Vampy: Alright, I'm working on another chapter! I'm so sorry it took so long to update! By the way people, reviews=motivation to write. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed Race Against Time. I don't own anything from Ghost Hunt.
This is a rewritten/edited version.
Gene/Ayumu/Mai in dreams
dreams
thought/Shi's pov
"Monk. . . air. . . becoming an issue!" Mai gasped after a few minutes of being crushed by Monk's bear hug.
The monk put her down, only to pinch her cheeks and pull. "Do you know how worried I was about you?!"
"Owwwww, I'm shorry, jusht leggo my cheeksh!" Mai begged, her cheeks turning red from Monk's grip. She rubbed them once he let go.
He pulled her into another hug, this one subtly different from the one he'd given earlier. Mai had always felt safe with Monk's arms around her, but this one made her feel warm and - dare she say it? - loved. Silly girl. She chastised herself. Of course he loves you. As a sister! Her heart gave a painful twist at the thought.
Monk held Mai close against him and buried his face into her hair. She was safe! She was safe in his arms, and he didn't ever want to let go. "Mai. . . "
Mai pushed away from him, using her hair to hide her face as she raised a fist to her chest. ". . . hurts . . ."
"What hurts?" Monk was a little hurt himself when Mai pushed him away but he was even more concerned about the fact that she was in pain.
She squeezed her shirt just above her heart before giving Monk an overly bright smile. "Sorry, my head hurts a little bit. I haven't eaten much."
The older man gave her a doubtful look and started to say something, but Naru pushed him out of the way before Monk could respond. The stoic young man flicked Mai's forehead as he frowned at her though his glare lacked its usual coldness. "Be more careful, idiot."
Mai scowled at him as she rubbed at the red mark left by the flick. "I can't help the fact that I'm a trouble magnet!"
He managed to snort with out looking or sounding ridiculous before turning away. "You have paper work to do. We're behind since you were kidnapped."
"You're making me do all of it?!" Mai screeched. "Naru, you jerk! See if I make you tea now!"
Lin smirked slightly and Monk grinned. It was good to have Mai back.
A twig snapped nearby, causing the men to block Mai from view. Monk held up his hands as he prepared to use the Nine Cuts should Shi appear.
"Lin." Naru said quietly, voicing his command through one word.
Lin whistled a signal to his shiki, who immediately gathered around the small group to protect them from harm.
The quartet stood in tense silence but relaxed when they heard Ayako's voice.
"- hn Brown! I can't believe you had the audacity to lose consciousness in the middle of walking, forcing Masako and I to carry you all the way back! Do you realize how difficult it is for two women to lift a grown man, let alone carry him over 5 miles of forest ground?! " The red head griped as she appeared on the path holding Johns legs.
Masako appeared next, her arms wrapped around John's chest. She was panting from the effort it took to lift him. "Shut. . . up. . . Ayako!"
The two stopped when they saw the others. Ayako scowled at them. "Well don't just stand there! Help us!"
Monk and Lin quickly stepped forward to take John from the girls. Mai looked at the unconscious ex-priest with wide eyes. "What happened?!"
"We had a run in with that ghost that's always following Shi about." Ayako stated, her hands on her hips as she scowled. "She set the house on fire, locked us in, and then threw John against the wall! I think that he might have a concussion, so we should get him to the hospital quickly. " The red head then grabbed Mai's face, turning it this way and that. "You should go to the hospital too. You look like you're about to collapse with exhaustion. Did Shi feed you at all? Or give you anything to drink? I hope you're not dehydrated. "
Mai pushed Ayako's hands away. "I'm fine! I don't need to go to the hospital, I just want to go home!"
"Which isn't going to happen." They turned to Naru as he spoke up.
The brunette crossed her arms and huffed. "Why not?"
He looked her in the eye. "Do you really think that I'm going to let you stay on your own when you were just kidnapped by a serial killer? He is still on the loose, in case your inferior brain didn't realize that. You are going to be under constant surveillance until Shi is caught. "
"I agree with Naru. There is no way in hell any of us are going to let you stay by yourself after everything that just happened." Monk said from where he was holding John. "But I'd rather that we continue this conversation after we get John in the car and on his way to see a doctor. Ayako wasn't lying when she said that he was heavy!"
The entire SPR team sat in an off white waiting room at the hospital as they waited to hear about John's condition. Mai sighed and slouched down in the uncomfortable chair she had been sitting in for the past hour. She'd tried every position possible to ease the pain in her back, but nothing was working. Naru, Ayako, and Monk were talking about where Mai would stay. It always annoyed Mai when they talked about her like she wasn't in the room. The young woman rolled her eyes and ignored them, instead opting to count the number of white tiles on the floor.
One, two, three, four. . .
"I'm not disagreeing that Mai needs to stay with someone, Naru, but she can't stay with a man. It's indecent for a girl her age to live with someone who isn't her boyfriend." Ayako's voice reached Mai's ears.
Eighteen, nineteen, twenty. . .
"Are you capable of protecting her if she were to stay with you, Matsuzaki?" Naru's tone implied that he was skeptical. " The only time you have been any help on a case was when you used the tree spirits at the inn."
Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven. . .
Ayako huffed angrily but Monk interrupted before she could respond. "Naru, you're not much better. You might be smart, but you end up in the hospital every time you use your PK! I think that Mai should stay with me."
Mai's head shot up and her jaw dropped, Ayako having a similar expression.
"You have got to be joking!" The red head exclaimed. "Have Mai stay with an old pervert like you?!"
"I'm not that old, you hag. Besides, I won't do anything to her. We've known each other for years. Do you honestly think that I would do something that could harm her physically or mentally?" Monk crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.
Ayako rubbed her temples and sighed. "It's not that I think you would try anything with her. It's just like I said earlier. I'm not entirely sure it would be a good idea to have a young woman staying in a man's home when they aren't dating. What if she is seen by someone she knows? Her reputation could be ruined, not to mention the fact that it wouldn't reflect very well on SPR."
"Have any of you thought about asking me where I want to stay?! This is my life, after all." Mai scowled at them.
"Of course not. You would just protest." Naru said bluntly.
His assistant's face started to turn red as she yelled, "Of course I would protest, you idiot scientist! You're trying to control what I do, just like you did before you left for England! I took care of myself for three years, Naru! I-"
Mai suddenly shut up, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She stood up abruptly and left the waiting room without another word. How could she have blown up like that?! Ever since Naru came back, she had been trying not to bring up the fact that he had left. None of the SPR team brought it up. It was like he never left in the first place.
But it had hurt. There was no denying that. Naru had left them all like they were mere pawns in his game of chess. And now he was trying to control her again. Well, she wasn't about to let that happen.
She had stopped in the hallway, her fists clenched against her chest and her head bowed. It was then that she realized someone had followed her. Someone who smelled like coffee and Old Spice cologne.
"Mai. . . I'm sorry that we were deciding things without your permission." Monk said softly.
Her shoulders slumped. "It's alright. I know you're just worried. But that stupid narcissist! He. . . He. . . UGH!" She stomped her foot and whirled around."He's such a jerk!"
Monk chuckled. "Yeah, but that's just Naru. He cares too. So Mai, who do you want to stay with?"
"Oh. Right." Mai thought for a moment. She could understand Ayako's point about staying with one of the guys, but she could also see Naru's point about Ayako not really being able to protect her. . . Mai took a deep breath. "I'll stay with the person who makes me feel the most safe."
Her crush's shoulders slumped slightly. "So, Naru."
With another deep breath and a quick shake of her head, Mai stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Monk's waist.
"You."
