Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

"English speaking"

"Japanese speaking"

'Thinking'

Chapter 10

Mai opened her eyes to see the familiar black void of the astral plane. Little white orbs were floating above her. She was laying down on her back. Looking to her left she saw a face she recognized. But it was younger than it was supposed to be.

"Gene." Her voice was almost a whisper. She felt exhausted.

"Hey you." He looked worried.

"What happened? Didn't I fall or something?" She tried to sit up, but Gene's hands landed on her shoulders and pushed her back down.

"Yes. You fell a long way down. Mai you gotta listen to me. When you wake up, you have to try not to panic."

"Why? What's happened? Is Madoka okay? She didn't fall down too did she?"

"Oh Mai." He gave her a sympathetic look. "You always think of others before yourself. No Mai, she's alright. But you're not. Just promise me, to try as hard as you can not to panic. Can you do that?"

His eyes told her to trust him. But she found it difficult. "Will I be okay?"

"You'll be just fine. Listen. All the spirits who have been trapped down here. I'm leading them out of here. All they want is to find the way out. The footprints were left after a few found the tunnel going up to the house. There are three left now and I'm taking them with me."

"Okay. But what about the little girl? She was attacked."

"A man who has been here for a long time was angry that someone was living right on top of where they were trapped. He lashed out because it hurt him. He's gone now. So don't worry about him."

"Alright. I'm glad you're here Genee. But seriously." She gave him a look that told of fond disapproval. "I'm grateful that you keep turning up in difficult situations, but isn't it time to go yourself? What is it you're waiting for?"

He smiled. "Now as to that, I'm pretty confident that it's going to happen soon. Very soon in fact. Unless of course Noll chooses to be even more of a moron than he has already been."

"So this has to do with him? He's the one who can do this thing for you?"

"I'd say the ball is in his court at the moment. But it's time to go now, Mai. Remember. Don't panic. Help is coming."

-0-0-0-

Darkness. Dripping water. Head throbbing as though her heart was beating the inside of her skull. Then a piercing, relentless and searing hot pain registered in Mai's consciousness. She let out a yell of agony. Her scream echoed around her. Tears sprang forth in her eyes and she was gasping and gritting her teeth.

"MAAI?"

Someone was calling her name. She grunted and tried to sit up. Something tugged at her leg and she screamed again as the pain got worse.

"MAAI! Mai can you hear me?"

It sounded like Naru.

"NARU! Naru, where are you?"

"MAI! Thank god. I'm still at the top of the hole you fell down. Can you see anything?"

Mai looked around through her tears. She had been wrong. The darkness wasn't complete. There was a very dim light coming from what looked like a tunnel curving upwards at a steep angle. It wasn't enough light to illuminate her surroundings but it glowed low like a beacon of hope.

"I can see a dim light. I think that's it." She grunted again as she tried to lift her head without moving the rest of her body. "But I can't see anything down here. There's something hurting my leg."

"Mai. Turn on your flashlight." That was Yasu's voice.

Her flashlight. Of course. It was still hanging in her belt loop. She fumbled for it and it took a minute to get it free and find the button to turn it on. As soon as she did she looked around. The cave she was in was no more than 3-4 metres tall, but it was wide. Her light wasn't strong enough to illuminate all the nooks and crannies. She described what she saw in minor detail.

"What about your head Mai? I saw you hit it. And what's wrong with your leg?" Naru called down the tunnel.

"Yeah. I think I definitely have a concussion. I feel nauseous and dizzy. I haven't looked at my leg yet. It's hard to sit up without moving it, but I'll try."

Bracing herself for the pain to come, Mai placed her light down on the ground facing up to still give light. With both her hands free she pushed herself slowly onto her elbows. When she saw her leg she froze in place. She didn't dare breathe. A long white curved.. Something was sticking out of her left calf. At first glance she thought her leg was broken and that it was her bone sticking out. But upon closer examination she found that the white thing was continuing on the other side of her leg that she couldn't see.

Her light was placed on her right side, making her shadow cover the end of the thing. She slowly sat up a little further. Focusing very hard on just breathing and not panicking. 'It's ok, Mai. Your leg is not broken. This is good. Don't pull out the thing piercing it or you'll start to bleed a lot. Just breathe.'

She was now sitting on her bottom. She reached behind her and moved the light so she could see better. Her breath caught in her throat and all thoughts of not panicking left her head. She screamed as she saw that it was in fact a bone piercing her leg. Following the line of white skeletal remains with her eyes she found the skull with its pitch black eye sockets staring at her with a wide sinister grin.

"MAI! MAI WHAT HAPPENED?" Naru yelled.

"It's… It's.." She screamed again.

"She's panicking. We need to calm her down. Where the hell is that rope?!"

