A/N: I thought I'd try writing in my old style since it's more suited to my current mood.

Disclaimer: All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.


A strong winter wind blows in on the crest of a roaring wave. An expanse of grey stretches before me, the heavens indistinguishable from the earth. The sound of the sea is a lonely thing and leaves a frigid tinge to my soul. There is nothing to console me in this moment of grief. Why had we come here if we couldn't save them? What gave us the right to promise them a solution to their troubles when we could only dash their hopes? There is nothing to console the grief of my own ineptitude.

Steady steps break me from my dark trance. The sound is faint, but it's that unmistakable slip of the earth as a sudden weight misplaces it. The unknown visitor draws nearer and the sand caves in around its trespasser, but those feet persevere. It can't be him, so there's no doubt who has come to find me. His presence is almost palpable as he stops behind me.

"Taniyama-san."

That's all he says. Everything else is left to be implied. I could attach any phrase or sentiment, but it wouldn't change the fact that this man has very little he wishes to convey to me.

"Did Naru send you to find me?"

Silence follows like a static. His words echo in my mind. Grow up and do your job. Why must he always be so cold?

"No."

The waves collapse against the shore, bursting through the suffocating silence. Again, the earth shifts and before I can grasp the situation, he's lowering himself onto the sand to sit beside me. The hem of his pants rise to expose his long dark socks. He's human just as I am. I should remember that.

"Naru's called in reinforcements."

"How long?"

"Tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Lin-san…"

I can't remember what I wanted to say. There's a heaviness gripping at my chest and my eyes prickle uncomfortably. I refuse to cry in this moment. If I did, it would only be from a sense of self-pity.

"I don't know why I keep trying. I can never reach him. His capabilities, his intellect, it's all beyond me. I'll never be able to live up to his standards."

That ever present pause ensues, punctuating his words.

"Neither of us can."

I shake my head. How dare he lump himself in with me.

"That isn't true. Both of you stand across an insurmountable void. I'm well aware of that fact."

"...I don't believe that."

"How can you not?"

Again, he pauses. He considers his words so carefully.

"I have my talents and you have yours… but he's unreachable in both regards."

Somehow, his words are comforting. Perhaps it's the knowledge that, even in silence, someone else shares my misery.

"How can we still look up to him when he puts this doubt inside of us?"

The waves respond with a crash, once, twice, then his thoughts spill out.

"Because, in the end, he's never let us down. He has that redeeming factor."

He looks at me and smiles gently.

"Isn't that the case?"

His smile takes ahold of me, pushing aside that grief, and I can't help but return the favor.

"It is, isn't it?"