The family was on their way to Ryou's family's beach house in Ryou's minivan:

· Ryou was driving with Ichigo next to him.

· Sakura and Shintaro sat in the middle.

· Kai and Mai sat in back, sleeping.

Now and then, Sakura would look back at them.

"They're so adorable." Sakura cooed, watching Kai and Mai peacefully sleep.

"How can they sleep on a road like this?" Shintaro asked, referring to how bumpy the road had become.

"Oh, Shintaro; you know Ichigo can sleep through anything." Sakura stated with a smile.

"Apparently, so can Kai and Mai." Shintaro noted, looking back at the twins.

"What about you, Ryou? How well do you sleep?" Sakura curiously asked.

"If I weren't driving right now, I'd probably be reading a book; I can't sleep in a moving vehicle. But I can sleep through just about anything else—unless something's going on with Kai and Mai." Ryou honestly answered, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Are Keiichiro, Zakuro, and their twins going to be there as well?" Sakura asked, looking up at Ryou.

"No. Both Mika and Kenji are sick. It's nothing too serious, but they wanted to keep them home just in case." Ryou replied while Ichigo slept in her seat.

"So—how much longer until we're there?" Shintaro asked after a few minutes.

"About another hour or so." Ryou replied.

"Maybe we should relax and take a nap as well." Sakura cheerfully suggested.

"You do what you wish; I can't sleep in cars." Shintaro replied as Ryou pulled into a gas station.

"Are we there already?" Ichigo groggily asked.

"No; I just had to stop for gas." Ryou answered.

"No… Leave me alone…" Mai mumbled in her sleep.

"Damn ghosts…" Sakura mumbled under her breath as they all looked back at Mai. She was asleep, but she knew well enough there was a ghost near her.

"It must be trying to contact her in her dreams…" Ichigo sighed, looking at her mother; she was the real expert.

"That's usually how it's done when the person is asleep." Sakura sighed before she shooed the ghost away.

"I'm going to fill up on gas now. Does anyone want something from the gas station?" Ryou asked, stepping out along with Shintaro.

"Hawaiian Punch, please." Ichigo answered with a soft smile.

"I'll take one of those bottled sweet teas please." Sakura answered.

"I'd like one of those bottled coffees." Shintaro told Ryou, shutting his door.

"Ok." Ryou replied before shutting his door.

Shintaro pumped the gas while Ryou went in to pay for everything. However, Shintaro had gone in to use the restroom.

Ten Minutes Later:

When Ryou and Shintaro returned to the van, they noticed Ichigo in the back seat with her mother.

"What's going on?" Shintaro asked as Ryou handed Ichigo and Sakura their drinks; he had gotten Mai a pink lemonade and Kai a yellow lemonade for when they woke up.

Kai was one of those kids who refused to drink pink lemonade because he didn't know how they made it pink.

Mai was one of those kids who refused to drink yellow lemonade because it looked like pee.

"I decided to sit back with mom so that you two could sit up front and talk while we slept." Ichigo answered before taking a drink of her punch.

"Ok…" Shintaro replied, slightly annoyed; he had suggested that in the first place.

An Hour & Fifteen Minutes Later:

They arrived at the beach house: Sakura, Ichigo, and Mai were starting to wake up; Kai had woken up about half an hour ago.

"Where are we?" Mai groggily asked.

"We're at our house on the beach." Ryou answered.

"Oh." Mai mumbled, still waking up.

"How long are we staying?" Kai asked, looking at Ryou.

"We will be staying for three days." Ryou answered, removing Mai from her car seat.

As soon as Ryou set her down, Mai fell over.

"Mai, Sweetie, are you ok?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm ok." Mai softly answered, slowly standing up.

"Ok." Sakura sighed, still concerned as Mai waddled over to Ryou; she was such a daddy's girl. Whereas Kai recently became a mama's boy.

"Are you sure, you're ok?" Ichigo and Ryou asked right away.

"Yes, I'm ok." Mai once again politely answered.

"Ok. Well, let's go check out the beach house." Ichigo insisted while Mai took Ryou's hand and Kai took hers.

"Thanks for inviting us." Sakura thanked, looking at Ryou.

"It's no trouble at all. Besides, it wouldn't be a true family vacation without you." Ryou replied as they walked along.

"Oh, wow; this is so beautiful." Ichigo marveled, looking around.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" Ryou asked, looking at Ichigo, confused.

"No, I haven't. Last year we just came to the beach for a day. Then the one time you did bring everyone here, I was sick and had to stay home." Ichigo calmly answered as Kai and Mai went exploring.

