Blinking as he unrolled the last scroll, Masaharu sighed as he read what it wrote. "Well I'll be. We did have a yellow barrier in the family. Damned far back but we did." It was a sign of truly amazing power. The power of a protector. It came from the feeling of protection when making the barrier is paired with a true desire to want to protect those that they care about. And that with practice, she could potentially put a barrier around others and protect them because of that. "With what Naru can do, that might be a good thing. Especially if they have a kid. Course if they do, I think I will be taking him or her for a little while and make sure they can keep things under control."

Standing and headed back up toward his house, Masaharu sighed to hear that Ayako still hadn't let the promise ring go. It wasn't like Mai was a two year old and couldn't make up her mind who she wanted to be with. In fact, once her parents died, she then became an adult all her own and ca do what she pleases right now.

Stuffing the scroll back into his pocket, Masaharu came out into his house and went to the door to see just what he thought that he was. Ayako trying to lecture Mai and Naru on why they can't do what they are already doing. "You know woman, you might as well give it up."

Turning her glare on him, Ayako crossed her arms. "I won't. They are teenagers and Mai is still a full year from doing anything like that anyway. They have only actually been a couple for a few weeks. Not nowhere near enough time to promise anything like that at all!"

"Yeah but Ayako you forget. I have been in love with Naru from nearly the beginning." Crossing her arms as she pictured the look of shock on her face, Mai smiled. "It isn't like he said I am going to marry you tomorrow and get you pregnant the day after come on."

Turning her glare to the giggly Mai, Ayako wasn't happy about this at all and everyone seemed to be making it a big joke! "Mai!"

"Anyway." When all eyes turned to him, Masaharu winked. "I may live up here in the mountains like I am an old hermit. But I keep up to date on laws and what not cause I do go to the city once in a while. I also know that the law hasn't changed regarding, well I hate to say it orphans once they turn sixteen."

"What are you blabbering about?" Ayako closed her eyes and dropped her head. This was getting so annoying.

"The fact that she is sixteen, well nearly seventeen now. She is an adult in the eyes of Japan." When all eyes went wide, even Naru and Mai, Masaharu nodded. "That's right. It isn't something you are told, or a paper you get or something. But when someone who has no parents turns sixteen and is legally allowed to work, they then become an adult in the eyes of Japan." His eyes turning to Mai with a glare, Masaharu sighed. "That doesn't mean you leave this place without being fully trained either. Last thing I need is you half trained thinking you can do more than you really can do. Got it?"

"Oh I wasn't going to do that either." Smiling as she let her head fall to the side, Mai sighed. "But it is good to know that I don't have to wait another year before I can go to England."

"Mai!" But when all she got was a laugh, Ayako threw her hands up. "I swear I give up!"

"Miss Matsuzaki. If you would just think about it. In the time that we have been together, Mai and I have spent more than a night or two together. Nothing has happened. The way that you are acting it is like you think I am some sort of a pervert and that I only want Mai because I want sex. Really, you are the one who needs to grow up and realize that we are not talking about doing things this instant. But in the future. Stop over reacting." Naru then took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Like you have said on a number of occasions. Have some faith."

"I guess you have a point. It is just that the way…" But when she heard a laugh, she turned to Masaharu as he came out and sat down right across from Naru and Mai. "Somehting funny Mashaharu?" When he nodded, Ayako stomped her feet. "Well?"

"You were about to say the way you were raised. You are what thirty something?" When she gasped, Masaharu sighed. "Your generation thinks different than Mai's does. Her parents told her to I am sure to make sure that she loves someone before she goes off that deep end. Yours told you that you have to be married and over a certain age before you were allowed to think about it. Lighten up."

Looking up at the glare she had with one eye closed, Masaharu then laughed. "And Naru there, or Oliver whichever you want to say. He wasn't even raised in Japan so he wouldn't know what was right or wrong here where that is!"

"You bastard." Ayako then turned and went and sat down next to Monk as she crossed her arms. 'I hate him. I really hate him.'

Laughing he turned back to Mai and pulled the scroll from his pocket. "I found it. One other time there was a barrier around someone in our family line that was the same golden yellow color you got. Back in the days that she was alive, you didn't have a last name unless you were royalty. So she was simply called Saya. She is said to have the feeling for the barrier like you have. One of feeling totally protected. But through training she was able to put that same barrier around others and protect them. Because the feeling of being protected matched her want to protect others as well. I am right in that you want to make sure you protect everyone else right?"

Nodding Mai dropped her head some as she thought about the times that Naru got hurt trying to protect her and she couldn't do anything. Or with Ling, and she couldn't do anything to help her either. "I do."

"Well with training, you will be able to it with this barrier." Masaharu sighed as he reached out and grabbed her, tossing the scroll to Naru. "Have a read while we get started." He then pulled her in the house and shut the door. "I figured that it would be best until you really get used to it, to have you start your barrier in the physical world, without the looks of others."

"Yeah that might be best. Especially since Ayako is a little upset with Naru and I right now." Looking down at the ring he gave her the night before, Mai sighed. "She just doesn't realize I think how much I do love him. I would marry him tomorrow if we could."

"I am sure that she will come around kid. Nothing new to explain to you. You know the feeling to focus on and what to picture there. Keep your eyes closed to start it right now." Masaharu crossed his arms as she nodded and closed her eyes. He wanted to watch it piece together.

X

After a few hours, and more than a dozen times of Masaharu having to look out and tell everyone to shut the hell up or go the hell away for a while, he stood in amazement as he watched the barrier finally appear around Mai. It really was something else. Using an old world technique of shooting energy, he did this a few times and her barrier moved and not only blocked her from getting hurt, but absorbed it totally. 'I wonder?'

Opening the door, he reached out and jerked Naru in and pointed to Mai. "Mai. I want to see something. Naru is in the house, don't lose focus. I want to see what happens if he can step into your barrier with you."

Without hesitation, Naru stepped up to Mai and dropped to his knees behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Both he and Masaharu gasped, as Masaharu threw the door open when the barrier got even brighter and grew to include nearly the entire clearing! "Wow….."

"Am I really doing that?" Still focused on what she was feeling at the same time, Mai opened her eyes when she heard them gasp and saw the barrier and how big it is. "That's my barrier?"

"That's it." Turning to look at them, Masaharu blinked. "Naru move away from her." As he started to move, he joined everyone outside in looking at the barrier as it just vanished. "She is strongest when you are with her. Is this new or have you seen it before Naru?"

"I have noticed her abilities seem to come out more when she is around me." Looking down at the shocked Mai, Naru didn't know what to think about that. "But other than that I hadn't noticed anything."

Turning to his cousin, Masaharu blinked. "On your end I am right though. You feel stronger when Naru is around you don't you Mai?"

Nodding as she stood, Mai was still in shock. "I do but I didn't think that it would affect my abilities like that."

"Well the barrier you need work on every other day with me and Gene until you get the hang of it. It won't be long before you can just think barrier and it be there. Naru, I am going to get you and Lin to help her get practice in everything else. That is about all she needs is practice doing it and capping it off when she is done like the two of you do." Masaharu winked at Mai as she smiled. "No time flat and you will be all trained up kid."

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