A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews. I want to say that I do have a plot for this story, so it does have a set ending already. I was originally going to post this in three long chapters, but that's looking unfeasible at this point. I just want to work on a chapter long enough to feel comfortable with it so that I don't end up regretting what's been posted. Anyway, please enjoy. Reviews are appreciated.
Disclaimer: All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.
"Do you want to go out tonight?" Mai asked.
Lin sighed inwardly. They had been dating for nearly two months now and had already been on numerous dates. Dinner, movies, festivals and a whole slew of events full of crowds of people. He was starting to get fed up with it.
"No," he replied tonelessly as he continued to type.
Mai frowned at his response. She wondered if she had done something wrong. Was he getting tired of her already? She had to admit he never seemed thrilled on their dates, but he had never refused until now.
"What's wrong?" she questioned timidly, fearing the answer.
"Nothing," he replied. "I just don't feel like going anywhere tonight."
Mai paused hesitantly. She wasn't sure how to deal with him at the moment. If he didn't want to spend time with her tonight, then maybe he just needed some space. For all she knew, he could be suffocating from all the time they were spending together. She didn't want to be the clingy girlfriend type.
"I guess I'll see you on Monday, then," she replied as she began to turn to leave.
Lin quickly turned towards her.
"Wait," he said, grabbing her hand. "What do you mean you'll see me Monday?"
"You said you didn't want to do anything with me tonight," she reminded him. "So, I'll see you after the weekend."
Lin frowned at her misinterpretation of his words.
"That's not what I said," he protested. "I just don't want to go anywhere."
"So then, what does that mean?" she asked.
Lin sighed deeply. He stood up and closed the door to the resource room to give them some privacy.
"Mai," he said gently, "please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm finding dating to be more difficult than I thought it would be."
Mai swallowed uneasily. She could feel her hands start to shake, so she pressed them firmly to her side.
"Does that mean you want to break up?" she questioned.
Lin's eyes widened in surprise.
"Of course not," he insisted. "I'm just not enjoying the crowds. I thought we could spend some time alone instead."
Mai sighed in relief and unconsciously released the tension from her shoulders.
"You should have said that first," she admonished.
She sighed again and sat heavily in the chair he had just vacated.
"The things you put me through," she complained as she lightly held her stomach. "I think I might have an ulcer."
Lin looked at her doubtfully, but didn't comment.
"What?" she asked.
"I don't think you have an ulcer," he said calmly.
"So unapologetic," she muttered woefully.
Lin gently sighed.
"Are you going to let me get anymore work done?" he inquired.
Mai hung her head.
"A beautiful girl sitting right in front of you and all you can do is think about work," she complained.
Lin gave her a wry smile.
"I'm thinking about work," he emphasized, "so I can leave soon and hold that beautiful girl."
He then lightly pulled her from his chair and took her place.
"Now leave me alone for a little while," he told her as he went back to typing.
She frowned at his brush off, but did as he asked. Things would go faster if she didn't bother him right now.
"Fine," she replied sulkily before leaving.
She headed back out to the main office and sat at one of the desks. She supposed it would be at least another hour before Lin considered himself finished with work for the day, so she decided to study.
As she was pulling out her coursework, Naru entered the main office.
"Mai, you can go home now," he told her.
"Oh, I was going to wait for Lin-san," she replied.
Naru frowned.
"What for?" he asked.
Mai hesitated. She was supposed to keep their relationship private, but she had spoken without thinking. She wondered what she should say to cover up her mistake.
"Oh, umm, we were just going to hang out," she answered.
Naru looked at her skeptically.
"Hang out with Lin?" he questioned. "Why?"
Mai nervously played with the edge of her book.
"Why not?" she said with a shrug.
Naru was about to reply when he was interrupted.
"It isn't a problem, is it?" came Lin's voice.
Naru looked over his shoulder at him.
"No," he replied, "but I didn't think you two had anything in common."
Lin tilted his head slightly in thought. Did they have anything in common?
"Well, perhaps not," he conceded, "but at least I buy her dinner."
Mai scowled at his comment. He was in for it later. She didn't know whether or not he had said that to divert Naru's attention from her, but she didn't like it either way.
"I'm not a charity case," she muttered angrily.
Naru looked back towards her and smirked. He couldn't resist the temptation to tease her.
"I almost forgot Lin had a soft spot for charity cases," he remarked.
Mai gave him an icy glare.
"Then that must be why he follows you like a shadow," she retorted.
Naru shrugged and grabbed his coat from the coat rack.
"Must be," he replied before walking out the door.
