A/N: As always, thank you so much for all of you who have favorited and followed! Thanks to all those reading this! Enjoy!

Hyuuga Senpai - Yay! I'm so happy! Thank you for reading my works.

CaitHawke4Ever - I don't think there's much use in blackmailing Mai. Unless she wanted an unlimited supply of hotel soap or something. Yasu did make a brief appearance in the first chapter, but don't worry he will return! Thank you for reading!

RyuuFuyuScarlet - I'm glad the summary drew you in (I always dread trying to figure what to put there)! I hope the story does it justice. Thank you for giving it a shot!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

Language Key:

Regular = Japanese

Bold Italic = Chinese

Bold = English

Chapter 4:

Watching Takigawa turned out to be more interesting than Lin thought it would. It was his first time seeing a monk ward off spirits and this monk proved to be quite powerful. Whether or not his efforts were effective (or necessary) remained to be seen, but it was interesting nonetheless. Gene and Naru would be disappointed to know they missed it.

Lin still wished he could've missed it. He would've preferred to be upstairs with the girls. For more reasons than one. Mostly, he was concerned for their safety. They were in a haunted house with an unidentified spirit. A spirit who seemed to target young women. Specifically, young women who wandered into the very room they were headed. Lin's only source of comfort was that his shiki would inform him if something went wrong. And they could hold the evil spirit back long enough for the rescue to come.

But his other concern, he could do nothing about. Hara and Shibuya were likely to put their problems to rest. After doing so, Hara would inform Shibuya that Lin was looking for her. The other her. How would she react? Would she be disgusted? Would she run away again? The idea that she'd be out there, somewhere he didn't know, terrified him. And it wasn't just because he'd finally gotten so close to finding her.

"I'm really not comfortable with this," Takigawa said after they'd finished with the kitchen. "I don't like those two running off on their own."

Lin was in total agreement. "Does Shibuya-san have any way of protecting herself?"

"I've taught her a few chants and I think that old hag over there taught her the nine cuts," Takigawa must've been referring to Matsuzaki. "But she's never really had need of them, so I don't know how prepared she is. What about Hara-san?"

"Unless she can reason with the spirits, I don't know of any defense skill she possesses," Lin spoke honestly of what he knew - which wasn't much.

"Great," Takigawa's voice was heavily laced with sarcasm. "So, they're both up there like sitting ducks just so Hara can have a little girl chat."

Lin noticed that Shibuya wasn't mentioned as part of the problem. Despite the fact that she was the one who agreed. Takigawa was extremely protective of her. Lin had seen that much when he'd come to help her at the bar the other night. He'd watched her especially close after IKUTO was mentioned, as if he knew the truth.

"How long have you known Shibuya-san?" Lin was curious.

"I think it's been a couple of years now," Takigawa shrugged. "We met when the band was doing a gig at the hotel. Of course, she was working the bar that night."

His distaste for that was evident. If she was Taniyama, that put her at seventeen. She would've been around fifteen when they met. That was far too young to be working at such a station.

"She seems...youthful," Takigawa scoffed at his comment. "Does her family know?"

Takigawa scowled, "No. Not that they'd care if they did."

Lin pondered how to keep the conversation going. It was difficult as it wasn't usually his thing, but he was trying to get as much information as he could. That all came to a halt, however, when his shiki sent out a distress signal.

Lin ran without a thought. Takigawa yelled after him, before following along. Lin made it to the 'empty' bedroom first, but the monk wasn't too far behind. Lin found three of his shiki hovering around a closet door, unable to enter. He couldn't sense Yi. And by proxy, he couldn't sense Shibuya. He tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

"Someone, please, help us," Hara's voice could be heard, muffled by the door. "She's holding us in here and won't let us out."

Lin was about to tell his shiki to put an end to whoever held them hostage, but Takigawa motioned for him to step back. Lin let him take the lead, preferring that over exposing his own abilities. Though, he would if he needed to.

"Hang in there," Takigawa called out before beginning his chanting.

