"He stared into the night, no expectations
But in his heart he wanted to believe
That somehow someone would be waiting there
Upon this Christmas Eve," - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Koujo Lin wasn't a man who believed in the 'sentimental value' of things. He didn't think anything of it as he slid his arms into the comfy sweater one of his ex-girlfriends had given him. His mind never once wandered to the day he found her with another man or how she screamed at him for being a detached, anti-social idiot; he probably wouldn't even remember her name if you asked him.

Not that he had so many girlfriends that he couldn't remember - in reality, he had never dated more than once or twice - but he just didn't care. In his mind, she had made her choice and he had only been with her because his mother thought he should 'get out more'.

And by 'get out more' his mother really meant that he should spend less time with the Davis's and their 'Japanese kids'. The last part would've been said in disdain for Mrs. Lin had been raised to hate the Japanese for what they did to China, her home country, during the war and she raised her kids accordingly. But somehow Koujo had slightly strayed from his parents' teachings and befriended the Davis twins, Noll and Gene.

His alliance with the twins - and their Japanese mentor, Mori Madoka - led to an estranged realitionship with his mother. They're relationship only worsened when he announced he was joining the youngest Davis on a trip to Japan to help search for his deceased older brother.

He could remember the cold look his mother gave him as he told her he was crossing enemy lines. He could still hear her voice as she told him he was no longer welcome in her home. He had left her in silence, without even putting up a fight; he made his choice and so had she.

So, to Japan he went, where he played along with Noll's little business venture even though he felt it was a distraction from their true purpose. It became an even bigger distraction once Mai literally crashed into their lives, bringing Takigawa, Matsuzaki, Father Brown, Hara, and Yasuhara along with her.

It wasn't long before Lin welcomed the distraction. He even warmed up to the Japanese he was taught to hate. The only thing that prevented Lin from getting too close to the group was the guilt from hiding Noll's true idenity - well, that and Lin's anti-social personality.

Their secret eventually came to light once they found Gene's body. The team had peiced together the puzzle and found out that Noll was truely Oliver Davis and not the Kazuya Shibuya he had led them to believe he was. But even if they knew, it didn't matter; the two men were going back to England to bury Gene properly.

Two years had passed, but Lin could still remember the sad faces that saw the men off as they boarded the plane going home. Mai seemed particularly upset with their departure as tears fell relentlessly from her eyes, but she had always been one to let her emotions get the best of her; it was what made her so special.

Lin had figured that he'd forget about her - forget about all of them - with the passing of time, much like he did the sweater girlfriend. But the littlest things would remind him of their time together, like drinking tea or passing a hospital. And if he was on a case, he'd find himself listening for Takigawa and Matsuzaki's bickering or Noll's favorite catchphrase, "Mai, tea!"

Being the second least sentimental person he knew (Noll taking the crown as the first), Lin couldn't understand why he wasn't able to get his old co-workers out of his head or why he still cared for them even now. However, that was still easier to understand than why, during the week of Christmas, he was standing in front of a Catholic church - in Japan.

If the memories weren't frequent enough in England, they flooded him ever since he touched Japanese soil. This church in particular held a soft spot in Lin's non-sentimental heart. Nearly three years ago Noll and the group had taken a case there. Somehow along the case, a young spirit had mistaken Lin as his father and possessed Mai (which turned messy when Lin yelled at the spirit and 'Mai' ran out into the freezing cold).

But everything worked out in the end; the boy's body was found and he joined his real father in the afterlife. Mai returned to her normal self and the noisy group had a Christmas party while Lin and Noll watched from the sidelines. Remembering the headache from that night - and on many other occasions - Lin once again wondered why he had left his safe, quiet existence to return to Japan.

However, he pushed these thoughts aside as he entered the cathedral. The sense of nostalgia was overwheleming as he watched a cluster of children run around the sanctuary. He noticed that most of the kids gravitated towards a small stage in the front of the church, where they seemed to be working on a play of some sort.

In the middle of these rambunctious children stood three figures that were familiar to the Chinese omniyogi. Father Brown was easy to spot, with his golden hair and how he stood a head or two taller than the rest of the adults. Next to him stood Father Tojo, the man who had come to SPR with that case three Christmases ago. The third person, who the most familiar to Lin, was trying to manage the young actors.

She wore a bright smile that seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face - seemed being the operative word, as Lin had seen her angry on more than one occasion. Her brunette hair, once kept short, now came a little past her shoulders. Lin knew that she had probably grown it out, not because it was fashionable, but more because she hadn't ever gotten around to dealing with it.

Lin found himself walking towards the brunette before he even gave it much thought. He had nearly reached her when one of the wise men bumped into him, stopping him in his tracks. The young woman turned around to apologize for the child's behavior when she froze. "Hello, Taniyama-san."

"Lin-san!" tears formed in Mai's eyes and Lin's body tensed up. He hadn't meant to make her cry - he never could handle a sad Mai. But these thoughts were stopped short when Mai wrapped her arms around him. "You idiot, I've missed you."

Lin chuckled and returned her embrace, relieved that she was actually happy to see him. "I'm sorry, Taniyama-san. I've really missed you, too." And as strange as it was to him, he had missed her; he just hadn't realized exactly how much so until he looked into her smiling face once more.

A/N: Here's a little Christmas special. I'm thinking of making it into a two-shot - it just feels unfinished, somehow.

Speaking of unfinished, I'm sorry to those of you who are following Unlocked - I will update it, it'll just be awhile longer. I got a new computer and it doesn't have the word processor that I use for Unlocked, so I have to get that before I can write or edit the story. I'm so, so sorry! I feel terrible for not updating.

Anyways, I hope this makes up for it. Thanks for reading! I really hope you've enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, not do I own lyrics.