Ghost Hunters, Lies, & Money (Ghost Hunt Fanfiction)

In Which: Mai Is Ghosted

Day Nine

1:30pm

The Nozomi Forest

I'm okay now.

As the truth of those words sunk in, Mai let out a shaky sigh, and unexpectedly another one followed hers. If she wasn't pressed so close, she might not have felt it, but Naru's arm had come around her waist when her arms had wrapped around his neck, and it seemed there wasn't a single place they weren't connected. Her chest rose and fell with his, their hearts beating in a matching staccato rhythm. Mai titled her head up, needing to ask the question burning her tongue— how did you find me?— at the same instant Naru looked down at her. Their noses brushed, the action so intimate, it took the air from her lungs. Mai's world narrowed to just them, hovering in that moment— then jarringly expanded. Before she could draw her next breath, Mai was suddenly being pulled from the stream— straight into a crushing embrace.

"I am never letting you out of my sight again."

"Bou-san?"

So it had been his voice that she had followed.

"What are you doing here?"

The monk held her at arms length, his eyes inspecting her for injury— pausing to send her a look of reproach,

"I could ask you the same thing."

Mai felt her stomach drop, guilt holding her heart in a vice grip.

The last time she had seen him he had warned her to be careful, and this was how they reunited?

Aware of Naru moving around behind her— how much does he know?— she settled for the simplest answer,

"I got lost."

As if reading her thoughts, the monk glanced at their boss, and then back...giving an imperceptible shake of the head. He knows nothing.

"I should have never let you go alone. Naru-chan noticed you were missing and asked where you had gone. I told him you were invited to tea with Madame Miyuki," Bou-san explained for Mai's benefit, filling her in on his cover story, "An hour later you weren't back, so I said I would go get you— but I didn't know the way. Naru did though. We ran into an old woman at the festival grounds who said she had visited the Miyuki House with you, and she was surprised to hear you hadn't come back yet, that she had spoken with Madame Miyuki on the phone and you had left shortly after her. That made me worried, so we started to search the forest...I called for you forever— what happened?"

Mai shivered, flashes of her dream— burning lilies, Mr. Miyuki's tortured expression— dancing before her eyes.

There was movement behind Bou-san, and a jacket was offered to her. In surprise Mai blinked up at Lin, the Chinese man staring down at her.

He came too?

To look for me?

"You're soaking wet. Wear this."

Mai nodded, shrugging out of the water logged denim jacket she had on, allowing Bou-san to engulf her in Lin's suit jacket.

"Nothing happened..." Mai spoke, attempting to find her voice, which was still small and rough from coughing.

Naru stepped around her, his tone was soft, but his words fanned the flames of her guilt.

"Nothing?"

Mai swallowed thickly.

He had found her nearly drowning.

What if he hadn't come?