The shiki came to stand next to Lin, waiting for the evil spirit to be chased off. Lin continued to try and reach Yi. Though, his efforts proved to be fruitless. Hara could be heard speaking frantically to Shibuya, but he couldn't understand her over the chants. Shibuya's voice never reached him.

After a long moment, Takigawa ceased. Stepping forward, he reached for the doorknob. It turned easily in his grasp. He flung the door open, causing Hara to nearly fall into him. She held onto him in a rare moment of vulnerability. Her eyes were wet and wide with fear.

The shiki rushed past them and went straight to Shibuya. She had yet to exit and now he knew why. She was unconscious.

While Hara tried to explain that to Takigawa, Lin surged on through. He was informed that she was physically unharmed, but he still wanted to see for himself. He found her much as he had yesterday. Her body mostly motionless, not even stirring as he picked her up. The rise and fall of her chest was his only comfort.

"Her vitals all appear fine. It seems she is merely asleep," his words sounded more confident than he felt.

"Still, let's let Ayako get a look at her," Takigawa suggested, looking as concerned as Lin felt. He had one arm around the medium's shoulders, leading her out of the room.

Lin followed with Shibuya in his arms. Her head rested on his neck, her breath warmed his skin. He was thankful she wasn't feverish this time. At least he could check one thing off his list of worries. But her lack of response was still concerning. As was the fact that Yi had just disappeared. She'd taken it as her duty to protect Shibuya. It wasn't like her to abandon her post - especially at such a dire time.

"Oh my," Father Brown exclaimed in English. He and Matsuzaki met them at the bottom of the staircase. "Are the girls okay?"

Lin let Takigawa and Hara explain the situation as he carried Shibuya to the couch. The second he laid her down, Matsuzaki pushed him aside. He stayed close, though. He watched as she checked for vitals and shone a light in Shibuya's eyes. A frown etched on the nurse's face.

"She didn't hit her head on anything?"

"No, she landed on my shoulder when she fainted,"

"I see. Well, I can't find anything wrong. She probably hasn't fully recovered and passed out from overworking herself," Matsuzaki's eyes narrowed as they met Lin's. She must've heard about yesterday. "Did she seem weak or anything when you guys were walking?"

"No, she appeared quite strong," Hara's usual stoic expression faltered.

"You said she wasn't fully recovered. Is she ill?" Brown looked down at the slumbering girl, his bright blue eyes filled with concern.

"She overworked herself again," Takigawa sighed.

"We'll keep an eye on her. When she wakes up, she's not to leave this couch," the nurse ordered.

"She really did seem fine up until the spirits appeared," Hara reminded.

"Do you get a good read on them?" Takigawa got down to business.

"There are two spirits, a mother and a daughter. The daughter is scared. She's trapped here by the mother,"

"Is the mother the one that locked you in the closet?" Brown asked. His eyes attention was on Hara, but his eyes kept flickering to Shibuya. Everyone's eyes kept flickering to Shibuya.

"Yes, I believe so," Hara nodded. "She was very angry. Mai felt it, too."

"Do you sense them now?" Takigawa had a serious expression.

"I can still sense the daughter. But the mother's presence is very faint, at the moment,"

"Alright, I think our focus should be on the upstairs bedroom. That seems to be where most of the activity has been," Takigawa turned to Matsuzaki and Brown with a grin. "Who wants to do the honors of going first?"

It was decided that Matsuzaki would make the first attempt. The other two would wait out in the hall for their turn. Lin and Hara would stay downstairs with Shibuya. With strict instructions not to let her move. A very pointed look was directed at Lin during this order.

Lin wasn't sure why he was getting the brunt of her displeasure. He hadn't caused the situation. Sure, it might not have been entirely proper to let the young woman stay in his room, alone with him. But her health was top priority. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

He really hadn't thought about it at the time. His only thoughts were about how to help her. It wasn't until Madoka called that he realized how it looked. She'd originally tried to do a video call, but he'd rejected it. She then proceeded to spam him with several texts about the audacity of such a deed. Then, she called him the usual way to make sure he understood the error of his ways.

