Notes: So Mai in my story is going to be a little OOC. 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 11

Mai awoke with a start, her body jolting upright in bed, heart pounding in her chest. She blinked several times, disoriented, her eyes adjusting to the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the floor. The air was still, peaceful even, but something felt off—deeply, profoundly off.

She glanced around the room, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Everything looked exactly as it had when she'd fallen asleep the night before. Her school uniform was draped over the back of her chair, her books scattered across the desk. It was all normal, but the moment she touched the bedsheets, her stomach twisted. Something was different.

The last thing she remembered was standing in the cellar of that cursed house, the ritual she and her team had performed, and then—Gene. She had seen him, felt his presence. She had wished, desperately, to turn back time. To save him.

Now, here she was, waking up in her bed as if nothing had happened.

Mai threw off the covers and stood, her hands trembling as she moved toward the window. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, trying to steady her breathing. Had it all been a dream? But it had felt so real—Gene, the connection between them, the promise to fix everything.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "It wasn't just a dream."

She could still feel him, deep in her soul. That connection hadn't faded. Gene was out there, somewhere. And she had to find him.

Across town, Gene awoke slowly, blinking against the dim light filtering into his hotel room. The curtains were drawn, and the soft morning sun peeked through the edges. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, a vague sense of unease gnawing at him.

Everything seemed normal. He was in Tokyo for the next leg of his travels, a day ahead of him filled with plans. But something felt… off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the weight of that feeling lingered in the back of his mind, unsettling him.

He stood up, stretched, and walked toward the small mirror hanging on the wall. His reflection stared back at him, as it always did—familiar, unchanged. Yet, deep in his chest, he felt a strange tightness, a sense that something was out of place. Not physically, but in a way he couldn't explain.

The feeling stayed with him as he splashed cold water on his face, the chill doing little to ease his growing discomfort. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. He was supposed to meet a friend that afternoon, but for some reason, the thought of sticking to that plan filled him with hesitation.

Why? He had no reason to change anything. Yet the feeling persisted.

Gene sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to shake the strange sensation. "This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself, but the sense of unease wouldn't leave him. It was as if something—someone—was tugging at the edges of his consciousness, urging him to alter his path.

He didn't know why, but for the first time in years, he felt a deep, nagging instinct telling him that today wasn't meant to go as planned. Maybe it was a gut feeling, maybe it was something more. Either way, he couldn't ignore it.

"I'll change the plans," Gene decided aloud, though the decision made no sense. He couldn't shake the feeling that something important was about to happen—something he couldn't miss.

Back in her room, Mai paced back and forth, chewing her lip in frustration. Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of what had happened. She knew the risks of altering time, of trying to rewrite the past. But she couldn't undo her decision now. And if Gene was out there, she needed to find him.

The bond between them, the connection that had always lingered in her dreams, was still there. Faint but undeniable. She closed her eyes, focusing on that feeling, reaching out in the way she had done so many times before when Gene appeared to her.

"Gene," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with determination. "Where are you?"

The room around her seemed to fade as she concentrated, her heartbeat slowing as she reached out with her mind. She didn't know how this would work, but she had always trusted her intuition when it came to him. Her heart, her very soul, had always known where Gene was—even when he was just a spirit.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, faintly, she felt it—a pull, like a thread gently tugging at her, leading her somewhere. Her connection to Gene was still strong, even stronger now that he was alive.

Without hesitation, Mai grabbed her jacket and hurried out of her apartment, the urgency in her steps growing with each passing second. She didn't know where Gene was, not exactly, but she could feel him. And that was enough.

As she walked through the bustling streets, the world around her seemed distant, irrelevant. The city's noise faded to a dull hum, her focus entirely on the bond that pulsed within her. The thread between them was leading her, and she trusted it.

Gene stood by the window of his hotel room, staring out at the city below. The people moved about their day as if everything was perfectly normal, but that sense of something being out of place wouldn't leave him.

The more he tried to brush it off, the stronger the feeling became—like an itch he couldn't scratch. His mind kept circling back to the decision to change his plans, and the strange pull that urged him to follow a different path.

"What is this?" he muttered to himself, pressing a hand to his chest. It wasn't just unease—it was almost like… a connection. But to what? Or to whom?

Gene closed his eyes, leaning against the cool glass of the window. He felt it again, that tug, faint but persistent, urging him to do something, to go somewhere. He had no idea what it meant, but it felt too powerful to ignore.

With a sigh, Gene grabbed his coat, still unsure of why he was so compelled to alter his day. It wasn't logical, but the pull was undeniable.

He left the room, stepping into the bright morning light. The city bustled around him, but all Gene could focus on was that feeling—like he was being drawn to something important. Something he couldn't miss, even if he didn't know what it was.

Mai's pace quickened as the pull between them grew stronger. She didn't know where she was going, but her feet seemed to know the way. It was as if her connection to Gene was leading her, guiding her through the streets with unerring precision.

Her heart pounded with anticipation, each step bringing her closer to him. She didn't know what she would say when she found him. Didn't know if this was even real. But she had to try.

As she turned a corner, her breath caught in her throat. There, standing a few feet away, was Gene. Alive. Real. Solid.

For a moment, neither of them moved, their eyes locking across the distance between them. The world around them seemed to fade, leaving only the two of them.

"Gene…" Mai whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Gene's expression shifted slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes. He didn't understand why, but seeing her felt right, like it was the answer to the unease he had been feeling all morning.

"Mai…" he said, his voice quiet, as if he was piecing together a puzzle he didn't even know existed.

Without another word, they closed the distance between them, and as Gene wrapped his arms around her, Mai finally felt like she could breathe again.

They had found each other. But the journey ahead was just beginning.

A/N: I swear I'll finish this! lol Here's chapter 11 done! Sorry it took so long!