((no reviews so I'm wondering if I'm failing to hit the mark? I'll try harder. Also, I really hope someone gets the old reference in this chapter or I'll feel very old.. ALSO Ghost Hunt isn't mine. this chapter is kinda boring but they all can't be a home run.))

Mai had to take a few deep breaths to steady herself as she left Naru's side. When she heard the shower start she set off to find Adia Hines to talk to her some more. She found the little girl sitting on the floor in her room playing with her doll house. It was the only thing int he girl's room that looked like it had remained undamaged. Mai wondered if perhaps it was new. When she took a step closer the floor beneath her creaked causing Adia to look up at her.

As Mai waited a huge smile lit up the child face, "Would you like to come play with my dollies?"

Returning the smile Mai sat down the the floor next to the girl. "I'd love to. That's a beautiful doll you have," said Mai gesturing to a small doll the girl held tightly. "What's her name?"

"This is Cynthia," she held the doll out towards Mai and she could see that the doll had seen better days. It had blond hair that stood sraight up in some spots and was completely bald in others.

"Is Cynthia your friend?"

"She's my only friend," the girl said very matter of factly. When Mai looked at the girl she smiled a bit sadly. "Daddy says we don't need other friends. That he's all we need. Would you like to be my secret friend? We can't tell my Daddy but I'll show you where the cookies are." When Mai nodded unsure of what to say the little girl continued. "You won't tell my daddy, will you? I don't want him to get mad at me."

"I won't tell your father, I promise." That seemed to be enough for the little girl and she handed Mai a doll car to play with. They played quietly for a few minutes before Mai dared to ask what she'd come here to. "Can you tell me what's been going on here Adia? My friends and I came to help you."

"Is Dr. Davis going to help us too?" Mai nodded. "I want him to help Mommy and baby. He needs to make sure they are safe."

"What about your Adia?" The little girl looked at her doll before speaking.

"I'm a bad girl. No one's going to help me." As the little girl began to cry Mai drew here close and let the little girl cry on her shoulder. When Adia stopped crying Mai smiled at her and helped her dry her tears. They didn't talk anymore about what was going because Mai was afraid of upsetting her again but she made a mental note to repeat the conversation to Naru and Lin.

"Is something bad going on here Adia?" Mai asked the little girl, she was afraid to make cry again. The little girl just nodded and Mai lowered her voice and gently tucked a stay curl behind her ear. "Is something bad happening to you sweetheart?"

"Yes. It's my fault that everything's so scary right now." Mai smiled at Adia and she knew how it felt to believe you were to blame when awful things happened. If she could do something about it and spare this little girl any more suffering she would.

"A few years ago, something very bad happened to me to Adia." When she saw that the small girl was paying attention to her she rubbed her hands down her arms and continued. "Some very bad people did something very mean to me and I was hurt for a very long time. Sometimes it still hurts me to think about it, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I didn't make them do what they did, it wasn't my fault." Mai said remember what Ayako and her other friends had said as Ayako soothed Mai's hair and Masako held her hand. She took Adia's hand in her own. "You are not blame either. People make their own choices. This spirit is to blame. Not you sweetheart."

"What about your friend Mr. Lin, does he think it's my fault?" Mai smiled gently and squeezed the small hand she was holding to reassure

"No. He doesn't think it's you fault honey."

"What about your boyfriend Miss Mai?" Mai gave a surprised little laugh and raised both her eye brows.

"My boyfriend?"

"Mr. Dr. Oliver Davis. Does he think it's my fault." Adia asked her wide-eyed. Mai shook her head and smiled at the girl's innocence.

"Naru doesn't think it's your fault either. I'll tell you a secret. He's probably one of the smartest ghost hunters in the entire world. He's never had a case he couldn't figure out. He's the best in the entire country. Let me ask you though, why do you think he's my boyfriend?"

"Because He loves you and you love him." When Mai's mouth fell open the little girl giggled at her shocked look.

