Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. It is kinda expensive to buy online these days. Sadness.

The Ebb and Flow of Love

oo

It was 6:17AM when he heard the knock at the door. Sleep had only given him a passing visit past the turbulence of his mind so he had been long dressed and ready for the morning when the knock came. Steeling himself to betray no emotion, he opened the door, ready to stave off whatever crazed idea Madoka had at such an early hour.

Except it was Mai.

She looked about as well rested as he felt and her outfit bespoke of comfortable nights at home rather than a professional conference abroad. More than anything, he wanted to draw her to him, holder her small frame and never let go, begging forgiveness for a decade of idiocy. But he knew it would not be welcome, not at that moment.

He opened his mouth to ask why she was there when she held up a hand to forestall him.

"Look, I am not here to start a fight," she began without actually meeting his eyes, "but I need you to realize that, from my perspective, we've been in this same position twice before. My heart won't...can't survive a third time."

She glanced to his eyes briefly before looking away again, but not quickly enough for him to miss the tears that shone unshed. "I cannot treat anything that happens with you as casual. I can't just have a hot fling overseas and then pretend it was nothing. It's not who I am and, even if it were, you are the last person I could ever forget." She chuckled dryly. "I know. I've tried for 10 years."

Once again, she paused, finally looking to meet his eyes without faltering. "So, I am just going to put what happened last night into my pocket of good memories and go downstairs and spend the rest of this conference being happy that I get to spend time with my friend and former boss. No explanations needed. So... see you there."

Before he could reply, she turned away and stepped to the miraculously still waiting elevator directly across from his door, her eyes remaining averted until the doors closed again.

With a soft sigh, he shut the door to his room, his body falling hard against the wood. A moment more and he slid slowly down until he was sitting on the ground, head in hands, cursing himself yet again.

O~o~o~O

By the time Mai returned to her room, Yasu was in the shower. It had been a rough night, even without the incident on the beach. When she had returned to the room, Yasu was awake and waiting for her. It took little prodding for her to tell him everything that had happened, the dream, the incident with Naru, all of it. He had listened without comment, as he always did. When she finished, he squeezed her hand and asked what she needed him to do. But what was there to do anyway?

In the end, the two had put on silly American television and made silly jokes until they both fell back asleep. He said nothing that morning when she asked for Naru's room number – she knew he would somehow know – but gave her the information with a small, understanding smile. She had returned the smile before quietly leaving to run her short errand.

Had she done the right thing though? Listless, she checked the time before taking out her phone and making a call.

"So, how did it go?" Masako answered without preamble.

"Great, actually," Mai answered with a smile. "I've had a chance to talk to a few other academics and they have been just as curious about my work as I am about theirs."

"I told you," the medium chuckled. "You are too used to having Naru be the voice of criticism in your head. While it's not the worst thing for keeping you motivated to do your best, he isn't exactly typical." She paused for a moment. "Did he have anything to say?"

"No, he was actually very... supportive," Mai admitted, still a little taken aback by the fact.

"Interesting. And... has anything else happened?" Masako prodded knowingly.

Mai glared at the phone for a moment before groaning in frustration. "How do you always know?"

"I have my ways. Now, details please."

"He might have, um, kissed me. And I may have returned it."

There was a long pause. "Damn, Mai, you just got right back in there didn't you?" the medium guffawed.

"It wasn't like that. I had a really, really bad dream event. He found me after I had wandered away."

"Are you okay?" Masako asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Not really, honestly," Mai sighed. "In all seriousness, I think it is a good thing you couldn't make it. This island is just littered with ghosts. Between pirates, organized crime, murdered sex workers, and a huge natural disaster, there are just so many people who have not moved on. And you know how they are in the West. They only want to help them move on if someone is getting hurt. Otherwise, it's good for business."

"It does sound rough. I'm glad you are only there for a couple more days," Masako commiserated. "Still... this doesn't explain how you ended up making out with a man you haven't seen in a decade, Mai."

Groaning, she threw herself on the bed. "I'm not really sure how it happened. By the time I really came back to myself, I was crying into his shirt. Then suddenly, he is kissing me and... But I stopped it. I already told him this morning that it was just going to be a nice memory before we both went on our separate ways."

"Seriously?"

"You are saying you would have done it differently?"

"If I was just looking for a memory, I would have broken into his hotel room and taken my time."

"Masako!"

Mai heard the other woman sigh over the phone. "Honestly, Mai, I think you are making a mistake."

"I can't do this again," she nearly whispered. "I can't open myself up to the pain again."

"Mai, have you ever thought that it was time to fight for him, for your happiness?"

"Masako..."

"No, hear me out," the other woman pressed. "He has always been the one in control. Twice, you put yourself out there and then let him leave. Now, you had no choice the first time, but you could have done something the second time."

