Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. Not for lack of trying.

Note: This is a fairly quick update after my last one. If you did not read the previous chapter, you may want to go back and check.

Farewell but not Goodbye

Oliver was antsy, unable to concentrate. His own inability to focus added further to his frustration which seemed to be ever growing as the date of his departure approached. His parents had only agreed to their decision to open up a branch SPR location in Japan on the condition that they spent half the year in England, cases permitting. As there had been a dearth of cases, interesting or otherwise, he and Gene were expected to return to England at the end of the month. Normally, this was of no importance to him as he could work just as easily in England as in Japan and it allowed him to confer with a larger group of experts anyway. Gene was the one who was upset since he had begun dating Hara a couple of years previous and spent their months in England complaining ad nauseum about the separation.

This time, however, he found himself glaring at the notation of departure date on his calendar almost daily.

"Love is a bitch isn't it, little brother?"

Oliver barely glanced at his brother from where he stood in his office doorway. It was not the first time his twin had caught him glaring at his calendar, so he had little recourse to make excuses.

"You are the romantic, Gene."

"That doesn't mean you can't learn to grow a heart at some point," he grinned, strolling into the office with all the confidence of someone whose social skills matched his good looks. "You could always ask the 'rents to stay behind."

"For what purpose?" Oliver sighed, turning the page in his notes as he continued to transcribe them digitally.

"Clearly, you don't want to leave your astral girlfriend," Gene smirked before cocking his head to one side thoughtfully. "That makes her sound imaginary. Have to find a new way of talking about her."

"Regardless of what you call Mai, she is not my girlfriend," the scientist sighed, pretending to be more engrossed with his work than he was in an effort to convince his brother to leave.

"So you say, but you knew exactly who I was talking about without my having to say it."

"What other astral projecting individual do we know?" Oliver sighed.

"Fair point," Gene allowed. "Still, you are clearly pinning after her in a way that only a super nerd can."

"Her situation presents a unique problem, especially as I have yet to solve the issue. You know how much I hate leaving things unfinished."

"You mean you don't want to leave her unfinished," Gene grinned.

Oliver sighed. "Ignoring your rude jokes, was there a purpose to this interrogation?"

"Okay, seriously, Noll, why don't you just explain to Mum and Dad that you don't want to come back? Say that this is a case? Deny as much as you want, you are a trifle obsessed with this. It is obvious to everyone."

"I would hardly call it obvious," Oliver dismissed.

"Are you serious? Lin commented on it yesterday. LIN. L-i-n."

"Fine," the younger twin sighed. "As a counter question, Gene, what do you think Luella would do if I explained to the pair of them that I wanted to stay behind to investigate a curse on a girl."

"Plan your wedding."

"Then you see my point," Oliver affirmed, resuming his work.

"I don't know, I imagine she would do a better job planning your wedding than you would. Maybe Mai has taste? A bit old school I imagine though…."

"Gene!"

"Fine," the older twin sighed. "Live in denial. It wouldn't be the first time."

And with that, he made a dramatic exit as was typical. Yet, with him gone, Oliver found it even harder to concentrate on his work. While he had recognized the frustration within himself, he had not been aware that others had noticed it. This disturbed him greatly as it indicated that he was more agitated than he previously thought. Loathe as he was to admit, Gene often saw parts of him that he refused to acknowledge and the fact that he seemed to think he was romantically attracted to Mai filled him with a sense of disquiet that grew the longer the thought about it.

Sitting back in his chair, he closed his eyes and considered the issue. He could readily admit that he found her interesting. While initially, that interest had been focused on her circumstances, she had proven capable of capturing his attention on her own. He also did not find her annoying as he did other women. The longer he considered that thought, the more unusual it became. Something about women his own age had always irritated him. This could be because they often chose to act like brainless simpletons shallowly obsessed with nothing more than his looks. They would stand around tittering about some inanity or another and he could never be bothered with them.

On the other hand, while Mai did seem to find him attractive, she also yelled at him and criticized him. She also asked intelligent questions instead of foolish ones. This had made her far more tolerable. Perhaps it had been this increased interaction that made his brother and Lin comment on a romantic attachment. He did not typically speak with people he did not have to.

Yet, a part of his mind countered, he did more than just speak with her. He baited her and teased her often surprising himself with how much he enjoyed their interplay. That voice in his mind also argued that he had been pleased each time she had chosen to sit next to him over another. He had been borderline possessive of her time, more so when her friends had arrived.

Opening his eyes, Oliver sighed. In all likelihood, Gene was right and he had actually developed some sort of romantic attachment to Mai. While he still wanted to argue that he had merely been influenced by the overt romance of the situation, the logical part of his mind dismissed that as romance had never affected him before, except for repulsion, and the discussion of true love in relation to the curse had been seen as a negative.

That still did not mean that Luella would not spout something about his destiny to break the curse, probably with a mention of soul mates, or any other fairy tale nonsense her brain could concoct. For a well-educated woman, she could be surprisingly flighty.

