19: language of love... The Other Woman
I don't own Ghost Hunt and I don't own J'Adore, which, I actually like, believe it or not. Thanks to my awesome beta reader cold_queen_5! It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't forgotten about these stories and I'm almost done with the epilogue to Dancing Queen. But this fits in with that epilogue, so I'm posting this first. Enjoy!
...
Much as it pained her to admit, Mai was fully aware that she wasn't Lin's first lover. She was also aware—painfully so—that if their marriage didn't work out, she wouldn't be his last, either. She'd commented that to him one morbid, rainy afternoon. He'd scowled at her and informed her that that scenario wouldn't happen. He'd hustled her out into the pouring rain with Naru and Chiaki in tow down to the local ward office, all the while telling her that marriage was sacred to him and he was in it for the long haul. At the local ward office, he'd filled out his part of the marriage registration and once she'd filled out hers, had the clerk file it immediately.
Since then, she'd believed him. She had no reason not to. Until she came to Shibuya. The sexy bombshell that stood in Shibuya Psychic Research's common room and asked for Lin by his Chinese name. Now, she wasn't sure if she believed her fiancé (technically her husband, seeing as they were married). Insecurities rose up and she had to throttle them—it was a battle to do so. So what if it had taken her two years to see him smile at her and another year to see him smile warmly? So what if this childhood playmate of his earned a genuinely warm smile just by showing up?
"I can't believe it's really you, BaiFen. You've grown up," Lin commented, his smile widening. "I remember when you were a skinny beanpole, all arms and legs."
Mai felt her heart clench and her lips thin. Lin wasn't winning any brownie points from her right now. It wasn't the fact that he hadn't introduced her at all—he hadn't introduced any of them—it was the fact that there was something about this woman. She had some sort of agenda that Mai could see, but not pinpoint. She glanced at the clock on her computer and saw with relief that it was almost time for their appointment with the doctor. They were getting their first ultra sound done. Lin had been on pins and needles about the appointment for the last two weeks, even if she was the only one who knew it.
"It's really me," BaiFen assured him. "Oh! We should have lunch! It'll give us a better chance to catch up without upsetting your boss."
Mai's eyes narrowed and she saw Chiaki's do the same. Now how had she known that? Mai opened her mouth to remind Lin of their appointment when BaiFen turned to Mai and the rest. "You all don't mind, do you?" she asked. "We haven't seen each other in such a long time and I'm only here for the week. We have so much to catch up on," she finished, sliding her arm through Lin's proprietorially.
He glanced at her, but didn't shake her off. Doctor's appointment, Mai thought to herself. You need to remind him of the appointment you two have this afternoon. She never got the words out. How would she feel if an appointment kept her from seeing an old friend? Lin didn't actually have to be there, she reasoned.
She smiled at him, but it felt brittle and false. "Go on. We'll tell Naru."
Lin frowned suddenly, something hazy in his mind trying to get out. "Am I forgetting something?" he asked her.
"Nothing I can't handle on my own," she told him easily. "Go on and enjoy."
Still not convinced, Lin was about to tell BaiFen that they needed to rearrange their lunch date when BaiFen hugged his arm to her bosom and hauled him out of the office, talking a mile a minute in their native Cantonese.
…
One week later…
Mai stared out the window at the unexpected rain shower that suddenly started pelting down. Strange—the weather had forecasted that the weather would be cold, but sunny the entire week. She also knew that Lin wasn't in the office and they had a client coming in only a few minutes. Instead of her mind being on the outline that their client had emailed them, Mai's imagination was running wild with thoughts of Koujo and BaiFen having created the shower to keep them indoors. She shook her head a bit. Lin would never do that. Messing with the weather was forbidden—too many things could go wrong and things could be tossed out of balance. As a Chinese Sorcerer that practiced Taoism, balance was everything. No, he wouldn't do this. BaiFen, Mai wasn't so sure. She didn't know if the other woman was a magic-user like Koujo, but…
Mai would admit freely that she couldn't wait for BaiFen to leave. What had been a week, had morphed into two, BaiFen said. She had business that hadn't concluded itself just yet. She'd also never said what business she had here. Mai really wished it wasn't raining. She wanted to open the windows and get rid of the overwhelming scent of J'Adore—BaiFen's favorite perfume, the woman had said, spraying it liberally just yesterday. The door opened and Lin dashed in, a cloud of J'Adore following in his wake. Snapping the umbrella closed, he stuffed it into the umbrella stand and retreated into his office, entirely missing the looks sent to Mai. He hadn't even greeted his fiancée; hadn't even acknowledged her presence at all, she thought, biting her lip and gulping down a fortifying breath, only to start hacking when the perfume invaded her lungs. To Mai, it felt like things had returned to their first few years before the lust case at his school: him cold and taciturn, and her trying to find a place to stand on with him. She laid a hand on the small bump growing daily. Her worst fear had come to pass, it seemed, and it might be time for her contingency plan, too.
