((Still don't own it. trying to get better and put out quality writing, this hasn't been proofed as my friend who had been helping me got their laptop friend by a storm. Sorry I'm behind. I was really sick when I wrote the last two so please help me feel any glaring errors that I have overlooked and haven't picked up yet on my own. All reviews are appreciated. Thank you. And now the case ;) So, can anyone guess the case? If you can please only PM me do not post any possible spoilers for the rest of the readers. As must as I love that people even remotely like my humble story I will be forced to delete any spoilery type stuff and that hurts, lots. so please don't! ))

Mai was sleeping in the back of the van as it headed into the night on the way to the Hines's home. Once Oliver had explained the poltergeist activity that was plaguing the family there was no way he was going to be able to keep her away, even if he had ever been so inclined. Deep down inside he felt like a bastard for using her natural inclination to help others to leverage her leaving with him.

As soon as the new Mr. & Mrs. Houshou had made their departure; headed towards the airport Mai was dragging him and Lin back to her apartment so she could change and pack. Lin had merely raised a questioning eyebrow and Oliver mouthed the only thing that would make sense to his friend, dream. Once he'd clued Lin in, or clued him in to as much as Oliver wanted him to know the older man hadn't so much as batted an eye at Mai had made record time packing. He'd even helped load her bags into the back before stopping at their own home for the two men to change.

Once on their way Mai had rather loudly announced she was going to try to sleep so she could talk to Gene about the case. Oliver tried not to wince He was always going to worry about what his older, more personable twin was doing with her. Oliver didn't like things that were hard for him to wrap his brain around but that facts remained. If Gene had never gone to Japan and died than he'd have never come to Japan either, set up SPR, met Mai. If he hadn't met Mai than she'd never have been introduced to the supernatural, nor would she have been hurt so badly by him or assaulted. The last three years wouldn't have hurt either of them so much. In a very round about way this was all Gene's fault.

He looked out the window as they ate up the night road and the lights from the city grew dimmer in the rear view mirror. With a sigh he admitted to himself that this line or reasoning was pointless. The facts were that Gene was dead. Mai had been hurt and had her latent abilities awoken, and they were both here three years later. It would do not good to pine for things to be different. He glanced at the mirror on the side of the car he hoped to catch a glimpse of Gene but the fleeting glances he'd rarely caught had never been anything more than just that. His brother would smirk, or he'd catch a taunting face from the corner of his eye. His twin; as Martin and Luella always said, had been an odd duck.

When Mai's breathing pattern settled into such that Oliver could tell she was in a deep sleep he turned to Lin, "Let's review what we know. For the past few months the Hines family has experienced a high level of paranormal phenomenon. Furniture will levitate and then smash apart, doors will open and close on their own, large unexplained gashes has appeared in the walls. The youngest Hines child had their entire bedroom destroyed rendering it uninhabitable. The older child has reported seeing a black, floating mass and hearing rumbling, growling sounds from her closet. Toys and other household items have been smashed to bits by what appears to be a very angry and very powerful spirit. The activity seems to have started when the family relocated to Japan so the father; David Hines, could take a better position in the company he works for."

"A company owned by his father in law. The same man who contracted Madoka because he was concerned about the threat he perceived to his daughter and grandchildren. From what Madoka said the client disclosed that his son-in-law was not the most qualified for the job but was promoted out of a sense of loyalty. Based on the information Madoka provided after speaking to Mr. Marino after our first time in the home I don't think Mr. Hines's father in law cares for him too much and that the feeling is mutual. We can't rule out that a slighted coworker has placed a curse of some kind on the family. There is also the possibility that this is a sight bound poltergeist perhaps upset about the new home being built on what it perceives as it's land. Where does Mai fall in all this?" Lin said, addressing Oliver directly for the first time since they'd left the wedding.

"Apparently after she and I came back into contact last evening Gene appeared to her in her dream and showed her a young girl who was at the center of a great deal of poltergeist activity. From the physical description she gave me it sounds like it's Adia Hines my brother was showing her. She described a black cloud like entity as being after the girl. She was quite adamant that she was going to find the child and save her. I thought it prudent; even if it turns out that Adia Hines is not the child from her dream to at least bring her along with us. If it turns out that Adia is not the child from her vision then perhaps she'll have another while with us and we can help her find said child when we're done."

Lin's face remained completely impassive as he drove but his eye sifted to glance at him. "And just how did you and Mai happen to come into contact last evening Naru?"
"Naru? You haven't called me that since the truth came out about Gene and the real reason behind our being in Japan was revealed. I thought you disliked the moniker. I do believe you said and i quote it was a childish name thought up by simpletons in an effort to denigrate their better."

"That was then. This is now. Don't avoid the other issues Naru. Did you engineer a meeting with Mai last night and just what were you doing all night ? Did you stay there-is that how you know about the dream?"

"I fail to see-" he began only to be cut off quickly by Lin.