There was a long pause following Naru's departure. Lin considered that he might have said the wrong thing. He stared at Mai, but she refused to look at him. After several long, uncomfortable moments, he finally decided it was time to speak.
"I… decided I've accomplished enough for the day," he said somewhat hesitantly.
"Is that so?" Mai asked shortly.
Lin slightly frowned. By the tone of her voice, he could tell she was definitely upset, which was slightly frustrating for him. All he had wanted to do was wrap up work so they could spend a quiet evening together. But things were never that easy. He couldn't understand why things between them seemed to only get more difficult the longer they dated. He wanted everything to just be fine.
"Did you want to pick up something to eat on the way back to your place?" he asked, trying for normalcy.
"Fine," Mai responded flatly as she stood up to pack her things.
Although she said that, Lin knew, at this moment, nothing was fine. She was definitely in a mood. Even so, he felt strongly compelled to hold her. So, he calmly walked over and gently wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin atop her head.
"Don't be mad," he told her.
Mai stopped what she was doing.
"Don't tell me not to be mad," she replied. "I have every right to be."
Lin softly exhaled.
"You know I didn't mean it," he tried to reason with her. "Besides, what about what you said."
"I meant it," she snapped. "You follow Naru around like a puppy and you have plenty in common, so maybe you should date him instead."
Lin was quiet for a moment. He knew they agreed to no intimacy at the office, but being this close to her made him feel slightly elated and he couldn't help himself. He lowered his lips to her neck.
"He doesn't make me feel the way you do," he told her quietly as he kissed her skin.
Mai's eyes gently fluttered shut and she had to suppress a sigh. She wondered how he could affect her so easily. Even so, she wasn't going to give in yet. Discreetly taking a steadying breath, Mai spoke up.
"If you think that's going to make everything better, you're wrong," she informed him.
Lin laughed, causing a tickling sensation against Mai's skin. She attempted to remain still and managed a decent job of it.
"You're so stubborn," he mumbled into the crook of her neck.
"You have no room to talk," she countered, her mood softening somewhat.
Lin smiled at her remark and she could feel it against her skin. She desperately wanted to see that smile.
"That's one thing we have in common," he joked.
Mai sighed deeply in exasperation.
"The only thing we have in common," she corrected.
"Don't hold a grudge over that," he stated calmly. "Why does it even matter whether or not we have anything in common?"
Mai sighed again. Why did it matter? It usually wouldn't, but she was feeling insecure in their relationship recently.
"We might get tired of each other," she answered, feigning indifference. She was unwilling to fully admit her insecurity.
Lin reflexively tightened his hold around her. He wasn't quite sure if he was trying to comfort her or himself.
"I can't speak for you," he commented, "but personally, I don't find that likely. At least, not in my case."
He had a slight doubt whether she could put up with him for much longer, but he tried not to linger over the thought.
"You got tired of our dates," Mai pointed out.
Lin closed his eyes and rested the side of his head against hers. He was certainly tired of arguing. It only served to increase his doubts and he hated feeling inadequate for her.
"I got tired of other people," he corrected. "Now turn around and kiss me."
"Why should I?" she asked.
"Because we've made up now," he replied evenly.
Mai squeezed her eyes tightly shut, attempting to resist the temptation to turn around and do exactly as he told her. Fights weren't supposed to end so easily she told herself. She wanted him to at least apologize.
"Maybe you shouldn't come over," she finally replied.
Lin opened his eyes and frowned. He certainly didn't like that suggestion. He hadn't realized the issue was so serious.
"Is that what you want?" he asked.
When Mai remained silent, he swallowed uneasily. He hoped he hadn't ruined things between them.
"Mai," he said quietly, "I'm sorry I said we didn't have anything in common. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I love spending time with you."
Mai turned to face him.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.
"Of course," he insisted. "Do you honestly think I would have suffered through all those dates if I didn't enjoy your company?"
Mai looked at him reproachfully.
"You almost managed a proper apology," she responded.
Lin briefly paused. He knew there was something else on her mind, but he wasn't sure what.
"You've been on my case all week about apologizing," he remarked. "What is this really about?"
Mai hesitated for a moment.
"You've just been really distant lately," she noted. "And you've been acting a little harsh."
Lin silently considered her words. Perhaps he was being a little distant, but was it really anymore than usual? He sighed and took Mai's hands into his.
"First of all, that's just my personality," he stated. "And secondly, I'll admit I was a bit moody after spending so much time around strangers. But I truly am sorry."
Mai quietly looked down and nodded. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't exactly fault him for his personality. He was just a closed off individual. Forcing him to be otherwise wouldn't help matters.
