A/N

I know a lot of you out there are worried that this story ends at Part 3, but no. I would not leave you hanging like that- well maybe short term I would. Rest assured, Life, Love, and Family will be 5 parts long when finished. Sorry this chapter is sooo long- the longest yet, but there is a lot going on that you need to know! Enjoy my lovelies!

Two months had passed since Marva agreed that Claudia needed help. She would spend at least 3 more months at the institution receiving one on one counseling sessions and group therapy as well. Hagi and Marva visited her once a week to check on her progress. The medications would make her act a bit strange- she would stare off into nowhere for hours on end, but the psychologist assured Marva that it would take time to find the right combination of medications to combat her depression while letting her lead a normal life.

Seeing his little sister like this made him want to confront Gary. Marva always held him back, emphasizing that Gary was going through his own problems now and should be left alone. But every time Hagi passed Claudia's room, he was reminded why she was not there- recalling her bandaged wrists and what she had done made him want to hit something. He blamed Gary, even if he shouldn't, he did. He knew that in this weakened state, he'd only hurt him.

Hagi's illness continued to concern Marva. Holding back her anxieties, she called the only person who she thought could help- Dr. Stein. "Please," she pleaded, "he won't take any tea, and his breathing is raspy… I even caught him sleeping."

"Mrs. Trudeaux," he responded, "I had warned you that I have done all I can to save his life. Your only hope is to contact the Red Shield."

"Dr. Stein, I have no idea how to contact them, the only one that can is Hagi and he refuses to do that."

"I can only suggest you find a way," he said and then added, "Once you see the red crystallizing veins, it will progress quickly. Once those veins cover his body completely, he will die and then his body will break into red, crystal pieces."

"Where do I look for these veins?"

"Look for them in the area of the injury, it will start there and spread outward." He was silent for a moment before he added, "Marva, I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but these were Amshel's experiments and not mine. You really need to find the Red Shield."

~Okinawa~

Saya awoke to the new day. She brushed her newly cut hair and checked the reflection to make sure she had everything in place before she headed out for a walk along the beach before breakfast. It was taking time to adjust to her best friend and her brother being married and having a son. George was adorable. His red hair curled against his head, framing his big brown eyes perfectly.

The twins were still a shock to her since she figured that she would have killed them along with Diva, but she was told that Kai had convinced her to let them live. They were sweet girls that were so unlike her and their mother. True, they looked like smaller versions of their mom and aunt, but that was where their similarities ended. Kanade loved sports and learning how to fight with swords and hand to hand combat, but she was kind and had a full smile almost constantly. She and her sister put on small dramas that entertained anyone that watched. Her hair was cropped short, but not as short as Saya's. It fell to her jawline at an angle in an even swipe.

Hibiki's blue eyes were always sparkling and calculating. She loved to play board games, especially chess, and was not as athletic as her sister but handled a sword well. She loved to sing as her sister played piano. Her voice was clear like her mother's, but the songs weren't haunting songs of blood and death, they were of love and joy. One in particular was in a language no one recognized except her sister.

Whenever the song came to Saya's ears, she envisioned a princess in a tower that awaited a knight to come and rescue her, and a color flying behind him. She couldn't recall the color, so she always saw it in black. She could feel her heart soar every time she saw the shadowed knight arrive in front of her, down on one knee, head bowed and black hair over his face. It made Saya wonder why she felt that way.

It was obvious that all the adults were hiding something from her. She asked Kai when she came home, if anyone had seen Hagi. He told her that she would remember with time, but Hagi had been spotted a few months ago in Paris and he wasn't found since. Kai relayed that Hagi had been sighted in many different countries all over the world, mostly killing chiropterans, but he was never caught, he was just too fast.

She missed her chevalier, but she still couldn't remember what happened after that night that she fell asleep in New York, after she and Kai spent the day together and Hagi helped Mao around the apartment . Kai told her that her and Hagi had a "moment", but never explained beyond that. He explained the fight between her and Diva, how they had ran each other through, and then Diva crystallized, but Saya did not. They were told by Nathan that Diva's blood had lost its power when she got pregnant, which was why Diva died and Saya lived. Kai convinced her to let the twins live and then "convinced" Hagi to tell Saya how he felt, that's when Hagi told Saya that he would not keep the promise and wanted her to live. She knew Kai was not the type that went into the cheesy details so Saya did not push the issue, she'd remember all eventually just as Julia said. His clothes still hung in the closet, but Kai had placed them in a garment bag to keep them neat. She never thought to open it and wrap herself in the jacket like she had done almost 10 years ago. Julia had explained to her that she thought it was best that she remember on her own what had happened.

