I am typing up chapter 22 as you read this, and that's pretty much the end, so I'm debating between speeding up the updates and keeping to this every few days not-really-schedule. Let me know in the reviews if you want more of the story a little faster. Onto chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. If I did, maybe I could figure out how to write Lin without him being OOC.

When Lin joined her, she focused her attention on John, as Naru had suggested. She imagined his gentle, perpetually-cheerful face, his kind eyes. She thought about the way his sweet nature never let him argue, backbite, or intrude in someone's personal life. He never hated on anyone. Mai smiled to herself as she let the feeling of his personality wash over him.

There, Gene told her.

Mai lead Lin through the room, walking quickly, humming a silly song her mother liked to sing. It made no sense, but it brought Mai comfort. The thickness that was always present in the atmosphere of the Tanaka House seemed to lessen.

Mai took a break from her humming and turned to her companion. "Do you feel that, Lin?" she asked.

Lin nodded silently.

Her humming momentarily paused, Mai felt a cold presence surround her once more, truly realizing how horrible it was. A little scared and uneasy, she resisted the urge to hold Lin's hand and satisfied herself with walking a little closer to him.

"Lin?"

The tall man grunted by way of reply. Mai didn't mind. His presence was enough to calm her.

"Do you hate that I'm weaker than everyone else and that you have to babysit me all the time?" she asked suddenly, thinking of the way looking to him provided reassurance for her but certainly not the other way around.

"No."

Mai felt that he was going to continue if she didn't interrupt him, and he did.

"You're not weak, Mai," Lin said kindly. He was silent for an entire minute before he went on. "You just have a different skillset that everyone else."

"Different from Naru, too?"

"He is in a category of his own, but he still does not have your abilities."

The began walking up a narrow flight of stairs that Mai didn't know went into total darkness until she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Her breathing became constricted, and she was overcome by claustrophobia. The darkness pressed in all around her. It was so quiet she could hear the blood pounding through her ears. There was a pressure upon her shoulders, and she realized it wasn't just claustrophobia; some sort of spirit was there, and it was intent on scaring her. It became so horrible she stopped abruptly.

"Lin?" she whispered fearfully.

Something touched her hand and she screamed. Whatever it was, it wasn't Lin.

"I'm right here, Mai." Lin's voice was calm and soothing in the darkness. He sounded like he knew what he was doing.

"Do you feel that?" she asked.

"It can't hurt you while my shiki are here, Mai," Lin said, and this time, it was him who touched her hand, and it was warm and comforting. "Keep walking."

Mai turned, determined not to pester him any further, but she hadn't gone two steps when she felt cold fingers on her neck. "Lin!" she screamed, instinctively turning and burying her face in his shirt. "Something-something's got my neck!"

Lin's hand found the side of her neck. "There's nothing there, Mai. You have to keep going. I can't lead you out, I can only help you. You have to do it."

"I can't," she croaked tearfully, clutching Lin's wrists and struggling to see his face in the darkness, but there was nothing. She wished in vain for some light. Maybe if they had something - anything - she wouldn't be so scared.

"The spirit can only frighten you as much as you let it, Mai." He took her by the shoulders and turned her around. "I'm right here behind you. Come on now." He gave her a gentle push forward, and she was glad for the impulse. As she began to walk, Lin started whistling a tune, and though it was sad, it made Mai feel calmer. The darkness seemed to recede a little, and she was able to breathe again.

John, Mai thought. I'm looking for John, Gene! Lead me to John. John, John, John. Where the heck is he?

Suddenly, Mai's foot failed to find the next step. She twisted automatically, grabbing onto Lin to stop her slip, but he was also falling. Mai cried out as they passed through some horizontal permeable barrier. Sudden light blinded her, and she landed hard into someone's arms.

"Ugh…" she moaned. She heard a thud and wearily opened her eyes to see a very confused Monk staring down at her.

"Monk!" She wrapped her arms around his neck. His clueless face was a welcome sight after fifteen minutes in total darkness. She was so happy to see another human being that she kissed his cheek in happiness.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, raising an eyebrow but smiling nonetheless. "What's gotten into you?"

