Things haven't calmed down, per se. But the SPR finally has enough time to recover the things it has lost, namely Lin's shiki. The problem is that dealing with inhuman spirits isn't exactly a cakewalk.

.o0o.

Mai shoved her phone in the nearest drawer she could find. She could not deal with this right now. This was the kind of thing that was unpredictable, whether you watched it or not. As head of the SPR, Mai figured that this was Naru's job. In all honesty, she didn't know what to do with herself. Coming down after a case was not usually this hard, as for the most part, all of their cases actually came to an end. Being left hanging was not a good feeling.

She lay awake on the couch. Lin and Naru were both shut away in their respective rooms doing who knows what. Mai knew that after the week everyone had, the two of them in particular needed their space. The problem was that Mai was the exact opposite. She wanted someone to talk to. Someone to take the edge off her worries, which were doing backflips in her brain. Just as she thought she might go mad, she heard the sound of broom bristles rhythmically sweeping the hard ground.

"Naru?" Mai blurted. It must have been him. She had been facing Lin's room the whole time, so she would have seen the tall man if he had come out. She turned to face the kitchen, which was the only hard-floored area in the condo. At first glance she saw no one. The broom was still fastened to the wall, so what was she hearing?

Furrowing her brow, Mai stood and followed the noise of sweeping. What she came across was rather unexpected. A small man, no taller than three feet, was sweeping the floor with a short broom with bristles made of hay. He was wearing what could only be described as a modified potato sack. His limbs were thin, almost to the point of emaciation, but the thick, healthy locks of silver hair practically sprouting from his head said otherwise. From what Mai could see, the little man had fading wounds healing over on his arms, legs, and head.

"Um… hello?" Mai asked.

The little man didn't turn around. "Been a while since I last cleaned house," he said. He had a distinct Scottish accent, making him difficult to understand.

"Who are you?" asked Mai.

"If you knew what I was, you wouldn't ask me that," said the man.

Mai didn't detect anything threatening from this odd man. Instead, she had a distinct feeling that this was a friend. He was certainly friend-shaped. "Why are you here?"

"Everyone's gotta be somewhere," replied the man.

Mai huffed.

"Be a dear, and warm me up a cup of milk."

It wasn't a request. Mai unfolded her arms and stepped around the small man. She opened Naru's fridge and immediately found the milk. "Two percent all right?" she asked. The little man nodded. Mai opened the cupboard and at first reached for an ordinary cup. Her instincts told her that an ordinary cup was not appropriate for this. She pivoted and pulled out a decorative mug with little toy soldiers painted on it. She poured the milk into the mug and almost put it into the microwave, when a large hand rested on top of the mug. She turned. Lin was standing right next to her, his eyes full of melancholy.

"Heat it on the stove," he said. Mai almost asked why. Then she figured it wasn't worth questioning instructions. She poured the milk from the mug into a pot, heating it that way instead. When it was warm enough, she turned off the stove and poured it back into the mug. She waited to see if Lin would take the mug and deliver it to the little man himself, but he made no move to do so. She was left to hand it over herself.

"Thank you, lass," said the man. He took a sip. A little milk stuck on his silver moustache and beard, but he gingerly wiped it off on his arm.

Mug in hand, the little man leaned his broom against the wall and led the way to the living room. Lin motioned for Mai to follow, and he took up the rear. The little man dragged a wooden chair from the small dining table over to the couch and sat down on it, like he was perched on a stool rather than in a chair. Mai frowned at this peculiar behavior, but she knew a request to sit down and listen up when she saw one. Both she and Lin took seats on the couch, staring at the little man's face. Truly, all that she could make out was a large nose. His silver hair covered every other facial feature, save for his mouth when he took a sip from his cup.

Mai wanted to ask what this thing was. Lin hadn't made eye contact with anyone since sitting on the couch. It was like he was waiting for someone else to give him permission to speak. Sensing that now was not the time to play clueless advocate, Mai took the hint and kept her mouth shut.

"I'm still tryn'a make up my mind about you," said the little man, finally.

"You look better than when I last saw you," Lin said cautiously.

"Waterworks' water works."

Lin nearly gasped. He came just short of it, but Mai heard him suck in a surprised breath of air. "Is she still around?"

"Aye. You have the human next to you to thank for that."

Lin glanced at Mai, and Mai looked up at Lin. She saw several emotions in his eye at once: surprise, confusion, gratitude, and guilt, for some odd reason. He looked away quickly, so Mai had no time to ponder that.

"What are you going to do now?" Lin asked.

The little man took a slow sip from his mug. "Like I said. I'm still trying to make up my mind about you. I'll tell ya right off the bat. I will not be the first to rejoin you."

Mai furrowed her brow.

Lin caught onto the little man's meaning. "So this is a test?"