He'd gone out on the balcony to avoid waking up Shibuya. After getting chewed out, he explained his reasons. But he purposely withheld his hypothesis on her identity. When Madoka was shocked speechless, it finally dawned on him that it was highly inappropriate. But by that time, the damage was already done. And when Shibuya awoke shortly after, he was far too concerned with her well being to worry about it.

"What are your intentions?" Hara's voice pulled him out of his musings. He turned away from Shibuya to meet her level stare.

"I don't understand the question," Lin was pretty sure he did, but he wanted her to confirm it.

"When you approached me earlier, you wanted my help to find that person. If you do find them, what do you intend to to do?" A lesser person would've withered under such a cold gaze. But Lin had plenty of experience, he had Oliver as a student after all. This doll-like glare was nothing in comparison.

"I'll take her to the Davis family," he answered honestly. The how wasn't necessary for the response. Thank goodness, too, as he still had yet to figure that out for himself.

"Why?" Her voice wavered slightly. "For what reason would they want her?"

Lin couldn't tell if her motives were pure or not. He knew that being sought out by the Davis family was a high honor for those involved with the paranormal society. On one hand, Taniyama was in an enviable position. But on the other, they were friends of some sort. It could be quite scary if a friend was taken away to a foreign country by someone who had no known connection to her. It was probably even more sketchy when you considered that she had no relatives who watched over her.

Still, their connection was not something he could divulge. "I'm afraid that I cannot answer that question currently."

Hara brought her sleeve up to cover her mouth, but Lin had already seen her jaw tighten up. "Then, I'm afraid that I cannot assist you any further."

Lin fought back a smirk. Whether she knew it or not, she'd already given him the assistance he needed. Instead, he gave a solemn nod and thanked her for hearing him out. Then, an uncomfortable silence fell. Lin actually preferred it over continuing the conversation. But he could've done without Hara fuming in her seat. Technically, she was still his charge, so he supposed he'd have to put up with it.

While he was ignoring her, he started trying to figure out how to explain this to Taniyama. He knew that his time was growing short. He'd have to tell her soon. Either after he sent out the DNA sample or after Hara outed him. He just hoped she would listen to what he'd have to say.

Suddenly, Yi popped back on his radar. At the same time, Shibuya stirred. Lin waited, watching as she gathered herself. She blinked slowly. Her soft brown eyes took their time taking in the surroundings. A small frown revealed her confusion. Carefully, she sat up. This motion caught the attention of Hara, who moved to sit at her feet. At this, Shibuya's eyes widened in surprise before frantically searching the room. She met Lin's gaze. And his heart warmed as she relaxed immediately.

Darkness enveloped her. Gravity seemed nonexistent as she floated in the vast nothingness. Slowly, the space was lit up with millions of glowing orbs. She knew right away what they were. They were spirits, much like Lin's. She must've wound up in some sort of spirit realm. But how? Was she dead?

She couldn't be dead. She still had so much she wanted to do. She still had to make her mother proud. She had to get back to her friends. Her friends! Masako was probably stuck in that stupid closet with her lifeless body. That poor girl had enough on her plate, she didn't need the emotional trauma of being trapped with a dead girl.

How did she die anyways? Did the evil spirit kill her? If the spirit had killed her, there should've been more pain. Right? She couldn't remember feeling any pain. She remembered feeling scared and suffocated, but she'd survived panic attacks that were far worse. So, that wasn't the likely culprit. What killed her?

"...ai. Mai. Mai, come here," a soft, bell-like voice chimed at her. She looked around to find a beautiful woman. She wore a pink hanfu. Her dark, silky hair fell to her waist, with half of it held up with an ornate hair pin. Her dark brown eyes danced with familiar warmth.

"Yi?" The woman grinned, her hands reaching out to Mai. Mai took them with no hesitation. The spirit's presence instantly calmed her down. "Yi, can you tell me where we are?"

"As you've already suspected, we're in the spirit realm. But don't worry, you're safe here. I'll protect you until we return," Yi beamed reassuringly.

"We can return?" If she could return, then she wasn't dead!

But Yi's smile suddenly fell. Her eyes cast down. "Only after we complete the vision."

"The vision?" Mai had a bad feeling about this.