The only thing Mai could focus on was to not move, so the bone in her leg wouldn't be removed. But that meant she couldn't even focus on her breathing. She didn't realise that she was crying and gasping, making herself even more lightheaded.

Lin's voice broke through the haze in her mind. "Mai. Listen to me. Do you remember the time you asked me if I hated you?"

It was such an odd question that her reply just sprang from her mouth. "What the bloody hell kind of a time is this to bring that up?!"

"Do you remember what I told you Mai?"

"Yeah." Gasp. "Your dumb ass told me.." smaller gasp. "To pick up a book and learn something."

"She's angry, that's good. Keep going." Naru said.

"And what did you reply Mai?"

"I don't remember." Her breathing was levelling out now. The panic and anger was fading and she registered the tears on her face now.

"Yes you do, Mai. Tell me what you said."

"I.." She swallowed and thought, squeezing her eyes together. "I started crying. And then said that… That I could understand if you didn't like me because I was annoying. But.." She started sobbing. "But I wish you wouldn't hate me just because I was Japanese. Because I think you're great Lin and I don't want you to hate me." More sobbing.

Then she heard laughter. She couldn't believe this. He had laughed the first time as well.

"Seriously?! You're laughing? Again?!"

"I told you that you reminded me of someone else who had said the exact same thing. Did I ever tell you who that was?"

"No. You didn't."

"It was me, Mai." Madoka called down. "That's what I said when I had asked him the exact same question."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

There was a small silence where Mai took the time to get herself pulled together. They had distracted her from her panic and calmed her down. She breathed deeply.

"Okay. I'm better now."

"Good." Naru's voice came back. "Can you tell us now what made you scream?"

"I saw my leg. Naru. I fell on top of a skeleton." She took another deep breath. Doing her best no to start crying again. "One of its bones is piercing my left calf."

"Oh my god." Madoka's voice sounded in the silence.

"How far are the paramedics?" Naru said to someone.

"They'll be here in a few minutes." That sounded like Prof. Davis.

"Alright, Mai. Whatever you do, do not pull it out?"

"I know. I won't."

"Good. We have an ambulance on its way. Is the bone still connected to the remains?"

"Yes, it looks that way."

"Alright. For now just sit still. We're trying to figure out the best way of getting you out."

"Okay."

A few minutes passed by. Then a new sound could be heard. Splashing. Water splashing against rocks.

"Um. Naru?"

There was no answer. She moved her light around to see where the sound was coming from. Sitting up now, she noticed a lot of smaller tunnels leading in different directions. 'A network of tunnels. There might be more caves than just this one.'

Mai tried to listen to where the sound was coming from, but the echo made it hard to locate. Then she felt something wet on her left hand that was supporting her weight. She looked down and saw water coming towards her. Shortly after she located a hole in the far wall from where she was sitting. It was about 40 cm in diameter. It looked very much like a sewer drain. And it was gushing out water on waves.

"NARU!"

"MAI. What's happening?"

"The tide! The tide is coming in!" The panic was starting to return. "The cave is filling up with water! What do I do, Naru?"

"You need to keep calm, Mai. The paramedics are here. I'm bringing one of them over to tell you how to deal with the leg."

"Hurry." There was a few seconds before she heard a new voice.

"Hello Mai, I'm Eric. I'm part of your rescue team. Can you tell me how far into your leg the bone is penetrating?"

She looked down. "It's a through and through."

"Alright. Are you wearing some type of thin long sleeved shirt?"

"Yes under my coat."

"Okay. I need you to pull it off and then use that as a tourniquet." She pulled off her coat and then her shirt as he was talking. "Tie the shirt around the bone and the leg to stabilise it. It's very important that it's as tight as possible. If you start to feel tingling in your toes then that's even better."

"You want me to cut off my circulation." She said it, not as a question, but as a fact.

"That's right. Tell me when you're done."

She did as he said. Crying out in pain as she tightened the shirt to her damaged flesh and had to touch the bone. "Alright. It's as tight as I'm gonna get it. What now?"

The water was rising and Mai now had water up to her ankles.

"That's great Mai. Now you have to separate the bone in your leg, from the rest of the skeleton. What bone is it we're dealing with?"

"It's uuh… The one between the ankle and the knee."

"The shin?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. There are two bones in the shin. Is it only one bone that's stuck in your leg or is it both?"

"Only one."

"Okay good. Now I need you to find a rock or something else that's heavy you can use to break the skeleton's kneecap with."

Mai looked around her. The water was just below her waist now. Using her flashlight, which thank god was waterproof, she looked and felt on the ground. She found one.

"I got one. It's about the size of my fist."

