Disclaimer: All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

As Lin held Mai in his arms, trying to soothe her silent trembling, he pondered their situation once more. It wasn't until the previous night that their true connection was revealed to him. He had known about his history as Jun, known the truth behind his self-inflicted exile, but all other lives were a blank to him. Just knowing that much had been unbearable. It pained him deeply to know he could have allowed Mai to suffer so immensely twice in one lifetime. This was why he so fiercely resisted any suggestion from Mai that he and Jun were the same. Because he would never allow anyone to harm Mai so gravely in his current lifetime.

Initially, he had brought Mai to England to gain his family's protection and secure the blessing of the heavenly deities. But as the time came nearer to their wedding, he had growing doubts of the safety of that plan. Vague flashes of memories had crept into his mind, raising suspicions of some menacing force at work, trying to tear them apart. He couldn't shake the feeling that this menace resided somewhere among his family. But the number of his family in England was large, and it was possible they wouldn't be able to reveal the person's identity before it was too late.

Once again, Lin regretted bringing Mai to England. Why had he been so desperate to introduce her to his family? What kept leading them back to their eventual destruction? What evil deed had they committed to deserve such karmic retribution? None of it made any sense to him. While he himself had learned some questionable practices through his training, he was certain Mai's soul was full of nothing but kindness and self-sacrifice. Her empathy for others was so intense, it was on the level of supernatural. Surely she didn't deserve this. His view on this was resolute, and no matter what, he would protect her from their past fates.

"I'm going to find a way to resolve this," Lin promised. "I refuse to let you suffer for things long past."

"Maybe I deserve to suffer," Mai mumbled.

Lin pulled away, taking her shoulders into his hands and gripping them firmly. "You do not deserve this, Mai. You are good and kind, and any wrong you may have committed in the past has surely been nullified."

"Then why are we still trapped in this cycle?" Her tone was resigned.

"...I don't know. But I'll speak with my mother. I'm fairly certain she isn't the person we need to worry about. She'll counsel me on the right course of action. There are rituals we can perform, repentances we can make, something. We'll find a way, Mai."

Mai sighed softly, then nodded. "Okay."

~oOo~

Lin shifted nervously in front of the door to the drawing room. His mother was waiting for him inside, but he found his courage wavering at the thought of confronting her. Even though he had spoken with her just before their trip to England, he hadn't seen her in quite a while due to his work in Japan, which, of course, she wasn't happy about. In fact, he knew she was mildly displeased with several of his life choices. However, this last turn of events was sure to have infuriated her.

Bringing his emotions under control, Lin opened the door and entered the drawing room. He had to shift his gaze around the room to find his mother, who he found standing beside a large bay window overlooking the front lawn.

"Hello, Koujo," she greeted without turning to look at him.

"Mother," he responded evenly.

"This is how my eldest son greets me after so long," she questioned, her back still slightly turned to him.

"It's been a trying time," he offered.

She finally turned to look at him, calmly assessing him with her eyes."Yes," she agreed, "you look weary. —But I'm surprised at you, Koujo. Did you actually think you could hide from your own mother?"

Lin gently bowed his head. "No, ma'am," he said quietly. Despite the fact that he now towered over his mother, he still felt like a child preparing for a scolding.

There was a soft sigh on the other side of the room, and when Lin looked up, he saw his mother take a seat on the sofa. She gently patted the cushion beside her.

"Come," she said simply.

He calmly made his way over and silently took a seat beside her without hesitation, the instinct to obey her being deeply ingrained in him.

She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm not here to dole out punishment, my son. I simply want an explanation."

Lin sighed. "I know. It's just difficult to explain."

"Difficult to explain why you ran off without a word?"

"There was…" He trailed off, trying put the sense of doom he had into words. "A danger," he finished ineffectively.

"Such as?"

"Such as someone trying to tear us apart," he tried again, "to end us."

She shook her head. "Koujo, the family is behind you no matter your decision. No one would dare move against you."

"This is different," he insisted.

His mother frowned. "Different how?"

