8th -11th November 2015
As the Shibuya Psychic Research team, or SPR for short, enters the house for their seventh case in Japan they are greeted by other paranormal researchers including the legendary Doctor Davis. They move into a large dining room where everyone sits down, and they are briefed on the happenings in the house and the multiple disappearances of younger people. The group is warned never to wander alone. After a briefing, the group heads to the room where they will be setting up their equipment and recording and analyzing their data. As the groups got their assignments and left the room together only Naru and Lin were left together. Naru continued to plan the next day out as well so he could take the best course of action. Lin sat in his chair pulling a small silver hummingbird pin from his pocket and gazing at it while running his fingers across it. His mind began to drift away as his eyes glazed over reminiscing something that seemed so long ago.
16th May 2010
Lin watched Mei swaying to what he assumed was the music she hummed in her head as she often did. He smiled as the world seemed to slow around them and he approached her pulling her into a slow dance as she began to hum the music out loud. They both felt so at peace as if nothing could break into their world that only held them. He looked into her brown eyes as he thought he could stare into them forever and never get tired. His world started and ended with her he felt, never knowing home until he found himself in her arms. Knowing he would disregard his own life if he needed to save hers. He pressed his forehead to hers in an intimate gesture that brought them both comfort. She fluttered her eyelids pulling him into a soft kiss whispering a soft, “I love you” to which he returned with all sincerity.
Lin was pulled out of his memory when Naru called his name, “Lin, you’re not usually this distracted”, then Naru noticed the pin in Lin’s hand and spoke in a softer tone, “Thinking about her?” Lin replied with a nod of confirmation and put the pin away as everyone filtered back into the room. Mai along with the others reported their findings to Naru and Lin. Since the case was going to be more than one day Monk asked Mai if she wanted to phone home and let her folks know that she was not coming home. Mai told everyone that she did not need to since there was going to be no one home as she was orphaned at a young age. After that, the team was invited to a séance which resulted in several papers being filled with the message ‘please save me’ and a singular paper with ‘I don’t want to die’. As the séance concluded it left the group with more questions than answers. Being that it was so late SPR decided to turn in for the night and continue with their investigation in the morning. As Lin lay in bed his thoughts again began to wander to when his life was the happiest before slowly turning.
31st December 2011
Celebrating the New Year about to wring in was exciting for Mei. She never really celebrated anything growing up being that she grew up in a very strict household and her parents believed that the holidays were not worth wasting time on. She never tired of spending the holidays with Lin either. He was her breath of freedom and happiness, and she could never imagine a future where he was not in it. She wanted the night to be perfect for both of them. Her thoughts were suddenly shattered when she heard a crash and the breaking of glass.
Back at SPR headquarters with just Lin and Kazuya (Naru), they were wrapping up a case that Naru’s parents entrusted them with. Naru finishes sending the results of their case to his parents as Lin packs everything up and prepares to leave. They both walk to the car and get in. Naru asks Lin what his plans for tonight are and Lin smiles joyously knowing his wife plans to go all out as usual. “You know Mei, she loves to do the most on the holidays”, he replies and Naru laughs nodding in agreement. Lin drops Naru off and heads home and as he gets home, he sees flashing lights and sirens rush past him, and a sense of dread fills his gut rushing him to get home. He speeds up reaching the house that he shares with Mei quickly seeing the emergency vehicles stopped in front. He runs up to them trying to get through, desperate to get to his wife uncertain of her condition and whereabouts. Lin’s breath seems to be stuck in his chest when he sees her barely conscious form being wheeled out on a gurney. He sees the blood that stains the pretty pink and gold dress he bought her Christmas. She clutches a box in her hands that falls from her loosening grip and follows her into the ambulance, picking up the box that she was clinging to. She blinks rapidly shock filling her body as she begins to feel cold seeping into her limbs. She reaches out to Lin seeing him next to her with a heavy arm. Tears begin to fill her eyes as she mouths out her final ‘I love you’ to Lin. With hands connected, her breathing begins to slow, her eyes fluttering shut, and her wrist going limp. Lin could not contain the tears of anguish as the EMTs began CPR on Mei.
The scene changes in his dream to Lin moving around his house and collecting everything he could salvage. He looks to the corner of the room and sees Mei standing there. She looked in pain, holding her hands to her abdomen as blood seeped through. “Where were you? Why didn’t you save me? Lin… help me! It hurts so bad! It is your fault for not being there to save me!”
Lin awoke with a start panting and wiping the sweat from his forehead. Suddenly they hear a scream from the other room. Lin and Naru, who woke up because of the scream, made their way over with a cup of tea for Mai. Lin was thankful for the distraction. Mai told the team about the details of her dream and soon after they decided it was time to start their day. Lin conducted another séance with spirit summoning when a member of another psychic research team went missing. He was able to summon her, but she was terrified, and another evil spirit was around. Lin could not help but feel there was a third spirit around. One that was familiar to him but would not get close to him.
That evening all the psychic researchers decided that the job was too risky, and they would leave the mansion. As they were packing up and ready to leave a member of SPR named Masako went missing and Mai along with the rest of the crew were looking to rescue her. As they were retracing Mai’s dream, they reached a dead end and Mai was instructed to sleep to see if she could discover anything. Mai fell asleep and was guided by dream Naru to the room where Masako was being held. There she saw a woman wearing a pink and gold dress with long dark brown hair and brown eyes who was comforting Masako. Mai ran up to Masako and told her to hang on and they will find her soon before handing her a key. Mai woke up and let everyone know Masako was okay and that she had a spirit protecting her. Mai described the spirit and Lin’s eyes widened. Mai began running toward the room with Masako in it. Masako was sitting on the floor and Mai grabbed her and started pulling her out. Two hands appear through the wall and grab Mai holding her in place. As the other evil spirit known as Urado begins to close in on Mai, Mei appears in front of her and forces Urado back as Lin summons his Shiki to attack Urado. With Urado incapacitated for the time being the team escapes out of the house and Lin stares back at the house knowing he just saw his late wife. As the group catches their breath, they see the lady who protected Mai appear in front of Lin. Lin’s eyes shine with tears and she reaches out to touch his face smiling softly. She mouths ‘I love you’ to him and softly presses her forehead to his and he says it back to her. She then whispers in his ear, “Forgive yourself, I will always love you and I will always be watching over you.” She gives him a feather-light kiss on his cheek and then with a loving smile, she slowly disappears.
Lin gets up feeling the grief set in again but this time the weight of the guilt on his shoulders no longer being there. He pulls the pin out of his pocket tracing over it with his finger. He feels comfort in knowing that she will be waiting for him when it is time for him to go home.
