Hey guys, I haven't been on in a while, distracted and out of writing for a while. Trying to get back into it so I corrected this story and am going to finish it. I know where it is going now and the background is now filled in so it shouldn't be too hard to continue. I did work on some continuity and grammar issues on my previous chapters. If you have recently read them no need to reread but if its been a while you might want to take a gander, they flow a bit smother. Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy. Please leave me comments.


To her surprise Lin met her outside the base door when she returned. He nodded down the hall and she fell in step with him. The haunting was not occurring in the orphanage so they only set up a few cameras around the base and sleeping areas for anomalies. Temperatures here were unnecessary and in the cave they would rely on the camera's data. Whatever the reason for Lin's exploration Mai trusted him to tell her when the time was right. In a way Lin was a lot like Naru, Never telling her what was going to happen or why they did things, but afterward he would tell her to make sure she understood, and she would learn and be able to ask questions without feeling dumb. Somehow her trust in Lin had gone up with the simple knowledge, he would help her understand when the time was right.

Once they had exited the orphanage Lin slowed turning to look at Mai. An unspoken question she knew he was asking if she had any questions. A curt shake of the head was all the answer he needed unless she was confused but at the moment everything was within her grasp of understanding.

He watched her carefully. "Taniyama-san, do you recall how you were able to see your well of chi."

Mai nodded, how could she forget. The first two weeks she learned three things repeatedly. Meditation, Tai-chi, and seeing her own Chi. Lin had explained and Mai paraphrased that everyone had a source of Chi. The body created it in several places and certain things could block them... she jumped ahead in her memory. While meditating she could picture her body as a fountain water which was the chi was always being added and in places and everyday activities we used chi and it leaked from the fountain. Concentrating on her chi repetitively she could learn how full her fountain was and in the future know if she was over using her abilities. Too little chi could have issues with the health as the body would shut down its expenditures of chi to restore it to a healthy level. It made sense, at the time, but now she knew she could draw up her image and see her chi if needed.

"Every time you meditate check your chi levels, it is natural for them to fluctuate some, but as some of your abilities are instinctual it may also clue your instincts are defending you without you realizing it. Try it now."

Mai nodded it made sense, and now it made more sense why Lin had found it important to teach her that so early. As she had been taught she settled into the grass and began breathing deep. Feeling her body relax she turned her focus inward. Inward she felt strength, a vibration of energy, it glowed light and warm. Around it she built a brick wall and the energy settled into it like water to the bottom of a well. Looking down she saw energy drip into the 'well' and noted that it was filled to within three bricks of the top. Along the edges between the bricks water seeped out in small places. These worried Mai at first but Lin explained that she was always gaining energy and using it, chi always was flowing in and out when it stopped, she should worry. She let the vision go and looked up to Lin.

"A little below 3 bricks from the top," she told him, "around normal."

"Good, any questions?" he asked.

Mai shook her head.

"I uh... had a strange dream..." she paused unsure and Lin arched an eyebrow. "Not one of those dreams, more like a memory." she sighed, but continued. "The two times that you brought me into your meditation space." she grinned liking her own wording. "It wasn't like when I meditate, mine is blackness, with me there. Same with my astral projection most everything is nearly black with just outlines, unless it has spiritual energy then it glows. Yours, I remembered, was a small room. It was similar to your office, that is what I thought it was at first but the dream made me think it was different."

"You are correct it is different." Lin agreed then paused leaning back slightly. This Mai recognized as a thinking pose. His words were always succinct and informative and Mai had grown to believe he thought about every word he said before saying it.

"I am unsure if it would apply to your astral projection or not." he stated. "I have limited ability in astral projection, it is part of my training not inborn ability. For me it takes more focus and energy leaving me quite drained. Suffice to say I rarely choose to do so unless there is sufficient reason to do so." Lin looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "For me, it is easiest to go into a trance and open a door onto the astral plane and go from there. You are able to traverse more easily. You could most likely use it as an intermediary stage for astral projection but if you do not start there it is unlikely you could create it from the astral plane. You may have to experiment to find out if it would work. As far as using it for meditation you should be able to."

Mai nodded understanding he said it was possible, then waited patiently seeing Lin was not done speaking.

"The place you saw was my first 'office'" Lin's voice left doubt as to whether it could have been considered an office or not. "It was a coat room off of a professor's office, he allowed TA's to work in. I spent so much time in that room during my last two years of college that it became like a second home. I used it as my meditative space," he repeated her words because they fit the idea perfectly, "because I knew it so well, it was small safe and I felt comfortable there. You would need to conjure a place that you feel safe, comfortable and know so well it is almost like breathing. It needs to be a small space without a lot of clutter or items, at least to start with. I would not try more than four tatami. The bigger more complicated will be harder to remember and conjure easily. It is meant only to assist your meditation, not cause distractions."

Mai nodded eventually she might try something like that but right now it seemed to complicated.

"Do you have a room you would choose?"

"File room." Mai said without thinking. The shocked look on her face let him know it was probably her instincts running wild again. He studied the girl but felt he should support her idea. Her contributing to her training and following through could only be beneficial especially with such an innocuous and possibly useful idea.

"If you were to try it, keep it simple. Four walls, floor ceiling, 7 file cabinets. 4 bookshelves. Don't worry about any files or books." Mai nodded in understanding and acceptance, only slightly surprised at Lin's seeming support in the idea, studying her he seemed to understand where her mind had wandered. "You should have a say in how your training is handled and it is good that you are observing and using your own initiative to broaden your learning."