"Don't mistake my words for resentment. This is just business." The little man knocked back the rest of his drink. "Would you look at that? It's raining."

Mai and Lin turned around to the window. It was not raining. Mai looked curiously at the little man. The man just smiled and hopped off of his chair, making his way back to the kitchen. Lin, still facing the window, closed his eyes. Mai stood up, intent on chasing after the creature to ask more of it.

"Leave him be," Lin said, turning to her. "Brownies don't like to be observed."

Reluctantly, and with many questions in her mind, she sat back down. She heard the little man turn on the water and rinse out his mug.

"What kind of a spirit was that? A brownie?"

Lin nodded. "They're Scottish in origin. They are domestic spirits that tend the grounds they live on, whether humans dwell there or not. They appreciate regular gifts of sweets, not to be mistaken for payment. If mistreated or offended, they will leave, and the grounds typically wither and invite misfortune. And before you ask, the best way to keep from offending him is to leave him alone and assume he likes things the way they are."

Mai puzzled for a bit before her mind landed on the potato sack the brownie called a garment. Lin must have been hinting that she not try to clothe him or otherwise suggest that his appearance was disagreeable. She nodded.

"He was speaking Japanese."

Lin shrugged. "He was the only one who bothered to learn it."

Mai bobbed her head. The brownie was Lin's Earth shiki, so perhaps he had a grounded and practical nature. He certainly seemed that way.

"What's his name?"

Lin shook his head. "He hasn't shared his with me, and it would be impolite for a human to name him."

"Your Water shiki told me that every member of the team had a nickname."

"I called them by attribute. They derived their own names from that. They have not chosen to disclose their true names to me. For… for Wood, I would imagine that was because I don't speak bear."

Mai exhaled. "Lin, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Lin said, echoing what he had said when he first lost Wood. This time, his voice was softer and kinder. "We did our jobs. My shiki did its job. The entire team would have been distraught if something had happened to you."

"But no one batted an eye when something happened to you. Specifically, your familiar. How long did you have that one?"

Lin took in a short breath. "Wood was my second. But he was the one I had been friends with the longest."

Mai chanced it. "How did you meet?"

"A zoo, when I was ten. As part of my own training, from my grandfather."

"So you can see spirits, like Masako?"

"I can't see them. I summon them."

Mai thought back to when she first became acquainted with Lin's powers. Back in the Urado case, the mansion that she wished she could burn down three times over, of course Lin had saved her from the ghoul with his shrill whistle and his shiki. But earlier than that, he had summoned Suzuki's ghost into the mortal plane with a haunting, mournful whistle. So Lin had done something similar with a panda spirit in his childhood? That meant… if Fire was his first, then he must have come back for that panda spirit afterwards. He hadn't forgotten it, even after his training was complete.

"But I can't get Wood back."

Mai looked up at Lin.

Lin stood up. "I don't know if I can pass the brownie's test."

Mai stood up with him. "I think it's worth it to try."

"Regardless, I am going to try to reach all of them. I owe it to them at least."

"What about you? How do you feel?"

"Like shit," Lin said. Without waiting for further interruption, he stood up and returned to his room. Mai was left stammering in the living room. She turned to the kitchen, thinking she'd make tea, but the brownie was still in there, having moved from washing back to sweeping. Lin's door opened again. Mai whipped her head around. Lin was wearing a light coat, and Mai could hear his keys jingling in his pocket.

"Where are you going?" Mai exclaimed.

"To find the others."

Mai darted after him. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine."

They exited Naru's condo. Mai initially turned to go downstairs, but Lin turned the opposite way. Confused, Mai followed him up to the roof.

The brownie had said there was rain. There was no rain. The roof was covered in thick mist that wetted Mai's skin. Was it just her imagination, or was breathing in the mist restoring her strength and calming her anxiety? She looked from left to right. She couldn't see anything or anyone nearby. Lin passed her and stood in the middle of the mist. The air around her began to whistle, like a low note from a piccolo. Mai looked at Lin. He didn't even appear to be moving. He couldn't be doing that, could he?

The mist around them rippled. Directly in front of Lin appeared the naiad, his former Water shiki. She still had the pale webbed scar wrapping across her front. She looked up at both him and Mai with her alien, bug-like eyes. She opened her mouth and spoke, but her words were still in Greek. Mai felt her hopes sink like an anvil in the ocean. How was Lin going to proceed when the spirit didn't speak Japanese or English?

Lin dropped to one knee in front of the naiad and held out his hand, palm facing her. Mai recalled this as the same gesture the naiad had made when she first appeared to the SPR in the office. The naiad extended her own hand, touching palms with Lin. Lin let out a sigh of relief.