She fiddled with her engagement ring absently. She'd never actually played with it before—it was a habit she'd picked up when BaiFen came to town a week ago. Before, she'd simply just stared at it happily until Naru barked at her to get to work—tea first. Now she simply wondered when Lin was going to tell her they were over. The waiting for it was killing her. But if she read the emails she'd been receiving right, he'd tell her soon.
The emails. They'd started off benign. Mai thought that a third-party had gotten her email from a company she'd ordered from and started to send her spam emails. They went into her junk folder. By Wednesday, she knew better. The emails from Wednesday and onwards, contained trashy tabloid articles that showcased greed, opportunity, and age-difference marriages. And she knew that they were deliberate. Blocking the email address did her no good because a new one just popped up with the same articles. Whoever was sending them already had an arsenal of emails to spam her with.
She looked down at her ring again. The purple diamond had lost its radiance and the color-changing sapphires that Lin had spelled were now a dull black. She wondered if it was depression or sadness, or both. It was probably both, she decided, watching the door to his office. He hadn't been back to their apartment except to change clothes and shower, the J'Adore fragrance clinging to the clothes he stuffed into his hamper. Her gaze traveled to the drawer containing her purse and she thought about the documents she'd picked up from the local ward office on her lunch break. It saddened her to put her contingency plan into action, but he left her no choice. She didn't mind stepping aside, but she'd be damned if she was a side-piece. The baby gave a murmur of disappointment and Mai wondered which of them it was directed to: herself or Lin.
When Mai returned to the apartment, it was empty once again, that hideous J'Adore hanging in the air. She closed her eyes briefly to stem the flow of tears and wiped away the few that escaped. She needed to be strong. Tears wouldn't help. When she was sure she wouldn't cry, she made her way to the bedroom, turned on the light, and looked sadly at the bed they'd shared almost every night—barring cases and… this past week when he hadn't been home. She drew in a tremulous breath and turned away from the bed and its memories. Looking around the master bedroom didn't help either. There were too many recollections here. The heavy denim curtain she'd found at a vintage shop protected the window from the sun, but now turned the room dark as it shielded the room from the ongoing storm. Mai remembered Lin's incredulous look as she painted the curtain's hem with silly Halloween stencils and fabric paint. He could keep the curtain, she decided. When she found a new place, she'd get a new one and paint its hem, too. Lin could keep the lavender sheets on the bed. She'd wanted a pair of purple sheets; they hadn't been able to decide between a royal purple or purple-purple. The lavender ones had been the alternative and the second the bed was made, he'd tumbled her into it and made love to her until the morning. They'd both needed coffee that morning and had barely made it through the day.
What he couldn't keep, Mai decided, was the ancient alarm clock that sat on her side of the bed. Snatching it, she tossed it onto the mattress and went over to the closet, returning with two beat up duffle bags. Systematically, she moved through the apartment, emptying drawers and stuffing things into the duffels—only the pertinent items; things that couldn't fit stayed behind: things she could easily replace. It was sad, she noted, that her life fit neatly into two duffel bags. But being an orphan with no one but herself to depend on meant that she needed only the essentials. Putting the duffels by the front door, she sat down at the kitchen table and filled out her part of the divorce forms. After that, she wrote a note. These she would give to Naru to give to Lin if and when he decided to show his face at the office. Stuffing the papers into her purse, she took the apartment key off her key ring and put it on the table. She pulled the engagement ring off and it joined the key. After a brief hesitation, she took the bracelet off, too. She wouldn't need it.
"Mai-sama, what do you think you're doing?" Sebastian asked carefully.
"Packing."
Sebastian looked at her luggage and sighed. "I see that. You should know the next question already."
She smiled at the beautiful demon. "I'm leaving, Sebastian-san. Koujo—sorry," she said, shaking her head with a bemused expression, "I can't call him that anymore, can I? Lin-san's found someone new. It's not right for me to be here any longer." She stood and touched the demon's wrist briefly for the last time. "Take care of him won't you?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He was a Shikigami; he had little choice now.
Dropping her hand, Mai gave him a quick, albeit sad smile and went over to the door. "Sebastian-san, I have a final request," she told him, picking up her duffels. "Please lock the door after me. My key is on the table."