"Great. Now listen carefully. Take your right hand and hold onto the bone right next to your leg. That way you won't accidentally tear the muscle." She did as he said. "Then bring your left arm with the rock as far back as you can and hit the kneecap with as much force as you can possibly muster. Now it's going to hurt so brace yourself."

"Okay."

She lifted her arm and counted to three. The rock hit and she screamed in pain as it pulled on her flesh. She looked at the bones.

"It didn't work. I'm still attached."

"You're gonna need to hit it again."

She did. And she screamed. Looking up she found herself free.

"I'm free."

"That's great. Now you need to look for the light."

Well that was an ominous thing to say. She looked around and found the tunnel where she had fallen through. A brighter light came into view. They must have found a strong lamp.

"I see it."

"Good. Now crawl towards it."

She did. She was half swimming though as the water was almost at her shoulders. Her white tank top was no doubt see through, but she didn't care. It took a while but she finally made it to the tunnel.

"Mai?"

"Naru!"

"We're lowering down a rope to you. We tied a loop at the end and you need to put both arms through it and secure it under your armpits."

"Alright. But first I need to get up this damn tunnel."

Oliver was looking down into the hole, holding the lamp and shining it downwards. The paramedic named Eric was on the other side with Lin and Yasu lowering down the rope. Two other paramedics were preparing for when Mai was up and they needed to work quickly.

Oliver's heart was pounding in his chest. He had rarely felt so much fear as he had since Mai disappeared from his sight. Watching with bated breath for the moment she would reach the light, it felt like an eternity before he caught a glimpse of a small pale hand.

Mai was dragging her body up the steep slope. She looked half dead. The hair at the back of her head was dark with blood. She reached the rope and grabbed it.

"Lower the rope a bit more." She called up to them. The three men did as she said. Oliver watched as she tried to do as he had told her. She struggled but ultimately, she got it secured around herself. "Alright. I think this is as good as it's going to get."

Oliver turned to the others. "Start pulling slowly." He looked back down as Mai's form came a little closer to him. He could see her struggling to breathe. The rope was pressing on her ribcage and she was tired. "Focus on breathing Mai. You'll be out soon. I'm here to catch you." He wished he could reach out and grab her then but he needed to wait just a little bit longer.

Slowly she came closer. She reached the part where the ceiling light would hit her, and Oliver put down the lamp he was holding.

"Noll. What are you doing?" Lin said through gritted teeth.

He didn't pay Lin any mind. He sat himself on the edge of the hole, braced his feet on the inside and leaned forward, arms stretching out. As soon as Mai was close enough he grabbed her waist and pulled her up to him. She lifted her head. Their eyes met for half a second before she flung her arms around his neck and clutched him to her.

He fell backwards onto the floor and she started to sob into his neck. Oliver hugged her as tightly as he could. "You're alright Mai. You're safe now."

"Don't.. Don't let go of me, Naru."

"Never." It was a promise and a vow. Even if she didn't know yet. He would never let go of her ever again.

Eric's colleagues came over and told Mai that they were gonna take a look at her leg and her head. Oliver looked down and saw the frightening sight of her left leg. Her earlier cream coloured shirt was now stained red. The white bone sticking out on either side was dripping blood. He dared not think of the damage her leg had taken. He would just have to trust that the doctors at the hospital would know what they're doing.

They needed to lift Mai onto the gurney now, but for that she needed to be turned onto her back.

"Mai, we have to turn you now. So you need to roll with me. Okay?"

Her shoulders and chest started to shake. "Did you.. Did you just make a joke?"

He smiled. Glad that she wasn't so traumatised that she didn't have a sense of humour. Nor had she lost so much blood that she hadn't caught it. "Stranger things have happened."

They rolled and Mai winced in pain as she landed on a lifting board. The paramedics lifted her up onto the lowered gurney. "Like what?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

Oliver shook his head. "Lot's of things. Dummy." She smiled weakly.

They strapped her in and rolled off with her. Oliver rode with them in the ambulance, while the others would come in later. Mai was forced to stay awake and answer all kinds of generic questions from the paramedics to make sure her brain hadn't taken too much damage.

When they got to the hospital in Cardiff, she was immediately rolled up to the OR. Oliver sat in the waiting area for a long time. His phone was buzzing relentlessly in his pocket but he didn't answer it. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He would call them as soon as he heard something. But until then, he wouldn't be able to say anything of comfort and he didn't want to try.

After two hours of nothing, he went to the restroom. He splashed some water in his face and stood there. Letting the water drop from his face into the sink.

"How is she?"

Oliver looked up to see Gene staring back at him with a worried expression. He looked around the tiled room. The stalls were empty and he was alone. He looked in the mirror again.

"She's still in the OR." He walked over to grab a paper towel and dried his face.

"She'll be fine Noll."