"Listen, this isn't some intellectual game. Mai's not like those groupies and hangers on at your lectures. You and I both know that she's not just a pumpkin and that you're in love with her. You have been since before we left Japan the first time. She apparently suffered a great deal while you were gone Oliver," he swallowed, Lin never used his proper name unless things were very serious indeed. "I don't know exactly what happened but I do know that both Ayako and Takigawa will be out for blood if she gets hurt even indirectly by you. That includes if you let her be in harm's way on a case. This is MAI we're talking about. You know I like her." Yes Oliver knew Lin liked her and that was really saying something given that Mai was Japanese and Lin hated all that was Japanese.

"I just wanted to see her" He said very quietly after turning over what Lin had said a few times. "I wanted to just see her smile up close. I didn't mean for her to see me."

"Apparently she did. Now you're bringing her to hunt ghosts again? Have you even told her about the level of activity going on at the Hines? This is going to be dangerous and you still can't perform warding magic. Have you even stopped to consider how your self desire might be putting her in danger?"

A nod from Oliver because he didn't trust his voice. He didn't want to give up his secrets. He hadn't lied to Lin. He'd watched her for about a block and his heart had been in his throat the entire time. He hadn't meant to be seen, his courage failing he was going to just watch her smile and be happy. She'd always moved with such a lightness that even though she was clumsy Oliver felt it was a kind of grace. "She was going to go looking for what she saw in her dream regardless. At least this way she can be safe in the base, we can ward it. You know Mai can be. Once she told me..I couldn't say no."

"So you show back up in her life and then she starts having psychic dreams again? You just wanted to see her you said. How does that go from seeing her to bringing her to a very active haunting? What aren't you telling me Noll?"

"That's between us Lin." With that Lin let it go and Oliver knew that he would. Lin was a great many things but meddlesome wasn't one of them. When Mai started to tremble in her sleep he shifted his focus away from his own thoughts to her and he wondered what she was seeing..
.

"Gene? Gene, are you here?" Mai called as she found herself in the darkness. She looked around as the dreamscape began to take focus. She was in a house. She started to look around to get her bearings. As she walked down the hall she saw three large gashes in the wall. As she was about to reach out to touch them she heard what she thought was a child crying and turned to try and find the sound.

"Gene, is that you Gene?" She called softly moving down the hall. She passed by a room that looked like it had suffered a small tornado. A crib laid in pieces on the floor, splinters of wood strewn about and stuffing from a mattress littered the floor. The crying was getting closer so she kept going down the hall towards a small amount of light. As she came upon the light she could see that it was streaming from under a closed door. As she reached groped for the knob she heard the quiet cries that sounded like they were coming from a child. As she as about to throw open the door she heard a lower voice.

"That's it Princess. Just like I taught you. That's it.." the second voice was whispering frantically. Mai paused wondering what she was hearing.

The child continued crying. Mai couldn't be sure but she thought maybe it was a little girl who was crying. Was it the same little girl from her first dream. She pressed her ear to the door.

"I don't want to...Please don't make me.." the child cried. Mai felt her heart breaking for the scared child.

"Just like that princess..just like that.." the scary voice kept whispering. There was something wrong with the other voice and as Mai made up her mind to throw open the door and stop whatever evil was going on in the room Gene appeared in front of her. He raised a finger to his lips and silently signaled her to shh.

Mai felt tears begin to run down her cheeks and she opened her mouth to scream for help, to scream at Gene for stopping her from saving the crying child and because of the thick sense of wrongness and evil radiating from whatever was inside the room with that child. As Mai was overcome with anger the dream shifted as she was back in the nothing mist with Gene standing before her.

"Why are you making me do this Gene? Why won't you let me help?" Mai yelled at him as she pounded she fists against his chest. After what seemed at eternity she sank to her knees and cried. "What's hurting that little girl Gene? How do I help her! Damn you Gene. You don't get to just flit around in my head anymore." Gene just let her yell at him, his face never losing the beneficent, otherworldly smile she had once attributed to Naru.

"You've got to help her. You and Noll. Help her."

"How do I help her? HOW TO I HELP HER!" She yelled. As she began to shake with anger she was aware that her body was being shaken. She was sobbing now and her hands wildly searched out for something solid to help pull her from her dream. When they found purchase she allowed her conscience to move towards the solid presence she had grabbed on to.

"Mai! Wake up Mai. It's ok. It's ok." It was Naru who was soothing her. She had grabbed handfuls of his jacket and he was running his fingers down her arms, attempting to sooth her. "It's over now Mai. It's over. It was just a dream." How could she tell him it wasn't just a dream. Cool blue eyes met her own cinnamon, they were lined in worry and fear? Mai couldn't be sure. "It's ok" As she woke up more and more he seemed to calm more.

"It was so awful, there was little girl, and she was being hurt and Gene stopped me." She struggled to get fresh air into her lungs and after a few hard-won breaths she had calmed enough to look at around. She realized that he was sitting on the floor of the van next to the bench seat she had slept on. They weren't moving and it was very dark.

"It's ok Mai."
"Why would Gene stop me from helping her? He's the one who showed me her in the first place."

"We'll figure it out Mai. Just try to calm down."
"Naru, what's going? Why aren't we moving?"

"It's ok Mai. We're here."