"What makes you think he loves me?" she asked when she recovered a little.

"I saw you guys K-I-S-S-I-N-G upstairs and the boy in my dreams, he said that you and your boyfriend were going to come save me and my mom and baby. He said that you guys love each other and that would make you both strong enough to help." The little girl said as if it was obvious. She had to tell Naru that Gene had been a very busy spirit. As she was about to ask more questions the girl's mother called her for lunch and she bounced happily out of the room, her curls springing around her. When she'd left Mai turned to one of the hidden camera's that Lin had cleverly hidden inside of some toys in room.

"You catch any of that Lin?

Lin had in fact 'caught' all of it. While he was a spiritualist he was also a scientist and as such his scientific mind sought to make sense of things. That was one of the reasons he and Noll had gotten along after their initial struggle to establish who was more dominant. While Lin had clearly come out on top, he'd never tell anyone that if Noll had been trained he would have steam rolled over him.

Opening his laptop to record the overnight temperature readings he was unprepared to find a web browser left open at the bottom of the screen. He never did that. Noll would use his own data pad. Mai, he considered, must have used his computer. He didn't begrudge the young woman it's use but he was shocked by the subject she had been reading up on. The first tab was a list of support groups for women who'd been the victim of sexual assault. The next tab was a list of private practice therapists who specialized in the treatment of people who'd been sexually victimized. While Lin's throat had gotten tight at the subject matter on the screen, the last tab was the one that threatened to turn his hair grey.

Mai had been researching how to accept intimacy after having been raped. Rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands he blinked a few times before minimizing the tabs. He debated on if he should close them out all together but was afraid if he did Mai would feel ashamed that he'd seen what she was looking at. Better to think she'd minimized them and he never saw them. He quickly recorded the data and looked for any correlation and then close the laptop, putting it back where Mai had left it. His face had set in a deep frown.

Was this what Takigawa had meant? Was Mai raped after he and Noll had left for England? He found the idea extremely disturbing. Lin was not an overly emotional man but at the moment he was feeling a multitude of them. He felt a deep rage at the idea that someone so innocent could have victimized in such a horrible way. Mai was always like a breath of fresh air, sunshine peaking through storm clouds. He was deeply worried that Noll's dominance could scare her if this was true. He cared for the young woman as a brother would care for a sister. He also felt a brotherly bond with Noll. Did he know about this?

If he did may heaven help those who'd done this awful thing. Lin didn't know if he could say or do anything to keep Oliver from unleashing the immense power he kept hidden on He didn't want to consider the possibilities but he knew that he must. Noll had only ever put two people above his own interests. One was Eugene; and Lin suspected that he held himself responsible for his older twin's death having refused to go to Japan with him to study eastern style exorcism, and Mai.

Lin's hope was that his friend saw Mai as a young woman and not as an ideal. The chair he was sitting in groaned as he leaned back into it to consider this new information. As he did he could see from the camera located in David Hines's office that Noll and Mai were talking as they took temperature readings. He debated for a moment before he gave into his curiosity. Madako; he thought with no small sense of amusement, would be pleased that she was beginning to rub off on him.

Oliver felt a bit better after his shower, at least the burning desire that had been riding him since he'd kissed Mai the other night had eased up enough to allow him to think clearly. He was listening to Mai recount her conversation with Adia Hines. He found what she said to be extremely intresting but wasn't quite ready to share the conclusions he'd been drawing about the activity in the home. When she'd turned to him and asked if he had any idea what would cause the little girl to feel that way he could only shake his head. He really didn't know why she felt that way but he was going to find out.

"I don't have an answer for that. I do however want to speak with her mother and if she grants her consent I'd like to perform the red light suggestion experiment."

"You think Adia is behind all this activity?" Mai made a sweeping motion with her hand towards the claw marks in the wall. "You think that little girl was able to put giant claw marks in the wall, how high do you think that is five feet? "

It's five feet eight inches."