"Stay where we can see you!" Ryou called to the two.

"Yes, Daddy!" Mai called back while Kai kept walking; Shintaro had to get him.

"I'm sorry you weren't able to visit before—but you're here now. And if all goes well, we can do this every year." Ryou told Ichigo with a smile.

"That'd be great." Ichigo lovingly replied.

"Ok… That's enough of that." Shintaro scolded, carrying Kai back to where everyone was while Mai followed along.

"Let me go! Put me down!" Kai yelled, struggling to get away from his grandfather.

"Uh-uh." Shintaro simply replied, taking him to Ryou.

"Do you understand why Grandpa has a hold of you?" Ichigo calmly asked.

"No, I do not." Kai answered, annoyed.

"Oooh! Me! Me! I know! I know!" Mai cried, enthusiastically raising her hand.

"Yes, Mai?" Ichigo asked with a soft smile.

"Because he didn't listen to Daddy when he said stay where he could see us." Mai softly answered.

"That's very correct." Ichigo praised Mai, looking from her to Kai.

"I'm sorry, ok! Can you please put me down now?" Kai asked, still struggling.

"You can put him down—as long as he promises to stay put, calm down, and behave." Ryou calmly told Shintaro while firmly letting Kai know.

"I promise not to go anywhere." Kai promised, calming down.

"Thank you." Ryou and Shintaro told Kai as Shintaro set him down.

"Daddy, can we go swimming now?" Mai asked, a little antsy.

"Not right now. We've still got to get unpacked and settled in. Plus, you don't even have your swimsuit on." Ryou answered with a smile.

"Oh, right. Ok. Can we go in a little bit?" Mai asked with a smile.

"In a little bit." Ryou answered with a smile.

"Yay!" Mai happily cried, causing Ryou, Ichigo, and Sakrua to smile.

"What are the sleeping arrangements?" Shintaro asked while they stood there with their bags by their feet.

"Right. You and Sakura can have the room down here while Ichigo, the twins, and I will be upstairs. Which reminds me. Mai, you do not use these stairs by yourself. Do you understand me? We don't want you falling and getting hurt." Ryou answered Shintaro before sternly telling Mai.

"Yes, Daddy. But what if I have to go potty?" Mai asked, looking up at Ryou.

"There's a bathroom upstairs as well. Oh, right. There is another room upstairs if you'd rather be up there." Ryou answered Mai and then told Sakura and Shintaro, remembering at the last second.

"We'd like to be upstairs as well." Sakura answered before Shintaro could say anything.

"Ok. Well then, follow me. Mai, you go up first so we can watch you." Ryou calmly instructed.

"I get to walk upstairs all by myself?" Mai excitedly asked.

"Yes, but you have to be careful." Ryou told her.

"Yes, Daddy." Mai happily and excitedly replied, running to the stairs. However, once she got there, she held onto the railing and slowly walked up.

Kai went rushing past her; he wanted to get there and look around.

"Kai, be careful of your sister!" Ichigo yelled up the stairs.

"Sorry!" Kai sincerely apologized.

"That boy." Shintaro sighed. Still, he knew how little boys were—even if they are geniuses.

Once they got upstairs, Mai had to sit down—off to the side, a little ways away from the stairs.

"Are you ok, Sweetie?" Sakura asked, concerned once she and the others made their way up to her.

"Ye-yeah…" Mai answered, taking a deep breath.

"Tired?" Ryou asked.

"A little… But I still want to go to the beach." Mai answered, standing up—well, trying to; she fell over.

"We'll still go to the beach, I promise. But you need to rest for a little bit. Wait here, and Mommy or I will come back to get you." Ryou firmly told Mai.

"Yes, Daddy." Mai softly replied, looking down, a little upset.

"I'll stay with her." Sakura offered, sitting next to Mai while Ryou showed Shintaro to his and Sakura's room.

"Gramma?" Mai softly asked.

"What is it?" Sakura kindly asked.

"How do you make the ghosts go away?" Mai softly but seriously (for a four-year-old) asked.

"I just ignore them." Sakura honestly answered.

"But what if you can't?" Mai asked, looking up at Sakura.

"Well, if I can't, I do my best to help them. And trust me when I say this: it takes a lot of practice to ignore them. But eventually, you'll be able to. And you're only four…" Sakura started.

"Four and a half." Mai corrected, interrupting Sakura.

