Watching as finally a barrier started to piece together around her, Gene was confused about it. Most spiritual barriers were pink, blue or purple. But Mai, she had to be different and have a yellow one. He had never heard of that before. But once it was all pieced together, that would tell him what kind it was. He hoped anyway.

Only a few moments after it started, it was there! "That's perfect Mai. You have a full barrier around you. Now just focus on those feelings that you have right now. Those are going to be what is going to keep your barrier up around you."

A small smile, Mai nodded. These were feelings that she would never forget, and would be able to remember in an instant. The feeling of total protection when either her father or Naru would wrap their arms around her. Both of them gave her the same feeling. That so long as they had their arms around her, nothing would ever get to her and touch her.

His eyes going wide, Gene watched as the barrier went from glitch, to solid, now it actually shined. Wondering if it was enough protection, he pulled out the same sword that Naru did. Seeing as he was already a spirit, and that a spirit sword, he would be fine. Bringing the sword straight down on the barrier he couldn't believe his eyes! The barrier seemed to move energy around and put more of a protection right where his sword was going to strike. 'That is new. I will have to detail this to Masaharu when we are done for the day and see if he knows anything about it personally. Or can help find out what kind of a barrier it is.'

Dropping the sword, he smiled. "Mai. You can open your eyes now. But try to keep that same feeling that you have right now. See if you can do that right now with the barrier."

Opening her eyes, Mai gasped as they opened and for just a fraction of a second she saw a bright yellow barrier around her. "It was yellow!" But then she looked down at her lap and sighed. "I still remember the feeling that I had when it was up. I got it. Why did it go away?"

"That will just take practice. Tomorrow you will practice this with him while you are awake, and will be the same thing. Until you can get it down, and call your barrier in reality or dream state this is what we are going to do. One day here with me, and then one day there with him. Then he will move on and help you with something else." Smiling Gene put his hand on her head and sighed. "You have been here most of the day actually. Go on back. I will see you in a couple of days."

"Right." Mai then gasped as her eyes went wide when he pushed her backwards, and the next thing she knew she was waking up with her head in Naru's lap. Blinking a couple of times she sighed. "Hey."

"How was it?"

Looking to the side to see Masaharu, Mai sat up as she yawned. "Well I had to sit still and quiet most of the day, which is not easy for me. But I got one. When Gene told me to remember how I felt right then and open my eyes, it didn't stay. But I did see a flash of yellow as I opened my eyes."

Looking to the right of Naru, Masaharu blinked. "Flash of yellow?"

Nodding, Gene looked down at him as he crossed his arms. "That's right. It was a bright yellow, almost a golden color. But it moved its energy. Once it was a solid barrier when she found her feeling, I attacked it with a powerful spirit sword. It was the same one that put my brother in the hospital for a while, they all saw that one. The energy moved and absorbed the entire strike of the sword. I don't think Mai even knows that I used it like that. I have never seen one like it. Have you?"

Looking down as he crossed his arms, Masaharu shook his head side to side. "I have not heard of a yellow barrier before. Especially not like that." Knowing that they were all looking at him, Masaharu never looked up. "The barrier she did when she was with Gene was a bright yellow, almost golden color he said. There was something about the spirit sword that put Naru in the hospital, he used that to attack Mai's barrier, and it shifted the energy of itself and absorbed the blow." Looking up at the shocked Mai, he sighed. "You didn't hear anything did you?"

Her eyes super wide all Mai could do was shake her head side to side. "I didn't hear anything at all. The last thing I heard after he told me to remember the feeling I had was him telling me to open my eyes and see if it would stay after I opened my eyes. I didn't know that he did anything like that at all."

"Still a barrier that can do that is odd. I am going to have to go through some of the scrolls that I got about the different things that some of our family have been able to do. See if anything like this has been seen or used by our family before you." Deep in thought, Masaharu didn't expect her to stump him like this. Most of the barriers of their families have been a light or dark blue. Not golden yellow.

"So Mai what was your feeling anyway?"

Looking up as Mai started to turn to Ling to tell her, Masaharu sighed. "Not a good idea to say that Mai." When all eyes turned to him he sighed. "Depending on the feeling that is. Some spirits can mimic feelings and that can cause you to feel something that should put your barrier up but doesn't."

