I'm so sorry it's been a month since I updated this one. I've been at a block with this story, and I had a busy break. But now I'm back at school, so I shouldn't get as distracted...hopefully...I'm going to try to update this every other week, alternating with Home. I'm doing my best. I'm just a college freshman trying to balance life.

I know, having a life is no excuse, so please excuse the wait. I hope you even like this chapter...I love you all! I don't own anything, so please do read and leave a review.

Chapter 11

"Ah, you can do it!"

"No I can't."

"Ya did it before!"

"That was different!"

"How?"

"You were in trouble then!" Lira sat on the ground with a huff. She and Jin were out in her yard trying to get her to concentrate on her energy. Her mother and Sage were in the yard as well, just so everyone knew where everyone was. "No one's life is in danger, so I can't get the will power to actually see my energy, much less control it. I'm not strong enough."

"Sure ya are! Ya just gotta believe in yourself is all," Jin assured, sitting cross legged on the ground in front of her. "Ya can still see me can't ya? Then all ain't lost!"

"Go Lira go!" Sage cheered from his mother's lap. She laughed, trying to keep a handle on the bouncing young boy.

"Look at me," Jin said. Lira did, though the disappointment was clear on her face. "Hold up your hands, palms up, open." Lira did as she was told.

"If I can't see my energy around me, what makes you think this will work?" she asked.

"Trust me," Jin said with a grin. "You can still see mine, so all ain't lost. Now, imagine that ya got yourself two li'l balls floatin over your hands." Lira looked at him like he was crazy, but did imagine so. "Ok, now imagine that your little balls are made of your spirit energy."

"What?"

"Put your energy into the balls," Jin repeated. "Relax and imagine it." Lira did as she was told, feeling somewhat foolish, while Jin's grin grew all the wider.

"Pretty!" Sage cheered. Lira looked at him, then back at her hands.

"Can't ya see it?" Jin asked. Lira looked down to her hands and-lo and behold! There were white balls of energy floating over her hand.

"Oh my God!" Lira screamed. The balls disappeared, but this didn't put a damper on her mood one bit. "Did you see that?! I did it!" She jumped up and began hopping around the yard. Sage got up and hopped along behind her, cheering for his sister. Luckily, they had high fences around the yard.

"Yay!" Sage cheered, giggly as can be.

"Very good dear," her mother congratulated.

"Congrats!" Jin added. "Now, do it again."

"Yes, sir!" Lira immediately sat down and concentrated again. This time, it only took a few seconds for the balls to appear in her hands.

"Now concentrate on holdin 'em there," Jin instructed. "They'll be tryin to pull apart and disperse, but ya gotta hold em in the spheres, a'ight?" Lira nodded, focusing all her attention on holding the balls of energy. A bead of sweat started down her forehead, but she didn't move her hands, nor did the balls disappear. "Very good!"

Lira relaxed and allowed the balls to disperse with a sigh. "That was a bit harder," she admitted. Sage however seemed to be enjoying it.

"Lira made em!" he cheered, waving his little hands in the air before running back and climbing up on his mother again. "Celebrate!"

"Celebrate?" his mom asked.

"I'll settle for a break," Lira said, standing and stretching.

"Not quite yet," Jin said. "One more thing and you'll be done for today, kay?" Lira sighed and sat back down across from Jin.

"I'll go make you some lemonade, dear. Come on Sage, we're going to go inside." With that, the two headed in the back door to the kitchen.

"Alright, what you got?" Lira asked, now pumped. Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're gonna have ta try an' fine Urameshi an' Kuwabara an' Kaori an' Kurama," Jin said. "Hiei an Kyo is in the demon world and ya can't fell 'em there but the other four are around 'ere somewhere and ya have ta tell me where."

"O…k…How do I do that?"

"Close yer eyes an' try to spread yer energy to fill up the city-"

"I don't have that much!" Lira interrupted. Jin poked her nose.

"Relax, yer not actually filling the city. It's like that thingy that the bats be usin' when they's lookin for food or something other, the echo thingy, ya know?"

Lira raised an eyebrow. "Sure…"

"Reach out and look for em," Jin said with a nod. "I know ya got it in ya, just try."

Lira sighed, closing her eyes and…spreading out. She could see her house, then the block, then the next few. She could feel many people around downtown, shopping or just about. She found Yusuke and Kuwabara around the school, following a demon's energy down a back alleyway. Its energy disappeared shortly after, and she figured they had gotten rid of him. She spread out further, to the outskirts of the city, but she could not find Kaori and Kurama's energy anywhere, and Lira was reaching her limit.

"Yusuke and Kuwabara are by the school," she said, opening her eyes. "Where are Kaori and Kurama?"

Jin closed his eyes for a few seconds, then made a face. "I dunno," he said with a shrug. Lira fell over sideways before sitting up.

"Then you made me look for them and they can't even be found!?" she yelled.

"No, I had ya look for em to see how far you could go. I didn't think they wouldn't be there."
He closed his eyes again, searching for their energy anywhere. He pulled out the communicator and called Kaori. It took a moment before the screen came to life.

Kaori was smiling and panting. "Yo," she said.

"Where are ya?" Jin asked.

"We found the portal to the demon world, and we came through and found a few demons on their way over," she said, turning the communicator so he could see Kurama.

"Are ya alright?" Jin asked.

"We're fine, just a little winded," Kurama assured him. "We're still in Demon World, and were just about to call Koenma so he could close the portal."

"It was awesome!" Kaori cut in. "None of 'em were over a C class, but there were quite a few who were trying to sneak in for Lira and just to get in to eat so we were fightin' an' fightin' and then more of 'em came cause of all the fightin' an' it was a blast I wish ya were here to get a piece of it all and to see us back-ta-back and cuttin our way out-"

"I can't believe ya had all of that fun without me," Jin whined.

"I know!" Kaori cheered. "I'll call you back after we talk to Koenma. Byes!" With that, she ended the call, leaving Jin blinking.

"Glad to see they're alright," Lira said. Jin however, pouted.

"Why does she get to get all the action an fightin?" He whined standing too, like a little 9 year old.

"Aw, is being alone with me that bad?" Lira asked, putting on a sad face while she ran her fingers through Jin's hair. His face softened immediately at her touch.

"O' course not, it's just-"

"You'd rather be out there fighting than be here in this house with me," Lira said, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. "If you want, you can leave me here, all alone, with nothing to do…" Her lip brushed against Jin's ear, making him shiver.

"Nah, I can stay here," he said, trying to keep from falling over with her so close.

"That's so nice of you," Lira said, pulling away and heading towards the house. "Come on, my mom made us some lemonade."

Jin blinked, then stared after Lira as she walked into the house, humming contentedly. "She did that on purpose, yes she did," he muttered to himself before he actually followed. "That weren't very nice…"