A/N: Um...

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


Lin gazed out the taxicab window from his spot in the backseat, casting his eyes over the once familiar buildings of London. Having been away for so long, he barely recognized the city anymore. But that wasn't something that bothered him since he had never really considered it home in the first place. However, if he was going to be an active member of his family, he would have to settle here eventually. Though, to be perfectly honest, he wouldn't hesitate to leave his family behind if it meant staying with Mai.

He was slowly drawn from his thoughts by the repetitive tap of nervous fingers. Shifting his gaze from the window, he quietly looked at Mai. She was staring blankly ahead, seemingly unaware of her own fidgeting. He calmly reached over and covered both of her hands with one of his own, gently squeezing them in a gesture of reassurance, but remained silent.

Mai glanced at him for a moment before looking ahead once more. She breathed in deeply and slowly released the breath. "I know," she whispered. "It's just..."

When she didn't continue, Lin gently frowned. He wanted to ease her worry, but he needed to know the cause of it first. "Tell me what's wrong," he said softly.

She sighed once again. It wasn't something she could fully explain. "It's nothing… You know how I worry."

Lin wasn't going to let her off that easy. "Mai," he urged, his tone firm but gentle.

Mai looked at him with reluctance before finally giving in. "I can't really explain it. I know meeting your family won't be easy, and I've come to terms with the fact that they won't ever really accept me, but… I just have this uneasy feeling… like something unpleasant is waiting for us."

Lin frowned. It could just be nerves, but with Mai's intuition, he couldn't brush her words aside so easily.

"Should we return to the hotel?" he calmly asked. He wouldn't risk Mai's safety for anything.

Mai quickly shook her head. "It's nothing dangerous. It just feels... unwelcoming."

Lin remained quiet as he processed her words. "Ah," he finally murmured. "...Well, I suppose that's to be expected."

Mai rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. Of course it was to be expected. And like she had already said, she'd come to terms with it.

"But you're sure it's nothing more serious?" Lin questioned further.

"How much more serious could it be?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I don't like the similarity."

"You mean… to Rei and Jun?"

Lin nodded, his expression serious. "With the way my family is acting, it's… too similar. And I don't care if it is my family this time, I won't be blindsided."

"You think…" Mai paused to lower her voice, though she was sure the cab driver couldn't understand them. "You think your family would do something like that?"

"My family practices Chinese sorcery… I wouldn't put anything past them."

"You mean it's not just you?"

He shook his head. "No, there's a handful of practitioners in my family. I'm a bit different, though. Stronger, I guess. More knowledgeable at least. That's why I'm the House Overseer."

Mai tilted her head. "House Overseer?"

"Ah…" Lin paused. He had forgotten to mention that to her. In fact, there were a lot of things he had left unsaid. Originally, he was excited to welcome Mai to his family, but as time went on, he felt the urge to separate her from them. He wanted to keep her safe, but in a way, he wanted to keep her to himself. "I'm supposed to monitor the family sorcerers to ensure they don't… do anything too extreme."

"Have you had to do that before?"

"There have been a few cases, but it's difficult to monitor things from Japan. That's something my parents were never happy about, so… we might have to stay a while just to sort that out."

"Will we ever be allowed to leave?" Mai half-joked. She was slightly worried it might actually be true.

Lin was quiet for a moment as he wondered the same thing. "I honestly don't know," he finally admitted. "I have a lot of responsibilities that I've been neglecting for a long time. And as my wife, you'll have many as well."

Mai stared at him silently for several moments before looking away. She breathed in deeply and released the breath. "How did I ever get myself mixed up in all of this," she mumbled.

The heavy reluctance in her tone struck a chord in Lin, leaving him feeling slightly shaken. It gave him a deep sense that he was robbing Mai of her freedom, and he bitterly regretted bringing her to England. He was simultaneously overwhelmed with the urge to let her go and the desire keep her forever. He never wanted to let her go, but he refused to be the cause of her unhappiness.

He slowly removed his hand from hers and placed it on his own knee. "...I can understand if you want to call it all off," he said softly. "I should have explained things beforehand."

Mai quickly looked back at him. She was surprised to see his gently pained expression. "I didn't mean it like that," she insisted.

Lin swallowed uneasily. He knew she loved him, but he couldn't crush the feeling that she wanted something different. "How did you mean it, then?"

Mai gently bit her bottom lip before releasing a soft sigh. "It's all just a bit overwhelming," she quietly confessed. "But I want to be with you… no matter what. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

He sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter how many times you tell me. You hardly know anything about me, so if you're overwhelmed now..."

"Koujo," Mai interrupted, grabbing his hand, "just stop. I want to be with you. Nothing can change that. "

He gently closed his eyes. "You can't know that for sure," he whispered. "Things change."

There was a long pause.

"...Koujo" Mai finally murmured, "what's wrong all of a sudden? Do you not believe me?"

He quickly looked at her. "That isn't it. I just… I don't want to make you unhappy. I know you love me, but you don't know my past or my family."

"I know you," she insisted. "I know there's an immense kindness inside you, and I know you'll always protect me.

"But—" he tried to interrupt.

"That's all I need to know," she said firmly.

Lin couldn't help softly laughing. There was no arguing with Mai. But it didn't matter; the strength of her words effectively eased his worries. His expression eased into a gentle smile. She made him infinitely happy, and he was certain she was all he needed in life. If he could make her just as happy, he would be satisfied. He simply didn't care about anything else.

That was when a thought struck him. "Let's run away together," he said suddenly.

Mai couldn't help laughing at the seriousness of his suggestion. "What's this? Lin Koujo wants to run away?"

"Why not?" he immediately answered. "I have you. That's all I need. —And why give my family the chance to try and separate us?"

Mai suddenly sobered and stared at him blankly for a moment. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Lin nodded. "Absolutely. I want nothing but you."

She was momentarily stunned, but quickly broke into a smile. She had never been more glad at the idea of leaving everything behind. "Okay," she agreed. "Let's do it."