Chapter 16

Beep….beep….beep….

The sounds of a heart monitor filled the silent room, it continued like an endless rhythm to who ever was listening, at the side of Mai Taniyama's bed was a woman with long honey brown hair, her forehead was bandaged up and a gauze on her cheek. Her arms was bandaged a little but she didn't care. Reaching out she moved a strand of hair out of Mai's face. Watching the girl breath, a small smile fell upon her face seeing on how much her daughter had grown.

The door opened behind her and she looked up seeing the Miko doctor walking in with a chart board, but her face didn't seem pleased, "Thank you… for saving her" spoke the woman and Ayako nodded taking the medical readings that she needed before turning to the woman. "I did what I had to, to save Mai, after all she's"

The woman held up her hand, "You're her foster mother, Asuna had told me all about you, on how much you and that husband Monk of yours care so much for Mai, I'll be honest I thought I was dead also. With how that young spirit guide showed me the way to Mai's dreams a week ago.

I didn't know Ryo had me under a drug to think I was dead, oh my poor baby had to live through so much pain and hardship." She brought Mai's hand to her lips kissing it as tears fell down her face, Ayako smiled slightly seeing how much this woman loved her daughter, their daughter.

"I want to thank you Mrs. Takigawa, it makes me happy to know she'll continue being in good hands, I love her and Asuna so much but I can't take Mai away from you and your husband." This caused Ayako to look at the woman in shock, "Please Lisa, call me Ayako and why? You don't have to leave Mai, I know it will be complicated with her having both of us but-"

"It's not fair to her young one, she'll be torn between on who to pick as her mother, when she smiled at us before she passed out on the roof, I could see on how much she loved you and how much you loved her. She's my baby yes, but she's also yours too, I can't make her choose on who to stay with. So it's only fair that I disappear." Lisa spoke, until she felt something hit her face, looking up Ayako didn't have the sad look on her face anymore she was pissed.

"How dare you talk like that! How dare you think of abandoning her, Mai's been through so much pain thinking you was dead, and now she knows your alive your just going to abandon her? Mai has a lot of trust issues with people, it was hard enough to get her to trust me and Monk, after knowing why and the extent damage of her past I don't blame her. She loved and trusts you and yet your going to break that trust by leaving? Asuna did the same thing when she was just a little girl."

Lisa sat there, holding her cheek, this woman was filled with so much emotions, "But … what?" "But nothing, she doesn't have to choose which mother she will be living with, she's almost 18 and will be leaving to live in a dorm room at college where ever that maybe, or she and Naru might end up moving in together I don't know but do not and I mean NOT! Make rash moves without talking to her about it first!"

Lisa was about to speak again until a voice groaned slightly, "Gosh…keep the noise down…. i've got such a headache." Both women looked over to see Mai's eye's half open and her looking at both of them. "Hey baby girl, how are you feeling?" Mai smiled to Lisa, while rubbing her temple slightly, "like shit, I haven't felt this beaten for a long while, but he's gone… he's finally gone i… killed him and left his body to burn on top of the vipers building." Ayako checked Mai's temperature and smiled, "We know it's been on the news about Ryo being murdered, there was no evidence left to link it back to who ever killed him but that is good otherwise you would have the police outside this door waiting for questioning."

Mai chuckled and nodded, she began to sit up but both older women helped her instead, Ayako moved a pillow from the spare bed to behind Mai's back, "Take it easy sweetie, you had to have surgery to repair your shoulder, but if everything goes well you will be out of here within a few days." The brown haired girl nodded and then her eye's hardened slightly turning to Lisa.

"Ayako is right, if you was thinking of just up and leaving without telling me or Asuna I would have never forgiven you, I just got you back and you think about leaving? What I said on the roof is true, I do have two mothers now which means twice the love and bigger family! What would Asuna think to you leaving after finding out you are still alive?"

Lisa looked down to her hands, her daughters words was true, and she couldn't handle the fact that her daughters would hate her for abandoning them, she was surprised that Mai had forgiven Asuna for abandoning her. "but I don't have a-" "You can stay with us until you get back on your feet, we have a spare guest room that were currently not using. An we can come to an understanding on how it will work about Mai"

"That one's easy Ayako, I'll be staying with you from Monday to Thursday, then on Friday to Sunday I'll be at mum's place, unless Naru asks me to stay at his. My college entrance exams are in 3 days so If I get in, I'll then be thinking about a dorm room there or see if I can get my old apartment back, the land lord was pretty nice and ok with me when I lived there before moving in with you and Monk." Lisa looked shocked at how Mai was able to solve the problem out without having to put much thought into the situation, Ayako smiled and nodded, "alright sweetie, that sounds like a good idea, I'll tell Monk to get the guest bedroom sorted out for Lisa and I'll let Tokyo university know about you being injured they may give you an extention on your exams."

