Maybe it's time to let go of your grudges. Mai/Naru drabble-ish oneshot; set during episode sixteen.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plots shown in Ghost Hunt.
AN: Set in episode 16. Pulled some dialogue off of it, as it takes place in the middle of the scene.
Admittance
He was frustrated. The case was somehow even more unsuccessful than before. Things were going wrong even before, but now? It was a mess. He hated not being in control over his situations. This was no exception.
"Come on, Lin, we've got work to do," he said in his usual bossy tone. There was too much to be done at once. The investigation was all over the school now. He drifted off to another corridor, on his way to the biology room.
He was concentrating on piecing together theories when it stopped him: a distinct crash, followed by a scream, piercing his thoughts and scorching his mind. "No!"
Something in his chest tugged. His breathing became rugged, and his steps became sprinted strides, running as fast as he possibly could to the nurse's office. She had gotten into some mess of trouble again, the idiot.
Through the twisting hallways he ran, not stopping for breath until he was in front of the door. He yanked it open and was greeted with a strange sight- the floor had fallen inward on itself. He looked down and saw her, clinging to the wall desperately.
"Mai! What the... What happened here?" he demanded.
"I don't know! There was a loud sound and everything started shaking... and the next thing I knew I was down here!"
There was definitely a note of panic in her voice. He leaned down and offered her a hand, hers clammy and cold in his warm one. Just as he was pulling her to safety, though-
There was a horrible sound like ripping into a rock. His eyes widened while looking at her. He wasn't going to let that happen. He looked up at the ceiling and saw it cracking around the edges, surely to fall in. The spirits were getting stronger no doubt, and they had it in for them. He gripped her hand a little tighter, and it started to crack.
"NARU!" Mai shrieked.
He ducked down over her just in time, throwing himself back up on top of her to take the force of the collapse. It thudded on him dully and painfully, and he felt his back was going to break, but he didn't let go of Mai. It was reckless, throwing himself in to save her, but that wasn't what was important.
She was unconscious. He held onto her as he heard footsteps rushing into the hallway. He could hear Ayako shouting for her. "Mai? Mai? Are you alright? Can you hear me? Answer me!"
He straightened his back a little as he felt Mai come to. "We're fine!" he yelled, and the team came rushing in behind him.
Mai turned up to look at him, and he let his rigid posture relax so she could turn around. When she saw him, no doubt she could see the concern etched in his eyes and all over his face, because her face burned red and she gave out a little yelp. Immature, he scoffed internally, but it was definitely a relief to see her okay.
"You know, you two are lucky you weren't seriously injured," Ayako's voice rang through base. "I'd expect you to be more cautious, Naru. The fact that you're walking away with only scratches is a miracle."
He heard himself give some excuse about weak beams to her to shut her up, but his mind was drifting over to the girl being doted over on the opposite end of the room.
He remembered the feeling of horror he'd had when he saw her down there and he tried to push it away. Had se really seen him so worried about her? No, he shook his head slightly. She's a moron, keeps getting into awful situations by herself.
But at the same time, he felt red creep up his neck onto his face. She had been really close to him. And she looked so distressed. He couldn't just leave her there...
With a jolt he realized that he couldn't push it back any longer; slowly, he was falling for that girl.
With a mental slap he stood up and shook the uncharacteristic and silly thoughts away. Now wasn't the time for these frivolous matters.
Not that he'd ever admit it to her, anyway.