Mai turned her head back and forth between Lin and the naiad, unable to follow what was happening. It must have been good, but she couldn't figure any more than that. The naiad walked up to Lin. She reached up to his face. He nodded. She brushed through the hair covering his right eye. She did something that Mai couldn't see, but Lin flinched rather violently. His hands were halfway flying to his face, but he stopped himself, instead, lurching forward and putting his hands on the ground. Mai raced over to see his face, expression wrought with pain. There were tears in his eyes. The naiad reached up to his head again and cupped her hand, collecting the tears falling from his eyes. She, honest to goodness, brought the tears to her mouth and tasted them.

"Wha… what the hell are you doing to him?" Mai blurted.

"It's okay, Mai," Lin said. Aside from the pain on his face, the rest of his body was calm. "She's a water spirit. She reads waters like books."

"So…"

"I merely gave her some water."

Mai hesitated, processing what Lin was saying. Then she realized, the naiad had struck his eye, causing the natural teary response. And he had consented to it. Why saliva wouldn't have worked was beyond Mai. The world of spirits and supernatural creatures was nothing short of wild.

The naiad put her hand by her side, staring at Lin, who waited for her judgment. And then she smiled. Lin took that as his cue. He stood up, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes, and he whistled once more. Mai didn't see exactly what Lin did next, but the naiad slowly began to transform from its alien humanoid shape into that of a Chinese dragon. It still had a webbed scar expanding from its chest, wrapping around the smooth scales of its underside. Unable to help herself, Mai reached out to its snout, but the dragon vanished from sight before she could touch it.

Lin exhaled short and sharp.

Mai looked at him. "What happened? Is your eye okay?"

"She forgave me."

Forgave? Why would Lin need forgiveness? He did not elaborate.

"We entered another contract."

"You have your shiki back?"

Lin only nodded.

Mai had the sudden thought to turn around. She thought she might catch a glimpse of the brownie spirit watching this exchange, or at the very least spying on them, but no. The little bearded potato sack man was not there.

Before she knew what was happening, Lin passed her and made his way to the stairwell.

"Where are you going?" Mai asked.

"To the pound."

"Whaaa?"

She followed Lin back to the condo. Naru was sitting on the couch, reading a binder. He looked up when the two of them walked in. "How long are we going to have company?" he asked.

Mai nearly exclaimed that he invited her here, but the telltale sound of sweeping in Naru's room made her realize that he was talking about the brownie. Said brownie was making himself busy with tidying up after her boss. She couldn't help but snort, quickly covering her mouth before she got herself fired. Naru was chased out of his own bedroom by a Scottish fairy, insistent on cleaning up after the boy. In Mai's experience, Naru wasn't messy. She was messy. But clearly, Naru was still below the standards of a brownie.

"I'm heading out," said Lin, ignoring Naru's question.

"Wait, Lin."

Both he and Mai turned to Naru. Without another word, the boy grabbed his own coat out of the closet and slipped on his shoes.

"You're coming?" Mai asked the question that both she and Lin were thinking.

"Would you rather I didn't?"

Lin didn't immediately speak. Mai could nearly see the floating speech bubble over his head with a big, bold ellipses in it. Finally, he replied, "You can come if you like."

Mai glanced back and forth between the two. Were they always this bad at communication, or were they making a special effort today?

"I think—"

Naru and Lin turned to her.

She clapped her hands over her mouth. That wasn't supposed to come out.

"Finish your thought, Mai. Unless you've become so dense that your thoughts fly out of your head as soon as you have them."

"Naru," Lin chided. Both Mai and Naru glanced at him in surprise. Lin had never publicly pushed back on Naru's teasing, at least, not where Mai could hear. When neither of the men spoke, Mai took that as permission to continue with her thought.

"It's nothing. I just thought that, in this case, I think it's really important for both of you to say what you mean. Lin, if you really don't want Naru to come, you should say so. You deserve your privacy, especially if you need it."

"If he needs it, he'll say so," Naru said, folding his arms. "We've known each other much longer than you have. We don't need you playing mediator."

Mai waved her hands in a placating manner. "I really didn't mean to insult you."

"She has a point though, Noll."

Naru looked up at Lin.

"If you don't want to come, please don't trouble yourself."

"I got my coat and my shoes on. What else could I be doing other than expressing my interest in coming with you?"

"Do you know what we're doing?"

"You're recovering your lost familiars. It's obvious." He inclined his head toward the ajar door to his bedroom, from which came faint singing in Celtic. "What wasn't obvious was that you'd think I wouldn't care. Nearly a decade, and that's what you think of me?"

Lin held Naru's stare for several uncomfortable seconds. Mai kept her hands on her mouth, lest she break this moment with a misplaced word. Finally, Lin bowed his head.

"I owe you an apology then," he said.

"Forget that," Naru said. "Just explain why you came to the conclusion that you had."

Lin's mouth was moving like a fish, wobbling up and down, lost for words.

