A/N: Me or Gene? I absolutely hated Mai's heartbreak for this. I understood why Naru said it, but it did make me think. What if from the very beginning it was Gene? What if Mai knew him as an actual person whose soul called to hers? Yes he still died, and they didn't meet when he was alive. That's canon. But what if the pain and yearning of not being able to truly be with your soulmate was too much? What if Mai tried to find a way to save him–even if it would cost her own soul?

Notes: So Mai in my story is going to be a little OOC. This chapter will glaze over the first season, showing her developing relationship with Gene and how her adventures and experiences helped her grow up and mature. Because she should have. So that being said, this is Mai x Gene. Just stick with it. It will tell the story of a truly desperate soul searching to save another.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. Period. If I did, the romance would have been more fleshed out and Mai wouldn't have been so childish all the time.

Chapter 1

When did it come to this? When had she taken so long to realize how she felt? And now Mai would never see him again. Her spirit guide…unless she saw him in the next life. She struggled against the restraints, eyes burning. From her tears or the blood she wasn't sure. All she knew was that this room was covered in it. Blood covered the table she was trapped to, and it covered teh floors, the walls. She just wanted to sleep or pass out. Anything to escape this place. She shuddered a breath as felt her muscles burn from the effort.

"Hello! HELP!" She cried out.

As she laid there, her mind thought about Gene and how far she had come with him. How they had first met before she even knew ghosts were real. He had sat with her and kept her down quietly before she woke up. Then he began to visit her dreams even more. And not just on cases. He was there when her heart broke for all those children killed by Tomiko's mother…he was there after every case in her dreams consoling her.

That was about the time that she realized he wasn't some version of Naru that she dreamt up. He was some sort of actual spirit. So she did something that she hadn't considered before. She asked for his name. And it was Gene. He then explained to her that he had been killed somehow but his memory of the event was fuzzy at best. All he was able to tell Mai was that his brother was Naru and that he was there to find his body–wherever it may be. Mai was put out that she couldn't somehow help to find him, but she knew deep down that eventually they'd find him. Then she herself would lose him as he most likely moved on.

"Mai…"

Mai was drawn out of her memories when Gene's face came into view. She nearly cried in happiness. There were a few will-o-wisps around them, but she still couldn't move.

"Gene! Oh my god–" she gasped.

"Calm Mai…my brother is coming," He said softly.

"Gene…please…don't leave me," she hiccupped. "I don't…I can't die alone…will you be there?"

Gene suddenly looked to be in pain. "You won't die, Mai. I swear it to you. He's coming…Lin as well. Masako had your key and gave it to Noll. Just hang on, Mai. I'll be here. And I won't let you die if I can help it."

"Please…can you hold my hand? I just…I want to feel you. Really feel you," Mai whispered.

Gene slipped his hand in her own, staying near her. He began to tell her quietly about his childhood, wanting to distract her. He could feel her fading from him, but not in a way that worried him. He could feel Noll getting closer and closer. The moment he's able to speak to the idiot scientist, he'd give him an earful about letting Mai be placed in danger so often. He couldn't stand to see her in pain like this…or scared.

And he knew why. Why did he need to meet his sorumeito like this? After his death? And he knew she was. Mediums could always tell who their soul partner was. Which is why he was salty at Masako. She was forcing Noll to date her, yet they weren't compatible at all.

"He's here," Gene told her gently. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Get out of the mansion as soon as possible…there's no cleansing this place any way but by fire. Naru will know."

"Okay…Gene…please be safe. He can't hurt you right?" Mai asked as she started to fade from the plane.

"He cannot," Gene said quickly as she finally disappeared. And just as with every other time…he felt the void and despair at being separated from her. He was only glad that she couldn't feel it herself. He feared what she would do if she could.

Mai shivered as she watched the old mansion start to burn to the ground. It had been an accident, supposedly, when one of the visitors there investigating had knocked over some light fixtures which broke and ignited some curtains on fire. Mai felt deep down it was done on purpose though. And she was probably right. She sighed and turned away, walking carefully to the van. She wasn't bright nor chipper. She nearly died today…if Naru hadn't come when he did, she would have joined Gene in the afterlife.

Mai just wasn't sure if she was mad at Naru for saving her life. But whenever those thoughts invade her thoughts, she pushes them away. Gene has already told her that he'd rather see her alive than in the afterlife as spirits. Not for the first time she wished there was a way to go back in time and save his life…or pull him out of the dream as a corporal person. Like how she transferred her key to him. But she knew that was all wishful thinking.

"Let's go, Mai-chan," Bou-san said, placing a hand on her head. "I think we've all seen enough of this place…"

Ayako was silent as she followed, and soon they all piled into the car and van, leaving the house. For the first time, Mai rode with Monk and Ayako and let Masako have the van. She didn't want to deal with all the quiet again. As they pulled away, heading back to Tokyo, she silently hoped that this was the last hard case for a while. They'd been hit so hard here…hopefully the next one would be easy compared to this one.

As she sat there, she felt Gene's presence and smiled softly to herself. He was always near…nothing stopped her from feeling him. His presence. It was soothing and her soul sang to him….that's the only way to describe how it felt. She didn't understand why but at the same time it broke her heart. As if it was incomplete.

She rested back in the seat, not her usual talkative self as Monk pulled the car onto the road, following the van holding Lin, Naru, and Masako. Masako's television crew had left before they even escaped that house…they couldn't handle the danger was surprised that she could handle it herself. Luckily it was over and she did overhear Naru muttering about a small vacation before accepting a new case. And Mai needed a break. Her abilities grew even more and she was starting to become afraid of she didn't want to bother the others with them…she'd wait until she's home and talk to Gene about it. She could trust him and she knew deep down he'd be the best to help her. Her intuition told her so.

Her intuition also told her that she'd always be alone, despite being surrounded by people. The longer she lived and the more she became attuned with her aura and her body, the more she could feel how incomplete she felt. And the feeling was growing as if something serious was missing. She just wasn't sure what it was and what all of this meant. But deep down she suspected that Gene knew and that he had known all along.

A/N: There's the first chapter. I'll be taking my time with this. I'm also rewatching Ghost Hunt because I have plans for this one. Read, review, and give me case ideas! 3