..." The explanation died on her lips as she took in the monk's expression... those wiggling eyebrows... A blush crept on Mai's face, as she understood his meaning.

"Mou! Bou-san!" she puffed, striding away from the monk and his lascivious mind. She paused just to shout at him, "Hentai!" All she got was an amused guffaw.

"Mai, "Naru called.

"Hmm?" She lifted her head from the pile of papers Naru asked- demanded for her to organize.

"Mai-san," Lin spoke. "You mentioned something about a boy and a shooting incident, correct?"

Mai nodded.

"Do you remember any names mentioned?" Lin asked. Mai shook her head again. "No one spoke in my dream." Naru and Lin shared a look before the latter produced a file from his folder. "These are the reports I was able to find. Other than the ones we've already got. There's no mention of the shooting however, we did find that the 2nd resident of this house was involved in a kidnapping, a year after he purchased the property. Do you think that your dream was about a child he had killed?" Lin asked.

No! That's not what happened! a voice told her. But she could be wrong so she answered, "I'm not sure."

Lin took a picture from the folder and lifted it to her. "Does this look like the boy you saw?" The boy in the picture looked about 6 or 7 years old. Straight raven hair and dark eyes. Wrong! It's not him! "That's not him," she told them, earning herself a quizzical look from Lin. "According to the police report, his name is Saotome Harumi, 6 years old at the time. He was the only known victim of Ando Renji's kidnapping. The boy was never found." Lin finished and Mai understood. Her dream had nothing to do with their case. Where had it come from then?

"I did tell you that I could be wrong."

"Yes." Naru simply said. Jerk! She stood, sensing the conversation has ended.

"But not about these things," she thought she heard Naru say. It was odd. Her dreams have always had some kind of relevance to their cases... maybe not al but dreams like the one she's had. Some may be confusing at times but Naru would b able to piece them together. Always. But, this dream, she knew was different. She'd seen it on Naru's and Lin's faces. "Regardless, I want you to read into these." He handed her the file.

"HAH!" she exclaimed, looking at the folder and then to the pile on her table. "I thought we'd already established that my dream had nothing to do with the case?" she tried to reason with him.

"I pay you to do your job. Not to dally around," Naru said with his you're-an-idiot tone." He saw right though her attempt to avoid work. "Or do you want me to explain to you what a job is?"

"Hai, hai." Mai sighed, dejected and snatched the file out of Naru's hand. She'd better get started... so she sat down and reached for the folder.

"Mai." Her head snapped up. Naru raised his empty cup. "Tea."