"Do you think you can still put up with me?" he asked after a few moments.
Mai quickly looked up at him in surprise. She wondered if he was feeling insecure, too. Were her actions causing him undue concern?
"I'll admit it's been a little difficult," she told him, "but I like being with you. I'm sorry if I've given you any doubt of that."
Lin was glad she had said that. It made him truly realize the reason for his behavior.
"I have had some doubts," he confessed. "I know I'm difficult, but you mean a lot to me. I was worried about the health of our relationship and it made me withdraw somewhat."
Mai sighed. This relationship was difficult for the both of them. The fact that they were complete opposites didn't help matters. But she at least thought it was worth it. If only they weren't so closed off because of their fears.
"Maybe it's a vain hope," she mused aloud, "but I wish we could communicate our feelings more easily. I think it would save us a lot of heartache."
Lin realized that he wasn't as opposed to the idea as he thought he would be. This entire situation was truly new for him.
"I don't think it's a vain hope," he admitted. "I often wonder what you're thinking, so I'm willing to speak my mind more if you are."
Once again, Mai was surprised by his words and looked at him in shock. Lin gently laughed.
"Is it really so strange that I'd want to express myself to you?" he asked.
"Definitely," Mai nodded. "Although, I'll admit you do talk more now that we're in a relationship."
"I'm sure you would have quickly tired of me if I didn't," he replied.
Mai smiled.
"You're also a lot funnier," she remarked. "You have a good sense of humor. Well, maybe you sometimes laugh at weird moments, but that's okay."
"It's easier to relax around you now," he admitted.
"Did I make you uncomfortable before?" Mai wondered.
Lin nodded.
"Absolutely," he confessed. "I never knew what to say to you. It made me a little nervous whenever we were alone."
Mai tilted her head to the side. She found that interesting. It was exactly how she used to feel. She couldn't help laughing.
"I felt the same way," she admitted. "It gave me so much anxiety being left alone with you and not knowing what to say."
"Two peas in pod," Lin commented.
"Huh?" Mai asked.
"You and I, we're very alike," he clarified.
As Mai opened her mouth to reply, their stomachs growled in unison.
"Maybe we are," Mai laughed. "Let's pick something up to eat somewhere, then we can spend the rest of the night alone together."
Lin nodded, pleased with the idea.
"I'm ready whenever you are," he announced.
When Mai finished packing up, she briefly grabbed Lin's hand. She squeezed it gently and gave him a warm smile before releasing it and heading to the door.
Lin felt his heart flutter and found himself wishing he could continue to hold her hand. But even if they weren't keeping their relationship private, it wasn't appropriate to hold hands in public in Japan.
Still, he wondered if Mai would be open to the idea. He quickly shook the thought from his head. Perhaps spending so much time in England had a detrimental affect on his Asian modesty or perhaps Mai just made him a little reckless.
"Koujo," Mai called from the door, "are you coming or not?"
Lin nodded and followed her to the door. He turned out the lights and locked up.
On the way back to Mai's apartment, they stopped for take out. During dinner the pair were quiet. Mai was used to talking with friends during a meal, but she knew Lin just preferred to eat. It didn't bother her too much anymore since she knew they could talk afterwards. Or perhaps something more enjoyable she hoped.
After dinner, Lin helped Mai clean up the table. They made tea and returned to the small living room, which also functioned as Mai's bedroom during the night. Mai was slightly disappointed that Lin chose to sit on the opposite side of the table, but she was excited to talk about more personal things now that they were alone.
They sipped tea for a couple of minutes before Mai finally found the courage to ask her question.
"So, what's your family like?" Mai asked timidly.
She at least knew, unlike her, that he had family, but she was still nervous asking about them.
Lin stared at Mai for a few moments. He really wished that hadn't been her first question. He didn't want to talk about his family for various reasons.
"Well..." he began, "my parents are… strict and levelheaded. My younger brother is..."
"You have a younger brother?" Mai interrupted.
Lin nodded.
"He's set to inherit the family business..."
"What!?" Mai exclaimed. "Your family owns a business?"
She couldn't believe she didn't know these things about him.
"Mai..." Lin sighed. "Can we please not talk about my family."
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know it bothered you to talk about them."
Lin frowned slightly. It didn't necessarily bother him to talk about his family. He just didn't want to think about his family in relation to Mai. He wholeheartedly believed Mai was a wonderful person, but his family held certain unavoidable prejudices, which would cause them to dislike her and he didn't enjoy being reminded of that.
"How is university going?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Mai shrugged.
"It's harder than high school," she admitted, "but I'm doing fine so far."