Kai was downstairs with Lewis and David preparing breakfast. David and Lewis were making progress looking for the chevalier. The restaurant owner that had been spotted with Hagi admitted that the dark haired, tall man was selling wine from the United States. It dumbfounded the pair, but Kai seemed to be in his own world. David was getting furious with the lack of reaction from the mostly hot-headed Kai.

Okamura and Mao arrived and began to relay what they had found. It was found that he had stayed in New York for over a year working in a music store while he recovered. The store owner was older and didn't keep good records on his employees. He explained the tall dark haired man was a wonderful employee that rarely ever smiled and came in only when scheduled , but never gave a home phone number and the address he gave could not be found.

Kai looked up from his task and for the briefest of moments looking like he might say something. He knew that Claudia Trudeaux lived in New York, the pieces were coming together, but what if he was wrong? What if this led them on another wild goose chase that ended up wasting their time? He couldn't do it.

David was getting fed up with Kai's oblivious attitude, but Okamura interrupted, "If I could just get the damn picture to load."

"What picture?" David asked as his eyes left Kai and came to the scruffy reporter.

"Ah, it's an email someone sent me a while back. I'm sure the guy's who we're looking for. The caption lists one of the men as Dan Valdorn, the son of a wealthy wine maker from California, but the other is his business partner, Hagi Trudeaux," Okamura explained and then cursed as he ran his hands through his hair.

Kai's eyes shot open wide and he came to Okamura's side and commented, "Your useless laptop probably has a virus, come into the office and use mine. Mao followed as Kai was pulled back by a strong arm. He and David stood face to face as David's scowl scrutinized the 28 year old. "What are you not telling us, Kai?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" he shot back.

"The Kai I know would have been more determined to find Hagi, but you seem to be off in your own world. So I ask again, 'What are you not telling us?'"

Kai cringed and then answered, "It's pretty out there, David." He took a breath and continued, "I think I may have seen him in Okinawa before Saya went into hibernation, but he really didn't look like himself at all. David, he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with sandals. His hair was cut really short and he was laughing- David, laughing!" Kai moved on before David could interrupt, "He was with the designer Claudia Trudeaux- she called him her brother. How weird would that be?"

"That may be, but it's the only real lead we have," he told Kai and then turned to Lewis, "Look up the name Hagi Trudeaux, we are running out of time."

~Texas~

Hagi was in the stables grooming Fury. He listened to the birds singing outside and the sound of the horses and the cattle lowing in the field beyond. The heavy footsteps of Bubba, checking the water for each stall fell on his ears as did the eager voice of the new hand, Eric. He felt a vibration in the air that made him feel Saya was awake. He ignored it as he had done before. He knew Lulu was watching over her and would have warned him if something had happened. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest and his vision glazed over, black spots danced around as he fought to stay conscious. His gloved hand clutched at his chest as he painfully gasped for air. He knew the lines were there, just under the button down shirt. If this was his ending, he would gladly let it be- he would die protecting Saya.

Bubba heard a whining nicker coming from Fury's stall and knew something wasn't right. If Hagi was in there, the horse was quiet as a mouse. The young, dark haired man reached the stall first to find the tall, ebony haired man clutching his chest and crouched on the hay. He gave the horse a reassuring pat as Bubba arrived and tried to help him up, "Pretty Boy, you okay?" He noticed the gloved hand pressed against the black shirt as Hagi's breathing came in raspy gasps. Unsure of what to do the men laid him back and began to unbutton his shirt. Hagi's gloved hand tried to still their actions, but Bubba pushed it away saying, "Pretty Boy, it's alright. We'll get you back to the house and figure this out, but I need to loosen the collar so you can breathe- what the hell!" Bubba had intended to just open the collar, but when he saw the glittery red lines ending at the collar bone, he was shocked.

"What the hell is that?!" Eric interjected.

"I dunno," Bubba responded and then began to help Hagi up. "We need to get him to the main house."

Marva and Dan were searching Hagi's room for anything that could help them find the Red Shield. Marva heard the front door open and rushed to see if it was Hagi, telling Dan to go into the hallway and "act natural." Her hands came to her face as she saw Bubba and Eric nearly carrying in the tall, pale man she called her son. "Hagi," she cried as she came to his side. They carefully laid him on the sofa.