"Well that I don't have to worry about at all." When all eyes turned to her as she smiled and looked down, she sighed as Naru's arm went around her waist. "After all, no one can make you feel the same thing as someone else. Even though it is the same feeling, it is different at the same time. My feeling was total protection. The same feeling that I got when Papa would put his arms around me, and Naru. I feel like nothing can touch me at all." Looking up at Masaharu, Mai smiled. "The feeling of protection may be able to be mimicked, but there is a difference. Papa had the protection of a father. Naru is something different. You would be something different. It's those subtle differences that they wouldn't be able to."

"I can understand that." With a stretch, Masaharu stood up to head in his house. "Anyway kid, don't stay out here too long you got some training that starts early. Same basic thing that Gene did with you, but you will be doing it awake."

With a sigh as he vanished in his house, Mai smiled. "Sounds great."

Standing, Naru pulled her to stand with him and walked off toward the woods with her. "Come on Mai."

A glare in her eyes, Ayako crossed her arms. "And just where do the two of you think you are going? Don't you go and do anything indecent! If we can't see it don't do it!"

Just as they vanished in the woods, Lin sighs. "You should know by now Ayako that neither of them are like that." He then looked at her and made her flinch as he smiled. "However they are both old enough they could and you couldn't do anything about it either. I bet money that soon as all this is done and she can get to England, her last name becomes Davis."

"I don't think that they are that far along." Shaking her head as she crossed her arms, Ayako sighed. "They are still in the early stages of a relationship."

"I wouldn't bet on that one Ayako." When she turned a glare on him, Monk laughed as he winked at her. "You haven't taken a good look at how they look at each other. I bet if she could, Naru would fly her to London, marry her, and then come back to finish helping his brother and not think twice about doing it. Even tomorrow."

Blinking, Ayako turned back to glare at the tree line. "Either way they don't need all that alone time. It isn't right."

Laughing from the house, Masaharu pulled all eyes to him as he poked his head out the window. "That doesn't sound to me like a woman trying to keep a kid pure. You are jealous aren't you?" Then laughed gain when he had to dodge a stick. "I knew it!"

X

Once they were far enough away that he knew Masaharu or Lin would feel their energy if something happened, Naru turned to Mai and pulled a gasp from her as he pulled her flush against him and tilted her head as he dropped his mouth to hers to kiss her. When she went limp in his arms he sighed. He wanted so much more. Now. But now wasn't the time either.

Pulling his mouth from hers, Naru smiled a rare smile into her eyes. "I have waited all day for that."

Her heart still pounding, Mai blushed as she smiled up at him. "I won't complain about it."

Taking her hand again, he lead her to a tree that was down and sat down with her. "I wanted to bring you out here so that Ayako didn't try to butt into the middle of it." He then reached in his pocket. "Close your eyes. Please."

Blinking, Mai closed her eyes. "Okay but what is going on?" Then she flinched when she felt a ring slid onto her finger. Opening wide eyes she looked down at the small yet stunning diamond ring on her finger. "Naru I…"

Making her look at him, Naru sighed with a smile. "It isn't that. Not yet. But this is to show my promise to you. I promise that if you will have me, when all this is done and I get you to England. You will become, Mrs. Mai Davis. Of course after a proper proposal."

Her eyes filling with tears, Mai just looked at him. "Wait you mean that you really want to do that? You truly want to marry me?"

Giving her another warm smile, Naru reached out and cupped her face with his hand and pulled her closer to him. "I do. I would tomorrow if I thought we could. I fell for you nearly from the start. It was the fact that you didn't let who I was go to your head and fawn over me like everyone else was. You stood up to me when I needed it and stood next to me when I needed it, without any expectation of something in return. That and you are beautiful." Kissing her again he pulled her waist closer to him. "Would you be willing?"

Shocking him as she smiled, Mai threw her arms around his neck and laughed as more tears streamed out her eyes. "Of course I would be willing Naru! I knew how you felt, but I didn't think it was like that! I love you so much."

Wrapping his arms around her, Naru sighed as he let one single tear run down his face. "I love you Mai. More than I think I could ever tell you."