"It wouldn't be all that hard," Mai said, unable to keep herself from interjecting again. "You do kind of give off an attitude of my way or the highway. And whenever you give in, you never hesitate to let everyone else know how much we're just dragging you along for the ride."

"You're misremembering," Naru said. He turned to Lin. "Well?"

"Ever since Gene died, I have had distinctly more trouble reading you," Lin said. "All that mattered to both of us was finding him. Then we met the rest of the team." Lin gestured to Mai, as the only other team member present. "I could tell you were at war with yourself, whether or not to care, how much to care, and if it would be a betrayal of your mission to not spend every waking hour pursuing it."

"So? We've accomplished that mission."

"Habits born of heartbreak don't die easy," Lin said. He shook his head, a deep breath rattling through his lungs. He offered a small bow. "I apologize for thinking badly of you. You are welcome to come if you wish."

Naru gritted his teeth. He brushed past Lin and led the way out of the apartment. Mai kept a tense hand near her mouth. Lin had apologized, but the air was still not clear. She followed the two of them out.

Downstairs, the three of them hailed a taxi and clambered in. Right, the van was left at the SPR, and Monk had driven them home. Lin gave the driver an address that Mai didn't recognize. The taxi passed through downtown, to the other side of the city. Mai furrowed her brow, trying to figure out where they were going. She caught a hushed mutter from Naru, "Bill the SPR for this."

"I would prefer not to," Lin returned.

They pulled up to a massive lot sealed off with a metal fence. There was a building attached to it, where people were going in and out. Naru cut ahead of Lin, paying the fare with his own card. Lin didn't protest. He inclined his head as they got out. Mai felt something cold whoosh past her. It had to be Water.

"Where are we?" Mai asked.

"The auto-pound," Naru said.

Mai opened her mouth in an O shape.

Lin took the lead inside. The man at the front desk looked utterly done with everyone and everything in the world. Without looking at Lin, he asked for his license, as well as the information regarding the vehicle. When he gave such information, the man finally looked up. He gave Lin a good hard stare, and then his eyes drifted to Naru and Mai. Mai made a face at being stared at so intently.

"So you're the ones," said the desk worker.

"I don't know what you've heard, but we don't want trouble," Naru said. "We just want to recover the car and be on our way."

The desk worker typed. "Towing fee. Parking ticket violation. Holding fee over the course of four days, which does include the day we impounded it." He said that last part like he had said it a million times before, to a million irritated people. He racked up the bill, nearly 60,000 yen. Without a word, Lin held out his card. "You can't take it yet."

"Why not?" Lin challenged.

"The inventory numbers on it keep melting off. It's like the damn thing is haunted. Wasn't like this yesterday."

Mai looked up at Lin. Melting? That could only mean…

"I know why that is. I can take care of it."

The desk worker gave him a shifty stare. "You used some kind of device…?"

"A kitsune," Lin returned.

The desk worker grumbled. He didn't like the answer, clearly. But he relented and reached for his desk phone. Before speaking into it, he said, "You know, had that video not surfaced yesterday, I would've had you arrested on the spot."

Mai saw Lin tense at the mention of being arrested. She was sure he would have a serious distrust of police for a long while, if not for the rest of his life.

The worker put the phone to his ear. "Yes. This is the downtown auto-pound. We were told to call if… Yeah, that's right. …Okay, if you say so." He hung up and stared at the three SPR employees. "Lucky you. You have a friend down at the Eastern Village Police Station to vouch for you."

Lin and Naru exchanged glances. Mai frowned. Who?

The desk worker took Lin's card. He ran the charge, and then he got up from behind the desk. He motioned for the three of them to follow. They got into the back of the worker's car, which was grated off from the driver's seat, like a police car or a taxi cab. Mai sat between Lin and Naru for the short ride over. When the doors locked shut, Mai noticed Lin tense. She tried not to draw attention to him, keeping her gaze steady in front of her.

Lin's car was tucked neatly away with the other impounded cars. If Lin hadn't been there to identify it, Mai wasn't sure they would be able to find it. And just like the pound worker had said, the car was free of any writing on the glass. The worker checked one last time on his clipboard that everything was in order. Once he was sure, he unlocked the car doors and allowed the three of them to get out.

Naru got to the car first, electing to ride in the passenger seat. When he touched the door handle, he suddenly jumped back as though it had burned him. That wasn't far from the truth, as he waved his hand in the air, face pained.