Unable to say anything or do anything, Sebastian stared at the closed door. After a long time when he could no longer hear Mai's footsteps, he went over to it and locked it. He wished Lin-sama had given him the standing order of 'prevent Mai from leaving if she gets the idea to do so,' but he'd never received such an order.
…
Lin slammed into the office, uncharacteristically angry. No, Chiaki thought, 'angry' was far too tame a word. 'Murderous' was much more fitting. He stalked into Naru's office, lethal grace and predatory power, not once sparing any of them a glance. Had he, he'd have seen the shell-shocked looks on their faces. He didn't bother to shut the door to Naru's office, so everyone heard everything.
"Where is she?" Lin hissed.
"Mai resigned this morning," Naru informed his subordinate. Or she'd tried to. Chiaki, having correctly guessed what the letter on Mai's desk was, had promptly snatched it and he assumed destroyed it because he had no idea where it was. Still, to keep up the pretense, he'd told Lin that she'd quit.
Mai had resigned? "Why?" he growled, slamming his hands down on Naru's desk.
Was she really leaving him and S.P.R. behind? Why? Was there another man? None of his Shiki could tell him why. Seeing Mai's bracelet on the empty table had been bad enough. Seeing the key and her engagement ring with it made him feel like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He wondered if Mai had found someone new and felt his heart being ripped out again and again. He glared at Naru, waiting for an answer.
Chiaki heard Naru sigh and a small squeak told her that her fiancé had vacated his chair. True to her prediction, Naru left his office and walked over to Mai's desk, Lin trailing in his wake, anger still radiating off him. Rummaging around for a few moments, Naru pulled a few things from the former investigator's drawer and marched into the sorcerer's office, shutting the door the moment the other man joined him.
"Mai left these with me," he told Lin, placing them on the man's desk. When you're ready, I'll show you Mai's computer."
Alarm rippled through Lin. To his vision, it felt like the walls were starting to constrict around him, taking the air with them. "What's on Mai's computer?"
"When you're ready," Naru told him, retreating from the office.
Taking a deep breath, Lin sat down at his desk, the silence palpable. Mai's resignation had hit a very discordant chord with everyone it seemed. Why had she resigned? She'd liked working with everyone. She'd liked being a ghost hunter. Her resignation was a conundrum. Well, sitting here wasn't going to solve anything for him. He picked up the DVD and puzzled over it. Booting his computer, he let it go through the usual system's checks. While he waited, he opened the planner, wondering why Naru had given it to him in the first place.
It became painfully clear soon enough. A doctor's appointment—in small precise letters, he saw doctor. That appointment that he'd missed had been scheduled for Monday—the same Monday that BaiFen had arrived. His brow furrowed. He'd asked her if there was something he'd forgotten… Then he frowned as the memory tumbled into his brain; they were supposed to hear their baby's heart beat for the first time. He gasped. How had he forgotten about that appointment? He'd been on pins and needles since she'd scheduled the appointment two weeks ago. So why did he suddenly forget all about it when BaiFen showed up?
He looked further. Florist, caterer, wedding planner—things she'd had to deal with on her own as he'd been too busy with BaiFen. There was an entire week of her planning their wedding alone. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring and stared at it. The sad thing was he was beginning to understand and the knowledge sat like acid-drenched lead in the pit of his stomach, making it churn. It still didn't tell him where she'd gone. The answers were probably on her computer, he thought woodenly.
He turned to the laptop and loaded the DVD. Tears sprang to his eyes when the images began to play and the audio caught up. His mouth trembled open and he pressed his fingers to the screen. He'd missed this—he'd honestly been lead to believe that BaiFen was more important.
So small, he thought, not noticing the tears that tracked down his cheeks. He could see the toes and fingers, but the sex of the baby remained hidden, he thought with a faint smirk. He closed his eyes listening to the heartbeat that was strong and sounded like a steady drum. So alive within her. How had Mai felt when she'd heard this, seen this? If he'd been with her, he'd know the answer to that question. He opened his eyes and smiled coldly at the blaze of power reflected in the computer screen from his visible eye. BaiFen wasn't worth losing Mai. He picked up one of the pieces of paper that Naru had given him. A partially filled divorce registration form; it needed his information. He fed it to the paper shredder. The next piece was a note from Mai. Reluctantly ejecting the DVD, he sat back and began to read.
