Chapter 1: Chapter 1

This story loosely follows Selfless ghost, a few weeks after its conclusion. It is not necessary to read Selfless ghost first but it would be nice. As always tell me what you think this time Mai is not going to run away from anything.

From Selfless Ghost...

"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 realized he 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."

Cave of Magic

Mai waited patiently. Lin told her a week ago that he would teach her something new soon. Soon, She hated that word. It could mean seconds, minutes, days, even weeks. A parent tells a child that they will have a little sibling 'SOON' and it still takes 9 months. Each day that passed made the anticipation that much worse, but one thing she knew about Lin. She couldn't rush him. He would teach her when he felt she was ready. Quietly she finished making the tea for her boss. She knew he would ask for it soon. She grumbled to herself.

"Mai, Tea." the familiar call came from behind the boss's door. She eagerly delivered the tea, sliding it onto his desk while still hearing the echo of the order in the office. OK, maybe it just was still echoing through her mind but he called out loudly.

"Is the report finished from the last case?" He asked not looking up from his file.

"Yes, it has been reviewed and filed. Did you need to review it again?" since Mai had been working here so long Naru has given her a few more responsibilities including case reports. Normally Lin wrote and filed them but Mai enjoyed the expanded responsibilities even if they were redundant. The most recent case was hardly a blip on their radar. Strange writing were appearing all over the house, strange noises, things moving around but all at night, and never had been actually seen by the family. Yet there were children, three boys. The first night had caught them all on cameras sneaking around the house. The family was mortified and Naru had charged them half the outrageous sum he had initially asked. The family paid just to avoid the embarrassment of an argument.

"Take that box to Lin." he slid a package further across the desk towards Mai. A plain brown package that had come in the mail today. Mai nodded and picked up the package carefully taking it to Lin's door she knocked softly before talking through the door. "A package came for you."

"Enter," Lin's voice called though the door. She turned the knob and entered. Seldom was the door locked, although that didn't always mean you were able to enter, Lin was a very private person. Mai slid the package into an empty slot on the desk and stood waiting as Lin slit the tape and opened the box. Another box, this one made of dark carved wood and a hinged lid, was within and its lid blocked Mai's view of anything more once it was opened. Lin seemed pleased although showed very little outward reaction. Mai could see him fiddle with several things inside the box before pulling out a couple small items.

"Taniyama-san, you know the basics of sewing." It was a statement, not a question, but Mai nodded anyway. "Embroider your name on this." He held out a piece of cloth.

She looked at him questioningly but took the cloth. It was a simple soft cotton swatch of fabric only about three inches by six inches, plain black. "Use this." He held out a needle and thread that Mai also took. When he closed the box and set it to the corner of the desk, Mai knew she was not going to get any more instruction. It was something she would have to work out on her own.

At 7 o'clock when the office officially closed it was time for Mai's training with Lin. For the last week all she had done was work on her trances and then astral-projected. He had been giving her locations, objects to find and small things to do. Two days ago he had told her to write her name on the chalkboard. It took her nearly a half hour to pick up the chalk. When she finished with her name it looked like scribbled nonsense she was nearly drained but Lin had her meditate again after that. Last night she had done it quicker but it still only looked like a scribble. Today she feared more of the same.

"Taniyama-san." Lin directed her attention as she sat on the pillow across from him. "Did you finish the embroidery?"

Mai nodded pulling the swatch of fabric from her pocket. The four characters were plainly written on one side of the fabric. He examined the fabric for a moment and then pulled on the thread. In one pull the thread pulled loose from the fabric. He handed the fabric back to Mai, "You can try again in your free time."

Mai examined the cloth and thread for a moment before looking back to Lin.

"Did you want to continue with the writing or focus on something else?"

Mai knew this was a trick question. Lin had stated consistency and focus in one area was the best way to proceed and they had worked consistently on astral-projection for a while and she was showing progress. Yet Lin had also stated that she needed to know herself and her own learning style. Getting frustrated would be less beneficial then concentrating on something else for a while. She knew he hoped she would continue the astral-projections but she knew she was getting frustrated with them and the lack of measurable progress. After considering, she answered.

"Something else for a little while if possible."

He nodded, "As you wish, start again with meditation for 5 minutes." If he was disappointed in her choice he didn't let on. He closed his eyes and began his own meditation.

Once she had consistently been able to meditate he had stopped counting or helping her gain the meditative state. She was to use her own strength to train. (Rule #5) That was one of the many rules he had taught her, he said there were many but he would teach them slowly as she learned. She closed her eyes and let go of everything in her mind, slipping into a trance she considered herself. Examining whom she was, her emotions holding her back and the abilities she knew and was refining. She let go of all the concerns of the day and concentrated on being content as she was. 5 minutes passed quickly and she opened her eyes to see Lin watching her.