"It's…" He hesitated a moment. "It's our soulbond. A terrible fate's been laid out before us and we keep repeating it. Keep repeating our deaths."

When Lin finished, he regarded his mother with wariness. She remained silent for several moments. Then, all of a sudden, she stood up.

"I knew that bond would be this family's ruin," she muttered. "Why couldn't you have left it alone?"

"It was inevitable. I never intentionally sought her out. —But it doesn't matter now. We have to find a solution. Will you please helps us?"

"Help you... how can I help you?" she questioned bitterly. "Your fates have already been sealed."

"We'll change them."

"You can't change them. We don't get to choose our fates, Koujo, the gods do! It's out of our hands. Isn't that obvious now?"

"Mother, please," he begged. "There must be a way. I can't just let her die."

"Leave her."

Lin shook his head. "That won't solve it. I've tried it in the past."

His mother turned away from him then. Without a word, she returned to the window. Lin was certain she'd resigned herself to a grim outcome. He had just stood up to leave when she spoke again.

"A resolution will not come without suffering," she said softly. "But it's preferable to death. You must break the bond."

"What!?" he couldn't help blurting.

His mother turned towards him. "Hers is not the only bond you have," she explained. "To rid yourself of this unknown danger, you must break all bonds."

"A human being can't live without bonds," Lin said in disbelief. "It makes an empty, unbearable existence."

She nodded. "Yes, but you can reform your bond to her. Unless… you fear she will no longer love you once your original bond is destroyed."

Lin couldn't respond. He knew Mai loved him. She'd told him over and over again and he believed her. But there was that voice at the back of his mind that told him she only loved him because the bond forced her to. He quashed the voice before it could gain a hold on him. "She loves me," he said with certainty. "Bonded or not. But even if I'm wrong, it will still be worth it knowing that I saved her."

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Very well. It will take some time to acquire the necessities. You must prepare yourselves for the challenge ahead."

Lin bowed his head. "Thank you," he said meaningfully. When his mother turned from him, he retreated from the room, eager to be with Mai once more.

~oOo~

Mai raised her eyes from her book when Lin opened the door and entered the room. She couldn't really tell due to his generally stony features, but he seemed less gloomy than earlier.

"Did it go okay?" she asked hopefully.

"As good as can be expected from our situation," he answered, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

Mai pulled her legs back to make room for him and folded them under her. "Then tell me the good news," she said, grabbing his hand and placing it in her lap.

"It's not that good," he said in a subdued voice. "As my mother said, 'a resolution will not come without suffering.'"

Mai worried her bottom lip. "That sounds ominous."

Lin nodded, but remained silent. He appeared lost in thought. After several moments, she shook his hand to get his attention. He turned his head to look at her, but still didn't say anything.

"Don't leave me in suspense here!" she complained.

Lin softly exhaled. "We have to break the bond," he finally told her. "It will make it impossible for whoever's out there to recognize us, thereby staving off any disastrous conflict."

Mai looked at him wide-eyed. "Are you serious? But that'll…" Hurt. She wasn't sure how she knew, but the idea repulsed her. She didn't want to go through with it. "No," she said flatly.

Lin turned to her, resting a knee on the bed, and took both her hands into his. "You're afraid because of the bond. It's fighting to prevent being broken. It's just like when we first got together. It's exerting its will over us."

"You're saying this thing's sentient?"

"No, I don't think so." Lin shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure. I… I suppose it could be."

"So we're killing it?" Mai asked in horror.

"No," he reassured, rubbing the backs of her hands, "it's just energy. It'll dissipate back into the universe."

"But Koujo…" Her voice faltered. She was afraid what this could mean for them. "I don't want you to stop loving me."

Lin smiled faintly and shook his head before pulling her into his embrace. "Mai, bond or no bond, I will always love you. And if you'll still have me, we'll form a new bond."

"Of course I'll have you!" Mai insisted. "I could never love anyone more than you. You're my best friend."

"I know," Lin said, petting her hair reassuringly. "I know. And whatever happens, we're going to make it through."