Fifteen Minutes Later:

It had started to rain—hard, soaking Ichigo, Ryou, and the twins to the bone.

"There you all are." Sakura called, pulling up to the curb.

Ichigo and Mai had finally stopped crying, but Ichigo was not letting go of her family.

"Mom…" Ichigo softly replied as Sakura got out of the van and knelt in front of them; she had the same red, puffy eyes that Ichigo had.

'What the Hell is going on? Was what they needed to talk about really that bad?' Ryou asked himself, looking from the girl he loved to her mother, to his children.

"Do you still want to go out for breakfast?" Sakura calmly asked.

"I could eat." Ichigo answered.

"Pancakes?" Mai asked, clinging to Ichigo.

"I'm starving." Kai spoke up.

"Let's head back to the house and get changed. We're all drenched—and you two are covered in sand." Ryou calmly instructed, standing up.

"Yes, Daddy." Mai softly replied, waiting for him while Kai got in the van.

Once he was up, Ryou took Mai from Ichigo before helping her up.

Five Minutes Later:

Once back at the house, Ryou carried Mai upstairs to get her changed with Ichigo right behind him, and Kai ahead of them.

"What would Mai like to wear?" Ryou asked, pulling out a few outfits for her.

When Mai didn't answer, Ryou turned around to see that she was curled up in the fetal position.

"Go away." Mai repeatedly mumbled, covering her ears; she was scared and couldn't stop crying.

"Mai, can we get you dried and changed? Then I'll get dried and changed, and we'll go talk to Mommy and Grandma after." Ryou calmly spoke to Mai, kneeling in front of her bed.

Mai slowly sat up and started removing her shirt and shorts; her underwear were still decently dry.

"What is this? Baby, where did this come from? What happened?" Ryou urgently asked, alarmed.

Once Mai was only in her underwear, Ryou noticed a large scratch running across her stomach; it looked like a regular cat scratch or something that was healing. But that wasn't there last night or this morning; Ryou was sure of that.

"Fell at the park." Mai lied, looking at her feet.

"Mai—don't you lie to me." Ryou sternly scolded, wrapping her in a heated towel for a few minutes before drying her hair.

After a few minutes of silence, Ryou redressed her in a pair of dark blue pants and a light blue, long-sleeved shirt with a butterfly on it.

Mai remained quiet and kept staring at her feet the entire time.

"Mai, please talk to me." Ryou pleaded, kneeling in front of her while she sat on the edge of the bed; she just remained quiet with a blank stare.

"Come on…" Ryou sighed, picking her up.

"Can I go downstairs?" Kai asked as they walked into the hallway; he was dry and dressed in black jeans and a dark and light blue baseball shirt.

"Sure. But do not leave this house. Do you understand me?" Ryou sternly warned.

"Yes, of course." Kai made it known he understood before he went downstairs.

When Ryou got to his room, Ichigo was dry and had already changed into a pair of pink sweatpants and a white shirt with a large red strawberry on it. At the moment, she was sitting on the bed when she heard Ryou bring Mai in.

"That's cute." Ichigo noted with a smile when she saw Mai's outfit.

"I think it's one your mom got her." Ryou sighed, carefully setting Mai on the bed; she just curled up and laid there.

"Is she sore today?" Ichigo asked, concerned.

"Very. And—that's not all." Ryou answered and then started, hesitating a little. He didn't know if he really wanted to tell her this or not. But as Mai's mother Mai's mother; she had the right to know.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, concerned, looking from Mai to Ryou.

"Look at her stomach." Ryou instructed, using a towel to dry off before getting dressed; he was standing there in just his boxers.

"Ok…" Ichigo replied, unsure, turning to Mai.

"Mai, I'm just going to look at your tummy, ok?" Ichigo told Mai before carefully lifting her shirt a little; she was just as shocked as Ryou was.

"What is that? That wasn't there this last night, was it?" Ichigo asked, panicked.

"No—and it wasn't there this morning either. I don't know what happened at the park; she won't say anything. She lied to me, saying she fell, but I know better. The only thing I do know—the only thing she told me at the park: she's seeing ghosts again." Ryou answered, slipping into a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt with a large blue cross on the front.