"I'm not going to force my feelings on him. That is just wrong and you know it."

"I agree, but that doesn't mean you need to give up at the first sign of adversity. The man has the social skills of a brick. If he is as attentive as Yasu has told me and is kissing you passionately, maybe there is something else going on."

Mai stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know, Masako. I don't want to hope only to find out that he...I don't know, has a weakness for brunettes in distress."

The medium chuckled. "I doubt that is the case." There was a short pause before she sighed into the phone. "Look, I have to go. Just promise me that for your own sake you will talk to him. You don't have to commit to anything, just at least ask why he left or even why he kissed you. For your own sake, your own peace of mind."

"I guess," Mai sighed before smiling. "Thank you."

"Any time."

As she hung up, Yasu emerged from the bathroom. "Feeling better?"

Mai nodded. "I talked to Masako, too."

Yasu checked his watch as he crossed the room to sit on his bed. "It is only just after 7. I know that breakfast is open, but that still gives two hours before the first session starts."

She sighed, glancing out the window. "I think I am going to go for a walk, clear my head. I'll eat when I get back."

"If you think it is best. I have a quick errand to run this morning, so I might miss the first session. I'll let Bou-san know to cover it with the camera."

"What are you up to?" Mai asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing that you are going to get out of me," Yasu smirked. "Dress comfortably today, Mai," he suggested more seriously. "I don't think that they are as stuffy around here as you think. You had a long, trying day yesterday. Plus, we have the banquet tonight. Be comfortable."

She smiled gratefully. "I'm sure I can manage to balance professionalism and comfort." A laugh escaped her. "Ayako would kill me otherwise."

After slipping into some black jeans and a sweater loose enough to push the boundaries of professionalism, Mai made her way through the still waking hotel. The early morning sky was more grey that blue, but the wind was crisp and made her lips turn up at the corners automatically. Despite what she had said to both of her friends, her mind was still an absolute mess. The logical part of her insisted that she had made the right decision to push Naru away. Her heart, however, was less sure.

Love had an annoying way of sticking around long after it was wanted. Sure, it could be killed prematurely by actions or events, but nothing Naru had ever done to her had really managed that. Notwithstanding his cold way of leaving her, she knew he was still fundamentally a good man who cared for those around him. That knowledge kept her from being able to shake off her affections and the honest part of her knew she didn't really want to. No one had ever quite measured up to him, even during the parts of her life when she was trying to move on.

Mai stopped and turned to stare out over the ocean. In the distance, she could see ships lined up, waiting for their turn at the port. Was that what she was doing? Waiting for her turn? Maybe Masako had a point. She had never been good at fighting for herself. But it was hard to fight when you were never certain. She had thought that Naru had been about to accept her feelings, but she could have been wrong. He communicated so little that it was hard to ever know anything for certain. Was she giving up too soon? Was she waiting for him to come sweep her off her feet? Was she just being stupid about everything? And, while she was thinking on it, did any of it explain the strange sensation she felt when he was near?

A groan escaped her lips as she turned to make her way back from the hotel, having wandered farther than she had meant. Her thoughts turned purposefully towards the day, with a stopping curiosity at what Yasu had planned. She was on her twelfth possibility by the time she entered the lobby and headed towards the breakfast area where thankfully she was distracted by the others. Yasu was conspicuously absent and Bou-san informed her that he had spoken with Dr. Canino and left by car twenty minutes prior.

His absence made for a tense moment when Mai maneuvered her way into sitting away from Naru, Madoka, and Lin. Though no one commented, she could practically feel the exchange of looks that passed through the groups at her lack of subtlety. Still, she chose to ignore it and pay attention to the presentation.

…which…did not help.

While Mai had spoken to the first speaker the day before, the entire first session was composed of scientists that used quantum mechanics and particle physics to explain their theories[1]. Try as she might, it was hard for her to keep up, especially in a second language.

When she groaned to herself for the fifth time, she felt eyes on her and found that Naru was looking at her with amusement. Refusing to be mature, she stuck her tongue out at him before sitting back in her seat so he couldn't see her anymore.

"You seem to have struggled with those sessions," he murmured to her as they got tea during the break.

"I studied psychology and the scientific method, Dr. Da- Oliver," she muttered, changing how she called him as she glanced around. "I did not think I needed to study quantum physics."

"Poor planning on your part," he commented with a smirk.

"I assume that you of course understood everything," she bit back, glaring at Bou-san who was laughing at them silently.

"For the most part," Naru agreed.

"It was in your native language at least," she grumbled.

"Bou-san seemed to understand it," he added slyly.

"Shut up," she snapped, tossing her tea bag in the nearby can.

"And here I was about to offer to explain it to you," Naru countered.

