Obsession 2

Chapter 17- Respect

Detective Crosby and I have decided to pack up and head back out to California. If we want to figure out how to get back to the place in my dream, I know Kai and Leo are the key to doing that. They've lived through this once before, achieving the outcome I so desperately want to achieve.

I haven't seen Sammy at all in the past four days, so I'm hoping nothing has happened to him. I'm not sure what, if anything, could even happen to him. He can't die, or at least, I hope that's the case. If I lose him now, I'll really be left with no one. Not a single family member on this entire continent.

"How much do you know about this Kai Sweeney kid?" Detective Crosby asks as he drives us along.

"Not a whole lot," I shrug. "I told you, I only met him when he heard about Sammy's case."

"Do you trust him?"

"I guess so. I mean, he hasn't given me a reason not to," I reply.

"Tell me about his experience with the curse."

"Well, from what I remember him telling me...he was infected the same way Sammy was- through a cursed object. He started off with flu-like symptoms, but then the fevers came along. He was in love with a girl...Mara, I think was her name. He was able to control himself for a while, but Mara started to get closer with another guy so Kai decided to make his feelings for her known. I guess the fever became too much to control and he hurt her. She was afraid of him after that and wanted nothing to do with him, but his obsession with her had grown so strong, he couldn't resist her. He says he ended up murdering Mara's mother during one of his rage-driven episodes. He kidnapped Mara, almost killed her, and her friends. Finally, he met Leo, Mara's boyfriend, who coincidentally, has roots in the Rokusai tribe as well. Somehow, Leo was able to talk him into surrendering his powers to save Mara. When he did, everything returned to normal, as if none of that ever happened. They both spoke about the same stone bridge I saw in my dream," I explain, holding up the printed article. "They saw it too."

"And when they saw the bridge, was it in a dream, or was it real?" he asks.

"It couldn't have been real. They weren't in Japan."

"So how do you get to a bridge that might possibly only be real in dreamland?" he asks with a bit of annoyance to his voice.

"I know this sounds unbelievable, but after what I've seen, I know it's the truth behind what's happening. I don't know how to get to this bridge. I still don't know just what significance this bridge even has in all this. I just know it's the right direction to go," I sigh, looking out the window.

The last time I made this trip, Sadie was with me. I hope she'll be okay while I'm gone. I know she doesn't need me watching over her every move, but I feel like Sammy will use her to get to me if he had to. The only reason I'm even willing to leave her is because I feel like if Sammy was going to hurt her, he would have done so already.

And he doesn't need Sadie to get to me. I know he knows what I'm up to. I can sense it, I can feel it. So I fully expect him to show up here in the next few days.

We arrive at Kai's house around eight o'clock in the morning. I texted him to let him know we were on our way last night and that one of the detectives in Sammy's case was coming with me this time. Since Crosby is a family friend, I'm hoping that means he'll at least consider helping me fix this instead of just hauling Sammy back to jail. After he's escaped so many times, you'd think he'd be begging for my help, yet it still seems as if he's still very skeptical.

"Kai, this is Detective Crosby from the Dallas Police Department. Detective, this is Kai Sweeney," I introduce them when Kai answers the door.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, detective," Kai smiles. "Please, come in."

He leads us back into the kitchen where Leo and Mara are sitting together at the table. Leo looks up at me and gives me a small smile.

"This is Leo and his wife Mara," I tell Detective Crosby. "They've lived through this nightmare before."

"Oh, I've been very curios to meet you Mrs. Mara. I've heard a lot about you," Crosby says, taking the seat at the table across from her.

Mara furrows her brows, looking from Leo to Crosby. "You...have?"

"I'm sure you've heard, we're currently looking for a suspect that's displaying the same symptoms that Kai once displayed. I understand you had some hand in helping him set things right."

"Oh, no. Not me, it was Leo. I woke up in a hospital and had no idea how I got there or what had been going on while I was out. It wasn't until months later that Leo filled me in. I don't remember anything about what happened so I probably won't be of any help to you," she answers.

"No one, other than Kai and myself, remember the events of those three months," Leo adds. "But I'll be happy to answer whatever questions you may have."

"I think Michael has given me most of the information. What I'm most interested in is how you stopped the curse, or set things right," Detective Crosby says, looking between Kai and Leo.

They share and look and Kai nods. Leo takes a deep breath. "Well...I guess I will start by saying we had no idea what we were doing at the time. Suddenly, we were just...transported to this place...it was dark and...foggy. There was an old stone bridge, but it started to crumble as we went across it. Kai almost fell into the pit below, but I was able to save him. Once I pulled him over the ledge, something...happened...I can't explain it, but it got really bright for a few seconds, so bright, I couldn't keep my eyes open. The bridge was repaired and there was a crowd of people, but...we couldn't see any of their faces. They were like...shadows, I guess. They spoke to Kai in Japanese, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. Kai took my hand and raised it into the air, then all of a sudden, we're standing in the middle of a field back in Anaheim, not far from Mara's house. She was there, lying on the ground, unconscious. We took her to the hospital and it was there that Kai explained to me what happened," Leo says, looking over to Kai.