"What?!" Ichigo asked in shock, looking from Ryou to Mai; she was once again covering her ears.

"Is everything ok up here?" Sakura asked, running in, concerned after hearing Ichigo scream.

"Ryou said Mai's hearing ghosts again. And Mai has some weird scratch on her stomach." Ichigo answered, looking at her mom, trying to calm down.

"That's not possible; Mom placed that barrier around her." Sakura replied, looking from Ichigo to Mai in disbelief. But it was obvious, just by looking at her, that Mai was indeed seeing ghosts again.

"Hi, Sweetheart. Can I see your tummy please?" Sakura asked, kneeling in front of Mai.

Mai didn't reply; she just let Ichigo lift her shirt a little.

When she saw the scratch, Sakura immediately looked at Ichigo.

"What?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"Lift your shirt." Sakura firmly instructed.

"What?" Ichigo asked, even more confused.

"Just do as I say." Sakura once again, firmly instructed.

Ichigo did as she was told and lifted her shirt.

"That's what I thought." Sakura sighed after studying Ichigo's stomach for roughly a minute.

"What? What's going on?" Ichigo asked, looking at her stomach.

"That's going to scar." Sakura stated, referring to Mai's scratch before taking a deep breath.

"You can't see it unless you look closely, but you have a matching scar." Sakura explained, pointing to a spot on Ichigo's stomach.

"Yeah—but that's from the accident." Ichigo said, looking at her mother.

"No, it's not. You must've blocked that memory away. Ichigo… When you were about Mai's age—maybe a little older, you came home crying; you had a large scratch, much like Mai's. I thought you just fell. But you consistently told me that you didn't fall; you were pushed." Sakura calmly informed Ichigo.

"Did I ever tell you who pushed me?" Ichigo questioned, becoming flustered. Seeing that, Ryou sat right behind Ichigo and gently pulled her onto his lap.

"Not right away; it took you a few hours. I'm guessing Mai's not talking?" Sakura asked with a sigh.

"No." Ryou and Ichigo answered.

"It's best to give her time. Don't force her; she'll tell you when she's ready. But maybe—it is the same…" Sakura explained before talking to herself, looking from Ichigo and Ryou to Mai.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"Mai, Sweetheart—can I ask you some questions?" Sakura gently asked, as not to scare Mai away.

"K." Mai softly replied, looking at Sakura.

"You were scratched at the park?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I fell." Mai lied again.

"Did you really? Or were you pushed? Maybe by a boy—a ghost-boy? A ghost-boy with shoulder-length silver hair that goes over his eyes—which are red?" Sakura calmly asked; she got her answer when Mai sat up a little and her eyes became wide.

"Mom?" Ichigo asked, confused, only to be hushed when Sakura put her finger up.

"Was he tall and skinny with light skin—lighter than yours or Mommy's and mine—with a ripped shirt and shorts?" Sakura asked, gently taking Mai's hand in hers; Mai nodded her head.

"Mom!" Ichigo exclaimed, getting Sakura's attention.

"It's the same ghost that attacked you when you were little." Sakura answered, letting go of Mai's and sat back.

"But ghosts aren't supposed to be able to hurt us." Ichigo argued, pulling away from Ryou.

"Children and animals are already susceptible to ghosts and such to begin with. And then there are children—or people in general—like Mai, you, and myself, who have, what my mom (your grandma) would call a "gift." We have psychic or spiritual abilities which allow us to not only see ghosts or spirits, but to also communicate with them. Now, it seems with each generation, the next to inherit the ability is stronger. I personally never had any attacks happen to me. But you and Mai: you two—your "abilities" are far more advanced than mine ever were. The first time you were attacked—when that boy scratched you. That was when I took action and had Mom place that barrier around you. And it worked; you weren't able to see ghosts or spirits until your twelfth birthday when the barrier broke. Now, with Mai… I'm not sure, but for some reason, I'm guessing the barrier around her broke, making it so she's once again affected. Trust me when I say, I never wanted this for you—or her. I always prayed that if you were ever lucky enough to have a child, that you'd have a boy. But deep down, I knew better. However, you ended up having one of each. And as soon as we found out Mai was yours biologically, I knew her fate." Sakura sadly explained, looking at Ichigo.