"Sure you were," she sniffed before turning to return to her seat.

Despite her snapping at him, she smiled to herself as she entered the room. At least they could talk normally. If nothing else, she wanted them to be comfortable with each other as they finished the conference out.

The second session was more interesting, based almost entirely on the history of the field. More than once, she heard familiar names and felt a sense of accomplishment that these were strangers from lands distant to her own, but yet individuals that she had studied and explored. BSPR was mentioned a few times in the discussion on the future of the parapsychology world. Still, it did leave a lot open and Mai found herself frustrated that the one speaker on the topic of the future of the field seemed to be hedging away from giving a distinct prediction. It felt like a lot of nothing very nicely said.

Her group seemed to agree with her and she expected a lively discussion on the matter over lunch. However, Yasu, who had joined them just before the start of the second session, pulled Naru away to…talk. No matter of question seemed to make them stop and Mai found herself distracted once again as the others talked around her.

O~o~o~O

Oliver stood with the researcher next to the coffee bar. The other man looked tired, the coffee a helping hand. It was clear that Mai's roommate had been made part of their nighttime drama. Yasuhara's tense demeanor made Oliver curious if he was going to be on the receiving end of a friendly lecture. While he knew that he might deserve it, he did not particularly feel like listening to a dressing down about something he was already frustrated over.

"I found the local archives."

Attention instantly grabbed, Oliver's eyes widened slightly. "And?"

Yasuhara held up a folder briefly while he took a long draw on the coffee. "I am going to preface this by saying I am telling you because I do respect you, Naru. I know that you will do what is best, even if you aren't very good at doing it in the first place."

Oliver sighed heavily. "Your confidence is appreciated." Despite the dryness of his tone, both men knew he was being sincere.

"Now, the building was originally owned and operated as the headquarters of American National Insurance Company. It was replaced by the large One Moody Plaza and the building was eventually repurposed into low rent housing."

"The tour guide was telling the truth?"

"To a degree, yes. For reasons that are still hotly debated, Galveston has had a higher than the national average suicide rate for several decades. Because it is not a positive fact for a largely tourist run economy, it took a lot of digging to determine any deaths that are associated with the building. Thankfully, one of the local librarians was very kind and helpful."

Yasuhara paused as he opened the folder and switched languages for clarity. "The building operated as a housing unit between 1975 and 2000. During that time, there were 27 reported suicides associated with that address. There were an additional 6 reported homicides. After this period, the building was closed down with plans to refurbish. However, plans repeatedly fell through and the building was ultimately abandoned. In the years since, there have been another 17 deaths associated with the site. Three of them are associated with Mardi Gras and another four are worker related during the period of refurbishment. The final ten are undecided with some arguing for suicide and others that the degrading structural integrity of the building led to their death. Two years ago, they constructed fencing around the building to prevent anyone from entering."[2]

Oliver looked into the distance, mind sorting through the information before he came to one unalterable question.

"How many deaths did she live through?"

Yasuhara sighed his understanding. "I do not know. She was very reluctant to talk about details. I am worried about her tonight."

Nodding his agreement, Oliver held his hand out for the information which Yasuhara readily handed over.

"Is there any chance we can cleanse the area?"

"It is doubtful," Oliver sighed, closing the folder after a brief perusal. "Even if we were to use Matsuzaki's skills – and there is no guarantee they would be combatable with foreign trees – this entire island is full of ghosts. There is a chance that she would be overwhelmed. It is not safe. We can only hope that Mai will be able to hold out until she leaves. When are you scheduled to leave?"

"Our flight is Monday night. There was some talk about spending the final night in Houston, but we have not really decided."

"I would recommend it."

The researcher's eyes narrowed dangerously, lips curving into a knowing smirk. "What are your travel plans, Big Boss?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes at him. "More flexible than your own. However, at present, our flight is set to leave Monday as well."

"Maybe we should all plan it together?"

Without replying, Oliver turned and left, the researcher lagging behind as they rejoined the group for lunch.

The first session after the meal immediately annoyed Oliver due to the way all members of the motley group began to look at him askance.

"My findings cover a number of studies that were conducted in the UK on twins," the man began, instantly summoning a sigh from Oliver. He remembered each of those studies, especially as he had been asked to take part in two, one shortly after they came to England and the second shortly before Gene's death. Apparently, they were not crass enough to ask him after his twin's death, or, perhaps they decided his input lacked value. Regardless, it was a field of study that had always annoyed him.

"Before I open the floor to questions, I would like to remark that, no, none of the studies included data from the Davis twins. Apparently, they were not…congenial to the idea. There has also been some discussion that they would skew the data sets."

"Imagine what they would do if they found out about how you and Gene communicate now?" Mai giggled quietly.

"They would never leave Naru-bou alone," Takigawa grinned.