"Five feet and eight inches off of the floor. She's what, four feet tall?"

"Approximately," he answered paying more attention to the sway of her hips than anything else. Mai sighed at his emotionless facade. he knew he should try to talk to her about the vision he'd had when he'd grasped her but he just couldn't find the words to bring it up. What if she didn't want anyone to know? It was her secret to keep but Oliver could see the burden it was for her to carry such a dark secret with her all the time. He never wanted to see her cry again, but knew that she would because it wasn't just something you got over quickly.

As he'd lain in bed the previous evening he'd researched sexual assault and the impact it had on the victims. He'd read study after study in an attempt to understand the best way to not only approach Mai about it but help her. Swallowing hard he looked at her and as she turned to see him a radiant smile lit her face. She hair fell across her face and his fingers twitched as he wished he could move it off her face.

"Mai, I uh..we need to talk about something." Her brown furrowed as she looked at him and her eyes became wary. "It's not really bad per say," He rushed to say seeing the look on her face, "It's just more, well it's something you should know."

He took a deep breath and began what he was sure was going to be the hardest conversation of his entire life. "Do you remember when Miss Hara had gone missing during the Urado case?"

"I don't think I could ever forget." As Oliver wanted Mai reach unconsciously for the key she wore around a chain on her neck She fingered it absently as she waited for him to continue.

"Well, you know how I had her comb in my pocket?" She nodded so he continued. "I was trying to find her using my other psychic ability."

"You have more than just PK?" She interrupted excitedly. "That's so cool!" She smiled at him warmly. He felt his stomach drop. How could he say or do anything to make that smile go away. He also knew he had to because he needed to her to know that he still accepted her. One of the best articles he'd read the night before said how important it was for sexual assault survivors to be given acceptance and love and not be thought of in a negative light because of the assault. He bit his lower lip for a moment and then decided that he had to do it before he lost his nerve.

"You might not think so after this Mai..I can use psychometry." When she didn't immediately respond he continued. 'I had been using Miss Hara's comb in an attempt to locate her. Sometimes I get visions of what I'm trying to figure out. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I simply touch something or someone and I'll see things that they may or may not want me to see." When he said the last part he watched the beautiful smile slip from her face and tears welling in her eyes. He reached out to try and touch her, to comfort her but she pulled away. He felt the pain coming from her in waves and he felt like he was a complete heel. When she refused his hand he let it drop weightless to his side and they looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then Mai's knees gave out and she fell to the floor and let her tears fall. He immediately dropped to her side and pulled her head to his heart. He stroked her hair and kissed her temple, then her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter Mai. You're still you Mai. I love you Mai." He whispered to her softly. He held her as she cried and as he said the last part she paused and turned to look at him with her eyes wide and tears staining her face. "I love you. I've loved you for years Mai. I was a stupid fool. No one ever chose me over Gene. He was the one who was warm and smiled. I shouldn't have just left you like that but the idea that you could be in love with Gene and not me.." He trailed off as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her cheek on his shoulder. She gave a sigh as he resumed stroking her hair.

"So you, you saw?" she whispered into his neck. He nodded and she sniffled a bit. "How could you still want me after you saw? How can you sit here and say you love me? I'm not good enough for you." When she said that his heart splintered. He took her face between his hands and kissed her forehead before looking her in the eye.

"You are perfect. It doesn't matter to me that..I don't think any less of you. If anything you're too good for me. Your heart is so pure. If I could I'd destroy those things that hurt you. That doesn't matter though. I'm here now and I'm going to prove it to you."

"You love me?" He smirked at her now. Seeing it made her smile again.

"That's what I said, isn't it? We need to get off the floor. We have more temperature readings to take and I need tea." He said as he stood then he turned to offer his hand to Mai. Pulling her to her feet he leaned in to kiss her. As he did they heard A woman screaming from downstairs.