Yi nodded solemnly. "I cannot stop it. I can only guide you and give you comfort."

Mai smiled at the kind spirit. She was more than happy to know she wasn't alone in this. Whatever this was. "Then please, lead the way."

Yi gave a small smile, reluctant to continue. After a moment, the area around them started to change. Light filled the darkness and a familiar architecture took its shape. Mai found herself standing in the same living room she'd been in not even an hour ago. The furniture was older and the walls were a different color, but it was the exact same layout.

A young woman she'd never met sat on the couch. Her head was low, her eyes unfocused. She slumped in her seat, defeated. An older woman stood in front of her. She had one hand on her hip, the other was jabbing at the young woman. She was yelling, but Mai couldn't hear her. Then, the young woman's mouth moved. The older woman must've asked her to repeat what she said, because she did. The second time, her eyes flashed and her jaw clenched. Mai really wished she could hear them.

Suddenly, the older woman attacked the younger. But the younger managed to push her off. She ran, but the older overtook her. She pushed her away again. This continued until they reached the kitchen. The younger was momentarily free, but the older was close behind. Her eyes were filled with rage, her hands were out for blood.

The younger looked on in fear. Her time was running out. With no other option in sight, she grabbed a kitchen knife. The blade penetrated the older woman's side as she lunged. She backed up, stunned by the sudden attack. Both woman stared at the knife, one in surprise the other in horror of what she'd done. Then, realization kicked in. And the chase continued until the younger was cornered into the bedroom closet.

The final words Mai heard clearly. The older woman panted out her last few breaths, her mouth turned up in a sneer, "If I'm going to die, you're going with me!"

The younger let out a heartbreaking sob, before the door slammed in her face. The older woman lived out her final moments sitting in front of the closet door. A creepy, satisfied smile was plastered on her face.

Mai continued to stare even as the woman disappeared. The image, like many others she'd dream up, was probably going to stick with her for a long while. The violence was so horrific, so senseless. Who knew how long that young woman had put up with it up until that point? And how long was she stuck there afterwards?

It made sense now. The suffocation she'd felt earlier must've been hers. The anger had to belong to the psycho woman who killed her. And they were trapped together in that space for eternity.

"Your friends are expelling the evil one as we speak. Once she is gone, the trapped spirit will be free to move on,"

The scene changed to the present day. Mai could see Bou-san and Ayako standing out in the hall as John stood inside the room. He recited his verses and splashed his holy water. The evil spirit screamed in response. Her presence was weaker than Mai remembered it being.

"Why did we have to see that?" If they were already taking care of the problem, was it really necessary? Mai could've lived her whole life without witnessing that scene.

"These visions are your gift. I cannot stop them most of the time," Yi reminded her.

"I don't think 'gift' is the right word," Mai grumbled.

Was that why she kept having nightmares? Were they all real, too? Her mind went back to the reoccurring vision she'd had before this. The same faces that haunted her there were plastered on the missing person fliers. Did they suffer the same fate?

"I will help you the best I can. But you must tell Master,"

"Lin-san? Why?"

"He can teach you ways to control your gift. So, perhaps your well-being won't suffer,"

The idea of Lin being her teacher both intrigued her and terrified her. She was eager to learn more about this 'gift' and anything else he could teach her. But she'd embarrassed herself in front of him so much already. The last thing she wanted was to open herself up to further mortification.

Would he even want to teach her? He'd been kind to her ever since 'the Incident' yesterday. He'd smiled at her a few times over the course of the morning. And he hadn't put up his usual defensive shield in a few days. But that didn't mean he wanted her to continuously barge into his personal bubble.

"Can't you teach me?" Mai wondered. "You lead me this far."

Yi smiled, amused. Her eyes shone with a knowledge that seemed to pierce right through to Mai's true thoughts. "I can assist, but Master will be a better choice. He's a good teacher."

"I'm sure he's a swell educator," That wasn't the problem. Her inability to remain professional was, however.

"He wants to help you," Yi giggled as Mai pouted in disbelief. "And you need to let him in."