"God, Marva, what the hell is that?" Bubba asked as he opened Hagi's shirt, revealing the red lines running in a starburst from his chest and fingering outward toward his waist and down below his jeans, then shooting out into his shoulders and up into his collarbone. The red lines glittered like rubies but Marva knew they meant Hagi's death.

She smoothed his hair from his eyes and watched his painful expression. He knew that what he had been hiding from them was now revealed. "There- there is n-nothing you can… do to stop it," he rasped out. "I- I will die… protecting Saya."

"No you won't," Marva answered in a biting tone as tears welled in her eyes. "I won't let you martyr yourself like this- not when you have a chance at happiness." The tears spilled down her cheeks like crystal rivers. She looked at Dan and commanded, "Find something- anything that connects him to Japan- I know that's where they are."

~Okinawa~

They all stared at Kai's computer screen and the the photo from Claudia's wedding. There was a plain man with brown hair, graying at the temples, speaking to another man while holding a champagne flute. And there he was- the object of their intense search. His black wavy hair pulled back in a red ribbon that matched the red bow tie and cumber bun. The caption under the photo gave him the name Hagi Trudeaux, co-founder of the Burrows Ranch Winery.

"We finally caught you," David said and then headed back to Lewis to retrieve the information Lewis had unearthed about the man in the photo.

Kai blinked and then his slack jaw finally worked, "He- he has a family?"

"Oh, stop it, Kai!" Mao commanded as she turned to him. "He was only being like that because he didn't trust anything to do with the Red Shield- not after Vietnam at least. He's probably totally different to them."

"Mao's right," Okamura added. "He's probably really sick by now, maybe dying. There are more important issues that we need to address than his personality- or lack of personality." He then turned to Mao, "Are you ready to pay up?"

"For what?" she asked feigning innocence.

"Our bet, remember?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Gross!" Kai groaned and then turned to the door. He added, "I don't want to know- argh! Just gross!"

Mao turned away, "Hmph!" She then said, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Lewis chuckled, "That last name is just what we needed." He handed a slip of paper to David and Kai looked at the name of the winery and ranch that was Hagi's home address for the past 23 years. Kai looked at the website address and scowled, he went behind the counter and picked up the tablet where he scratched out a website that his vendor gave him- if only he would have checked it out before.

David set up the conference call with Julia and Joel, explaining what was discovered and who he was calling. Kai stood nearby, arms folded, feeling upset with himself for not pushing harder to follow his gut.

~Texas~

The phone rang as Marva watched Bubba and Eric trying to make Hagi more comfortable. She was thinking of getting him to the hospital, but knew they wouldn't be able to help him. Dan just had to find something.

Maria answered the phone with her strong accent, "Burrows Ranch, Maria speaking."

"Maria, this is David with the Red Shield, it is imperative that I speak with Hagi Trudeaux immediately."

"Um, I am sorry, he is resting now," Maria responded as she looked at the scene in living room, not certain if she should let this man have any further information. "I'll take a message and he can call you back?"

Kai resisted the urge to grab the phone. He interjected, "Dammit, tell her that he could be dying!"

David held his hand out, stilling Kai for the moment. "This is urgent, may I speak to Marva Trudeaux."

"Yes. I will get her."

Marva looked at the photograph Dan found in Hagi's room. A young, dark haired girl stood in front of a pub with the name OMORO on the front. Her smile was sweet and her eyes were an unusual shade- burgundy. "This must be Saya," Marva whispered. She turned the photo to see the Japanese writing she wished she could decipher. Her attention was broken when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Maria held the phone over the mouthpiece so the man wouldn't hear. "Ms. Marva, there is a man on the phone that wishes to speak him," she informed as she motioned to Hagi. "I told him he was resting, but now he wants to speak with you. His name is David."

Marva reluctantly took the phone. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with any winery or ranch situations now. She answered, "Hello, this is Marva."

"Marva, this is David with the Red Shield," he restated as Marva let tears of relief fall and struggled with her emotions. She almost lost her daughter and was now in danger of losing her adopted son. Here, on the other end of the line, was the only salvation Hagi had. David continued, "We have been searching for a man that we believe you have adopted. His name is Hagi."

She breathed, "Yes." She took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes before continuing, "He refused to come to you for help, but I am desperate. I believe he is dying." New tears fell as she pleaded, "Please help us."

A new voice came on the line, "This is Joel Goldshmidt, the president of the Red Shield, I am going to keep this short as we are aware of your situation and know that you are running out of time. We are making arrangements with a major hospital in Houston, it is the nearest hospital that has the facilities necessary to treat Hagi without any chance of breaching security. How fast can you get there?"

