Several days later, Mai appeared in the office after school, she had caught up with her schoolwork and was in much better spirits than when she had left. She had spoken with Matsuzaki-san and the others apologizing for her actions but knew it was better to come to work in person to face Naru and Lin. If nothing else, they would think her a coward for not facing them.

Her eyes were not as sore as before, Although she was learning to live with the strange afterglows around people.

"Mai tea," Naru called as soon as she stepped into the office. Mai sighed relaxing into the familiar position. She set to work at making him a cup. She also made herself and Lin tea. Taking it in to Naru's office, he raised an eyebrow.

"Still wearing sunglasses? Are your eyes still hurting you?"

"No," She nervously removed them, instantly she regretted it. blinding blue glow encompassed Naru. "Heh, I just forgot they were on." She turned and stepped back out of the office, holding the glasses in one hand and laughing nervously hoping he did not see her flinch. She silently sighed; she had forgotten to tell Naru she was sorry for the way she acted. She would have to see him again and face him hopefully without glasses. Maybe his narcissism that made him so bright. She snorted at the thought of what he would say if she told him. Of course, he would also call her an idiot. More likely, it had something to do with his PK ability that made him glow. There seemed to be a correlation between the brightness and what she knew of people's psychic strength. As she walked nervously around the office, she slipped the glasses back on and she grabbed the teas she made and knocked on Lin's door. "Lin tea," she waited a moment silence filling the void.

"No thank you," Lin answered not opening the door.

"Lin, I already made it."

No answer.

"Lin, can I ask you something." She pressed on the door but it did not budge. She knocked again. Somehow she had become desperate, a need to talk to Lin, To get his help on this new issue. "Lin?" her voice barely a whisper. She heard shuffling behind the door and then a click as the door opened.

"Taniyama-san?"

"Can we talk," her eyes were turned down. She held out a cup of tea toward him. Lin took the tea cup and moved away from the door, allowing her to enter. She slipped in the room and sat on the small couch looking away from him. His room was not the brightest two lamps did not shine out much but Mai did not remove her glasses.

Lin sat in a chair across from Mai and watched her. She wanted to say something but was not sure how to. He waited for her; she would find her own way.

"I…" she began but paused unsure. "I… I can see things again…" she paused and looked up at Lin.

"And it seems your chant and nine cuts may have helped you on the case, you should be back to normal in time."

"Well, yeah…"

"What is it?"

"I can see more now, too much." She bit her lip unsure how to explain it to Lin.

"When you woke up you thought you saw my shiki, can you still see them?" Lin asked. Mai nodded. "If they bother you, I can keep them out of sight, most people don't notice them."

"That is not it, I don't mind them, it's just…" Mai paused. "People are... like glowing, Ayako and Takigawa some, Masako and John more, and then… Naru… is very bright. You are..." she grasped for a word. Shaded or concealed? "Different." she settled on. "I walked in to Naru's office and was blinded, the glasses really didn't help much."

Lin looked at her quizzically, the only thing it could be was Mai was seeing their auras or chi He would estimate Ayako and Bou-san would be little more than normal unless doing an exorcism. John seemed to be a bit stronger and Noll, well point and case. Different.. he dwelled on the word wondering how his aura may seem different than others but decided to ask about that later, it was easy to see Mai was distraught over this development.

"I thought I was doing fine, at school it hardly bothered me. Most people didn't have any glow some littler kids had more and the older people were the less they are in a practice dealing with religion they seldom retain to much glow, but... Naru..." she paused looking down at her hands. "Just giving him tea... My eyes hurt again..."

"That is why you keep saying your eyes are sore?"

"Yeah," Mai nodded, "well they are sore besides the glow when I am around people who are bright, but I think this is causing it. Ayako said there is nothing wrong with them, and they do not hurt at all when I look at bright things or she flashes the light in my eyes. Only people and animals and live things."

"So you think this is psychic ability related and thought I could do something?"

"Well… sort of, you are always knowledgeable and help me understand things and aren't judgmental or make me feel stupid." she paused, "I am sorry about the way I acted after the case." She bowed apologetically.

Lin held back a chuckle, only Mai would ask for help and interrupt herself with a heartfelt apology, instead he nodded, he knew how it could be explaining things you did not understand to other people.

"May I?" he looked at her. She nodded and took off her glasses. He reached out and held her chin in his hands. Then looked into her eyes. He looked into one then into the other. He held her gaze.

"Mai Tea!" rang through the office. Mai jumped and stared at the wall towards Naru's office. Quickly she turned her head away and down again.

"Go make tea; we will try something after a few minutes." noticing her hesitation he added, "I will have my shiki block your view of Noll's chi." Lin reassured her standing. Mai stood and hurried to make tea. Lin headed into Naru's office.

When Lin entered Noll's office, the boss glanced up questioningly.

"Taniyama-san wants to try a trance again." he stated. Noll raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think she will regain abilities or are you wasting time?"

"Who knows, but if she wants to try might as well let her."

Noll nodded. "She changed your assumptions on Japanese didn't she?" Mai knocked and entered the office, he watched her as she looked at him. She seemed normal and she was not wearing the sunglasses anymore. Noll dismissed her earlier actions as normal awkwardness. "Tell me when you are done." Lin nodded.

"What did you tell him?" Mai asked.

"You wanted to practice the trance state."