She needed to let him in? She was sure that the last thing he wanted was to hear all the sordid stories of her life. And he surely wouldn't want to be privy to her secret double life. Even if he didn't expose her, he wouldn't want to be associated with her. She was just a little girl pretending to be someone she wasn't.

But she did need to figure this newfound talent out. She could ask her friends if they knew anything about it. They might not be of much help, though. With Lin, she could be sure that he had the knowledge - if what his spirit servant said was true, anyways. But Mai knew in her heart that Yi spoke the truth.

"I'll talk to him about the vision," Mai sighed.

Yi grinned in victory. Then, her hands flew up to the back of her head. Her fingers delicately pried the ornate hair pin from her hair, letting the remaining strands fall. She held the hair pin out to Mai. "Take this and show it to Master."

Mai reached out for it. Taking it in her hands, her fingers gently traced the red jewels that made up a dragon. The metal stick that was used to clasp it in was cold - and sharp. Mai pricked her finger on it. It wasn't enough to draw blood, just enough to hurt. She slid the pin into her pocket for safekeeping.

"Is it time to return?" With this new resolution, Mai wasn't as eager to go as she had been.

"Yes, we shall see each other again soon," after the words left her lips, Yi changed into her orb form.

Her orb was joined by the millions of other spirits. Mai found herself suspended in the void that brought her here. This time, she saw a light in the distance. She felt it tug at her, pulling her towards it. She didn't resist it, hoping it would lead her to where she belonged. The light enveloped her. It blinded her until she once again in the dark.

Slowly, she blinked. The world was bright, but not as bright as that light had been. It was the familiar florescent of artificial light illuminating the room. But what room? Where was she? She appeared to be reclining on a couch. The material wasn't too soft, nor was it particularly fluffy. It probably wasn't meant for slumber. Looking around, she caught the leg of a coffee table. She must be in a living room.

She pushed herself up carefully, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. Almost as soon as she did, Masako sprung at her. She daintily sat at Mai's feet. Suddenly, Mai remembered where she was. She was in Mrs. Ikeda's house. She'd been upstairs with Masako when the evil spirit shoved them in the closet. Then, she'd gone to the spirit realm with Yi. Wait, where was Lin?

Her eyes searched the seats across from her, but found them empty. She noticed the blue spirit floating in her peripheral. The blue spirit had been the one to stay with Lin, so he had to be nearby. Finally, she looked behind her.

There he was, watching over her. His gaze softened the moment their eyes met, but she could still see traces of worry. Was he worried about her?

"How long was I out this time?" she groaned.

Lin chuckled. He actually chuckled. "Not very long at all. Maybe fifteen minutes at most. How do you feel?"

Self conscious. Overwhelmed. Inadequate. "Tired."

"Naturally," Masako chimed in. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't exhausted to begin with."

Mai's gaze fell on the medium. Masako sat as usual, poised with wisdom and knowledge. But Mai couldn't help but frown. Something told her that in this instance, she was wrong.

"I wasn't tired before now," she shook her head.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Lin asked. When Mai turned around, he wasn't focused on her. But she could see a hypothesis forming in his brain.

"Yes, but Yi called it a vision," Mai had the pleasure of seeing the shock color his expression. His grey eye was entirely focused on her now. She took the opportunity to relay all that she'd been shown. But she left out Yi's advice, she'd think more on that later.

"You're claiming that the daughter accidentally killed the mother, so the mother spent her dying breath getting revenge?" Masako asked.

"I just told you what I saw," Mai shrugged.

"It does fit what I've sensed. And such visions are not unheard of," Masako didn't exactly sound convinced. Lin remained silent, his thoughts spiraling somewhere Mai couldn't follow.

Mai probably wouldn't have believed herself either. If Yi hadn't been there, she would've wrote it off as another bad dream. Actually, if it wasn't for Yi's hair pin poking her in the leg, she probably would've still thought it was a dream. The hair pin!

"Ah, Yi wanted me to show you this," Mai pulled it out and held it in front of Lin. His brow furrowed as he took it from her. His fingers brushed against hers, leaving a trail of warmth behind.

"Who is this Yi?" Masako was not one to be left out.

"One of my shiki," Lin answered curtly. His focus was still on the hair pin.