All three of them heard the sound of a window opening. Behind them, the pound worker began to call, "You take care of your kitsune problem. Once you're done, get in your car and I'll follow you to the gaaaayyyy—"

At first, Mai thought the man had a stroke or something. He was half looking at them, half focused on his driver's side mirror. His hand was half pointed at them, moving in slow motion. His face was halfway between expressions, mouth open like a sloth yawning. Mai also noticed how sound around them slowed. The natural tone of the air and wind vanished, leaving only an echoing reverb, as though they were in a long tunnel. She was getting cold. What was happening? Turning to Lin and Naru, she saw the both of them looking around frantically. Their breath condensed from their mouths. Of all of them, Lin seemed to know what to do. He tilted his head forward slightly, closed his eyes, and whistled.

A tiny flame lit on the roof of Lin's car. It spread, engulfing the whole vehicle. One by one, nine peaks extended out from the flames like vines. A pair of bright white eyes flashed through the fire. Mai could have sworn she saw patterns of blue colored fire in the blazing ball, making swirling lines like war paint.

A voice whispered in Mai's ear, intimate and close. A pulse of hot air hit her neck, like warm breath. The speech was unintelligible to her, as it was in Chinese. The voice was like Lin's, but she knew it wasn't him. Lin replied in the same language. The two of them had a back and forth. Mai couldn't tell what either of them were saying, but she could tell by the tone of voice that the ball of fire was angry. At some point during their conversation, Lin turned toward Mai and Naru. He nodded. In Japanese, he said, "I trust them."

"Do you, truly?" the voice whispered, now in a language Mai could understand. Its question was laced with suspicion. Mai's mind flashed back to the dream in which she met the fiery fox protecting its master, giving her glimpses into every single strike the team had against them.

"I won't blame them for harm done by another party," said Lin.

The fire swayed, as though it was turning sideways. Its eyes became mocking. "Oh yes, of course. Because we can't control their actions. Therefore, what they do is beyond our control. But what about your control? What about the agency of your team?"

"Now hold on!" Mai blurted. "That's just straight up victim blaming! Lin didn't deserve an ounce of what happened to him."

"Deserve, no. Affect, for sure."

Lin held up a hand. "I am unsure who you are angry with."

The fire flared. "Oh, I don't know. You. Them. Everyone. You're better than this. I allied myself to a future Yin-Yang master and onmyoji, not a weakling kit afraid of the shadows of things that could be. Through this time of great suffering, I never once turned my back on you. It mattered not to me that you had been defeated so many times. I never thought we would be brought so low, that our strength would be found so worthless that you would dismiss us without a lick of faith."

Lin's face was the epitome of surprise. It sounded like… like Fire was angry that he had released it, even though its life was in danger. That sending it away was the offense in and of itself.

"If you want me to join you again, prove your strength. Bind me to you."

Lin hesitated. Mai and Naru glanced in his direction, not daring to turn away from the fireball. "Do not ask that of me," Lin said.

"Didn't I ask of you not to release me even if I came into harm's way? Was that not my decision to make?"

"You were a shikigami under my care."

"I am no longer such a thing. You can ask nothing of me now. Show me your worth, if you have any left!"

Before Lin could respond, one of the nine fiery spires shot straight at him. He barely dove aside in time. Embers and cinders went flying as the orange spear hit the ground. Naru immediately grabbed Mai and pulled her away from the action, diving behind a line of parked cars.

"What about the guy?" In lieu of eloquence, Mai pointed to the auto-pound worker, still frozen halfway between words.

"Not our problem!" Naru snapped.

A shrill whistle coated the battlefield in a hot cloud of vapor and noxious gas. Mai couldn't help but cough. Through the haze, she saw Lin's Water shiki standing with its body coiled around its master, whiskers flowing calmly.

The fire engulfing Lin's car began to crawl up to the roof, taking its solid form as a cream-colored nine-tailed fox. Its pelt glistened like fish scales, and the inside of its mouth glowed like a live forge. Its nine tails spread out like a peacock fan, large and intimidating.

Lin darted away from Naru, Mai, and the pound worker. The fox followed his path. The nine tails shot out in every direction, arching over and behind Lin, creating a dome of fire, which sealed him and his shiki in a tight battle ring. Mai broke away from Naru, racing toward the dome in an attempt to help Lin. As soon as she got within a meter, the heat was too intense for her, lapping at her skin greedily. Naru raced up behind Mai and grabbed her, once again wrenching her away from the scene.

Streaks of fire like missiles shot from the arches of the dome. Lin whistled once again. Water flew in a spiral around Lin, creating a thin veil of water all around Lin's body. The fire missiles exploded in a cloud of mist and smoke. Out of that cloud of smoke flew Water, charging straight for the huli jing. The fox evaded the head on charge, passing Water and leaping into the cloud of smoke, but Lin was no longer there.

