Chapter 3: Decisions

Mai sipped her cold coffee as she watched the sky turn orange. They, Lin and her, were currently at a restaurant having an early supper, late lunch. They had gone to a lab and requested a DNA test and now had three hours to kill until they got the result. Mai had a lot of questions going through her head, mostly on what will happen from that point on. Would there be any change in her life? It was great to find a living relative who was someone she already knew, but what did it mean now?

As if reading her thoughts Lin spoke up, " I have been thinking and I would like to ask you if it would be okay with you if I became your legal guardian? You can claim independence as a minor if you would like, but I want to take responsibility and do my job as your uncle."

Mai smiled. " I've been thinking about what would happen now ever since we went to the lab. I don't mind. I would be really happy having a legal guardian."

Lin nodded and the two lapsed into silence once again. After a bit, Mai got the feeling that Lin wanted to say something but was struggling to get it out. So, she took the initiative, " Is there something wrong, Lin-san?"

Lin's reply came after a short pause. " I would prefer it if you would live closer to me. It would allow me to watch over you and help you whenever you need something. You don't have to if you don't want to but I would truly like to keep my family close to me. I do not want to lose it again."

Mai took her time to answer. " I wouldn't mind, if it's okay with you, of course, but I don't think I can afford to live in the area that you do, Lin-san.

Lin shook his head. " All your financial matters will be handled by me now, you do not have to worry about your living expenses, Mai. When all the paperwork for the guardianship is done I will talk to your school so that I can pay for your tuition fees as well."

Mai took in this piece of information. " Then what about my job?"

"You can continue to work if you want to. The money you earn, you can spend it as you please."

Mai wrapped her hands around the cold glass of her drink. She felt the chill from it numb her fingers slightly. " Thank you," she whispered, " I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Lin said gently.

" So, do you have a place in mind?" Mai asked as she took a sip of her drink.

" You can live with me. If that is uncomfortable, the apartment next to mine is empty."

Mai though over this before she smiled. " It would be nice not coming back to an empty house, for once."

It was for a moment, but she knew she had seen Lin smile. The confirmation came when he reached across the table and took her small, cold hand in his large, warm one.

In that instance, inspiration hit and Mai let go of Lin's hand and dove into her bag for her notebook and pencil. Ever since the start of her third year in high school, she had been exceedingly interested in art. She had always found it a fun and expressive hobby but it wasn't until last year that she had started taking it more seriously.

After she found her notebook, she said to Lin, " Don't move okay?". Lin, who was confused by her sudden behaviour, just nodded and sat back in his chair. Five minutes later, after watching her mover her pencil across the paper did Lin ask what she was doing.

Mai looked up, smiling sheepishly. " Sorry, I just wanted to capture the moment so..." She turned the notebook around to face Lin and placed it on the table, in front of him. " I hope you don't mind. It's not that good, but I've been practicing."

She had drawn a portrait of him. It lacked some details but it was immensely precise and Lin found himself impressed. "You are into art. I never knew. May I look at your other works?"

Mai rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment but nodded her head. "Yeah, but don't laugh."

Lin turned to the beginning of the book. The first picture was of a house that he recognised to be of an old client they had worked for last year.

" I thought the house was worth drawing. The ghosts there were not nice, but the architecture was beautiful." Mai supplied.

The next picture was of Naru reading his notebook. He had a frown on his face, and Lin couldn't help the grin on his face from forming when he read the title of the sketch; 'Eternal Frown'. The pictures after that were of the rest of the team talking, laughing and one of Bou-san and Ayako arguing. She had captured the emotions very well and her strokes were very neat and detailed.

"Your picture isn't that detailed because I didn't have time to put them in."

Lin continued looking through the sketches which consisted of a range of various everyday items to places she had seen and had thought were worth capturing. He finally stopped at a picture of him working on his laptop. It was entitled 'The Mysterious Lin-san'. He raised an eyebrow at this and she blushed in embarrassment. " Well, you are very mysterious, Lin-san."

Lin shook his head. " These are wonderful, Mai. I know people back in England who would pay quite a lot to get a sketch done."

The mention of England brought a new question to Mai's mind. "Umm, Lin-san, are you and Naru going to go back soon?"

Lin looked at the concealed worry on her face and shook his head. " Not for a while, no, but if we do you can come with us. I'll put in a request for your passport to be made soon. It should be done within a week. If you don't want to come, I would understand but I would prefer it if you stayed with me. Nonetheless, you should still have a passport, in case of any emergency."

Mai smiled; for one of the worst days of the year, she had been doing that a lot today. " I would like that. I've never been outside of Japan."

There was a pause before Mai remembered something. " Mama used to have these dreams where she would be helping a boy cut wood or help him feed animals. In her diary, she wrote that they were too real to be just dreams, and every time she would wake up from them, she would remember something about herself. Although the dreams were vague, she did remember a black pendant that she saw on the boy. Do you think that's related to you somehow?"

Lin's smile was melancholic. " I think so. I used to do a lot of the housework with my sister. My father was a farmer so he needed all the help he could get. As for the pendant, I had a similar one to your mother; I made a pair, to connect us. Mine is at home right now."

They lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Lin finished his sandwich while Mai ate her fries. When they were done and had paid the bill, which Lin insisted that he do, did the conversation go back to their decisions.