Dear Lin-san,
It seems so strange to write that and call you such after being on a first name basis with you for what, three, four years? If you're reading this then you've already seen the key, bracelet and ring, and you're at S.P.R. trying to figure things out. I'm returning those three things to you since you're already part of my past.
Lin stopped reading and frowned. "What does she mean by that?" he asked out loud to no one in particular. "We haven't had a future yet- so I can't be part of your past."
I took the liberty of removing my essential items from the apartment we once shared. As soon as I've found a new place, you're free to send me what you don't want, which will probably be everything. I'd invite you to keep the stuff, but I'm sure BaiFen-san won't allow that, so as soon as I'm settled, you can send the items to me and I'll reimburse you for the expense.
Lin paused again and wondered how Mai felt writing this letter. She'd have had to put herself in a very cold place—there were no tears on the paper at all. It must have been very difficult for her to put herself in that place he'd only seen once back when she was in high school.
I want you to know Lin-san, that you… made me feel cherished. I also achieved things I never thought possible. Being able to speak English as fluently as I do, going to college, having a plan for the future. Those were thanks to you, in a large part and I'll… miss you, Lin-san.
There! Lin thought with savage satisfaction. It was those words that told him she was hurting as much as he was.
I'll miss you quite a lot, actually. I'll miss you waking me up in the wee hours and making love to me and seducing me in the bath. I hate the fact that BaiFen will be on the receiving end of all that instead of me, but I can't stick around. After working with Naru, there are few things that I can't handle, but being around you, working with you, and being reminded daily that you chose BaiFen over me while I'm still carrying your child is one of those things that I just can't abide by. I'm not that forgiving, you see.
Lin stopped again and narrowed his gaze. "Who the hell said I chose BaiFen over you?" he growled.
"Point-in-case, Lin-sama, missing all these appointments and not recognizing your childhood friend for what she is… you did choose her over Mai-sama," Sebastian commented, appearing adjacent to Lin. He leaned casually against Lin's desk, the image of a casual, human individual he portrayed ruined with his tail flicking to and fro agitatedly. He'd genuinely liked Mai-sama. Lin ignored his sixth Shiki and finished reading Mai's note.
I want you to know that I'm not leaving Japan—not anytime soon, at any rate. I need to get back on my feet first, and there's also the baby to consider. As soon as he or she is born, I'll contact you. You're welcome to see the baby anytime you want. You are the father, after all. BaiFen however, is not included in that invite. Aside from the fact that I hate her, she wears way too much perfume. S.P.R. is practically saturated with whatever the hell she wears and the apartment wasn't much better. It's like she took the bottle and just started to spray everywhere like a dog marking its territory, or something. So leave her somewhere when you come to visit.
Regards,
Taniyama Mai
Perfume? Lin wondered, rereading that bit again and taking a puzzled sniff. It was faint, but she was right. Even his office wasn't immune, even though his wards dimmed the scent. And that was a curious thing, he decided. Why would his wards actively protect against perfume? And how had it not bothered him? He intensely disliked too many scents and was the first to crack a window open if someone came in wearing a heavy coat of the stuff, despite the weather outside.
A horrible thought occurred to him. Suppose the reason he hadn't been bothered by the scent was because he was already under its influence? He took another cautious sniff and frowned, trying to place it. Suddenly, it came to him: J'Adore, from Dior. It was BaiFen's favorite scent. And BaiFen also loved to anchor her most insidious spells to it. That was why his wards were actively fighting against the smell. She'd gone all out, he decided, opening his email application and shooting an email to his parents. Looking up he wasn't surprised to see the rest of his Shiki gathered in the office; they too loved Mai. He smiled at all six of them.
"We're going to get Mai back," he told them, going to the website for the Narita Airport. The first question was when should BaiFen leave? He figured the day after tomorrow was a soon enough date. Today was out of the question.
"How?" his fourth Shiki rasped, staring at the bracelet. Lin knew what she was thinking. Without Mai to supply any energy to Mamoru, he would slowly die. Already the glow had been dimmed a considerable amount.
Lin smiled grimly. "Sebastian, the scent in my office is very faint; it should be stronger in the common room, however. Go out there and take a few good whiffs."
Clearly puzzled, but unable to disobey, Sebastian did as ordered, ignoring the startled looks from the other workers. If Lin-sama could get Mai-sama back, he'd cut back on the thoughts of killing his master in his sleep, even if it was fantasy.
"Got it?" Lin asked, when he returned.
"Of course," the crow said.