Mai nodded, trying to suppress a smile.

"Start with some Tai Chi." He stood moving into position. "Think about your well of Chi while you move through the motions."

Mai nodded standing next to Lin and taking up the first movements. Lin was impressed with how naturally Mai took to Taichi, looking back he shouldn't have been so surprised.

He thought back at the first time she stood shaking, watching him move trying to copy so hard that it disrupted his own calm. He knew she should not be able to disrupt him, and for a full minute he ignored it, hoping she would come out of it. It was the longest minute of tai chi he had ever done. "Mai, tea." He had told her a moment before she burst into tears. That was when he understood why Naru drank so much tea. He hadn't ever been such an addict before. Once she was gone his calm resolved instantly and silently he followed her to the kitchen where she also had calmed down.

"You aren't scared of me." he told her spooking her from her calm.

"N-n-no." she stuttered.

"Nor my shiki," she shook her head moving to complete the tea. He noted she wasn't making the normal black tea she did for Naru, but a calmer Darjeeling. "Nor is Tai chi something you have never heard of or done before." He listed, "The movements aren't hard to accomplish nor the pattern hard to memorize." She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his as she handed him the tea. "You are afraid of doing well."

She flinched, her tea cup clattering against the counter. "Am not."

"You are." Realization struck him seeing the patterns in her life, "You aren't dumb but you just do ok at school. You tutor your friends but don't stand out in grades. You pick up a chant easily but forget to use it. You are shown how to set something up once and repeat it perfectly, you memorize maps and layouts but are clumsy and get lost."

"I don't."

"Don't lie." He told her and Mai bit her lip. "To me or to yourself." He watched her quivering but she didn't protest. "Rule number 2."

"Rule 2." She repeated nodding.

"Do you want me to train you?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Then don't run away and don't lie." He turned from the kitchen and moved back to his office taking his tea with him. He didn't close the door, just set the tea on his desk, closed his eyes and started on the most basic of movements. He didn't see her reenter but felt her energy as she began moving. She faltered, then moved on. He kept going and she followed, and faltered again. He felt it like book snapping shut. "Close your eyes." She did and they continued on. From that on she followed his energy, not his movements.

Even now when he started moving, channeling energy, concentrating it to the surface she responded to his energy and followed him without a word. He didn't ask what she ran from, what she hid from he just accepted it and so did she.

He knew better than to explain what they were going to try, she would take it instinctually. Make it before she realized what happened. Later he would have to teach her how to do it. show her how they had pulled chi forming it solid to follow their movements. He moved into water motions, pulling it from inside with both hands he lifted one hand above him formed a small ball of chi, keeping one centered in the 'well' as he pushed it out in a wave with his other hand. A small shield of chi following his hand as pushed it away. He let the chi dissipate as he move that hand back to center, to his well while the one he'd kept at the well started to pull chi from the well and followed the same movements. He glanced towards Mai, her movements mirrored his, her energy following the pattern and he spied the slightest bit of solid chi on her hand as she pulled it from within and pushed it out. He continued the movements, steady and consistant as he watched Mai's mosre tentative movements. On their fourth repetition he spied a solid shield on her right hand. It moved with her palm like wave pushed in by the tide. He smiled, repeting the process again and saw this time on her left the wave was stronger.

"Open your eyes," he said softly, not hesitating in the motions. Her eyes slowly peered open and grew wide as she saw the shield he passed to the side. It had taken him almost a year to teach this technique to Noll. His movements were precise, but where the physical was perfect his internal took him a lot longer to conquer. Mai was all instinct, all natural internal flow. Naru's key had been Gene, it seemed it was always Gene. Mai's was trust and emotion.

When she saw the chi shield on her own palm she flinched, dropping the control and the chi dissipated but Lin didn't react, just kept his own movements and it only took Mai a moment to follow, pulling again from her well of chi and creating the shield on her palm. It was shaky, almost nothing again but neither said anything, letting the movements flow she pulled again, and again finally able to pull it up like she had before and then she started shaping it. he watched as her wave changed to a smooth glide rather than rushing rough waters. Little by little it smoothed shimmering like metal and smooth as a calm lake. He let it go then, moving from pulling to calming, stopped pulling the chi and just redirected it, calmed it and finished the pattern.

"Very good." He complimented her.

"What was that?" her voice took on a drunken slur.

"Check your chi level." I instructed and she nodded, closing her eyes she concentrated.

"Low," she shook her head. "Splashes on the bottom."

Nodding I sat and saw her tumble less gracefully to the ground.

"You are talented in Chi manipulation although you don't have a lot of extra chi."

"Like Naru?"

"He has too much." She nodded blinking wearily Lin knew he had to finish quick before she collapsed. "You pulled chi and formed it into a liquid barrier on your palm. This exercise wastes a lot of chi but teaches you to pull chi and hold it in a form and let it go gently. Refinements will come later. Lets return to the base."

Mai stood again with Lin, more stable but less awake. He lead her back to the base and watched as she curled on the couch, leaning contently against the monk and fell asleep. He had hoped this exercise would lower her chi, maybe make it so she wouldn't astral project on her own. He had done that he just hoped he hadn't drained her too much. The monk looked as though he was going to say something scathing but Mai's too that moment to readjust, stretching her arm she punched the monk in the stomach. It seemed only Lin had noticed the monks stifled grunt but the look on the monks face warned him he hadn't gotten out of the explanation, only delayed it.


Please comment, let me now what you think. I'll try to finish soon.