"We aren't going to find out though, are we?" Oliver asked leadingly, the icy tone in his voice indicating his expected answer.

"Your secret is safe with us," Yasuhara promised with mock solemnity.

Thankfully, the session moved on without further comment and soon enough, they were leaving to set up the various rooms. Oliver went with Lin and Madoka to double-check the set up, but made his way down to the sessions to check in on the monk and miko. As he had expected, they were holding their own with a lot of attention from many of the Western centered researchers. He was about to go and kill time by prodding the monk with questions he knew the answer to when he saw Mai's furrowed brows as she stood in conversation with a small group.

"Would you not say that having known spiritualists on your team skews your data? You say that your operation puts science first, but the use of religion does not seem to comply with the scientific mindset."

Mai took a moment to compose herself before pulling up a professional smile. Oliver couldn't help but be proud that she was able to manage it while also feeling sad that she had been forced to learn how.

"I think that you might find this part of the conflict between Eastern and Western views. I have found, and correct me if I am wrong, that most scientists in the Western world prefer to study and document places where they believe haunting to have occurred. This is aided by the fact that Westerners are more likely to report a benign haunting as it can often help with tourism or personal fame."

"You would be largely correct on that assumption," one of the group agreed.

"In the East, there is a lot of cultural importance placed on those who came before. Many I have known, especially of the older generation, would have seen a haunting as sign that their ancestors were trying to send them a message. If it did not turn dangerous, they would never mention it. This has been less the case in the younger generations, especially after the psychic craze of the 70s. Still, it is unlikely for someone to request a visit from a psychic investigator such as myself until there is some sense of danger or disease."

"They are, in fact, more likely to call upon Miss Masako Hara, the spirit medium, as she has a better chance of letting them talk to the dearly departed," Yasu added.

"How does that make a case for spiritualism in ghost hunting, though?" the original questioner pressed.

"Well, it is because they are not there to gather data. They are there to help stop a problem before it might become too dangerous. In my first year of ghost hunting," Mai commented, glancing over to where Oliver stood some distance away, "we had multiple cases where the haunting led to a death and more that lead to serious injury. I think it is only responsible that, if we are going to be investigating, we also bring insurance that no one gets hurt."

"I guess that is fair," the questioner sighed. "Though I would love to see the documentation that the spiritual activity was directly the cause of the harm."

"We do not have the case files ourselves," Yasu informed them. "They are property of BSPR who led the investigations at the time."

"Additionally," Mai continued, "both our monk and miko are considerably more secular than the rest of their ilk. Houshou Takigawa had already been self-training on the works of Oliver Davis before I met him and his wife, Ayako, is a licensed doctor. While they can both be rather…spirited, they do take the scientific method seriously."

"A priestess is a doctor?" one of the group chuckled. "That is a bit unusual."

"It is more that the doctor is also a priestess. Her husband is also in a rock band. We are a bit of an eclectic group. However, I will also say, for my own sake, as someone who has been dubbed a 'ghost magnet', I am as eager as anyone to prove their existence. It would be nice to be taken more seriously by the lay people."

Mai's comment was said with a rueful humor that left the group chuckling. Quickly thereafter, they dispersed and she turned to give him a look that could only be interpreted as, "see? I can do it!" Unwilling to argue, he merely crossed over and offered to take the two of them up to the tech demo and guide them through all of the equipment. The two agreed and they spent the rest of the hour in relaxed, productive conversation.

O~o~o~O

Mai had never really considered herself to be the banquet type. She liked a good party and had loved the formal meal and dancing at Bou-san and Ayako's wedding. But banquets were always a little too…formal. This one was broken into two sections. The first was just plain dining at assigned seats. The second part added in a speaker and, hopefully, more drinks. The following evening's reception was supposed to be more like the wedding, but for this one, Mai could only hope to get past the evening without disgracing herself. From what she understood, they had purposefully broken groups up so that they would be forced to mingle.

Sigh.

Yasu was dubbed her escort and the two made their way into the ballroom, an area nestled within the large curve where they ate their meals. It had previously been set up for the various booths but now the area stretched with long tables already laden with glasses and expensive looking tableware. Mai groaned quietly.

"Who do you think they have us sitting next to?" Yasu wondered quietly.

"Hopefully not those jerks from earlier," she muttered in response, nearly tripping over her gown. The dress was thankfully simple – sleeveless and high-necked, the black cloth fell from neck to floor in almost uninterrupted black save a band of silver that made a high waist. It was, however, slightly too long even in her heels forcing her to hold it up as she moved – or walk in a purposeful way that kicked it out from beneath her feet. [3]

As they arrived at their designated table, they were happily surprised to find Madoka and Lin sitting in the seats to Mai's right. It seemed that no one had let the organizers know that the two groups knew each other, though she had to wonder what had happened to Naru. The faint buzzing sensation she had whenever he was near told her he was somewhere in the room. Giggling at the idea of him being surrounded by clamoring women, she took her seat next to Lin with a warm smile.

