Gene and Atsuko strolled down the hall toward base. The two of them caught up in each other and the blissful moment they were sharing. Both had temporarily forgotten their reason for catapulting down the stairs in their previous rush. It was when Gene felt a shocking surge of anger roll over him that he remembered. "Crap!"

Gene took off running down the hall dragging Atsuko with him since they were currently holding hands. Atsuko didn't feel the need to ask him what was going on because she felt the outward source of anger the same way Gene had. I'm guessing that is how it feels to have the telepathic link the two brothers share.

Once they got to the base Gene went to grab the door handle. He immediately let it go when his nerve endings registered the unusual temperature. The doorknob felt freezing to the touch.

"I don't see how we can get in that way."

"Have you ever been on a case that a spirit has made a physical object cold?" Atsuko asked.

"Usually, it's just the air that gets cold. But some spirit in this house really doesn't want us to reach Noll and Mai." Gene began pounding on the door to at least let Noll know that they were there. He didn't want his brother pissed at him for lapsing on the rescue attempt.

"Should we try to break down the door?" Atsuko asked.

Gene tried to think his way through resolving the dilemma. He may not be quite as intelligent as his idiot scientist brother. He wasn't a complete moron either. Noll just excelled intellectually over a majority of the human species. "I don't know if it will work or not but let's go find a hot mitt from the kitchen. I might at least be able to grasp the doorknob with one. Then perhaps I can turn the knob and apply enough force to the door itself to force it open."

The two headed to the kitchen hand in hand. Atsuko had some reservations about the idea, mostly she just wanted to ensure they had a back up plan. "If that doesn't work?"

"Then we see if we can find the others and get them to help us. Mai is a magnet for trouble, and I have no doubt she is the one that this malevolent spirit is after."

"How can you be sure?" It took only a moment for Atsuko to register that he wasn't sure at all. His fear and perseverance washed over her wave after wave. Her empathy was beneficial to sorting out emotions but sometimes just being direct and asking outright put others more at ease. "Oh, you aren't sure. Are you?"

"No, but nine times out of ten Mai has been the one in trouble in the past." Gene replied honestly.

Noll sighed in relief when his brother and Atsuko remembered the current predicament himself and Mai were in. He watched as they ran down the hall. There was no camera right outside the door but Noll sensed when they were on the other side. He realized mentally that he should have been able to hear them but he didn't want to make Mai worry too much so he remained silent.

Even though the shapeless malevolent spirit was sent away by Mai's chants the temperature kept dropping more and more. Noll wouldn't regret giving his jacket to Mai. Once he finally retrieved it, it would carry her scent mingled with his own. He probably wouldn't wash it for a week just to keep a hold of that small comfort. However, he couldn't deny how frigid the temperature was getting around them. It was a strong will that kept him from cupping his hands together and exhaling his warm breath over them in an attempt to warm himself.

Mai watched as Naru kept flexing his fingers. His body curved inward on itself. Mai knew from experience that he was cold and trying to hide it.

The Great Oliver Davis constantly attempted to hide the flaws of his humanity. He was impenetrable stone that felt nothing.

To Mai that was more-so his major flaw. He should feel more human than stone. She hoped this need to be less than human would bleed out of him eventually so he could actually feel properly for once in his life.

Mai reached out a hand to him. She grasped his arm and without a word dragged him to the couch.

Noll looked at her questioningly as her petite form somehow managed to wrestle him toward the couch. He was quite curious what was on her mind so he didn't stop her or drag his feet. He merely watched her out of the corner of his eye and let himself be dragged.

A large throw was on the back of it for those many times she and Naru would nap there. She grabbed said throw and wrapped it around their shoulders. She leaned against his shoulder. "You're human, Oliver. You get cold. Deal with it!"