A blinding light flared up from the floor. The fox reared back, suddenly finding itself within a bright, white circle. Nine orbs rose from the circle's rim, shooting bright cords at the beast. With great effort, the fox dodged and wove, letting the pursuing fetters crash into the ground, just missing its flank by a hair. That was until Water lunged from out of nowhere, getting its teeth around the huli jing's neck and slamming the fox into the floor. Steam rose from the fox's body as Water doused it again and again with cold liquid. Snakelike in its movements, the huli jing twisted its neck around and bit down hard on the Water dragon's foreleg. The dragon whined in pain, but it did not let go.

Lin clutched his wrist, focusing through the feeling of needle teeth in his flesh. He shouted something in Chinese. The fetters from the circle launched forward and ensnared the fox, wrapping around its body. Critically, they tied the huli jing's nine tails together, like a bouquet. Sweat trickled down Lin's head. It was taking most of his effort to keep feeding Water the energy it needed to withstand the huli jing's overwhelming heat, as well as the energy from the binding circle. For a mere human ghost, a single tether was enough for a binding ritual. For a creature as powerful and legendary as the huli jing, the binding circle was the bare minimum requirement to subdue it. He was still adamant that he would not do irreparable harm to the fox spirit—just enough to demonstrate his strength. The fox might not yield, but all he had to do was earn its respect. He was a far cry from that, as the huli jing was still putting up a struggle.

"Is this not enough?" Lin demanded. "That I have you pinned with your face in the dirt?"

The huli jing snarled, its hostile, rattling breaths making the ground rumble. "I can hear your heartbeat fluttering. You are nearing your limit. You will fall, and when you awaken, I will not be here."

"You're wrong," Lin said. He took a step forward, ignoring how he could no longer see straight. The blobs of orange, white, and blue in front of him were signal enough that he was facing the right way. He made a slicing motion with his hand. "You're wrong!"

The fetters snaring the fox suddenly pulled taut, strangling the beast and wrenching it out of Water's grip. The fetters pulled the huli jing into the middle of the circle and held it down. The circle's rim flared with white fire. The orange dome surrounding them all was sucked into the ring, almost as if they were watching an explosion in reverse. Chinese characters began to shine on top of the huli jing's pelt. It opened its mouth in a silent cry. It craned its neck as best it could, fetters pressing into it from all angles.

A single tether extended from the center of Lin's chest. It floated from the human over to the fox, but it stopped just short of touching the fox's head. The huli jing locked eyes with Lin.

"I've got you," said Lin.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Bind me!" the fox snarled, letting embers spout from its open mouth.

"No."

Everything suddenly stopped, save for the writhing, fettered spirit. Meeting his fox's eyes, something in Lin gave. His expression softened, and he sucked in a breath of air. The glowing of the circle dimmed. The fetters faded. Water stood nearby, ready to spring into action if need be. The huli jing rolled onto its front, now able to face Lin properly.

"If you no longer wish to serve my family, then so be it. I will not force your will from your spirit."

The huli jing stared at Lin with wide eyes. Without another word, it rose to its feet. It kept its tails low and calm. It took a step backwards. Then it turned around, its fur glistening in the light. It ran, jumping up over a car and disappearing out of sight.

At once, time began to move properly.

"—yyy-t. Okay?"

Naru and Mai looked to the worker, only having picked up the sound of his words and not the meaning. Lin, on the other hand, was still standing out in the open, his breathing fast and light.

"What the hell just happened?" the worker said. To him, it was like no time had passed at all, and the three SPR members had magically teleported. There was no residual damage from the huli jing's fire. Whether that was an act of mercy or convenience was unclear to the three of them.

Naru walked up to the worker's car and smoothly asked, "What do you mean?"

"You just… he just…!"

"We were just leaving."

"What about the kitsune?"

"We took care of it."

Without another word, he moved to Lin's car. Mai and Lin walked up to him. Naru held out his hand, and Lin handed him the keys. Naru got into the driver's seat, and the other two climbed inside. Naru drove Lin's car to the exit gate, the pound worker following in his own car. The worker opened the gate for them, and they turned down the road, happy to leave the auto pound behind.

"Where to now?" Naru asked.

"Earth knew where Water was. Water knew where Fire was. Fire told me where Metal is, and that is likely where Fire ran off to."

"The cycle of destruction!" Mai blurted. No one acknowledged her.

"Which way?" said Naru.

Lin paused. Then he said, "The woods."

Naru's hands tightened on the wheel. "You can't be serious."

"I am. But I will admit, I don't have the strength to pursue it now."

"Lin, are you okay?" Mai asked. She went ignored.

"Do you believe this to be part of your shiki's test of strength?"

Lin lowered his gaze to his lap. "It isn't my shiki. Right now, we are two beings with history."

"Whether or not we do this is up to you," said Naru. It was clear by his tone of voice that he really didn't want to go back to the woods, not a day after they had just escaped a murder charge by the skin of their teeth. There was nothing strategic about showing their faces in Eastern Village anytime soon.