The dinner progressed nicely enough, with Yasu jumping into conversation with anyone within shouting distance. Mai couldn't help but feel out of place. Friendly as she was, she was mentally and emotionally exhausted and not up to the task of charming people who she had little acquaintance with. Lin was equally quiet and eventually, she found herself turning to talk to him if only to prevent herself from sitting there in awkward silence.

"How are things in England? Are the three of you still working under the same field office?"

Lin shook his head. "No, Noll left a few years ago. The leader of BSPR, Sir Dorey, is actively grooming him to lead once he is unable to."

Mai scoffed. "I cannot imagine Naru having the…diplomacy required of leading an entire organization."

"Noll agrees," he commented with a small smile. "There have been rumors that he is ready to disappear again." When Mai looked at him curiously, he expanded. "Most of the organization did not know he had left for Japan when he did. He was just gone one day and then eventually returned as if it never happened."

"Naru never did like explaining himself," she smiled. "Still, I imagine you were relieved to go back to England. I know you were never comfortable in Japan."

The man stiffened slightly before turning to look at her more fully. "I married a Japanese woman, Taniyama."

"I…never considered that really. Wasn't your family upset?"

He nodded. "They were. They were also upset that I worked with an English family for an English organization. A year or so after we left Japan I…I made the decision to let go of my anger."

Mai blinked at him owlishly. "But…why?"

"When I first snapped at you, the Japanese government was still actively trying to hide what they had done and pretend it had never happened. It made me very angry to think that the citizens of the country didn't press them harder, especially in a supposed democracy. But, since then, there have been a number of protests. A lot of the youth of Japan have been fighting hard to have their history properly understood and for the government to own up to what happened." [4]

"But the government hasn't really…I mean they sort of did, but not really," Mai countered. "And there is still a lot of struggle to get it taught properly."

"That is true," Lin confirmed. "But that doesn't mean the people of Japan agree with that. The age of the internet has allowed them to learn what their textbooks wouldn't say. It was…enough to allow me to let go of the hate. It is still something of a bias, a knee-jerk reaction, but one I am working on."

Mai grinned at him, tears in her eyes. "Well, I'm glad, Lin. My country still has much to make up for, but I am glad that you can show us some forgiveness."

He smiled softly before turning to Madoka who had called for him. Despite the heaviness of the conversation, Mai felt comparatively light. While the two of them had made their peace years ago, it was nice to know that a man she deeply respected wasn't being dragged down by hatred, even if it was justified.

Looking to Yasu, she discovered that his seat was empty. A quick glance told her that he had left to speak to someone at another table. Maybe she should do the same….

As the thought crossed her mind, a movement in her peripheral caught her attention. A hand reached before her to drop a small item, a bracelet, that looked very familiar. With a frown, she picked it up before gasping softly and looking up to the figure who had left it there. Naru looked down at her with a grimly determined face. Eyes returning to the bracelet, she ran her fingers over it delicately.

Ayako had given it to her as a belated birthday present while they had waited for Naru to recover from his battle with a god. She had worn it constantly after they returned to Tokyo but it had disappeared after their last case with Naru. She had assumed it had broken in the cave, but here it was in her hands, intact and unharmed. Naru had kept it, purposefully. Was it a memento or…?

She stared up at him, comprehension dawning. Before she could open her mouth to speak though, he gestured for her to follow him. With a nod, she did and the two of them made their way silently out of the ballroom across the hotel and into the room set up for the conference. She would have assumed it was locked, but they were able to enter the dark room freely. Unwilling to get caught by flipping a switch and illuminating the entire room, Mai cross over to the windows where the exterior lamps provided some light. By that point, the strange buzzing had gone from a light, but ignorable sensation, to a distracting vibration, causing her hands to shake. Leaning against the wall to create more distance, she looked back at him with a frown.

"Explain."

"Why don't we play a game," he suggested with a wry smirk, glancing down to where she clenched her hands to steady them. "For each question I answer, you will do the same."

Mai opened her mouth to protest before closing it in consideration. She doubted there was anything he could think to ask her that she would not be willing to share. Getting some answers was worth any sacrifice for her privacy.

"Fine."

"Ladies first."

Mai held up the bracelet. "Were you using psychometry to spy on me?"

"Spy? No. Check in on, yes." He held up a hand to stop her from asking her follow up. "You have been skittish since we met again. It isn't an emotional response. Something is physically affecting you."

"Is that a question?" she rolled her eyes. "Yes, there is a strange buzzing feeling when you are near. Now, why were you checking in on me?"