"Houston?" she asked and thought of the huge drive that was- a drive that would take 5 hours, if they didn't stop. She looked at Ellen as she walked in with Rebecca and waved her over. She held the phone to her shoulder, "Hagi is really sick and I need to get him to the Medical Center in Houston. Can you drive?"

Ellen smiled, "His car or mine?"

Marva sighed knowing that Hagi would not like someone else driving his car, but it was much faster than the minivan. She looked at Ellen and whispered, "His."

"I can get you there in four hours in his car. Let me go pack something and explain to Clay."

Marva nodded as she came back on the line, "I have someone who can get us there in four hours. David had given the line to Kai and called a specialist from Baylor that owed him a favor. Kai listened as Julia came on the line. "Marva, this is Julia, lead scientist for the Red Shield. I need to know if Hagi has any red lines that are running through his body."

"Yes," Marva answered with a sob.

"Please try to remain calm. Is he still conscious?"

She looked at her son. He was staring at the ceiling and listening to Bubba, his gaze went to her. She knew that he knew who she was talking to by the look in his steel blue eyes. She turned away to hide the guilt she felt for betraying him. "Yes."

"I know you are at a ranch with horses. Do you have any tranquilizers for them?"

Marva scowled as she remembered they kept them on hand just in case, "Yes."

Julia sighed in relief, "You need to keep the thorn from spreading by lowering his pulse and slowing the blood flow. Inject a full needle into his upper arm," she informed.

Marva's eyes shot open wide, "That would kill…"

Julia interrupted, "No it won't. He's a chiroperan- a chevalier. It may make him groggy, but that's as far as it will go. Thankfully, it will slow the blood flow and buy us some time. I need to get Saya's blood into him to heal him."

Joel came on the line again. "My personal jet will fly everyone to Houston, you should be there by 7am CST."

David took the line from Kai and informed Marva, "When you get to the hospital, check him in, ask for Dr. Nelson. He will care for Hagi until we arrive."

"Thank you all so much."

Marva hung up the phone and motioned Bubba over. Dan came to her side. She informed them what needed to be done and went to his side as Bubba went for the tranquilizer and Dan called Jim to inform him of what was going on.

"Mom, why?" he asked.

"I told you, I won't let you give up and die," she answered as she took his hand in hers. If that means I have to go against your wishes, then I will. Claudia needs you and I need you, too. I know that's selfish, but I will be selfish if it means you live. She kept her eyes locked with his as Bubba came to her side, a large needle in his hand. Marva spoke evenly, trying to keep his attention as Bubba quickly jabbed him in the arm and injected the liquid. Hagi tried to pull away, but Marva pulled his gaze to hers again. "Don't!" she warned. "I know you don't trust them, but I hope you have learned to trust me over the years. I- will- not- let them- hurt- you," she emphasized as she let him squeeze her hand and her tears fell onto his arm.

~Okinawa~

Kai passed a load of suitcases to Lulu, reminding her that Houston was extremely hot in June and July so they needed to pack for hot weather. Kaori packed for the twins as Kai handled him and George's stuff. Lulu packed for Saya and herself. She didn't notice the small stack of letters at the bottom of the suitcase as she placed a stack of t-shirts and shorts in the suitcase along with various undergarments, swimsuits, and skirts. They had to hurry since they were leaving in an hour and she still had to find Saya who had went on a walk. Her green eyes fell upon the garment bag where Hagi's suit had been placed. She grabbed it along with a few blouses and dresses that hung there and opened the garment bag to place all the items inside and zip it up. She didn't need much herself, being she was still unaccustomed to the idea of fashion and still had trouble with full sunlight. She used the small suitcase to pack the few articles of clothing she had and then packed Saya's shoes and toiletry items before heading out to look for Saya.

Julia was still concerned that Saya may get upset if she knew about Hagi's situation and was worried that, even though Saya seemed fine, she may still be in a very fragile state of mind. Lulu explained things the way Julia wanted her to, even though she really hated lying to Saya. The Red Shield had to attend to some business in the states and Kai thought it would be a fun family vacation so he asked Joel if they could tag along. It was a flimsy excuse at best, but Saya was eager to get to travel again. She held the blue ribbon in her hand as they drove to the airport. She wasn't sure Hagi was alive, but she somehow felt that this trip would reveal that to her and she wanted to at least let him know that she was grateful he had watched over her.