At this Mai's eye's widened, "Wait.. my exams are in 3 days! Fuck! Well tell Monk to get his arse into gear and bring my study books here at once!" all three women blinked and then began laughing, poor Monk was being volunteered to do stuff and he currently wasn't even in the room.

In fact Monk was down in the canteen with Naru, Lin and John, he suddenly let out 2 sneezes and rubbed his nose, "some pretty ladies must be talking about me," the guy's let out a laugh and then looked back to each other, "so Mai's mother is still alive is this going to cause some complications between you and Lisa?" John spoke to Monk who looked down at his coffee, "I don't know, Ayako seemed upset but she also had that determind look in her eye's as to say she had a plan to decide on what's going to happen. I have a feeling I'm going to be running around with my head cut off for a while."

"I don't blame you for worrying Mate, after all with the previous events happening, Mai running off to save her brother, you've got your hands full. Especially you Naru" they turned to the silent raven haired man who sipped on his cardboard tea, he didn't exactly have a pleased look on his face but none of them really knew that as he was so good at his poker face.

"oh when Mai wakes up I'm going to be having words with her about that, but I can understand, she was worried about her sibling, but that doesn't help that she ran off on her own when she knew we all could help her, that I could have helped her through this and she wouldn't be in the hospital with so many injuries again caused by the same man that almost killed her last week." The other three men nodded, as Lin looked up seeing Ayako and Lisa make their way over to the table.

"Hey Ladies how's everything up with Mai?" spoke the blonde Monk, Lisa smiled gently at him, she could hear the love in his voice for her daughter, "she's going to be just fine, she woke up not so long ago and gave me a rather good bollaking, you and Ayako have done such a good job raising her these past two years." She sat down as Lin handed her a tea, "Thanks Ma'am, my heart went out to her on one of our cases when she said she had no family members left, I couldn't just leave her on her own fending for herself much longer."

Naru rolled his eye's to the man, until he felt eye's on himself, he looked over to the woman Lisa Taniyama, Mai's biological mother, "And you young man, has allowed her to feel love and experience something that no parent can give her. Protection and safety, please do not hurt or break her heart or I will be coming after you. My baby girl can't take no more emotional pain" the Raven haired scientist nodded as he held his hand out to her, "then I should properly introduce myself, my name is Oliver Davis, owner of Shibuya Psychic research. I gave Mai a job 3 years ago when I saw great potential in the girl, and she gradually some how made me fall in love with her. I should be saying I owe Mai a lot, she made our SPR team what it is today, a loving family. An filled many holes in our hearts, Mai is such an extraordinary young woman an I plan to see her grow into anything she wants to be." All of the SPR team's mouths dropped, they had never heard Naru say anything like that before, they had never heard him speak without being rude.

But then again he did hold such a smug look on his face, "why thank you Oliver, I'm sure your own parent's will be proud of you also right, Mai is currently awake so if you wish to go see her be my guest but I think I should finally get changed as Ayako is allowing me to be released today." Ayako nodded then turned to Monk giving off an evil aura, he gulped and whispered to Lin, "I told you I'm going to be running around with my head cut off."

"Not my problem, I will go pay my respects to Mai before returning to the office, we have been away from there for quite some time and I'm pretty sure we will be having a few clients who need our help." With that Lin bowed and made his way up to Mai's hospital room. "I think I'll be doing the same thing, the local church has asked me to help out with a few of the children and I said I would. I'll see you all later, it was nice to meet you Miss. Taniyama." John bowed also, Naru smiled, these people would always stay the same.

3 days later

Mai had been released from the hospital only yesterday and thanks to Monk being able to bring her studying equipment, and for Lisa visiting often, she was able to understand most of the materials in both Forensics and parapsychology, so now she was currently on her second exam to be able to enter Tokyo university, looking up at the clock she noticed there was 15 minutes to go so she looked back down at the paper, ¾ way through it she gave off a grin. Lin had secretly gave her extra lessons so she could pursue her dreams, and with that she knew most of the answers to her tests. There was only a few trick questions as to finding out they was mainly about herself, but they was rather easy to understand after a matter of time.

Once she had finished her paper, the instructor at the front had noticed the pile of all together 4 exam books neatly placed to the side of her desk, "Miss. Takigawa are you finished already?" Mai nodded smiling, "Yes sir," he motioned for her to bring the papers to her, "I'll mark these now since there is still time, could you go and wait in the canteen and I'll come collect you once the exams are finished."