"To see how you were doing, obviously. Is it a constant sensation or does it change?"

"It changes. Sometimes it is worse when you are closer, but not always. It is not consistent so I am not sure what it is all about," she sighed, providing the additional information immediately. "How often did you spy on me?"

"Not very. Is it worse when I touch you?" he pressed, brows furrowed as he calculated her answers.

"Yes, I think so. I noticed it got worse when you helped me in the street after I stumbled and once when you brushed past me. I don't know if it was even there…last night. I was distracted. By my dream," she clarified with narrowed eyes at his self-satisfied expression. "Have you been spying this entire time?"

"…Yes, though not at the same frequency from year to year. Have you ever experienced the buzzing sensation before or with anyone else?"

Mai shook her head. "No, it is definitely just with you. Did you ever see anything inappropriate?"

Naru's face darkened. "I saw someone kissing you once. I did not check for months after that. Do you have any clue what the sensation is?"

"None," she sighed. "Naru…why have you spent ten years occasionally spying on a girl you left behind?"

For the first time, he hesitated, clearly torn. "Because I had to," he finally whispered. "If I," he hesitated, before continuing. "If I explain why I left, will you listen?"

She understood why he asked. She had already denied him once that morning and part of her wanted to deny him again. What if listening only brought about more pain? Would it hurt any less if there was a good reason for them to be apart?

"Yes. Do you…do you love me, Naru?"

He smiled at her, that sweet smile she had seen him give so rarely. "Always have. Do you love me?"

"Never stopped," she smiled sadly.

A shudder seemed to go through him at the words but all he did was reach out a hand to her. When she frowned at it, he gestured again. Slowly, she reached out and slid her fingers against his palm until they laced between his. The tingling sensation spiked to outright discomfort before it abruptly ended. Eyes wide, Mai looked up at him. Instead of speaking, he gestured for her to look at the room.

A moment ticked past and then another before, slowly, each of the dozens of chairs in the room slowly raised up from the floor. Once they had reached a height of five or six feet, they flipped over in place before slowly dropping down again.

Wide eyed and breathless, Mai looked at Naru and then down at their entwined hands. Slowly, understanding began to seep in and emotions rushed over her. Confusion, awe, frustration, anger, sadness. Everything whirled around her as she began to understand what he had done and why he had left.

Pulling away from him, she silently crossed over to the door that led directly outside from the hall. When she turned to glance behind her, she found Naru rooted to the spot, visibly uncertain.

"I am angry right now. So…I am going to go for a walk to cool my head. If you want to finish this conversation, you are welcome to join me."

She did not look back to see if he followed, but the sounds of steps behind her confirmed that he did. The strange sensation was gone, which was a relief, though thinking on it just brought her back to what she had just seen. Anger coursed through her again and, without speaking, she crossed the large lawn and the adjacent street before finding the stairs that would take her down towards the beach. She abandoned her shoes halfway down the stairs, skirts held up in one hand as she moved towards the water.

Mai had never seen a beach quite like it. Though, honestly, she had not seen that many beaches. Her struggling economic state during her youth meant she did not go to the beach much when she was young and rarely had had the time when she was older. Still, the beach was wide and flat, the water lapping at the edge and growing closer as the tide came in.

For a moment, she just let herself forget and stared at the water. As she watched, small riptides formed as the waves coming in pressed against receding waves, their size difference making the struggle harder. Small as these were, she could step on the water and not even feel them. Yet, further out, they could kill. The ocean was a dangerous place with untold power, not unlike her silent companion.

With a sigh, she turned back to him at last, smiling slightly when she saw that he had picked up her shoes.

"Start from the beginning."

O~o~o~O

Despite her instructions, Oliver did not quite know where to begin. He did not have proper practice in explaining himself and, unfortunately, this was not the time to get things wrong. Without it being said, he knew that this was the last chance he would get; if he was not wholly honest in this moment, he would lose her permanently. Finally, he moved to stand beside her, both their gazes looking out over the water.

"I don't know when I actually fell in love with you, but I know I realized it when we were on the case at Yuasa High School. You were falling into the sewer and I refused to let go. I used my PK to save the both of us and entertained you with sleight of hand I had not shown anyone in years. It had to be love, or at least something very close to it.[5]"

Mai let out a startled exclamation. "I knew it wasn't my fault you were down there. Still, all that time, why didn't you say anything?"

"Generally, it seemed like a bad idea. While there were times that you seemed to be charmed by my looks, you had never reacted like any other girl who had been 'in love' with me before. You saw straight through me and called me out on it every time." A self-deprecating smile curved his lips. "Which was part of why I fell for you, I'm sure."

"That is why we communicate things, Naru," she sighed.