Of course I'm human. What a silly comment to make! Noll felt his eyebrow arch at her. He thought over the many times he came to realize Mai was a silly idiotic girl. He wanted to be mad at the outrageous absurd comments she had just made. But being this close to her, sharing her warmth, he just couldn't find it in himself to get angry at her. Besides, even though he would never admit it to her aloud, Mai was right. He was being foolish and thinking beyond the needs of his own body. This moment was definitely another reason he would never regret letting Mai have his coat. Because now the two of them were almost cuddling with each other in an effort to stay warm.

Mai stared at a nail on the wall. She let her mind wander. She wondered what was previously on the wall where that nail hung. Was it a mirror? Was it a painting? Who removed it? Did it break? She did everything just to keep herself from realizing that Naru's strong body was leaning against her, and they were sharing each other's warmth. It was difficult when even through the jacket and blouse she wore she could somehow make out the divot and shape of the muscles in his arm as the relaxed and flexed against her.

She actually became thankful when she saw a shape begin to form in front of her. It was even better when she recognized the shape, "Sayuri."

"I am so sorry for the trouble that has befell upon you. But I did warn you to leave."

"Sayuri, you don't have to apologize. We are only here to help you. We won't leave until we know we have done everything we are capable of to do just that."

Sayuri shook her head and looked back at Mai, her eyes shimmering with tears she had yet to shed. "He will do everything in his power to get rid you all before ever letting me go."

"Before letting you go? Is he...is he trapping you here?"

Sayuri merely nodded.

"Who is it? Is it the same man that choked you in the courtyard?"

Sayuri shook her head. "No, it wasn't Jirou. Jirou, he was my brother. He came to hurt me that night, yes. But he," Sayuri sighed, "he only wanted to scare me into returning. I should have went back with him. If I had..." She took a shuddering breath. "This is all my fault."

This is the most Mai had ever got from Sayuri. The most she had ever gotten from any one on one with a spirit that she could recall. But, it still was only producing more questions.

"Return where, Sayuri? If it wasn't Jirou that hurt you then who was it?"

Sayuri merely shook her head and began to fade. "I will try my best to give you answers. But, I cannot hold this form any longer."

Just after Sayuri disappears the door to base swings open and their two 'saviors' fall in.

Noll rolls his eyes in mock disgust at the couple. Wait, couple? Noll was unsure how he didn't see it earlier. But he knew his brother, and Gene would never show affection to one girl when he already had loving feelings toward another. That meant that at the very least Gene definitely didn't have feelings for Mai. Noll glanced at the two as they attempted to disentangle themselves from each other.

Noll looked over to Mai to see if he could read what she may be feeling. But it was obvious that in that moment Mai was too focused on relaying everything that Sayuri had shared.

Something itched it's way in Noll's mind. It didn't really compute so he asked the couple the question that was perturbing him. "How did you two get out of the master bedroom by the way?"

Atsuko glared at Noll for asking what seemed to her an inconsequential question. "The door was open! It's not exactly rocket science to walk right through an open door!"

Gene suddenly remembered. Just before they both lost their eyesight the door slammed shot and locked them away. They were originally trapped just like Mai and Noll. He touched Atsuko's shoulder. "I know we must have forgotten because of our blindness. But we were originally locked up just like Mai and Noll."

"Just like all of us from what I can tell," Monk said as he walked into base.

"Did you just get released from the basement?" Noll asked Monk.

"Yeah, we fought tooth and nail to get out. But then suddenly just a minute ago the door opened on it's own."

"So, why were we released so early in comparison?" Gene asked aloud.

"Maybe because we were blind the spirit thought we weren't a threat?" Atsuko questioned.

"Wait, blind?"

Gene cringed and proceeded to explain to the rest about his bouts of blindness. Then Atsuko joined in on how she somehow tapped into his blindness herself. Just following this Mai proceeded to explain everything she had learned from Sayuri only moments ago.

Noll began to wonder if they were learning anything at all about this case. He had never had one with so many unanswered questions. He only hoped that when Sayuri told Mai she would try to give her answers that it meant Mai would have another dream. A dream of Mai's caliber would probably be the most beneficial in this situation.