Koujo Lin: The Account

Chapter 2: Dreams of the Darkest Kind

Koujo Lin typed restlessly at his computer, his dark eyes scanning the word document containing the unfinished details of the last case that Shibuya Psychic Research had solved. He hadn't been able to finish it with the migraine that he'd been suffering from earlier in the day, and then the phone call from his father, and the dramatic recall. He was now tired and the time was past midnight, so the onmyouji's mind was not really on his work, for a change. Instead, his thoughts were dedicated to the aforementioned phone call that had very nearly shocked him to death; his sister, Lifen, was missing.

Lifen was nineteen, in reality, not much older than Mai. She was one of the reasons that the stoic onmyouji, who had a strong detestation for the Japanese people, had began to warm up considerably towards the feisty brunette who was his co-worker. In some ways she reminded him of his sister- both passionate and loyal. Though Lifen was more of a handful as Lin remembered, last time he'd went back to Hong Kong to visit, Lifen had been eighteen and already had quite the rebellious streak, according to their mother. He guessed that it must have been quite difficult for her growing up; she did have four older brothers to contend with- all averaging above six foot two in height.

Lin remembered having to compete with his older brothers- Draidyan and Lukida, when he was her age. He had thought that he'd never had someone to get the one-up on until his mother had given birth to his only younger brother, Nazuke. Then three years later, she had announced that she was having her first, and most likely only girl as she felt like she was becoming too old to continue having children.

Lifen had become precious to Lin fast- brothers were a quantity that sometimes he'd felt like he had had too much of, but sisters, he only had the one. He had filled the protective older brother role well, until he'd gotten the call from Martin and Luella Davis regarding their son who had an impressively large amount of PK and needed to be taught Qigong to control it. This was just after Lin had graduated High School, and his grades were high enough to attend Cambridge, meaning that he could go to school as well as watch over Noll at the same time- it had fit perfectly.

Lin had been seventeen, and Lifen only nine when he'd left Hong Kong. The young girl had made her older brother swear (she had only a little while before upgraded from the pinkie-promise), that he would be careful in England, and not to forget to come home every once in a while. It had been hard, though Lin had managed to come home and visit his family every year until his transfer to Japan upon Eugene Davis's untimely demise.

He had missed his yearly visit- much to Lifen's irritation, as Lin painfully remembered. He regretted that now- he realized that if she was not found safely, he might never see her again. He might never get to see her marry, or have children.

He had sworn to be careful, so why hadn't he asked her to do the same while in China? She had thought about his safety, but had he thought about hers? Guilt made the usually stoic Onmyouji cease in his typing and close his dark eyes.

Footsteps outside of his office door caused Lin's eyes to pop open; he strained his ears to hear in the silence of the room, after a moment, he managed to hone into the noise; and realized that it was the unmistakable pitter patter of feet on the hardwood floor of SPR's reception room.

This was strange as the only other people who were supposed to be at the office were Naru and Mai, the former who was working in his office and the latter who was sleeping upstairs in one of the adjoining apartments (she had moved into the one opposite of the apartment that Lin and Noll shared when they returned from England- her landlord had realized that he could get into legal trouble for allowing an underage orphan to rent from him, and had not wished for the problems), and should not have been awake, as far as the Onmyouji was concerned.