"A shiki?" Mai pondered aloud as the spirit in question nuzzled her cheek.

"Yes, they're like a familiar or a contracted spirit," Lin responded, despite the fact that he was still pondering her other situation. "My five shiki have all made a contract with me to help whenever I need them."

"Ah, so that's what Jun meant when he said they were tied to you," Mai smiled. "That's really cool."

Her words earned her a beautiful smile in response. His eye pierced her with an expression she didn't quite recognize. Her heart fluttered as she remained paralyzed by his gaze.

Then, Masako broke the spell. "You can sense them, but you don't know what they are?"

"To be fair, I couldn't see them until yesterday," Mai defended herself as she turned to face Masako again. "Jun only told me the bare minimum and Yi doesn't really speak. Well, with words anyway."

"I could have had plenty of opportunity to answer any questions you had," the yellow spirit reminded her. He buzzed irately in front of her. His disappointment from yesterday had yet to dissipate.

"Can we please not talk about that right now?" Mai pleaded. She still wasn't sure how comfortable Lin would feel about his shiki (apparently) trying to force her onto him. Jun huffed, but dropped the subject. "Thank you."

He moved to pout on her shoulder, where he knew she couldn't ignore him. Sighing, she turned her attention back to Masako. The medium blinked back at her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was just slightly agape.

"You can see them? And they talk to you?"

Mai nodded carefully, "Yes."

"And one of them met you in your dreamscape and gave you an ornate hair pin? And you were able to bring it into the waking world?"

It was Mai's turn to blink. The whole thing did sound pretty ridiculous. But there was no other way it could've ended up in her pocket. She'd never own such a beautiful thing. The closest thing she had was a necklace of her mother's. It was similar in design.

"It sounds like astral projection," Lin's voice sounded sure and calm. Mai was about to turn around to look at him, but she froze. His fingers were in her hair, pulling it gently into place. Too soon, his fingers were gone. In their place was the weight of the hair pin.

Mai's hand started inching towards the back of her head. She forced it into her lap. She wanted to feel the pin, but she'd probably just end up knocking it out. Then again, if she accidentally did that, maybe he'd do it all over again. No, she had to get control of herself. Focus, Mai.

"What's astral projection?"

Her question, however, went unanswered. Because no soon than it had left her lips, the other's returned from their mission. The first thing Bou-san did was tackle her in a hug. So, Ayako's first task was to remove him from Mai. Then, she started interrogating her about her well-being. John stood off to the side with a smile on his face. After assuring everyone she was fine (for the fifteenth time), they settled down.

"So, Hara-san," Bou-san turned everyone's attention on the medium. "What do you sense now?"

Masako closed her eyes, searching as though she hadn't sensed the moment they vacated the home. Mai smirked knowing she was still prone to theatrics. "They're gone."

Bou-san flopped down into a chair, sagging in equal parts relief and exhaustion. In the chair beside him, Ayako relaxed. John closed his eyes, sending up a prayer of thanks. Mai watched them in admiration. She'd seen a glimpse of their power during her vision and it gave her a newfound appreciation for her friends. They were an odd bunch, but she was lucky to know them.

She pulled her knees to her chest as she watched them. Resting her chin on her knees, she glanced down to her sock-clad feet. Now, where were her shoes? Looking around, she found them on the floor in front of the couch. There, they had been placed neatly. Realization dawned once again from that little clue.

Mai turned her head slightly to look at the culprit. The man who had carried her (not once, but twice) was quiet as usual. His gaze studied the scene before him curiously. As his attention was elsewhere, she was free to take note of the amusement in his grey eye. She was close enough to witness the slight uptick of his lips.

She'd come to know more about him than she thought she would. But there was still so much she wanted to unlock, more mystery she wanted to unravel. Why was he here? Did he have a family? Friends? Girlfriend? How long was he here for? When was he going to leave her? How much would it hurt when he did?

His eye met hers. Time paused as his fingers brushed a stray hair from her eyes. A full grown smile graced his beautiful face. Mai's heart melted. Her stomach was in knots as she smiled back. She knew it was too late. She was already a goner.