"Ok. Four and a half. You're still much too little to be dealing with this stuff. Tell you what. I'll talk to your mommy and daddy and see about putting a small little spell on you that will prevent ghosts from getting to you until you turn twelve. How does that sound?" Sakura told Mai before offering her.

"Can you really do that?" Ichigo and Ryou asked, walking over.

"I can't. But my mother can." Sakura answered.

"I thought we were done with her." Shintaro complained.

"This is for Mai—if Ichigo and Ryou want this for her." Sakura replied, looking at her husband.

"You bet we want that." Ryou and Ichigo spoke up.

"No offence to you and your family—or anything; Mai is just too little for this." Ryou stated.

"Is that why I couldn't see them for the longest time?" Ichigo asked, looking at her mother.

"Yes." Sakura guiltily answered.

"Thank you so much." Ichigo thanked, hugging her mother.

"You're welcome." Sakura replied, hugging Ichigo in return.

"I'm going to get things set up in the room." Shintaro informed while Sakura started to channel her mother.

Shintaro couldn't stand his mother-in-law—and vice versa.

"Hi, Honey. Oh, Ichigo and family? What's going on?" Sakura's mother calmly asked.

"Mom, we want you to place a barrier around Mai to stop the ghosts from getting near her." Sakura calmly but firmly told her mother.

"Why would you want that? She's a special little girl." Sakura's mother replied right away, shocked.

"Yes, she is a special little girl, but she's much too little for any of this. So please, place a barrier around her." Sakura pleaded with her mother.

"No." Sakura's mother answered.

"Excuse us?" Sakura and Ichigo asked, shocked while Ryou sat next to Mai.

"I did it for Ichigo because she is your daughter, not mine; I had no say over her." Sakura's mother sternly answered.

"And you have no say over Mai." Sakura stated just as stern, becoming annoyed.

"And neither do you." Sakura's mother argued, equally annoyed.

"Maybe she can't do it anymore." Shintaro spoke, walking out of his and Sakura's room.

"That's not going to work on me; I know exactly what you're doing." Sakura's mother stated, narrowing her eyes.

"Hey!" Ryou yelled, reminding everyone he was still there.

"What?" Sakura and her mother asked at the same time.

"I am Mai's father, and I don't want her to have to deal with this until she's older. So, put the spell or whatever it is on her." Ryou snapped, protectively holding onto Mai.

"You're not her mother…" Sakura's mother started only to be interrupted.

"But I am. I don't want her to have to deal with this either." Ichigo informed her grandmother, stepping in.

"But Ichigo, Dear… Isn't your life so much better with spirits in it?" Sakura's mother asked, looking at Ichigo.

"No; I hate it. And so does Mai. Seal it up for now." Ichigo ordered, standing her ground.

"Please? I don't like seeing ghosts." Mai softly spoke up.

"Fine! You people are no fun. I'll put a barrier on her. But it'll only last until her tenth birthday. Take it or leave it!" Sakura's mother snapped, pissed off.

"Fine." Everyone agreed, not having a choice at the moment.

"There; she can no longer hear, see, or feel ghosts—not until she's ten anyway." Sakura's mother told everyone, rather pissed off.

"Why are you such a bitch?" Kai asked, shocking everyone.

"Excuse me? You two had better teach your son some manners." Sakura's mother demanded, appalled.

"He's our son; we'll raise and punish him how we see fit." Ichigo replied, still standing her ground.

"Well, I never…" Sakura's mother gasped in shock before leaving.

"Good riddance." Kai mumbled, annoyed.

"Kai…" Ryou and Ichigo started, sighing a little.

"What?" Kai asked, confused.

"You don't get to swear." Ryou answered, scratching.

"Sorry." Kai apologized, looking down, believing he was in trouble.

"But in that situation, you were right; Grandma was indeed being a bitch. But your dad is right: no more swearing." Ichigo stated, looking from Kai to Ryou, indicating he gets to get away with it this time.

"Especially in school." Ryou sternly told Kai.

"Yes, of course; I promise not to swear anymore." Kai promised, raising his head.

"Daddy, can we get ready to go to the beach now?" Mai asked as Ryou held onto her.

"Let's get your room set up first. Oh, and you and Kai will be sharing a room for the next three days. Come on, Kai." Ryou replied as he and Ichigo went to the twins' room. At the same time, Sakura went with Shintaro to their room while.

"Yay!" Mai happily cried, throwing her arms in the air while Kai just followed along.

"Don't worry; you'll both have your own beds." Ryou informed, setting Mai on her bed.

"Ok." Kai mumbled, unpacking his things…