Chapter 1

Fifteen Years Later

"Happy Birthday dear Irene and Rikku, Happy Birthday to you!"

The two twins smiled at each other before turning back to their cakes; one chocolate with vanilla frosting, the other vanilla with chocolate frosting. Fifteen candles rested on each and they both closed their eyes to make their wish.

Clapping erupted once the candles were extinguished and Kai Miyagusuku went about removing them from the cake. "You both remembered to make a wish right?" He smiled fondly at them. It was amazing the resemblance to Saya and Diva, they were literally identical except for their shoulder length hair that had a brown tint to it. It seemed that Riku had passed on some of his genes after all.

A bittersweet feeling came to him as he felt his necklace bounce against his chest as he walked to the kitchen with the candles. It had been sixteen years since Riku's death and fifteen years since Saya's slumber. Their whole group that fought along side her where all still together, helping raise Rikku and Irene. Coming by the café every once in a while just to visit.

The Chiropteran's had all but been eliminated, Julia having found a way to use Saya's blood and make an 'antidote' for those who had somehow ingested some of Diva's food products with the Delta-67. There were some cases when those people weren't found and over time turned into a Chiropteran, but Red Shield was there to stop them. David unofficially rebuilt their team whenever a breakout occurred. Kai was fine with that only being a little over thirty, however David was pushing his sixties and every time they went out on a mission Kai worried about him. Lewis worried too, not to mention Julia and their kid, George.

Kai walked back into the main room where everyone was passing around the cake. Still deep in his memories it wasn't until a big piece of cake was shoved into his hands that he snapped out of them.

Lulu looked up at him sadly, as if she understood exactly what he was thinking about. Kai smiled reassuringly at her, astounded how she had grown as well. When Julia took samples of Rikku and Irene's blood she was able to separate single cells that contained Diva's original genetic make-up and make a cure to Lulu's Thorn virus.

She was now twenty-five, up to his shoulder and very attractive. Her big green eyes that always seemed haughty and too big for her face were now soft and kind. She grew into them. And her long purple hair was cut in layers falling just below her shoulders. On rare occasions she would place them back into their original two ponytails.

"She was here in spirit Kai," she said softly to him. He didn't need to ask to know who she was.

"I know," then placing the cake in one hand he grabbed his necklace and held it. "They all were here."

Lulu nodded then went back to the table to get herself another piece of cake. David was the next to approach him, "Are you alright?" he placed a hand on his shoulder. Over their time knowing each other David somewhat became Kai's second father, although no one would replace George, he did a fine job.

"I'm fine, really," Kai didn't want to make anyone sad. This was Rikku and Irene's day. It was fifteen years ago that they were taken from the opera theatre and brought home.

"Come on you two," Rikku yelled at them, her blue eyes sparkling. "We want to open presents!" She looked to her sister with red/brown eyes who nodded happily.

"Alright, we're coming," Kai grumbled good naturedly.

"Oh wow!" Both girls cried in unison as they opened their last gift from Kai. It was a complete softball set.

Kai taught them at a young age how to play baseball and they now played on the high school team.

"Thank you Kai," they replied together again. "Can we go play at the beach that Saya loved so much?"

He was surprised at the request but seeing that the sun hadn't quiet set yet, a friendly match with the group all there wouldn't hurt. "Let's go."

"Alright, come on Lulu," Irene grabbed her arm and started dragging her out, her other hands full of softball equipment. "You're going to be on my team."

"Hey, wait for me!" Rikku called after them, "I want to be on Lulu's team too!"

Mao stood from her seat next to her husband, Akihiro, her hands on her hips. "Well isn't that nice? They just leave us, like were too old to be any good!"

Kai laughed, "Well let's prove them wrong huh?" Then he headed after them.

The beach was beautiful when they all arrived; the sun was setting casting reds, pinks, and oranges all along the sand.

Rikku and Irene jumped from the car, "come on." Irene called after them running down to the shore. She turned back and waved her arms around. "Rikku over here!"