At the same time, Mai reasoned that, whatever they decided, they should call someone and let them know. Probably Monk and Ayako. Ayako might have been hard to get, considering all the song and dance she had to do with her hospital. Mai patted her pockets, only to find them empty. Right. She had left her phone in the drawer back at Naru's.

"Do either of you have your phones?" she asked.

Her question snapped the two men out of their thoughts. Lin reached to his inside jacket pocket and came up empty. Naru merely blew air out of his nose. Mai took that as a no. It went without saying that the next stop would be the condo.

The drive back was mostly quiet, as Mai had become used to. It was to her surprise that Lin decided to break the silence.

"It was holding back."

A quizzical glance came from both her and Naru. A few seconds of silence went by. Then Naru's expression hardened. "Is that supposed to be some kind of attempt at comfort?" he snapped. "That your being with history had several opportunities to maim or kill you but never took it for some unknown reason? Should I feel better that your life was in the claws of a creature who didn't know what to make of you? Have you finally lost it and become suicidal?"

Lin seemed taken aback at Naru's outburst. He kept his mouth shut.

The car pulled up to the complex. The three of them made their way into Naru's condo. Naru was the last one in, taking the liberty of locking the deadbolt. Mai and Lin looked to him for explanation.

"You're not leaving this building until you have your head on straight."

Lin raised an eyebrow. All the locks would easily open from the inside. Locking the deadbolt was purely symbolic.

Mai ducked aside, moving toward the kitchen. If a battle was about to break out between her bosses, she absolutely did not want to be in the same room as them. Luckily, Lin seemed to have no fight left in him. He dipped his head, accepting Naru's terms. He shrugged off his coat and retreated to his room.

How the tables had turned. Mai was so used to Lin being the one imposing sanctions and whatnot on Naru. Seeing it the other way around, watching Lin accept that, was unsettling, at best. She supposed Naru had a point. Lin did not have his head on straight. She hoped he would return to normal soon, and that he could forgive her for witnessing his personal business.

"If you're going to stand in the kitchen, make tea."

A typical order from her boss. The previous few days, she would have been glad he was avoiding the emotional stuff. Now, it seemed like the boil-over was happening, and none of them had heard the metaphorical smoke alarm going off.

Before Naru could slink away, a high-pitched rattling drew both of their attention. Naru traced the sound back to a drawer near the front door.

"Oh! That's my phone!" Mai said, darting over to the drawer. She pulled it out. The phone had since gone to voicemail, but as soon as she had it in her hand, it started buzzing a second time. The caller was Masako. Mai answered. "Hello?"

"You finally picked up!" Masako said.

"What's wrong?"

"You should know that my agents have been contacted, requesting interviews with me about the footage from the station."

Mai put Masako on speaker.

"What did you tell them?"

"That I am not available to comment. But they have all noticed that my face is in that video. If the media people identified me right away, Naru, be ready for them to come your way too."

"Has it made its way to the news just yet?" Naru asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, but it won't be long. Not with how fast their reporters are moving. I'm sure the Eastern Village Police Station will be doing a press conference."

Lin came out of his room, listening to the conversation.

"When do you think they will?"

"I can't say for sure, but I think it will be less than a day. This isn't terrorist attack breaking news. But a police officer died, and his death was caught on video. The only thing that might give them pause is when they realize the implications of living alongside beings whose existence has been in debate for centuries. If they're thinking straight, they might not want to incite such a paradigm shift. They may just do that thing where they get on camera and say they can't say anything, due to ongoing investigations."

"But ghosts are real," Mai said. "Spirits are real. If they weren't, we wouldn't be here, doing what we're doing. I can prove it by drawing the nine cuts." She looked up at Naru. "Is the spiritual world really so hidden?"

"It is accepted by being ignored," Lin said. "What are your thoughts on all this?"

Mai opened her mouth to answer; Masako started to answer, but the small dragon around Lin's arm glowed and spoke, cutting them both off. Oh, was he asking his shiki?

"When I lived in my pond, there was a time when I, as a spirit, was acknowledged, at least a little. The animals were the ones who couldn't understand who I was, or what I wanted. The fish would always scurry away at my shadow."

"Ya' didn't answer the question, lass." Everyone turned to the brownie, who had just exited Naru's room. The brownie made his way over to the couch. "Hello Waterworks. Good to see ya' again." The brownie nodded to Lin. "Humans don't like being told to share. For a long time, the existence of the fairies was between the fairy and his house folk, or his village folk. The entire world acknowledging that we all exist alongside you? And that you will have to share your world with us? First there will be a schism. Bold and visible to all. Then they will merge again, either under a compromised ideology, or one side will prove victorious, while the other stews, hidden from plain view."

Well, if that wasn't history in a nutshell.

"We did everything we could to avoid this blowing out of proportion," Lin said.

