Mai's Travel Case
Summary: Mai's been going to the bathroom quite a lot and Lin wonders why…until he finds the answer, that is.
Pairings: Vague, very vague, LinxMai.
Challenge fic for Daisuke-chan on livejournal.
Many thanks to my beta-reader TitianWren—who got this back to me in one day. Don't forget to leave her sweets, as always. Hey look! I spelled your name right-- didn't I?
Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt. Right now, that's bad because Lin can kill me when he reads this. ::sigh:: Someone kick me…
………
That, Lin thought, watching Mai get up from her desk and hobble (literally hobble) into the bathroom, is the fifth time she's used the restroom in the last hour and a half.
From where his desk was, he could see everything. He had no idea what ailed the girl. Whatever it was, this was its third day. He'd also caught her doubled over, clutching her stomach and breathing heavily, her face wracked with pain. She'd taken to drinking copious amounts of water or tea and was rarely seen without either, or both, on her desk. She wasn't eating much, either; she was thin enough as it was—she couldn't really afford to not eat.
Lin watched the girl exit the bathroom and totter back to her desk. She sat down and slumped forward in the chair, resting her forehead on the cool wood, completely ignoring the work Naru had told her to do earlier.
Is she looking for attention? Lin wondered. No, that couldn't be it. A few days ago, Naru scolded her for being late and then ordered her to bring him his customary cup of tea when she first walked in. She snarled right back that if he wanted tea, he could damn well make it himself. She then turned and walked out, stating that her tardiness had been unavoidable—and, oh, that he was the biggest jerk in the world. She'd completed her tirade by slamming the door so hard upon her exit that it was a wonder the glass window didn't fall and break. Lin was glad it hadn't; he hated dispelling bad luck.
Mai's temperament had always been mercurial, Lin knew; anger and tears one minute, sunny smiles and laughter the next. As annoying as Lin found it, he had to admit that it was like a breath of fresh air—especially with Naru's dour disposition, which was constant. But her mood lately… if Lin didn't know better he'd have thought she was pregnant.
That thought made him turn cold and he shook himself mentally. Taniyama-san is an orphan and just getting by as it is. She wouldn't be foolish enough to get herself pregnant with no means of support. And he knew her well enough to know that if she were pregnant, giving up the child for adoption was out of the question.
She's not pregnant, he told himself. Whatever's affecting her is something else. He shook his head. Why doesn't she just go to the doctor? There's a hospital right near the entrance of her school. It occurred to the Chinese man that she might have already done that and whatever was wrong was nothing of concern—nor could the hospital do anything for her. Picking up his cup, he carried it to the kitchenette and set it in the sink; he would wash it later, seeing that Mai was all but comatose. The only thing that assured him that she was alive was her steady, if labored breathing.
Deciding to take advantage of the bathroom being temporarily empty, Lin slipped in to do his business. Really, he'd never seen the girl take so many bathroom breaks! Usually when she was at the office, she tended to do whatever work was assigned to her, taking minimal breaks. Something at the sink caught his eye. It was a small, black travel case for makeup and whatnot. He wondered if Matsuzaki-san had left it behind when she'd come by earlier. After all, the priestess hardly went anywhere without her makeup. Really, just how did the office of Shibuya Psychic Research turn into a miniature country club everyday? It was because of Mai, he realized. Now more than ever the other members that they often contacted for help with various cases came by to check up on her. Ever since they learned that she was an orphan, he thought.
Drying his hands, he picked the small case up and opened it. His eyes widened and he felt a faint flush stain his cheeks. With slow, deliberate motions, he closed the bag. No use pretending I didn't see the contents. She probably doesn't even know she left it in the bathroom. But it does make sense. Stomach cramps, back aches, headaches—I've seen her massage her forehead more than once in the past couple of days; hobbling around, not eating, mercurial temperament…why doesn't she just take something to alleviate her symptoms? Thinking back, Lin wondered why he hadn't made the connection before… or previously at all. Surely this wasn't the first time he'd seen this—this time just seemed worse. Maybe it was due to the hot weather. Is there anything in here to help her, he wondered, opening it again and taking a quick glance around. Nope, nothing. Making a decision, Lin zipped the case back up, pocketed it, exited the bathroom, and headed back to the kitchen.
He quitted it a few minutes later and made his way over to Mai's desk. He set down a box of peppermint tea and large, cold glass filled with a light, amber-colored liquid that fizzed constantly. Naru wouldn't be happy that Lin was giving away tea—but the young president of SPR didn't like peppermint anyhow. Besides, this was in his best interest—both of their best interests, really. As soon as Mai got better, Naru would stop sulking and Lin would actually be able to use the bathroom—he hoped.
"Taniyama-san," he said, shaking her shoulder gently.
She lifted her head and looked at him through pain filled eyes. "Lin-san?" she whispered. "Do you need me to make you a cup of tea?" she asked, preparing to stand and hobble to the kitchen.
"No, thank you," he told her. He nodded to the glass. "Drink," he said.
"Eh? What is it?" she asked, picking it up and taking a tentative sip. Ginger ale, she thought, fighting off a sneeze and failing spectacularly.
"You'll find that ginger ale often works better than black tea or water if your stomach is upset; peppermint and ginger tea will also help. Walking around will ease your stomach cramps. Why don't you take something?" he asked curiously.
"I can't," she said miserably. Mai didn't bother wondering how Lin-san had found out. It was probably painfully obvious. "When my period first started back in middle school, I took so much Tylenol that my body got used to it."
And therefore, it didn't work. "Try ibuprofen or naproxen," he told her. "If you can get just a bit of food in you, you should be unaffected by either."
She stared at him.
"Does it surprise you to know that I occasionally get headaches?" he asked.
Her eyes traveled to Naru's closed office door. "Not really," she responded, turning back to him.
A faint smirk graced his lips for a moment. "Finish the ginger ale and go home. Take the tea with you. When you make it, do not put any sugar or honey in it—drink it plain; it will taste bitter, yes, but it will help."
She nodded once again and began to sip the soda until she'd drained the glass. "Thank you," she said, smiling at the Chinese man.
"You're welcome," he replied, picking up the glass and preparing to return to the kitchen. He pulled her small travel case from his pocket. "Oh, Taniyama-san?" he said.
"Hmm?" She looked up at him.
"You left this in the bathroom," he told her, handing her the small case. "A good thing I found it, no?"
She turned scarlet. Lin smirked and headed back into the kitchen to wash the dishware. Who said revenge was a dish best served cold? He rather liked his beet red.
End.
A/N: Well, Lin seems to be a veritable well of information; spells, curses, Shoukan, Shiki, and tips on how to feel better.
But in case anyone's interested, peppermint and ginger are indeed natural remedies that help ease stomach aches and pains—not necessarily limited to menstrual aches and pains. Naproxen and ibuprofen are—as everyone hopefully knows—pain relievers and fever reducers. Tylenol, as I hope everyone knows is also a pain reliever/ fever reducer, but different from either ibuprofen or naproxen. Encyclopedias are wonderful things, aren't they?