Her sister threw the ball she was holding, a perfect pitch as Irene caught it in her new mitt.

"Game on!" Lewis called once the equipment was all hauled down to the beach and everyone was there.

It was a few hours later when Mao started complaining, "I'm tired!" She was sitting in the sand. It was well past sunset and the well organized game had exploded into a catching/tag game.

"You always get tired," George (Julia and David's son) called out to her.

"Well I'm not fifteen anymore, so excuse me!" she huffed not bothering to get back up.

The group laughed before Kai yelled out, "maybe we should call it a day." He saw Rikku and Irene's faces fall but it was getting late. Everyone had work in the morning and Kai knew that they were tired too; they were just having too much fun to admit it. He was glad he could give them a birthday they would always remember, if Saya had been there, his smile slightly faltered, she would have had fun too.

They started packing up their things, Mao and Akihiro getting in their car with Julia, David and George.

"We'll see you guys later!" Mao called from the passenger side as they waved goodbye and drove off.

Lewis offered to give Lulu a ride home since he came in his own car, so after they helped Kai pack up they wished the girls another Happy Birthday and drove off.

Kai waved till the car was out of sight, again thinking about Saya and Riku, and how much fun they would have had. He thought of all the times they had come to the beach. He didn't know what snapped him from his thoughts but it was the strange silence that followed that disturbed him. Rikku and Irene were never silent. He rounded the car to see them both standing staring off toward the city.

"Irene?" he called softly, "Rikku?"

But they didn't hear him, in fact they seemed hypnotized. They began walking and Kai ran in front of them yelling at them to stop. His shout got through but they still looked distracted.

"Kai…" Irene looked off toward the distance, and if Kai paid more attention she would have saw it was in the direction to where Saya was sleeping. "Don't you feel it?"

Terror gripped him as the words reminded him all too much of Riku and his ability to hear things that he couldn't. "What is it?" he grabbed each by a shoulder and shook.

"It's pulling us," Rikku took a step forward, Irene mimicking her.

They both pulled from Kai's grasp, "wait," he chased after them for they had started running once they were free of his hold.

He could barely keep up as their enhanced blood allowed them to run faster and longer. It was only the complete panic that kept Kai going. Panic, that perhaps a Chiropteran was in Okinawa and calling to them.

The streets were dark and only when the lamps reflected their light off of the girl's hair was it that Kai spotted them. I have to reach them in time, I have to reach them in time, he kept chanting to himself. The very idea of anything happening to the girls…Kai shook his head, he would not think that way. He turned one of the corners and stopped.

They were gone! But how?

A rock crumbling caught Kai's ear and he raced down the sidewalk to where he heard it. He kept running until another rock falling caught his attention, he stopped to realize that he had gone too far. Turning back he ran a few steps until he saw the stairs.

"Saya," he mumbled then started up the steps, knowing that the twins were headed there. His heart was thundering as he climbed the stairs. By the time he neared the top his heart was pounding against his ribs, his sides ached and he felt slightly light-headed. But all of that fell away when he saw Rikku and Irene just a few feet from the top step.

Trying desperately to gulp down air he ran toward them. Completely oblivious to anything, he got in front of them and shook each one separately.

Both girls snapped from their trance like state immediately. "Kai…" Rikku's blue eyes focused on him, while Irene's brown-red ones looked past him.

"Are you both alright?"

"We're fine, it was like we knew what we were doing, but we couldn't control ourselves." Rikku looked at him with such confusion he was going to pull her into a hug but Irene's gasp caught his attention. Rikku looked past Kai's form and gasped just like her sister.

Kai turned and dropped into a defensive stance, thinking a danger had come up behind him, but he nearly lost his balance when he saw Saya standing at the entrance of her 'tomb' holding the pink rose with the blue ribbon that Kai knew Haji had left her.

"Saya…"

Hello everyone! This is my first fic for Blood+ and I totally fell in love with this show that I had to write this fiction. Who would have thought my younger cousin could find such a cool anime?

Let me know how I'm doing thus far!