Julia placed the twin girls, Kanade and Hibiki, into their high chairs as Kai prepared their lunch; which only consisted of apple sauce and mashed peas.
"Thanks for coming over, Julia. It's always nice to have someone to help." Kai said.
Julia smiled. "No problem. Lunch time is always hard, and besides I'm sure that David would look like some quantity time with Georgiana."
Kai carried four small bowls over to the high chairs and laid them out. Together, he and Julia began to feed the twins.
"They're definitely growing girls." Julia said, serving another spoonful of peas to Hibiki.
"Yeah. I think they must get their appetite from Saya." Kai caught a bit of applesauce that was running down Kanade's chin.
"Have they learned to talk yet?" Julia asked.
Kai shrugged. "Just babbles. I think they have been trying to say something for a few weeks now."
"You really love them don't you, Kai?"
"Yeah, I love them as if they were..." Kai stopped himself and looked down.
"What is it, Kai?"
Kai shook his head. "Nothing"
Suddenly, Kanade's mouth began to move and she seemed to be trying to speak. Both Julia and Kai watched her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Da-da." Kanade said.
"Kai, she said her first word. Isn't this wonderful?"
Kai looked away from Julia. "Julia? Can you finish feeding them? I'm not feeling very well right now."
"Of course."
Kai stood up and left the kitchen. He stepped outside and sat on the front steps, bowing his head and clutching the necklace around his neck.
"Riku..." Kai whispered.
A sudden blare from a car horn startled Kai. He looked up and saw a large van parked in the driveway, peeking his head out of the van window was Joel.
"Good afternoon, Kai." Joel said.
Kai didn't smile, but waved to Joel anyway. The van's driver and Joel's personal servant, Josef, lifted Joel out of the van and placed him in his wheelchair.
"I hope I didn't come at a bad time."
"It's okay, Joel. Julia is inside with Kanade and Hibiki."
Josef wheeled Joel over to where Kai was sitting. It was only upon seeing Kai's saddened expression, that Joel knew that something was wrong.
"Josef, go inside and please tell Julia that she is needed at headquarters." Joel ordered.
Josef bowed and entered the house. Kai did not look up at Joel, and the two sat in a silence for a moment.
"How are the children?" Joel finally asked.
"They're okay. Kanade just said her first word." Kai looked up at Joel to address him, but then looked back down.
"That is splendid. Why are you not happy about this, Kai?"
"She called me "dad," Joel."
Joel shrugged. "They're still small, Kai. They don't know about their actual father."
"Riku was a good little brother, and at a different time, he would've made a pretty awesome dad. Joel, until now, I never really thought about telling them about Riku. How can I tell them that their real father is dead or that their mother is some crazy, sadistic creature?"
Joel sighed. "I spent little time with Riku, but I knew that he was a kind-hearted little boy. He seemed to care little about himself, and more about what would happen to you or Saya. I can't tell you what to say when the time comes, Kai, but I would like you to think on something."
"What is it?" Kai asked.
"Did you ever consider that Riku would want you to raise the twins as your daughters?"
Before Kai could respond to Joel's question, Josef and Julia stepped outside, carrying Hibiki and Kanade.
"Here I am, sir." Julia announced.
"Excellent. You are needed down at headquarters to evaluate the corpse of a crystallized Chiropteran." Joel explained.
Josef and Julia handed the twins to Kai and headed towards the van. After Joel was placed inside, he poked his head out the window.
"You will think about what I've said, Kai?" Joel asked and Kai nodded in response.
After the van left, Kai looked down at the twins, both of them were smiling and looking up at Kai with their bright, wide eyes.
"Da-da." Kanade cooed.
Kai smiled. "That's right, Nade."
As Kai cuddled the twins close to his chest, he did not notice that, for a moment, the stone in his necklace had glowed.