"Well, sometimes, what the world needs is to jump into a cold lake."

"I think you will be surprised at how little will change," said Water."Water is full of big splashes, but in the end, it all comes back to a rest."

"Wanna make a bet?" asked the brownie.

"What have you got to wager?"

The two spirits continued to banter, while Mai watched on, astonished. She turned to Lin. "Are they always like this?"

"When they were both my shiki, yes, they were," said Lin.

"My deal still stands, ya' know," said the brownie.

"The deal stands in principle, but perhaps we can haggle on a price," Lin returned.

The brownie shot him a glance that none of them could read. He then turned back to Water.

"What are you talking about?" Masako asked. "Are you in the middle of recovering your shiki?"

"I am," said Lin.

"I would advise you stay away from Eastern Village right now."

"Noted."

Masako hesitated. She definitely heard Lin's clipped tone, and she probably knew her advice would only be taken into consideration.

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Hara," Naru said, clearly ending the conversation.

"You're welcome," she said. "Be safe."

Mai took that as her cue to hang up.

Naru turned to Lin. "How do you want to proceed?"

Lin let out a sigh. "I don't think there's any use in trying to cut ahead of this. We'll deal with it as it comes. Decline any interviews. Tomorrow, we return to the woods. I have to at least attempt to retrieve Metal. It's the one that was caught on video."

"It's the reason none of us are still in prison," Naru said.

"Just barely," Mai said.

Before she could say anything else, her stomach growled. Lin and Naru stared at her as though they were just remembering that mortals needed food. Somehow, Mai was not surprised that this happened to both of them. Naru especially. Lin insisted he cook, as he would find it more grounding than sitting in his room and brooding.

The dish was Chinese and vegetarian, flavorful and simple. During their meal, however, Lin's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, paled, and retreated to his room, leaving his food half-eaten.

"Who was it, your parents?" Mai asked.

"If it were, he would have said so," Naru said. "It's more likely his own parents."

Mai and Naru strained to listen through the door. They could just pick out Lin's voice, but they couldn't understand his words. He was definitely speaking in Chinese. Yeah. It was the parents.

The room around Mai suddenly faded. Mai's body began to float. She realized she was dreaming. She didn't know when she started dreaming, as her memories from the waking world had melted into her dream world. In front of her, a figure materialized. Mai's brow creased. Weiguó. He said something that Mai couldn't understand, but she could tell the words were in English. Did Weiguó think that English would be easier for her to parse out? Why not just pull her into the spirit realm?

A hand touched her shoulder. Mai turned. Gene. Gene wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Weiguó, a wary expression on his face.

"He's saying you promised."

Mai frowned. What did she promise?

Gene handed her a sheet of paper. On its face was the drawing of the man and the child in the garden under the moon gate. The picture Weiguó had drawn using Mai's hand, and the reason Mai was able to even have a conversation with the distrustful spirit. Right. Mai had promised that he could use her to phone his daughter. She looked up at Weiguó, his face inscrutable. Then she looked at Gene, whose gaze was hard.

"You made a promise you shouldn't keep," Gene said.

"What do you mean? Sure, it'll be hard to locate his daughter, but it's not impossible."

"How old do you think his daughter is? Do you think she's as old as the girl in the picture?"

The girl in the picture couldn't have been older than eight. Sure, it was only marginally better than a stick figure drawing, but clearly, this child was young.

"Weiguó died forty years ago, Mai. His daughter has had forty years to move on from this. The information you found, the information all of us found, will do her no good now."

"You think blissful ignorance is the answer?" Mai said. "Naru would never have settled for that. Not knowing what happened to you for forty years? It would have destroyed him."

It took Gene several seconds to digest Mai's words. Then he shook his head. "The context around my death wouldn't incite an international incident."

"It's not my call," Mai said. "And it's not yours either. I made a promise. I'm going to keep it."

Gene stared at her. There was that look again, the one that was identical between him and his brother. The one that made it clear they thought little of her hairbrained schemes.

"It's about closure, Gene. I can't imagine not wanting that."

With a huff, Mai turned away from Gene.

The gesture of rejection alone was enough to catapult herself out of her own dream. Her eyes snapped open. She was on the couch. She must have fallen asleep there. She sat up. By the clock on the wall and the darkness outside, it was just after eleven p.m. The other two must have been asleep by now. But as she sat in the quiet dark, her ears picked up the soft clicks of a keyboard coming from Lin's room, with a little light emanating from under the door. The man was still awake, and working.

She got up, made sure she was dressed (she had no memory of changing before falling asleep, but that didn't mean she hadn't done so), and she walked over to Lin's door. She knocked.

"Come in."

She did. Lin was sitting at a small desk, with a desk lamp over a laptop. He stopped what he was doing to look at her.

"Lin, sorry to bother you, but I could use your help with something."