Mai wanted to stay in his arms and complain about everything, but a series of groans cut her off. "John!" she cried on seeing Lin groaning and sprawled on the much smaller man. Monk put Mai down and saw to Lin while she helped Ayako lay John out with his head on her knees.

"Are you okay, John?" Ayako said worriedly. "Does anything feel broken?"

John crushed Mai's hand in a death grip, his face twisted in pain. "Just… got the… wind… knocked out of me," he gasped in between painful breaths. "Probably… a little ...bruised."

"Don't talk, John," Ayako told him gently as she felt his limb and chest for broken bones. "Just relax." John nodded and squeezed Mai's hand tighter and closed his eyes.

"Lin, what about you?" Mai asked, turning to see him massaging his shoulder. He had a bruise forming on his left cheek.

"Landing on John was not the best of experiences, but it was better than being landed on."

"So… how exactly did you get in here?" Monk asked.

Lin answered him, and Mai was grateful she wouldn't have to explain. "I think Naru will be able to better explain that when we get back."

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Monk asked. "We can't exactly pass through ceilings like you two."

Mai ignored her hand, which was turning an interesting shade of purple, and followed Monk's gaze up to see an ornate ceiling completely intact.

"We fell through that?" she asked, utterly bewildered.

Monk shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but there's no other explanation. I was just standing here waiting for you guys when I heard you scream. I looked up and I suddenly saw you and I caught you…more or less. John wasn't so lucky."

"You only have a sprained ankle and some bruised ribs," Ayako told John, patting his shoulder. "You'll be okay."

John smiled weakly. "Thanks."

Mai pulled John to his feet and pulled his arm across her shoulders. She thought hard about leaving the doorless room, and then she knew. She lead everyone to an empty wall.

"Everyone, don't talk. Close your eyes," she instructed. "And don't open them." She looked pointedly at Monk, who threw up his hands in mock surrender. When she was sure no one was looking, she turned back to the wall, and closed her own eyes.

She imagined a door in front of her, a door behind which Naru sat, drinking cold tea. There was a door. There had to be one.

Slowly, she reached out blindly towards the wall, reaching for the doorknob she pictured in her mind - a shiny, gold doorknob, right there in her mind - and her hand touched smooth, cold metal. Without opening her eyes, she swung it open, picturing Naru sitting there in her head.

"Mai?" Naru said. "What are you doing?"

Mai opened her eyes. "Naru!" she laughed gleefully, dropping John's arm and spinning around in a circle. She was strong. She was powerful.

She had opened a door in the doorless room straight to their base.

"Does this mean…we can open our eyes?" Monk asked.

"Oh, sorry, guys. You can open your eyes," Mai repositioned John's arm around her. "Come on, John, sit." She led him to sit next to Naru.

"B-b-but how did you-" Monk stared at Naru and Masako. "How did we-"

"Yeah, Naru, Lin said you would give us an answer!" Ayako said, wedging herself between the narcissist and John.

"First, Mai, tell me what happened."

Mai told him everything, minus her bawling like a baby on the dark staircase.

"Yes, it all fits."

"What does?" Ayako steamed, boiling with frustration. Mai figured that being locked in a room with no idea of rescue could make someone very mad.

"Mai here seems to have the ability to manipulate energy. She cannot make any of her own, but she manipulates the energy of the spirit to manipulate the floor plan of the house to her own will."

Monk waggled his eyebrows at her. "Master of manipulation, eh?"

Mai rolled her eyes at him as Naru continued.

"That's only half of it." Naru looked out the window, and Mai felt her heart twist for him as she realized what he was going to say next. "Gene is helping her, too. He guides her through the house and prevents her from getting lost. If anyone needs to go anywhere, take Mai or me with you. I can do the same, but only to some extent. While I can see that Mai's energy has been clearly depleted from that recent manipulation, she's much better off then I would be.

"I believe that, at one point, there was a person here, who, when he died, became a spirit that merged into that of the house. That is what causes this house to be alive; the spirit is now the house, and can shape it to his will. Yasu will be here by dinner with research. Until then, everyone must stay close. I don't know why the house is doing this, but it is obviously not for any good reason."

So...was Lin that bad? I know he doesn't talk too much but I really wanted him to help Mai out with her fears. Anybody have any comments/suggestions?

For next time: More nausea, some conclusions, and how to take down a possessed man.