" Tomorrow you should start packing your things, so you can move in. I will have the spare room prepared."

Mai ran her hand through her mid-back length hair." I don't really know where I can get boxes and stuff."

"Don't worry, we have some spare ones in the store room in the office. We can use the van for moving your things."

They gathered their belongings and headed to the car park where Lin's black Corolla was parked. The sky had turned a striking orange-gold and the city had taken on a amber hue. It was when she saw a flower stall at the end of the street, while opening the car door, that Mai had an idea. "Lin-san, would you like to go see mom? She's buried here in the Shibuya Cemetery."

Lin, who was putting his coat in the back of the car, paused. He then stood up and faced her. "Yes."

So, after purchasing a rose bouquet each, they drove to Shibuya Cemetery. They parked near the entrance as the parking lot was nearly empty, and made their way to the gates in silence. Just before entering Mai stopped. Lin, noticing her pause, stopped and turned around to look at her. "Is there something wrong?"

Mai shook her head. "It's just that, it's becoming increasingly easy to sense all the spirits in there. It gets very crowded."

Lin's eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems your latent psychic powers are coming out of their dormancy."

"Is that possible?"

" Your mother was a very strong psychic. Knowing this, it should no longer be a surprise that you have psychic powers as well. However, since you were not aware of you powers and had avoided exposure to the paranormal throughout your early life, it may be that your powers went into dormancy. Now that you have been working with SPR , your powers are awakening."

It took a while for Mai to comprehend this. " Can that be... dangerous?"

"If accelerated by force and pushed to the limits, your powers can, yes, harm you, but you have me and I will teach you to control them. Just as your mother did with me." Mai smiled hearing the last bit.

"Mom taught you?" She asked in awe.

"She helped me with the bits I did not understand. Now, shall we?"

Mai nodded and continued on into the cemetery, Lin by her side. They walked towards the central fountain before taking a right. When they were almost to the edge of the cemetery, Mai stopped again. Lin looked at her, about to ask what was wrong again, when he noticed her eyes were glazed over. He at once grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes cleared, although they were slightly teary, and she blinked.

" You either were possessed or were having a 'memory attack', as you call it."

Mai nodded, " The latter. It was about when she taught me how to ride a bike. I think the scenery here triggered it."

Lin squeezed her shoulders gently in a comforting gesture before releasing her. " How much further?"

Mai looked around and pointed to the last row of headstones. " Along that row."

They resumed their walk, the silence between them intensifying. When they finally reached the edge of the last row, Lin didn't have to look at the headstone to know who was there. He could feel his sister's presence; her essence was emanating from the ground. Seeing the name inscribed on the headstone was the last straw. He felt his knees collapse under him, his hands limp by his sides; the roses fell beside him. He felt as if the world had been muted. His eyes stung and he thought his lungs were constricting.

He had mourned Rinne's passing once, without ever knowing if she had died or not. Now, he had proof that his beloved sister had passed and would never see him again in this world. She wouldn't scold him for being unsociable; she wouldn't laugh at his wit; won't tease him about his hair; won't fight off the world for making fun of his bichromatic eyes. She was gone. He was alone...

The last thought had barely formed when a small hand grasped his and squeezed it. He looked beside him to see a tearful Mai clutching his hand like a lifeline. No, he was not alone. They were not alone. Without further thought, he pulled the petite girl into a hug and cried, twice in one day. And Mai cried with him, clutching on to his shirt and sobbing onto his shoulder. They both had experienced loss early in life and grew up more than they had to at that age. They had faced difficulties but still hung on and were now awarded with a home, a family.

When they both calmed down, Mai pulled away from Lin and sat on the ground beside him, crossing her legs. She placed her bouquet of roses on her mother's grave and stared at the headstone.

In the loving memory of:

Taniyama Rin

'I will be there, even when I'm not'

"She used to say that a lot," Mai said, pointing to the last of the inscription," Mostly in Chinese though. She would sing it to me when I would have nightmares."

Lin cleared his throat but only nodded his head; formulating words was too difficult a task at that moment. He then gently placed his bouquet next to Mai's and sat down beside her. Mai spoke first.

"Hi mom. I know I said last night that I wouldn't be able to come in the day today but I've brought someone who you knew once. Remember the boy you used to dream about? Well, he's here, beside me and he's your brother. I have an uncle... I have someone to take care of me now so you can now rest in peace okay? " Her voice was soft and gentle, as if she was talking to a child. When she was finished, Mai moved back a bit and looked at Lin.

Lin cleared his throat again before speaking."Nin Hao, Rinne jiejie, it's been a while. It hurts me to know that all those years you were alive, and I never knew, but I am happy to know that you lived a good life." A breeze blew past the two, blowing fallen, brown leaves towards them. "There is so much I want to tell you; things that I've learnt, places I've been and people I've met, and I want to know all about you too. I wish I could have protected you. I wish I had been strong enough." Here Lin turned around and held out his hand for Mai; she took it without hesitation, "But I haven't lost everything, and I will make sure that this time I will protect her and be there for her. This, I promise you."

Author's Note: I don't own Ghost Hunt.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I know I am updating rapidly but don't get used to it; I had the first four chapters typed up before I started publishing. I am working on the fifth one but just a little heads up: this is going to be a long fanfic.

Thank you again people.