Disclaimer: All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.


"What happened?" Naru asked the moment Mai had fallen asleep.

"...I confessed my feelings for her," Lin calmly replied.

"And?" Naru prompted.

"She doesn't reciprocate," Lin explained as though stating a fact.

Naru's eyes widened slightly in shock.

"That isn't possible," he said in disbelief.

Lin gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"It just isn't possible," Naru replied with certainty. "I've seen the way she is around you."

"That's the truth of it though," Lin responded. "I told her how I felt and she refused to even acknowledge my feelings."

"But look at her," Naru insisted, gesturing towards Mai. "She's devastated. There has to be something more."

Lin briefly glanced at Mai before returning his attention to Naru.

"She wants someone else..." he admitted.

"That's impossible," Naru disagreed. "Her life practically revolves around her work with us, and besides Gene, she's never shown an interest in anyone except you."

Lin remained quiet. Naru narrowed his eyes at the man.

"There's something you're not telling me," Naru accused. "—Earlier, you two were arguing about soulmates. What was that about?"

Lin released a gentle sigh, giving in to Naru's questioning.

"Mai's been having dreams about her past life," he confessed. "There's a man in them that she can't let go of."

"How does she know that's what they are?" Naru demanded.

"I told her," Lin admitted feebly.

"Why?" Naru questioned.

"It was honestly an accident," Lin said defensively. "I had no idea she was having the dreams. I was the one who had one, and when I called her this morning, she just seemed to know how I was feeling."

"You didn't question that at all?" Naru chastised.

"No," Lin conceded.

"And even after everything you went through before," Naru ridiculed, "you didn't hesitate to tell her your soulmate theory, did you?"

"Naru, you don't understand how disorienting the experience is," Lin argued. "When Mai described everything I was feeling, I couldn't stop myself."

Naru quietly contemplated Lin's words, carefully considering the circumstances.

"Putting all that aside," Naru began, "we both know Mai is a practical person. She has feelings for you. She wouldn't disregard them due to someone she only sees in her dreams. She moved on from Gene, didn't she?"

Lin didn't respond, so he decided to change his line of questioning.

"Maybe you weren't clear about your feelings," Naru tried. "Did you tell her you're in love with her?"

"No," Lin admitted.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Naru questioned.

"Because she doesn't love me back," Lin quietly insisted. "Naru, please don't—"

Lin immediately quieted at the sound of Mai's whispered word. He had heard it clearly. Quickly turning his head in her direction, he stared at her sleeping form.

"What is it?" Naru asked.

"She said my name," Lin quietly replied.

"Jun?" Naru asked in confusion. "Lin, what are you—"

Lin quickly brought his hand to his forehead, suddenly feeling dizzy. He reached out for the chair next to him, attempting to steady himself.

"Lin, what's wrong?" Naru questioned in worry.

"I —I don't know," Lin answered shakily, bringing his hand to rest over his chest.

He felt a heavy, rapid beat beneath his palm, causing him to frown in confusion. It was then that a sudden stabbing sensation pervaded his chest. He reflexively clutched at his shirt from the pain, causing it to bunch as he pulled against it. Clenching his teeth, Lin breathed deeply through his nose, preventing himself from crying out.

There was a pressure inside him, pressing outward as if trying to escape his body. It was everything he had shackled inside him. His soul, his emotions, the longing he had tried to erase, all of it was pressing against him, trying to break his restraints. The pain he felt only increased with the pressure. But when the pain finally reached the point of being unbearable, he suddenly felt something inside him shatter and then it was gone. He gasped in relief, sucking in several deep breaths.

"I was such an idiot," Lin panted. "Of course it was her."

"...What happened?" came Mai's voice from the couch.

Lin quickly looked up, seeking out her eyes with his own.

"You felt it, didn't you?" he asked.

"I did," Mai confirmed, sitting up, "but why now? What changed?"

"The restraints on my soul suddenly broke," he answered. "—That was the reason neither of us realized before now."

"Why would they break?" Mai questioned.

"You called out to me," Lin replied.

Mai quietly stared at him for a few moments before averting her gaze. She looked down at her lap, fidgeting with her hands as she worried her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how to address the distressing thoughts that plagued her mind.

"What's wrong?" Lin gently questioned.

"It's —it's nothing," Mai tried to dissemble, though she knew she couldn't hide the truth forever.

"You're disappointed that I'm him, aren't you?" Lin questioned.

Mai quickly looked up at his words. He had it all wrong.

"That's not true," she protested.

"Isn't it?" he said bitterly. "It was never that I wasn't him. You just don't want me."

"Lin-san! Stop it," Mai ordered. "Of course I want you. I —I'm in love with you. But it wasn't until now that I realized why I've been holding back."

"Then tell me why," Lin pleaded. "What reason could there be?"

"I'm terrified!" Mai confessed.

"Of what?" Lin questioned. "You know I'll always protect you."

"That's the problem!" Mai exclaimed. "I'm the reason you died! It was all my fault and I can't help thinking it might happen again."

"That's not true," Lin disagreed. "And even if it was, I could never regret loving you. You freed me from stagnation. The life I had before you was hardly living."

"But—" Mai attempted to interrupt, but Lin cut her off.

"It took me centuries to find you before," he insisted, "and now that I've found you again, I want to be with you here… in this life."

Mai squeezed her eyes shut, attempting not to cry.

"I can't live without you," she whispered, "but I don't know if I can do this."

Lin quickly closed the distance between them, kneeling in front of her and bringing her hands to rest in his.

"Just trust in me," he entreated, "and know I'll do everything in my power to keeps us together in this life for as long as possible."

Mai opened her eyes to look at him when he spoke. She wanted to trust in him so much, and she found that she did. It was impossible for her to doubt the conviction of his words. Lin never made foolish promises. She trusted him implicitly.

"I trust you," she consented.

Lin softly smiled at Mai. The pair remained hand in hand gazing at one another, silently communicating a lifetime of forgotten emotions. However, the other occupant in the room was quickly growing impatient.

"Now that that's out of the way," Naru drawled, "we can move on."

Lin and Mai quickly parted, looking away in embarrassment. They had forgotten all about Naru.

Naru shook his head at their shyness. He figured it was too much to expect that they would finally get it together.

"Well then," Naru continued, "tell me everything."