"Tai chi, 5 minutes." He stated standing. She followed his lead and quietly took up the movements. Mai concentrated on her energies, the chi that she called on while chanting or using the nine cuts. The movements flowed freely, directing and channeling her energy, feeling it travel along the chi pools across her body. While the meditation concentrated her mind, this focused her abilities. Although he had taught her a firm foundation in tai-chi meditation it hadn't been used for the Astral-projection exercise. Mai kept her mind focused on the tai chi rather than guessing what the new lesson would be. She had lots of recent practice with tai chi and meditation. It was all Lin did for the first 3 weeks of training, one or the other then combinations of both. She didn't know how much they helped until she reached for her abilities and they responded quickly and strongly.

At the end of five minutes, they both came to a halt without words and Lin walked behind one set of shelves and returned with a helium balloon. Mai eyed it blankly, at a less focused time she would have wondered where the balloon had come from but right now she concentrated on what it would mean to her training.

"Taniyama-san, the Fudou Myou is the basis to many things. Currently you use it for basic protection and to focus your chi before the nine cuts." His words were a statement but Mai nodded indicating she understood. "Creating psychic barriers are also a very useful and versatile tool." He let the balloon go and it bounced a couple times against the ceiling while he took several steps to stand beside Mai. He moved his fingers in first position, she saw his lips move silently chanting then raised his left hand and with index and middle finger together made several lines in the air. A square appeared below the balloon and as Lin raised his fingers the square expanded into a cube consuming the balloon inside. With the same hand he reached out as if to grab the cube and pulled it towards him and it came at his bidding even though it was still five feet away. With another motion he brought it down to eye level with Mai.

"Try to grab the balloon." Mai reached a hand out but was stopped by the barrier. She pulled on the cord but it stayed steadily attached to the cube. She tried again to grasp it but found the balloon was completely contained and untouchable inside. She tried stabbing the balloon with her pen but it was also stopped at the corner of the barrier. "Try the nine cuts." She nodded focusing her energy silently chanting, then raised one hand and sliced at the balloon. The energy was absorbed by the cube, again Mai threw her cuts at the cube and on the ninth she saw a slight crack form in the cube.

"It's not impervious, but then this is a basic weak cube." He made a diagonal cut with his hand toward the cube and it disappeared, the balloon escaped to once again bounce off the ceiling before resting on it. Lin pulled the string and neatly tied it to a bottle of ink, weighting it about 2 feet off the ground. "The idea is to hold the energy not automatically release it like the cuts." He held his hand out flat and drew one line above it from around the first finger back to the palm, then made a 90* angle pulling it across the base of the palm. Above his palm floated a flat square, from the corner of the square he raised his fingers and the square slowly expanded upwards. "Mold it into a stationary solid object rather then an action."

Mai looked between the cube in his palm and the balloon in awe. Lin made it so easy. She thought. Looking back at him he nodded and she knew she could try it herself. When he moved his fingers away the cube collapsed. "There is a seal that you place on the cube to make it settle once its created but I will show you that later."

Mai looked at her palm. A silent chant and she focused her energies to her fingers. She drew a single line on her palm and felt the energy slice across it. Startled she pulled her hands back. Lin held his hand out and she placed her stung hand in it. A small stinging red mark, like a paper cut, went the length of it. Seeing there was no real damage, Lin released her hand.

"Try on the floor." He directed. She started a line but felt no energy behind it. Realizing she lost her focus she returned her hands to first position and chanted, again focusing her energy. When she was ready she took one hand and drew a line slightly above the floor. As the energy flowed she saw the dust rippling below her hand. Another try and there was a thin line on the floor, a cut in the wood. Since Lin didn't say anything she continued. Another few cuts and she knew there was something she was still missing. She looked to Lin.

"Think about drawing a line." He drew on his hand again Mai saw the thin line hover in the air. "Use your hand like a pencil not a knife, hold the line," as he spoke he pulled the line at a ninety degree angle, "Pull it gently, steadily like a thread." The square formed over his hand again. Once he had held it for a few seconds he moved his hands and it was gone. Mai knew it was again her turn to try.

Carefully Mai thought about a pencil as she drew a line with her finger holding the line like the paper held the lead line. She felt the line begin, a thinned shallower line, once it was about six inches she focused and starting moving perpendicular to her first line. She made it about an inch before the whole thing collapsed. Sitting there on the pillow she repeated the process again, and again sometimes missing completely then sometimes making it a little ways. When she had finally made her first six inch square Lin called an end to the lesson.

"End here for today, Meditate for fifteen minutes."

Please tell me what you think. it is still a work in progress but I hope you will like it.

(If you noticed this was updated on 12/31/15 you are observant, just correcting grammar and making the continuity run straight again)