Mai smirked at Lin's easy truthful explanation. Lin grabbed two pillows from the couch and set them on the floor. Lin sat on one and motioned for Mai to sit on the second, she did having done this before for previous lessons in trances. She sat relaxing herself and awaiting instructions. Lin watched and waited for her to be ready, her patience had grown a considerably since they had started working on trances. Even though she had not been able to get into one since she first learned.

"Taniyama-san, like the time after Haruhi possessed you I want us to go into a trance together. You just need to relax, and when you feel the trance doesn't fight it, let go and follow my pull ok?"

Mai nodded, "Do you have any questions?"

"No,"

Lin took her chin in between his hands and looked into Mai's eyes. "Relax." He said, she slowly relaxed and let go of herself. She felt Lin's pull, she followed it. When she finally realized there was no more pull she once again felt like she was sitting next to Lin, in a dark room.

'Lin-san?' she looked at the man sitting next to her, it was Lin, but different.

'Taniyama-san, you did well.' This Lin gave her a smile. She cocked her head to the side, why was he so different here?

'This place is slightly different than the real world, there you can wear any mask and hide your feelings and emotions, here is..." he hesitated. "A place between your mind and mine. It doesn't exist but it does, we are connected here by its creation and things are less concealable because of it.' Lin answered her unspoken question. 'Also thoughts are easily heard by one another unless you are trained to block them.'

'I see, I think' Mai did not mind Lin's smile. But tried not to think about that aloud.

'Mai I want you to concentrate. In a trance, you can work on any part of you that is not physical. Try to remember the sensation of seeing my chi, what did you see, the color the brightness, the intensity, feel, reach for that feeling.'

Mai closed her eyes, and reached out the feeling of seeing the chi and Lin described it. She felt it, remembered how it glowed and even seemed warm. Then the ubiquitous shading or hiding.

'Open your eyes again; do you see my chi right now?' Mai looked and saw a soft blue glow enveloping Lin. She nodded. For a moment he saw himself glowing as she did, a soft shaded blue. different. His control and training restrained his chi most likely shading it.

'Imagine dimming the light; make it less, and less, until there is nothing.'

She concentrated, nothing happened, she could feel the chi, his aura. She tried again, slowly letting the color the light fade, it faded until she could barely see it then she let it go and it was gone.

'Is it gone?'

'Yes'

'Good job, Taniyama-san, you should be able to concentrate on the feeling again and see it again. It is not gone, just controlled.' Mai nodded, she felt relieved although she did not realize she was worried.

'Reach out for your body; we will end here for now.'

'Thank you Lin' Mai smiled and reached out for her body, she slowly felt the connection come back again. She opened her eyes and saw Lin sitting there in front of her; he too was back to normal. She slowly moved her hands out in front of her, trying to sense when she could move around without being dizzy.

"Taniyama-san, how do your eyes feel?"

She blinked a few times, "Fine, perfectly fine, and I can't see your glow anymore." The last part had a slight disappointment to it.

"Remember it isn't gone, just controlled." Lin stretched then stood, reaching a hand down to give Mai a hand up. "We can work on it again, but you need to learn your limits, we don't want to repeat setbacks." Mai nodded, she did not want to lose it again. "Taniyama-san, If you would like training in your abilities I would agree to be your mentor but I must ask you to accept my rules before you can become a pupil."

Mai's eyes widened in excitement, "You could help me with these abilities?" It was not Lin's turn to nod, he did so solemnly waiting for her to accept the conditions. After a moment she realizedhe was still waiting for her. "What rules?"

"First and foremost, no running away." Mai quirked her head to the side but Lin gave her a pointed look. "Why did it take you a week to wake up?"

"I…" she hesitated, "I don't know…"

"Rule number two, never lie. Even if you don't think I will be happy with the truth. A student makes mistakes, doesn't always know how to handle situations, those we can work through. Three is keep communication open."

Mai was silent for a while, contemplating what Lin told her, knowing she had to do what she could. "I was waking up when I heard fragments of conversation. About me…" She hung her head. "The chant did nothing, the boys in danger, the mother was upset, scolding. I felt I had shamed SPR, it was better for you to continue the case without me. The boys were already scared of me."

"The mother scolded the boys for their fear; if you had woken then the boys would have run to you. Thanked you and asked to play, but you ran."

Head still hung low Mai nodded. "I can do my best to follow your rules, are there others?"

"As I teach, you will learn them. That is enough for now," he looked toward the wall that separated his and Naru's office. "You should probably get Naru some more tea. We will start your lessons after the office closes at 7pm tomorrow."

"Thanks Lin-san." Mai turned and walked out of the office to start making tea as the door chime rung.

Mai automatically turned toward the door ad bowed professionally.

"Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research,"

"Onee-san!" chorused across the room. Two boys stampeded across the room to Mai.

"We missed you!"

"You left without saying good bye."

"The ghost ladies are gone,"

"You got rid of them both."

"I got my own room, with dinosaurs."

"Mine has fire trucks."

"I want to grow up with super powers like onee-san."

The boys spoke with Mai and helped make tea and snacks while the parents settled the accounts with Naru and Lin. Mai happily fielded the kids knowing she was able to help protect these boys and she could continue to help others with the help of her friends and family.

~fin~

That is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed the updates, I have a bit continued but I want to write a little more beofre it is posted, Make sure I have a firm base. Please Enjoy and tell me what you think.

Thank you all for your Comments!