Mai nodded and with that and asking a few questions on where the Canteen was she sat down with a roasting cup of black coffee, looking around, trying to envision her life in this campus and her future within the police force forensic team, and when she wasn't busy working on a case there she would be with her boyfriend Naru working on a case to help spirits pass on with her new found knowledge.

As she was sipping her coffee, a voice came from behind her, "Mai? Are you finished with your exams already?" She looked behind her to see her brother Kirito there, smiling to her he had his arm in a sling, but he was alive and healthy, she nodded, "yeah I finished a little while ago what are you doing here?"

He sat down alongside her, with his own Americano, "I decided to enrol to study about medicine, Ayako made me see that helping people is such a good cause that I figured out I want to become a doctor so I just finished my entrance exams as well. It was a bit short notice but Asuna was able to help me study." Giving an understanding nod Mai smiled, if they both got in at least they could room together and knew each other.

"I see, that's amazing, good luck to you Kirito and I must say I'm so glad your still here with us, I'd have been sad to see you go Asuna told me she was going to travel around japan to get new inspiration for her novel she's writing. Well at least she's informed me this time that she's leaving for a while." Kirito nodded smiling, "Yeah and since you and Asuna are half blood siblings to me, it's been announced that Lisa to be my legal guardian as she was the last to be married to ..him.." Mai held up her hand and shook her head. "So long as you get the love and care you deserve then that's all that matters, we are siblings either way, yeah I won't be living with you and my mother I'll be with Ayako, but once I get into college I'm moving into a dorm here. I've lived on my own once before so I know how to finance myself and budget, and to be honest the dorms here are a lot cheaper than an apartment, which here also includes everything so it's just one big payment a month."

The boy nodded and was about to speak when Mai and himself was shouted by the same examiner, they walked together smiling until they reached the man, "I want to say both of you are extrodinary, especially you Miss. Takigawa, all 4 tests with 100% no one has ever been able to do that before, I am proud to say that you both are accepted into Tokyo University, I will email you both for when you can come and pick up your dorm key's, if you know each other I think I might be able to make an exception to let you both room together." The siblings nodded and shook hands with the man, before leaving.

"Now it's just to tell the parents and SPR." Spoke Kirito, in which Mai nodded, giving her brother a high five.

GH GH GH GH GH GH

Later that evening everyone was gathered in the SPR office, or as Naru's called it the FREE Social Café when not dealing with clients since everyone loved to hang around there so much, Lisa was impressed with the office, and had helped out both him and Lin earlier when Mai was taking her entrance exams.

A few hours prior, they had all recived a phone call from one of the siblings to meet there as they both had good news to tell them, Naru had expected what the news would be but didn't want to spoil his girlfriend's surprise to the parents.

"So Mai tell us the big reason why you all called us down here today" Spoke Masako, after everything that happened the girls had become closer but still liked to fight over small things, even though Mai had Naru and Masako had John. Mai smiled as she was sat on Naru's lap, she took a sip of her coffee before placing it down and speaking. "I would like to say that I passed all 4 entrance exams today and I will be attending Tokyo university next month!"

A round of applauds was given to the girl, "what scores did you get lil boss?" spoke the favourite Yasuhara, "she got a big 100% on all 4 tests, apparently first time its ever been done." Kirito spoke as he leaned back with a grin on his face, "Wow my baby girl is so smart! I couldn't be more proud of you!" added the blond Monk, Lisa nodded in approval, "I'm also very proud of you sweetie, you have done so much better than I have I expect to see good results with all your exams."

"What about you Mate? I heard you was taking the entrance exams also today" "Well John I passed, but only barely, since it was a last minute thing, I'm going into get my doctors degree which will be a long time of study and hopefully under the watchful eye of Mrs. Takigawa," Ayako held her hand up to the boy, "Kirito just call me Ayako like every one else does, Mrs. Takigawa makes me sound like an old lady and before you say anything monk do I have to remind you that I have my purse today!" a small EEP came from the monks mouth but quickly sat up "Well I say we crack open the champaign since everyone here is legal to drink and order pizza! What do you say Naru?"

Naru gave a nodding approval and looked to his girlfriend, "I think that would be a good thing Monk, now how do you guy's say this? Lets get the party started!"

And with that all members of the SPR old and new began to celebrate the success of Mai and Kirito until early hours of the morning. An without worry about any problems what so ever, it was safe to say that the future looked very bright for the young girl they all loved so much.

Mai leaned in and kissed Naru smiling, "I love you Naru.." he smiled and kissed her back with as much passion, "And I love you Mai."

THE END!

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I know it's been such a long time just for me to update the final chapter but I had wanted to make sure I got it at least perfect! Once I finish completing a few of my other Ghost hunt stories, then I will come back and make sure I write a sequal to this story! Just give me a buzz to let me know that you really want one!

For now Curedream90! Over and out!