"That scent is called 'J'Adore,' and it's BaiFen's favorite scent. She likes to anchor her most enticing spells to it—something about her that I'd forgotten. Stupid of me, really," he said, more to himself. He shook off the rage. This was neither the time nor the place. There was plenty of time later, he knew. First he had to get Mai back and make her understand that BaiFen was not going to take her place, ever.
"Now Sebastian, BaiFen will carry the bottle of spelled perfume in her purse and will have several bottles for backup, just in case. Can you find them and bring them here?" It was a rhetorical question, he asked only out of curiosity.
"If I can't then I have no business being the sixth Shikigami of the first sorcerer to ever bind me without a contract."
"That's not going to work Sebastian," Lin informed him. "BaiFen is staying here," he told the demon, writing down the name of her hotel. "You'll note the irony that Naru and I used to live at this same location. It wouldn't surprise me if BaiFen were staying in the same suite we stayed in, either, another way of cementing things, if you will. Find those bottles, Sebastian and bring them back. Go now," Lin ordered.
Sebastian bowed low. "Yes, Lin-sama." The demon disappeared.
Lin turned to his other Shiki. "The next task is finding Mai." Getting up, he retrieved a map. Spreading the map out on is desk, he dangled the ring over it. In his mind, he conjured up an image of Mai, laughing, smiling, one hand on her ever-growing stomach, the other holding her hair back from the wind. Image in mind, he sent out the thought into the ether: Where are you?
The tug was almost instantaneous. He dropped the ring, watching it fall unerringly on a place in Tokyo. Well, well, he thought. LME Studios. Now he knew whom she'd called for help. He couldn't blame her, either. The president of LME Studios had told them that if they ever needed help in any shape or form, all they needed to do was call. Lin looked at his fifth, third, and second Shiki. "She's somewhere in LME Studios," he said. "Find her."
The three shifted out. Lin looked at his fourth and first Shiki. "I won't allow him die," he told them covering their claws with one hand.
They nodded, allowing him to pick up the bracelet.
"I have a very special assignment for you two."
They waited.
"Of all my Shiki, you two are the only ones who can slip into human dreams. And that's what I want you to do. Sneak into BaiFen's dreams; torment her. Drive her back here in a panic."
His first Shiki stared at him. "You are angry," it commented.
Lin smiled and from the look on his Shiki's faces, it wasn't a very pretty one. "I'm absolutely furious. Go now."
His first Shiki shimmered out of sight. His fourth remained and he raised a brow at her. It was unlike her to remain after he'd given an order.
"I wonder, Lin-sama, who are you most angry at?"
Lin tilted his head to the side. "If you have to ask that then I'm a poor communicator indeed. I'm angriest with myself. I should have cottoned on to what BaiFen was doing, but I didn't. I've caused Mai to leave me and I've had to resort to methods a common criminal might do to get her back. Yes, I'm angriest at myself."
He was surprised when she touched his face with one claw. "You're a wise man. Don't upset Mai-sama again, yes?"
Lin smiled; that was virtually impossible to promise, but he could vow to never allow this to happen again. "Go now," he told her.
She shimmied out of view and sped after her mate. Picking up the bracelet, he fastened it around his own wrist for the time being. Until Mai was back. Then, he left his office and nodded to Naru. "I'm ready to see her computer."
Wordlessly, Naru logged into Mai's computer under his administrator I.D. and password. What he saw looking through her emails made the rage intensify. Oh, BaiFen would have quite a lot of explaining to do. And when he was done with her, she'd be lucky if she still had her magic.
…
Cloaking his presence and keeping one ear tuned to the running water of the shower, Sebastian made short work of searching BaiFen's things. The scent that BaiFen was using in the shower was sweet and his superior nose thinned with distaste. He rather preferred Mai-sama's bath gel. He continued to search and finally, in her large suitcase, buried underneath dirty clothes he hit pay dirt.
"My, my," he said softly. He'd found the spelled perfume—all eight bottles. "She was really going for the long haul, wasn't she? Well, it doesn't matter," he said, conjuring a replica and putting in her purse; it would disappear within twelve hours. Putting the room to rights, he dusted off his hands. The shower turned off and Sebastian nodded to himself. Scooping up the real bottles, he shimmered out. His job was done.
…
Sunday morning…
Mai woke up and stared at the ceiling a bit puzzled. When she'd gone to bed last night, it had been in a large four-poster bed, with gauzy hangings, images on the wall—a fairy tale bedroom, complete with matching décor. This… this, she realized, was what she thought of as her former apartment. She sighed. She should have known he'd do something like this.
"Unbelievable," she griped, gingerly easing herself into a sitting position.