Silence descended between them and Mai couldn't believe she was feeling awkward again right after they had talked about being comfortable around each other now. She tried to think of a safe topic. Something he would enjoy talking about.
"So…" she hazard, "any news on that prototype from the guys at the lab?"
Mai had heard him talk about it with Naru not too long ago. It had something to do with decreasing the margin of error between their cameras and measuring equipment.
Lin immediately perked up at her question. He looked genuinely pleased that she had asked.
"The new timing system is amazing," he stated. "We switched from the old analogue wirewound delay lines to the quartz glass waveguide type. We can get incredibly accurate timing delays, which allows us to perfectly sync the phase alternating line on all cameras. It automatically corrects phase errors in the transmission of the signals by canceling them out. At the cost of vertical frame color resolution, of course."
"A quartz what?" Mai asked in confusion.
"A quartz glass waveguide," Lin explained. "It functions to delay the video signal thus allowing differences in clock pulses to be minimized. With this we can achieve perfect video synchronization. Now that our receivers are using the quartz delay lines..."
To say that Mai was a little lost was an understatement. Lin was using a lot of terminology that she just wasn't familiar with. Even so, she enjoyed watching him as he talked enthusiastically. His enthusiasm was definitely appreciated, but she knew he was having a total geek moment and didn't think he would stop talking anytime soon.
She wondered just how long he would really go on. She honestly loved when he talked, but she also loved when he did other things. And now that they were alone in her apartment, she wanted those other things. The only question was how to derail his detailed commentary on timers and video streams. She had an idea, and even though she thought it might be a little silly, she knew it would at least shift his attention to her.
Rising halfway, she slowly climbed atop the table and began to crawl across on her hands and knees. She attempted to be as agile as a cat. Lin stopped talking and looked at her questioningly.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Trying to seduce you," she said quietly as she stopped directly in front of him.
She kneeled before him on the table and reached out to wrap her arms around him. Before she realized what was happening, though, the table began to wobble as she overbalanced it. She went tumbling forward and Lin quickly caught her, but he unexpectedly fell backwards onto the floor.
When his back hit the solid wood, with the added weight of Mai falling on top of him, his breath forcefully left his mouth in a light puff. The clatter of their empty teacups could be heard as they rolled along the floor.
Mai lifted her head, brushing the hair from her face. She looked at Lin sheepishly and he stared back.
"Did I succeeded?" she asked.
Lin couldn't help chuckling lightly.
"You don't have to do much to succeed in the first place," he informed her.
Mai smiled gently at him.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "did I hurt you?"
"I'm fine," he said calmly.
Mai gave him a knowing look.
"I truly am fine," he reassured her as he sat up.
He readjusted Mai so that she sat comfortably on his lap, then gently rested his hands on her hips.
"Was I boring you?" he asked warmly, enjoying the feel of her body against him.
"No, I just missed having you hold me," she explained.
"If that's the case," Lin replied, "then I'll finish our discussion—"
"Hey!" Mai exclaimed. "That discussion was too technical!"
Lin laughed lightly.
"I think you can handle it," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her.
He pulled her closer until their noses were barely touching and leaned his forehead against hers. He released a gentle sigh. Being so close to her produced a calming effect over his entire body. It was inexplicable. There was just something about the way she made him feel. He had never felt it before.
He was suddenly broken from his state of drowsy contentment as Mai began to play with his necktie.
"What are you doing now?" he asked as he pulled back slightly.
"Seducing you," she murmured as she slowly, tantalizingly undid his tie.
His pupils dilated, causing Mai to smile with satisfaction. Despite the quick start to their relationship, they hadn't progressed far in terms of intimacy, but she still knew the less obvious signs of his arousal. She had gotten used to seeing them whenever they shared a few brief kisses in her doorway at the end of a night out. He always had a hard time staying in control and the fact that she could drive the all too often stoic man out of his senses so easily made her very pleased.
He was having much of the same effect on her as he ran his hands up her back. She loved when he touched her like this. It almost caused her to stop in her task, but she managed to finish.
"Kiss me," Lin murmured as Mai threw his tie aside.
She gently took his face into her hands. He stared at her intently as she caressed his skin with her thumbs. They jointly felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness fill their bodies and wondered where these feelings had suddenly surfaced from after all these years. Had they always been there?
Mai ignored the questions in her mind and gently kissed Lin. He slowly breathed in through his nose and pulled her closer, wanting every part of her pressed against him. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders in order to decrease the space between their bodies.
Their kiss quickly grew heated to the point that it became hard to breathe. Mai pulled back panting and attacked the buttons on Lin's shirt. One went flying as she attempted to release him from the fabric.