"On the other hand, I had no idea when I would find Gene. It seemed foolish to start something with someone only to leave them behind. It would have been cruel to us both." He sighed. "And then when I had made the decision to stay, there you were confessing your love to the wrong person."

"It wasn't the wrong person," Mai sighed. "It was easier to think I was in love with Gene, though. You suggested it and it seemed like you were so ready to pass my feelings off onto him, that they made you uncomfortable. And you always knew everything. So, I agreed and then spent months trying to figure my emotions out. Not well done on your part."

Oliver nodded. "I realized that later. In the meantime, I was…heartbroken. I had already decided to stay, in part for you, only for you to be in love with Gene, like everyone else was. I spent two months dealing with the fallout of finding him and prepping to return. And the entire time, my mind would not stop focusing on you. I returned with the idea in mind that eventually, I could win you over."

"Very romantic."

He shrugged. "It took a long time for me to be certain that you were over him, that it was okay for me to start making advances. If things hadn't…happened, we probably would have started dating soon after that case."

Mai nodded her agreement. "I was ready and…I thought you were too."

"I was and then…. You lost consciousness so you didn't know what happened. I let you think that you had been struck and that is why you were out for so long." Oliver paused for a long moment, struggling with what needed to be said, knowing that it would only make her angrier. "After I grabbed your hand, a strange energy pulsed through me and, suddenly, I could control my PK."

"Like you do with Gene?"

"No," he shook his head. "With Gene, I will pass him a small amount of energy and we will 'toss' it back and forth until it is a considerable force. I can always use a small amount of PK safely. The best analogy we have come up with over the years is that my PK is like a bucket of water, filled to the brim. With a little concentration, you can pour a little bit out and have no problem. When you try to pour more out, it becomes significantly harder to pour without losing control."

Oliver stopped and looked at her, glancing down to her hand. "With you, I can just access all of it without limit."

Mai gasped. "But…how?"

"I do not know. In the cave, I took your hand and suddenly could stop the cave in and even get the two of us out. But then you didn't wake up…for more than a day. I…panicked. Looking back now, I can see that it was pure panic. During the entire time you were out and the following days, I tried to determine what had happened. I had not consciously activated any skill, nor had you. If we had continued in a relationship, had kissed or become intimate, would I have taken from you without knowing? Could I kill you just by loving you? If you knew about it, would you force your help on me rather than see me risk my own health?"

Oliver stopped, pushing aside the panic that still felt real in his mind.

"I kept the problem to myself and thought it over for days, worrying over every aspect. The result my mind came to was that, yes, you could help me, but only at risk to yourself. And I was unwilling to take that risk."

"So, you just…left? Without explaining anything?" Mai bit out, clearly furious. "Do you have any idea what I felt when you did that? We had been so close to…and then suddenly you are gone!"

"I know," Oliver acknowledged. "I just…from my point of view, it was too big of a risk. You were always so reckless, so willing to risk yourself for anyone. What would you do if I told you that you could help me at risk to yourself? Would you have stopped? Would you have known your own limits?"

Mai stood in stony silence, eyes back on the water.

"I regretted it almost immediately. First, I regretted the loss of you, of JSPR. Then, I regret not discussing it with anyone before I left. But then the nightmares began, visions of you dying because I could not control myself. I barely spoke to anyone for weeks, bitter with the choice I had been forced to make. By the time the bitterness passed, it had been months, more than half a year. I woke up one day wanting to just talk to you about everything, but…I was too proud. I had never had to explain myself, never developed the skill. If I wanted to talk to you again, wanted to return to Japan, I would have to explain everything and I didn't know how."

Oliver broke off with a scoff. "I picked up the phone probably a hundred times, ready to call you. But I could never summon he words. And like that, nearly a year more went by and I began to question whether or not I had any right to even call. I knew from the bracelet that I had hurt you, that you were angry. What right did I have to stir all that up?"

"You still should have," Mai stated bitterly.

"You are right," Oliver acknowledged. "And I probably would have, but then I picked up the bracelet only to find you in another man's arms. So, I let go. I had been gone for almost two years and you were clearly moving on. I knew I could not talk to you without wanting you and you were building a successful life without me. I made the decision then to back away, to let you move on even if I could not."

"That was Hiro," she laughed softly. "First date and he decided to kiss me without warning. I didn't go on another date for two years after that. Too busy."

That knowledge just embittered Oliver more. He had already confronted his own stupidity and pride that evening only to find that he was even more foolish than he had believed.

"Masako yelled at me this morning," Mai continued. "She told me that I never fought for us, but I think neither of us ever have. It makes me wonder if it is really worth fighting for that neither of us can be bothered."

"Mai," Oliver began, heart clenched. He knew his voice was begging, but his pride was long gone.