He leaned forward and placed two pillows behind her, easing the burden of her having to tug her growing body back towards the headboard. He looked at the headboard and then the bed. It had seen a lot of action, he knew. Their first purchase together as a couple. He looked back at his fiancée. "Why are you surprised?"
She glared at him and made herself comfortable. Frankly, she wasn't surprised—not at all. Mai thought he'd do something close to this, after all.
"I'm surprised you decided to get me back—seeing as you chose your…" She trailed off and raised her hands and waggled her fingers, "Childhood friend over us." She put her hand on her stomach to emphasize her point.
"I most certainly did not."
"Sure you didn't," she scoffed.
Lin didn't answer. He didn't want to be drawn into an argument with her right after he'd gotten her back. Instead, he reached over and fastened the gold bracelet around her wrist. "He'll die without you," he told her severely.
"Eh?" she asked, clearly puzzled.
"My first and fourth Shiki created him for you at my request, but he who you named Mamoru will die without you. He's nowhere near strong enough to survive without your energy."
"Oh," she said in a small voice. Shame washed through her and she clutched her wrist to her chest. She hadn't known. And in retrospect, she hadn't asked, either. 'I'm sorry,' she thought to the Shiki in the bracelet. "I'd always wondered just how you tied him to the bracelet," she mused. "It's just a convenient carrying case, isn't it?"
He inclined his head at her. "Now you know."
"Now I know," she echoed. She fell silent and looked down at her hands. They stayed quiet for a few minutes until Mai's curiosity got the better of her. "So… if you didn't ditch me—us," she amended, putting her hands on her belly, then what happened? You missed all of those appointments and you were with her all the time."
Lin didn't answer immediately. She was half expecting to hear the same old story she'd encountered in so many forms from other people, but he surprised her as only he could do. "I'd forgotten that BaiFen liked to tie her most insidious spells to her favorite fragrance."
"Come again?" she asked, totally confused. Then she realized what she'd said and how it could be construed. A flush spread across her cheeks and over her ears.
Lin smiled rakishly. "As many times as you want," he answered, unperturbed.
Mai smiled faintly and shook her head. If only everyone else could see what he was like in private, they wouldn't ask her how she could stand to be in the same space as him. "What did you mean: she likes to use her favorite scents with spells?"
"Her most insidious spells, actually. She links them a sense. The one she likes to use the most is smell. As soon as I smelled the perfume, I was under her influence. I forgot an appointment that I'd been on pins and needles for; I forgot about the florist; the fitting; the caterer—you name it."
That confirmed what she'd thought: BaiFen was also a caster. "What woke you up?" she whispered.
"You not being here. Your note, the divorce form—which I shredded, by the way," he told her matter-of-factly.
"I rather thought you would once you came to your senses, but I wanted to have all my bases covered just to be on the safe side."
"I'm not type of man to leave you hanging with a baby on the way," he told her softly.
Tears sprung to her eyes. "My heart knows that. My brain, however, told me you were leaving me for her."
"BaiFen would capitalize on that," he told her, drawing the ring out of his pocket. He seized her left hand gently. "Let's do this properly," he said, folding himself onto one knee by her side. The breath caught in Mai's throat. "Taniyama Mai-san, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Tears slid gently down her cheeks and she forced the trapped air out, nodding. "Yes," she whispered.
Holding her eyes, he slid the ring back onto her finger. Seeing it back on her finger made her feel complete for the first time in a week. This time, she didn't try to stop the happy sobs that wracked her body.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, wiping the tears away and clearing her throat a few times. "I'm happy. I'm so happy." And she was. The cold space she'd put herself in to leave the apartment the first time, stuff in hand had only lasted until she'd been alone. Once she'd been alone, the tears had come along with an ache that was physical. She hadn't gotten any sleep that night.
Not answering, he joined her in bed and kissed her, savoring the feel of her mouth on his, her fingers that gripped his shirt, the pleased sound in the back of her throat. "No apologies necessary. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."
"Oh… you're going to make it up to me, you know."
Lin smiled, the first real smile he'd had in a week. "I'm at your mercy."
They fell silent, each just glad to be back in the others arms. Finally, Mai spoke. "What about BaiFen-san?"
This time, Lin's smile was particularly unpleasant and Mai shivered. "I have something planned for her. In the meantime, I think you should contact Naru and ask him to reinstate you as an S.P.R. employee. You're the heart and soul of our business," he told her making her cry all over again.