"At first, I had no idea what was happening. Mara's mother, whom I accidentally murdered weeks before all this, she was at the hospital to see Mara. It was like those three months never took place at all. The last thing Mara remembered was Leo asking her on a date, a date that she originally turned down. However, after what happened at the bridge, everything started over again and this time, Mara chose Leo. They've been together ever since," Kai says.

"That's a lovely story, but I feel like you're leaving out some major details. If you murdered someone, how did they just come back to life?" Detective Crosby asks.

"I don't know," Kai shrugs. "I can't give you answers, all I can do is give you hope. If it happened that way for me, it could happen that way for Sammy too."

"And if it does, then none of this will even be remembered," I tell Detective Crosby. "It will be like nothing ever happened."

"Sounds too good to be true," he says, still suspicious.

"It is," Mara answers. "But I know that's what happened, even if no one else believes it. Leo would never lie to me, and I guess...part of me still holds those memories somewhere in my mind. When Leo told me what happened, I could picture it easily, like I was there. Because...I was. I don't remember my mother dying, but I remember the sadness and despair I felt during that time."

"So if we want to recreate this scenario, what would we do? What were the two of you doing at the time you were transported to this bridge?" Detective Crosby asks, using air quotes.

Leo scoffs and rolls his eyes. "We were fighting. Kai was trying to take Mara again and I stopped him. I can't tell you how it happened, but all of a sudden, we weren't in...California anymore. I saw the bridge, and I saw it crumble."

"I almost fell off the ledge, but Leo caught me and pulled me over. That's when the bridge seemed to...reassemble itself," Kai adds.

We all freeze and look around when we hear a strange noise coming from outside.

"You're not expecting anyone, are you?" Detective Crosby asks Kai as he walks over to the window to peek out.

"No, no one-"

I jump back when the window shatters and glass goes everywhere. Leo grabs Mara and uses his own body to shield her, while Kai and I duck behind the counter.

Detective Crosby takes his gun from his holster and c***s it before opening the kitchen door that leads outside. I hesitantly creep behind him. I'm almost positive it's Sammy.

 I stay behind Crosby's large frame as we move down the steps and into the carport area next to the house. I don't see anyone, but Sammy wouldn't make things so easy for us.

All of a sudden, Crosby comes to a screeching halt. I watch on in horror as he's lifted up by his throat. I follow the arm of his assailant, expecting to see Sammy's dark, soulless eyes. But it's not Sammy. I have no idea who this guy is.

"You're snooping around in the wrong place, big guy," the man growls.

As I study his face, I can tell he's Japanese, in full or at least, in part. Which means he's probably under the same curse Sammy and I are under. And in order for me to be of any help to Crosby, I've got to use the powers of the curse to my advantage. 

I close my eyes and try to think of Sadie, but all of the shouting is distracting me. Leo and Kai are standing at the door, calling out to me and asking what's going on, while Crosby is gasping for breath as this crazy monster takes him to the brink of death.

I've got to do something. Now.

I close my eyes again, this time, forcing myself to concentrate on Sadie. I think of what I would do to her if she was here with me right now. I think of how soft her skin would be, how her lips would taste, what it would be like to finally be with her again after so long.

And then I feel the heat rapidly roll over me. It courses through my veins, taking over one limb at a time. I move around Crosby and kick the man's legs out from underneath him, sending him falling to the ground, and Crosby too.

The man quickly and effortlessly jumps to his feet and begins to circle me like a tiger stalking its prey. Crosby struggles to his feet, but I notice his gun a few feet away, out of his reach. Unfortunately, this guy seems to notice it too.

"Listen, buddy...there's no need to be hostile. Just tell us why you're here," I say, trying to reason with him.

"I know what you're doing," he says, with a thick Japanese accept. "And I'm here to stop you."

"That's funny since I don't even know what I'm doing. How are you supposed to stop me?" I ask him.

"By killing you," he shrugs.

"What if you can't?" I ask, squaring up with him.

"Trust me, all I have to do is keep you away from the source of your strength for long enough. After that, you'll be useless."

"The source of my strength?" I ask in confusion.

"He's different," Kai says, appearing next to me. "He doesn't have the same source of strength that we do. You won't be able to keep him from it."

"You," the man growls at Kai. "You're the one that started all this. You're the one who will ruin everything!"

"Ruin what?" I ask.

"Some of us don't want this to be over," the man goes on. "Some of us...know what this kind of power can do. We could take over the whole world and no one could stop us. Why wouldn't you want that?"

"Because some of the lives lost were lives that meant a lot to some people," Kai answers. "And I had to make things right."

"Don't you realize we could rule the entire planet with this kind of power? So what if a few people pay the price? They're just casualties," the man scoffs.

"My mother was no casualty," Mara seethes, trying to come after the man, but Leo restrains her.

He licks his lips at the sight of her. "Mmm, you look like you would taste good. And you're lactating too? Yum."

"If you touch her, I swear to God-"

"What will you do, huh?" he smirks, cutting Leo off. "You're all just a bunch of do-good Hikari. You don't know anything about power, only respect. Respect will only get you so far though."

"And where will Yami get you, huh?" a familiar voice says from behind me.

I turn around and gasp when I see Sammy.