Furthermore, he was still at an impasse as how to actually break the curse. Even if he had developed a sort of romantic attachment to Mai, he doubted that he was of mythical proportions, especially since he doubted she considered him in such a light. He knew what he was. Therefore, until he had more to work with, it was essentially pointless to linger in Japan, a certainty magnified in his mind by the fact that he was not even in proximity of her where he currently resided. More distance would do little to exacerbate the issue and perhaps he could find something in England that would help.

Though…perhaps there was a way to bridge the gap in the meantime.

Sitting up, he woke up his computer and began working in earnest.

o(O)o

Mai was listless and cursing herself for it. She knew better. She was too old to be so foolish. It was pointless to deny that her crush had turned into something so much more. Even before they had packed up to leave, she had half convinced herself that Naru was the one who would break the curse, or at least that she wanted him to. Obviously, he did not look at her that way. Clearly, she was just some sort of experiment to him – or an object of teasing that happened to make tea.

She shouldn't feel heartbroken about it; she knew that. Her mind kept explaining to her that it was still just a crush, one that she had felt before many times over the years. Her heart wasn't listening. Her heart had begged her to follow the motley group of investigators until she was pulled as far as she could from the castle. Her heart panged every time she saw that now ancient tea set of her mother's as it remembered the way his lips would quirk upwards after he took a sip of her offerings. Her heart screamed that he needed to come back and find a way through those stupid vines so she could go with him to England or Tokyo or any other place he wanted to go.

Her mind reminded her that he might never return. That he had been frustrated by the inconsistency of his results. It reminded her that, while he had promised her he would get her out, he cared more about solving the puzzle than her actual freedom. (It also came up with weeks late counter remarks to some of his more irritating insults irritatingly late.)

Mai knew that she should stop thinking about him and do her best to move on, but it was hard to do when there was no one around to distract and nothing else particularly do to.

So, she sat in her usual place and kept an eye on the road day after day, falling out of her usual habit to visit the different parts of the city. The idea of random people was not as comforting as it had been and going to a school that would do her little good in the end felt pointless.

Mai was listless and she knew she was doomed.

Until, quite suddenly, she wasn't.

"If you are looking for rain, I do not believe it is expected."

The sudden voice startled Mai and, if she had been corporeal, she probably would have fallen from her perch on the wall. Astral heart racing, she looked down to find Naru standing at the ground below her. A quick glance told her that he was alone.

"Naru! What are you doing here?" she asked as she jumped down.

"I would think it was obvious that I am here to see you. Clearly the greenery and I do not get on," he added with a small smirk.

"It doesn't like anyone," she grinned. "Still, I am surprised to see you by yourself. And…disheveled." As she looked him over, she noticed that his typically impeccable clothing was mussed, partially from the baggage he was carrying.

"I am in a hurry," he admitted. "I must be back at the airport within the next hour to make my connecting flight to Tokyo before we leave for London."

"You…you are going back to England?" she nearly whispered. The idea hit her like a punch to the stomach. Confirmation that he was abandoning her was more than she really thought she could take.

"Temporarily," he answered, flooding her with relief. "We split our time between England and Japan evenly. If I do not return, my mother will…be difficult."

Mai grinned. "I can imagine that any sort of emotional display would be difficult."

"May you one day endure my mother's emotions," Naru sighed

"Is that another curse?" she joked, blushing at the thought that he had basically just asked her to meet his mother. Silently, she yelled at herself for being silly.

"Perhaps. In the meantime, I did have something to discuss."

"It must be important for you to fly all the way out here only to return," Mai commented, slightly awed. "Was there some sort of test that you needed me to complete? Something you didn't get done that you need for the research?"

Naru gave her a long, quiet look at that question and she wondered if she had said something wrong. Somehow, as he stared at her, she felt that he looked a little sad, or disappointed.

"No, Mai, it has nothing to do with the research," he gave her a sardonic smile. "I am actually just here to talk to you, to help you as it were."

"Oh?" she blushed. "And you came out all the way here for that? When you have no time?"

"I was pushed for time as some of the things involved took some time," he explained. "Do you mind if we adjourn to the cabin? A table would be better."

"Sure! I don't think anyone is using it right now."

After a brief walk and some astral projecting through the door to get past the lock, Mai opened the entry and sat at the table with Naru. As she watched, he carefully placed the two bags he was carrying down.

"First, I…," he trailed off, clearly unsure as to how to say what he wanted to say, unusual for him. "I wanted to give you a way of communicating with myself…and the others when they, we, are away." He cleared his throat. "The thought was that you might be lonely."

"Naru! That is amazing! How?" Mai gushed, ignoring his rather obvious embarrassment at having to admit to some sort of consideration for others.

In answer, he pulled a sleek though small laptop computer from one of the two bags.

"Are you familiar with how to use this?"

"Yes! I haven't had much chance, but occasionally I will go into the libraries and schools after hours and use them."

"That makes things easier," he commented as he began to pull other items from the bag. As he pulled them out, he held them up and explained what they were. "This is the power cable for the laptop. Obviously, you do not have electricity within the castle. While you could, theoretically, charge here at the cabin, it is not always empty and, from what I understand, they turn off the power when it is not in use."