"I can't lose her, Gene. I can't lose her too." Oliver looked at his brother.

Gene was smiling but his eyes were sad. "I know. Do you want to know what it is I'm waiting for, so I can move on?"

Oliver didn't answer. He just waited to see where this was going.

"I'm waiting for you to tell the girl you love how you feel. I'm waiting for you not to be alone."

"Gene.." But he held up his hand, asking for silence.

"Mom and dad love you. And you love them. I know that. But I also know that there are a lot of things that you don't open up to them about. And that's fine, that's how it should be with parents. But you need someone in your life who understands you Noll. Someone who sees the person you are both inside and out. And Mai does that. Mai has broken down your walls to get inside and now all you need to do is allow her inside. You're basically there already."

"What if she doesn't come out of this? What if the damage she sustained was greater than we thought? She could die on that table. Or from infection or…"

"Noll! You have to calm down. I'm telling you she is not going to die."

"How do you know that? Please, Gene. How do you know that?"

Gene sighed. "The first time I saw her she was standing by your side. There was this strange black and see through curtain between you and me, but her… Mai was shining like a beacon. It was her spiritual energy Noll. Your energy is outwardly charged. When you get really angry you have a hard time keeping it in. But hers is turned inward. Her soul is sending all the excess energy into the astral plane. This is both why she has such a great handle on all her abilities without causing damage to herself, and why she's such a ghost magnet. They swarm to her like moths to a flame. But while that light of hers is still shining, she will be okay. And trust me brother." He looked behind himself into the darkness only he could see. He located the shine of Mai's soul. It was still just as bright as a star in the night sky. "She is not going to die any time soon."

Oliver felt a little relieved. But… "You said her light attracts spirits like moths to a flame. Is there nothing we can do to help her?"

Gene looked at him again. "No. Her light can't be controlled. She doesn't have a 'dimmer switch' like you used to with me. She's going to need protection."

They looked each other in the eyes for a long while. Oliver knew what he meant.

"Protect her Noll. Stay by her side. It's where you both belong." Then he smiled and vanished.

The door to the restroom opened and a man stepped inside. Oliver glanced at him before quickly exiting.

When he got back to the waiting area he found that the others had arrived. Madoka went to him as soon as she saw him. Asking a million questions a minute.

"Madoka."

The sound of him talking for the first time in 6 minutes had her stopping in her tracks. His voice was so calm. She had not expected that.

"She will be okay."

They all stared at him completely speechless.

"How do you know?" Madoka asked with hope in her tearfilled eyes.

"Because her light is still shining." Then he went over to some chairs and sat down to wait for the doctors to come out.

Another two hours later a doctor approached them. "Are you Miss Taniyama's family?"

"We're her friends and colleagues." Madoka answered.

"I'm sorry bad I'm not allowed to give out any details unless a family member is present."

"That's going to be a little hard since Mai doesn't have any relatives still alive." Oliver said. "And the closest thing she has to family is currently in Japan. We have the responsibility of her safety while she's here in England. So you can give the information to us."

The doctor considered Oliver for a moment before he sat down in one of the chairs next to them all. "Miss Taniyama is still in the OR and we're doing everything we can to repair the damage. The piece of bone embedded in her leg had broken into smaller pieces but we have successfully removed them all. We are now trying to repair the torn muscle, and it doesn't look like there are going to be any lingering issues. Her head did take quite a hit though. Her skull has some minor fracturing and we have removed small stones from the site of the injury. Before we got started, we got an MRI to see if there was any bleeding in her brain. We didn't find anything on the images, so we're hopeful that she won't suffer any lasting damage. We'll keep her under close observation for the next 48 hours to make sure she is fine. For now the surgeons are doing what they can to leave her with as little scarring as possible."

After they all thanked him, the doctor said that someone would come find them, when she was taken to recovery.

One hour and 45 minutes later, they were told by a nurse where they could find her in the recovery wing.

Entering Mai's room Madoka went to her side and looked at her with wide disbelieving eyes. "She's really ok."

Lin went to his wife and hugged her from behind.

Oliver went to Mai's other side and dragged a chair so he could sit right next to her. He stared at her for a long time. Not registering that the others were still there before Madoka spoke again.

"Noll. I'm so sorry. If I hadn't.. She told us not to go over the line… I just.."

"If you hadn't gone over the line then we never would have found the cave." Oliver told the woman without taking his eyes from the sleeping one in front of him. "At least that's what Mai will tell you when she wakes up."

It was surprisingly easy to stay calm and not get angry with Madoka. He felt that it was her fault, but he imagined that Mai would get angry with him if he told the woman off. He didn't say any more after that. He just sat and waited for this brave, reckless and good hearted woman with a shining soul to open her eyes.