"In ten years, you could not be bothered. And while I understand, I genuinely do understand where you were coming from, I cannot help but be very angry. You didn't talk to me about things that concerned me. I appreciate that you seem to have at least considered it, but in the end, you decided not to."

"I know. And that is part of why I came to this convention. I wanted to see if you were happy or if, maybe, I could finally take the chance to talk to you."

She sighed again, bringing her hand up to wipe tears from her eyes. "I don't know what to tell you right now, Naru. I know that it's been ten years and I have never stopped loving you, never stopped seeing any date or relationship as cheating. You are the standard and no one else has begun to measure up. But…ten years is a long time. I..I just don't know."

Oliver watched, chest tight, as she wiped her eyes once more and turned to him with a watery smile. He did not need psychometry to know exactly what she was feeling in that moment and could not stop the wave of hatred he felt for himself that he had done this to her.

"Regardless, we are going to work on what this power thing is. That is the responsible thing to do. But…aside of that, I have to think, Naru. I don't know if I can open myself to this pain again. I, mean, I am an idiot so there is a good chance I will, but there is a lot to think about and a lot to consider even before understanding the fact that we live on two different continents."

Nodding, Oliver clenched his fists behind his back. He knew she had a point and that he deserved whatever she might have to say at the end of her deliberations.

"I think I am going to stay out here for a bit longer. Why don't you go back?" she suggested after a moment.

"If you want. I will send Yasuhara out here so you aren't alone." When she nodded, Oliver gently placed her shoes at her feet and then turned to leave. He was at the bottom of the stairs up to the road when he stopped and turned to her once more. "Mai."

She turned to face him, openly braced for pain.

"You were my standard, too. For ten years, it was only ever you."

Her face crumpled once more before she turned her back to him. Fists clenched once more, he mounted the stairs, anger and sorrow weighing down each of his steps.

1 – Yep. A long time ago, I wanted to be an astrophysicist when I grew up before I realized I was poor and had to, you know, get a job at the same time as classes. That is pretty much the ONLY reason I was able to get a general idea of what was going on in their abstracts.

2 – This is 90% made up, extrapolated from what the lady on the ghost tour said. As I mentioned, I have been unable to do the research online. There are actual archives, and I could have emailed them, but it seemed silly to put them through the effort for the purpose of this story. Maybe one day. The suicide statistics mentioned at the beginning are accurate. I started to use those to do research, but I started getting flashbacks to my thesis and decided fiction would do.

3 – As a short woman who loves long dresses, this is a skill. It also looks neat from a distance as the dress is always flowing. That said, I have never met a long skirt that did not make me trip.

4 – Okay this is the one bit of characterization that is hard when it comes to changing the time frame. For those of you who are unaware, until the 1990s, when the books were originally published, the vast majority of Japanese citizens did not know about the war crimes Japan committed during WW2 and before. It took a number of very proactive citizens, many of which were teachers and textbook writers, to get them to begin to even start acknowledging and teaching it in school. Even then, it is often very unevenly taught. Much like most countries like to simplify the bad parts of their history, Japan has been selective about what they teach. Most students now learn about the Rape of Nanjing, but don't necessarily know about the other human rights violations. Those that do, often have to teach themselves. However, with the internet, there has been a great rise in awareness and push back from the people to get these histories told.

That said…Mai's conversation with Lin took place in the 90s, during a time when Hong Kong was still under British protection. This story takes place in present day. To say that there would have been THAT MUCH change in 10 years is…laughable. However, I always found it to be an interesting part of Lin's character since this is literally the only Japanese fictional media I have come across that directly addresses it. (There may be others; I tend to read fantasy and light hearted shit.)

5 – I've noticed that a lot of people don't seem to understand what happened in the sewers. Naru's PK use was to push the debris from the ladder breaking aside so they didn't land on it, and potentially to soften their fall. The bit with the coin was just sleight of hand. There is a short story that talks about him learning it so that he can better spot fakes. (My husband was SO CONFUSED at the random turn his personality took with that scene until I told him that bit.)

Aaaaand that should be the end of the angsty bit. I don't like angst. I like humor. But ten damn years is a long time and being a grown up makes life harder. Hopefully, I managed to keep everyone in character. I think there is some leeway due to the whole ten-years-later thing, but it is hard when you are having a character who doesn't like to talk about themselves open up quite freely.

Anyhow, there are two more definite chapters left and maybe an epilogue? I still have to figure what Naru's keynote speech is going to be on. Romantic conversations, I can plan. What Oliver Davis is going to be smarty pants about, that is harder. But for those of you who are worried, spoiler, I don't do sad endings. I write for escapism.

Thank you for the kind reviews. I hope these past couple of chapters were worth the wait. I should be able to get the next one up by next Monday/Tuesday.

Til next time!