"Yes, though sometimes they forget."

"In order to get around that, I also brought this," he continued, holding up a device that looked vaguely familiar. "It is a solar powered charger. It is not efficient, and it will take a long time to charge, but it should still do the job. You can use it to charge the laptop and this." At that, he pulled out one final item. "This is a pocket Wifi hotspot and allow you to use the internet."

"But…Naru," Mai began, nearly speechless. "Why would you…I mean, doesn't this all cost money? I appreciate it, but I cannot pay you back!"

Naru gave her a knowing smirk. "You can work it off after we break the curse by making me tea."

"But what if we don't?! I mean…," she trailed off. "I'm so grateful and I don't want to say no to any of this, but I also feel like I should."

"Don't be an idiot, Mai. It is already purchased. Consider it a fee for participating in the research."

"Okay…."

"Speaking of that, I have also brought a handheld camera for you to use if anyone you are unfamiliar with comes to investigate the vines. I understand that you may not be aware of all of them, but the more data we have the better, even if it is of inferior quality."

"I can do that!" she exclaimed eagerly. "That way I feel less like a charity case if I'm actually working."

"Indeed. Finally, there are a few things I need to show you."

"There is more?" she laughed.

"Obviously," he sighed, pulling out a stack of papers. As he spoke, he laid out documents before her on the table. "This is a birth certificate for you. We used your biological age at the point of the curse as the base for the year and your recorded birthdate."

"Naru…did you forge government documents for me?" she gasped.

"You have been recorded as an unregistered homebirth. They are rare, but do happen. We also documented that you have been ill so could not come to the meeting yourself. We used some of the video as proof of life and for your government ID."

"You totally forged government documents," she muttered slightly awed.

"Mai," he sighed. "Pay attention. This is important."

"Excuse me for being amazed that you would flippantly break the law for me. Though," she considered, "you do strike me as the type to think that you are above the law."

"When they make reasonable laws, I will follow them reasonably," Naru sighed. "This is a certificate of adoption. The Takigawas have agreed to adopt you."

"W-what?" Mai gasped, tears coming to her eyes. "They adopted me?"

"Yes, they also assisted in this entire process. Having legal parents makes much of this easier especially since you are still considered a minor in Japan."

"Oh," she whispered.

"Additionally, I have arranged for you to complete your compulsory education through an online international school as Japan does not have a system to test out of courses. You are scheduled to complete your tests next week. Provided that you pass, which you should given your ability to study for multiple years, we will enroll you in an online university."

Mai just stared at the paperwork for the class enrollment before looking up at Naru who looked slightly amused at her probably vacant stare.

"You mean…I can go to university? Finally?"

"You will attend. Until we break the curse, you will not be able to physically go there."

"But…why? Why are you doing all this Naru? I mean, you went through all this effort and we haven't even broken the curse. What happens if we don't? I mean…I cannot begin to explain to you how much this means to me and how grateful I am. Still, I can't help but worry that you went through all of this only for it to be for nothing."

Naru sighed before joining her at the table and opening the laptop. "Clearly you need to further your education. Only an idiot would doubt me and I promised you that we would break your curse. Now, pay attention while I show you how to log in and where all the contact information is. I expect regular updates on your education and any changes in the phenomena."

Mai nodded slowly, face flushed and mind racing. Try as she might to concentrate and pay attention to what he was saying, all she could think of was how Naru managed to answer every prayer she hadn't made and how, even if he went far away, she could still talk to him whenever she wanted.

Maybe things were looking up.

o(O)o

Three hours later, Gene met Oliver at the airport, boarding passes in hand and grin on his face. Unwilling to feed the animal, he attempted to walk past him to where he knew Lin would be waiting at the terminal. Of course, his twin would not allow this.

"How did your date go?"

"I would hardly call that a date," Oliver sighed.

"What else do you call a one-on-one meeting with a girl you fancy? You could not possibly say that it is purely business especially when you nearly delayed our flight for it. Lin is still irritated by the way. You know how he is about schedules."

"Not a date. And she is not the girl I fancy."

"Denial is never healthy, Noll."

"Who said anything about denial, Gene?" Oliver scoffed. "Fancy is too shallow a term. Find a better one."

Gene stopped in his tracks, flabbergasted at his twin's unusually open statement.

"Just wait til I tell, Mum!"

"Only if you want me to tell her what you and Hara get up to."

With a laugh, Gene caught up, determined to find a way to spill the news in a way that wouldn't get him murdered by his brother. He was smart. He'd figure it out.

Author's Note:

Somewhere early on in the formation of this story concept, I had this image of Mai being able to use technology to get ahead. So, next chapter is just the communication between her and the outside world. I have not started working on it yet (that is probably a Wednesday thing while my students finish their projects) but I am looking forward to writing it.

Thanks as always to those of you who take the time to review. It means a lot to me.

Also, again, if anyone has any random story ideas they would like me to write, I'm kinda looking for something to procrastinate with. Working is for chumps. CHUMPS I SAY!

…anyway.

See you next week!

Til next time!