Monday morning…
Mai glanced up again, noticing that the tension that had been present in the office Saturday had slowly begun to dissipate upon her return. The weather outside was particularly dreadful—but this time, the meteorologists had predicted it would be nasty—inside the office, however, the employees were beginning to show their usual spirit; gone were the glum faces and nasty looks to Lin's office. Lin was right, as usual: she was the heart and soul of Shibuya Psychic Research. When she'd walked in earlier and asked if Naru would give her another chance, he'd given her a peculiar half-smile and informed her that he'd never officially accepted her resignation, because Chiaki had fed the letter to the stove and given the ashes to the street. She'd thanked Chiaki profusely for that.
Now it was a waiting game. Lin had told that the first step of dealing with BaiFen had been to send two of his Shiki to her dreams to torment her. If he knew BaiFen, she'd be in the next day S.P.R. was open. That was today and Mai was glancing at the door every few minutes and then over at Lin, who was for once, working in the Common Room instead of his office. He was the epitome of cool and collected. She sighed, wishing she could be a bit more like him—calm all the time, but she had a quota for how long she could put herself in that cold space and she'd used that up with the fiasco concerning her letter to Lin. Now she was simply anxious.
Mai flinched when the door opened and the storm outside blew in briefly, bringing a harried figure with it. Mai's mouth thinned. She didn't want to see BaiFen, but she had to; the fragrance had preceded her. But this fragrance was… different somehow, like it lost its potency.
BaiFen marched over to Mai's desk; Mai eyed her with trepidation and tensed, wondering why she came anywhere near her at all. She didn't know what this woman would do now that the jig was up. "Really XingXu!" she exclaimed, stripping off her rain gear and dumping them onto Mai's desk.
Mai looked at them with distaste and pushed the sodden garments to the floor where they landed with a sickening plop. BaiFen glared at her; she glared back.
"Sending your Shikigami to my dreams! Is that any way to treat a lover?"
Upon a closer inspection, BaiFen did not look good. She looked haggard, the concealer beneath her eyes wasn't covering the dark circles from the sleepless night. The makeup didn't conceal the sallow skin. She'd been tormented pretty badly, Mai decided.
Lin looked up bored. "Were we ever?"
The Chinese woman seemed to flinch at his tone. "Of course we were—are," she corrected herself. "You spent last week in my arms!" she exclaimed indignantly, throwing Mai a triumphant smirk.
Mai frowned. That was information she could have done without hearing. She didn't know if it was true, or not, but it was a visual she didn't need. She'd ask him later.
"In your arms?" Lin repeated his tone thoughtful. "I don't recall being in your arms, BaiFen. I recall leaving your room and getting a hotel room of my own." Even bespelled, he'd retained enough of his own protections to forsake her bed, he though, fiercely proud at that small victory. He glanced at Mai, silently telling her not to believe anything BaiFen said. Mai smiled back—there was no need to ask him after all.
She gasped and began to root in her purse.
"Don't bother."
BaiFen looked up sharply. "Don't bother what?"
"Looking for these," he told her, waving a hand over the desk he'd commandeered; the perfume bottle appeared shifted into existence. Mai suddnely understood why the fragrance that BaiFen was wearing wasn't as strong.
BaiFen knew he'd heard her sharp intake of breath. She damned him and the amused smile on his face as she frantically dug through her purse looking for the bottle she carried there.
"You won't find that one, either," he commented idly, holding up the used bottle between long fingers and shaking it gently.
Dread pooled into her stomach. He was angry, BaiFen knew. Oh, it didn't look it, but she knew Lin well enough to know that she'd caught the calm before the shit hit the fan. She dropped the purse. "The one I used earlier?" she asked.
"Sebastian is quite good, isn't he?"
"Sebastian?" she repeated, bewildered.
"Ah, that's right. You don't know. More specifically, you weren't important enough for me to tell you. I have a sixth Shikigami. Sebastian," he called.
A chill went through BaiFen. He'd bound another Shiki. That made him all the more powerful. The Shiki he'd named 'Sebastian' appeared wearing a pair of khaki pants and blue, button down shirt, black blazer, and a smirk. He bowed lavishly, never losing his-its- sneer. "How do you do, BaiFen-san? I'd apologize for robbing you of your spelled perfume, but it wouldn't be sincere."
The Chinese woman gaped at the demon in front of her. "What kind of demon is he?" she asked Lin.
"Mine," he answered, deciding to keep Sebastian's former identity to himself. "I'm curious to know who put you up to this elaborate farce. We haven't seen each other for a decade. Come now," he said when she stayed silent. "I'll find out eventually."
He would, she knew. But until he did, she would stay silent.