"What can we do?" Ichigo asked, rubbing Mai's back.

"I suppose we have no choice… *Sigh…* Mom!" Sakura angrily called, rubbing her brows.

"What now?" Sakura's mother snapped, showing up, annoyed.

"Mai was attacked at the park by the same ghost-boy who attacked Ichigo when she was her age. Why is she still being affected by ghosts?" Sakura demanded, beyond pissed off; she was already having a bad day.

"Someone's in a bad mood. What did that husband of yours do this time?" Sakura's mother asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Never mind that right now. Mai. Why can she still see, hear, and feel ghosts?" Sakura asked, demanding an answer as Mai crawled to Ichigo and laid her head on her leg, holding onto her.

"Mommy…" Mai moaned, digging her fingers into her leg.

"I told you she was special." Sakura's mother plainly stated in that "matter of fact" tone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sakura and Ichigo asked while Ichigo rubbed Mai's back.

"It means that her spiritual powers are a lot stronger than both of yours and even mine combined. What that means, is that spirits or ghosts can and will get through the barrier. In fact, it looks like the barrier has been completely destroyed. By the way, my name is Kaede." Sakura's mother calmly explained, answering Sakura and Ichigo.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ichigo asked, holding onto Mai.

"Where's Grandpa? What's she doing back here?" Kai asked, looking around before noticing Kaede.

"Your sister's seeing ghosts again. Grandma called her mom to try to figure things out. Please behave." Ichigo told Kai.

"Ok. But where's Grandpa?" Kai asked again.

"He's not here." Sakura and Ichigo simultaneously answered in the same glum tone.

"So, you are getting a divorce or something?" Kai asked, confused, looking at his grandma.

"*Sigh…* Yes, we're going to get divorced. He said some really nasty things that really upset your mom and me. We really couldn't—can't—and probably will never be able to agree with each other on this situation. It was just too much. Too much of a problem to fix anything. So, it's best if he's not here." Sakura calmly explained.

"But that's all you need to know. You may be super smart and can understand quite a bit, but you're still a little kid. You don't need to know any of this right now." Ichigo sternly added.

"Ok…" Kai mumbled; he was really looking forward to fishing later today.

"Well, it's about time. What did he do this time?" Kaede asked, very interested—too interested.

"Not now, Mom. We need to figure out what to do about Mai and her ghost problem." Sakura sternly told Kaede.

"You really think this is a problem?" Kaede asked, offended.

"Yes, we do. Grandma, can't you see that it's hurting her? Mai is much too little for any of this; she doesn't understand what any of this means." Ichigo firmly answered, becoming upset; she was already having a bad day.

"That's why you teach her." Kaede stated, exasperated.

"I don't want to teach her; I don't want her to know anything about this. I don't want her to be part of any of that. Hell, I don't even want to know or be a part of any of this. I want my daughter to be safe! Once she's older, she can decide if she wants to try to deal with it. But for now, it's not good for her." Ichigo snapped.

"Not to mention; she doesn't want anything to do with it now." Ryou stated, annoyed, sitting next to Ichigo.

Meanwhile, Mai figured out how to hold onto both of them at the same time.

Soon after, Kai crawled into bed as well.

"I think you're overreacting; she'll be fine once she's used to it all." Kaede argued.

"How long does it take for someone to get used to it?" Kai asked, interested—before Ichigo could say something.

"Just a few months. Unless of course…" Kaede started, only to be interrupted.

"A few months?! Mai has been seeing, hearing, and feeling ghosts since we were babies! She didn't like any of it then—and she still doesn't like it now! And before you say it's because she was just a baby; she didn't like them at two or three either!" Kai yelled, frustrated.

"Since you were babies?" Kaede asked, somewhat shocked.

"Yes—since the day we were born." Kai answered, staring right into Kaede's eyes.

"No wonder her spiritual powers are so strong. Normally, someone with these abilities aren't able to start until they're at least three." Kaede started talking to herself.

"Ok… So, what does that say about me?" Kai asked.

"What do you mean?" Kaede asked, confused.

"Not like Mai, but I see and hear ghosts as well. I just can't feel them." Kai calmly answered, getting looks from his parents, Sakura, and Kaede.