"Oops…" she giggled. "Sorry."
Lin lightly grunted, not caring at the moment. They could deal with that later. He pulled Mai back towards him, pulling off her shirt before kissing along her collarbone. He gently exhaled at the feel of her soft skin against his lips.
The sensation of his warm breath made Mai shiver and her hips jerked involuntarily. This movement created an unbelievably pleasant friction between them, causing the pair to moan in unison.
With the pleasure clouding his brain, Lin couldn't control his next actions. He lifted Mai from his lap none too gently and pinned her to the floor as he ensconced himself between her thighs. He captured her mouth once again, loving the feel of her warm, pliant lips against his.
He knew he was losing control, but Mai was driving him mad with the way she trailed her hands down his body. When she finally reached his belt and began to unfasten it, he knew he had to stop her, but it took all his willpower to reign himself back in.
"Wait a moment," he insisted as he pulled back.
Mai didn't heed his words. Instead, she reached into his pants and cupped his erection.
He gasped and grabbed ahold of her arms, pinning them above her head.
"Mai," he said firmly, "wait a moment."
Mai frowned up at him.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
He softly exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. He had so many reservations about this. He couldn't just take her virginity. Especially not when he knew he could never marry her. This thought again made him wonder what the point of them being together was.
"It's just..." he faltered.
"Been awhile since you touched yourself?" she asked.
Lin frowned.
"That's not it at all," he replied.
"Then what is it?" she questioned.
"I just think we're moving too fast," he said, sharing his thoughts with her.
Mai sighed in frustration. This was the furthest they had gone since they started dating. She wanted more though.
"Why can't you ever just throw caution to the wind and act on impulse?" she questioned. "I want to experience these things with you."
"We only just started dating," Lin objected.
"It's already been seven weeks," Mai argued.
"That's not that long," he countered.
"I don't understand what's holding you back," she said with earnest. "You want to have sex with me, don't you?"
"Of course I do," he insisted. "Couldn't you tell?"
"I could," she acknowledged. "So then, why can't we have sex?"
"I'm not saying sex is completely out of the question," he replied. "I'm just saying we should seriously consider the consequences."
"Like what?" she asked.
Lin softly exhaled.
"The loss of your virginity for one thing," he pointed out.
"I don't care about that," she immediately responded.
"Then consider for a moment the scenario where our relationship doesn't work out," he tried to reason, "how can we ever go back to the way we were after that kind of intimacy? It may very well ruin our friendship."
Mai suddenly sobered. She knew he was absolutely right. She didn't like the thought of it, though. It was painful and somewhat nightmarish to think that everything they had could be destroyed so simply.
She could feel her eyes prickling with tears, but she was determined not to cry. Even so, she couldn't control it. She silently cursed the treacherous tears that escaped her eyes.
Growing frustrated that she couldn't swipe them away since Lin was still holding her arms, Mai angrily turned her head to the side to avoid looking at him.
Frowning, Lin released one of Mai's arms to turn her face back towards him. Seeing that she was lightly crying, he brought his other hand down to gently wipe at her tears.
"Mai," he whispered, "what's wrong?"
She was silent for a moment as she attempted to find her voice.
"I don't want to think about that scenario," she confided. "And I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Lin looked at her intently, not sure what to say. It was the truth of the matter and they had to take it into consideration. Still, seeing Mai cry made him uncomfortable.
"Do you think it was a bad idea for us to do this?" Mai asked.
Lin remained silent as he worked through his thoughts. His logic told him it was the worst idea possible, but he couldn't bring himself to say that. It wasn't just for Mai's sake that he wouldn't say it. He knew he would never change the decision they had made no matter what the outcome was.
"I can't find it in myself to regret this," he admitted, "and I don't want to stop."
"I don't want to stop either," Mai agreed.
They stared at each other silently for a short while. Considering the stilted mood, neither of them felt like continuing their previous activities. After a moment of thought, Lin lifted Mai to straddle his lap. He pulled her close, hugging his arms around her. She laid her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms under his. He ran a hand soothingly up and down her back.
"No matter what happens," she murmured, "I'll always love you. You're very dear to me."
"I know," he acknowledged. "You're very dear to me as well."
They remained silent for several minutes.
"Will you wait a little longer?" Lin finally asked.
"Why?" Mai questioned.
"I don't know," he responded honestly.
There was a long pause.
"How long?" she asked.
"Another month at least," he admitted.
"My nineteenth birthday and no longer," she requested.
He pulled back to look at her. Her tears had dried.
"Alright," he conceded, "your nineteenth birthday."
She smiled and he kissed her softly.