He shrugged. "As you will." He didn't need to find out right away. His parents had been informed and if he was angry, then they were furious. They quite liked Mai and were looking forward to welcoming her as a member of their family; it didn't hurt that they were excited for their eldest son's first child.
BaiFen took a step closer to Mai. She'd been given her orders: if she couldn't entice XingXu away from the Japanese harlot who'd ensnared him, then she was to get rid of the strumpet. Now that the gig was up, she saw no reason to remain in the dark about it. Hoping to appear unobtrusive, she bent to retrieve the slicker that Mai had tossed to the floor.
"Get the hell away from my wife," Lin commanded, his voice suddenly cold and terrifying. Mai blinked. She could count on one hand how many times she'd heard him curse.
BaiFen froze again in the process of picking up the raincoat. She peeked up at Lin and found him staring at her. She swallowed as his magic, as insidious as hers, wove around and into her, making it hard to breathe. Gritting her teeth, she tried to withstand the pain of no oxygen filtering in to her body; tried to rally her own magics to negate what he was doing, but it was a losing battle. Grinding her teeth, she took a step away from Mai. The hold loosened a hair and she took another step away, then another, and still more after that until she was all but out the door. Air poured into her abused lungs, but there was still that magical choke-hold that she could feel, even though she was too far away from Mai to do any damage. She had to assume that it wouldn't fully let up until she was out of the office. Damn the man.
"When you return to England BaiFen, make absolutely sure that you tell whichever extended family member of mine that put you up to this that you failed. And make sure they know that the wedding will proceed as planned… with the addendum that they are not invited. You should also understand that our friendship is now over."
Silent tears ran down BaiFen's cheeks, her grief true. Lin XingXu was one of the few people she'd been able to say was a genuine friend- one she didn't have to lie to, one who knew what she could do and didn't fear her for it; he'd learned with her. If only, she thought. If only I hadn't let him go all those years ago.
Mai was certain that the tears were the only thing real about BaiFen right then. She knew she should have felt sympathy for the other woman, but she just couldn't muster it. The woman didn't deserve it. No, she was fresh out of sympathy.
"XingXu," BaiFen said, swallowing hard and opening her eyes. "Please understand that there was no lie in any of my kisses."
"Bullshit," Lin said succinctly. Mai blinked again. He was really angry, she decided. She was glad it wasn't directed at her. "It's always a game to you—a way for you to test your own limits. If you ever try it again, BaiFen, I will remove your ability to do any type of magic. It'd be pathetically easy," he commented, his tone as condescending as hers was to Mai that very first day she'd arrived in Shibuya.
"You—!" she cried, angry splotches spreading across her cheeks. She glared daggers at him.
He shrugged. "I'm right and you know it. We have nothing left to talk about BaiFen. But know this: if you ever appear before me again, you will never do any magic. I'll strip you of the ability completely."
The group heard a shrill beep downstairs, despite the storm outside. Lin nodded. "Your ride to Narita Airport is here," he told her. "The driver has all the information for you. He'll escort you all the way to your gate and from there, my brother will escort you on to his plane where you will be his only passenger. You're on a one-way trip back to England—no stops, no layovers, nothing. And when you arrive at Heathrow Airport, my parents will be there to pick you up."
As Lin talked BaiFen turned pale until she was drained of all color.
"Have a pleasant flight back to England, BaiFen. I'm afraid that this is the last time we'll ever see each other as friends."
He wasn't smiling. It truly pained him to end their friendship, but he couldn't continue being friends if she would harm Mai or their child. It goes to show, he thought, watching her shrug the slicker back on and walk out into the storm. True friendship is a valued commodity. Too bad she never realized that. He pulled out his phone. According to his fourth Shiki, BaiFen was in the cab and on her way to the airport. He texted that to his brother and thanked him again for making a special trip and flying BaiFen back to England. He frowned. He'd expected opposition and problems. He never thought that they would start in the form a former friend. Well, no matter. His parents would take care of the rest on their end.
He took a deep breath and realized that the air still smelled like J'Adore. Wrinkling his nose, he got up and walked over to a window, opening it just a bit. The clean, fresh scent of rain swept out, taking the stale air out. Mai looked at him with surprise. He smiled at her. "You're right."
"I am?" she asked.
"My former friend does wear too much perfume. It stinks in here."
The regulars chortled, but Lin's eyes were only for Mai. She smiled at him and for the first time in two weeks, everything clicked back into place. Grinning back, he settled down beside her to help her get through the backlog of work that he'd missed. Slowly but surely normalcy returned to Shibuya Psychic Research.