"That's not possible; you're lying. Only females in the family have this ability—not that we've had a boy on our side of the family in generations. And your sister is by far the strongest in the family in generations." Kaede angrily scolded, correcting Kai.

"Don't you dare call my son a liar! And seriously—is all you care about really how strong her spiritual powers are?! Seriously?! My daughter is hurting physically, mentally, and emotionally! And you don't give a flying fuck! Now, you listen to me—and listen well! You need to and will find a way to keep her from having these abilities until she's older! Granted, I'd like it to be permanent, but we both know that's never going to happen. I've already had a shit morning! I found out just how my father feels about how I'm living my life and such! I don't need any shit from you! So help me, God; you're going to find a way to help Mai so that she can't see, hear, or feel ghosts!" Ichigo furiously yelled.

"There is one way." A new voice came around.

"Who's there?" Sakura asked, looking around.

"And what is that?" Ichigo asked, narrowing her eyes, gently pushing Kai and Mai behind her, to Ryou; she didn't know what was going on.

"Great…" Kaede mumbled, annoyed.

"Hello!" A female ghost with dark red hair and brown eyes happily exclaimed.

"Aunt Kosai?" Sakura asked, very shocked.

"Sakura; it's so good to see you again! Oh, and Little Ichigo… Well, you're not so little anymore; you're all grown up now. Oh, and you have kids of your own; I'm so happy for you. I'm so sorry to hear about Shintaro." This ghost, Kosai, happily spoke to Sakura and Ichigo before apologizing.

"What are you doing here, Kosai?" Kaede rudely asked, very annoyed.

"Well, it's good to see you as well, Little Sister." Kosai answered, slightly annoyed.

"Not to be rude or anything: but what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, looking at her aunt.

"I'm here to see the children—mainly the girl. But I'd like to see them both." Kosai calmly answered.

"Ichigo?" Sakura asked, looking at her daughter.

"You're not going to hurt them, are you?" Ichigo asked right away.

"No, of course, not. I just want to see what I'm working with. You must be Ryou; it's so very nice to meet you. It seems to me that you have a little bit of psychic abilities as well. Oh, but yours are dormant. Oh, well. Anyway, the children? What are their names?" Kosai honestly replied before asking with a smile.

"Kai and Mai Shirogane." Ichigo answered.

"Shirogane? Boy, that name sounds familiar. You're their father, correct? That makes your last name "Shirogane." Are you by any chance, in any way related to either Jin or Ami Shirogane?" Kosai asked, looking directly at Ryou.

"Yeah; they were my parents." Ryou replied.

"I thought so; you look just like your mother. But that's where your abilities come from; your mother had certain abilities. Much like my family, it's normally girls who obtain spiritual abilities. But every now and then, guys can get them as well. You have abilities running through your veins, but they were stifled. The ability your mother had was "knowing;" she always knew when something was wrong or whatever. That was really the only ability she ever used. A lot of that has to do with the fact that she was a mother; she could get away with calling it "mother's intuition." I know them by the way; they're good people. But anyway, onto the children. They're twins? Or is one older?" Kosai asked, after explaining some things.

"They're twins." Ryou answered.

"But I'm older by twenty-five minutes." Kai proudly announced.

"Hmm… I'm guessing they were born under the astrology sign "Gemini." So—a late May or an early June birthday? However, I'm leaning more towards June for some reason." Kosai guessed, looking from the twins to Ryou and Ichigo.

"June 5th." Ryou confirmed Kosai's speculation.

"Yes… You were notified about the twins first, correct? And when you got them, they weren't babies, correct?" Kosai asked, looking at Ryou.

"Yes, that's correct. No; they were three." Ryou answered.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ichigo and Sakura asked, annoyed.

"I'm surprised you don't know. Not so much you, Ichigo. But Sakura; you should know. Or did my lovely sister not tell you?" Kosai asked, looking at Sakura.

"Tell me what?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Nothing." Kaede denied anything before anything was explained.

"Tell me what?" Sakura asked again, this time more demanding.

"I haven't really been alive for most of Ichigo's life, but I'm guessing at around ten and a half, she was in an accident?" Kosai asked, looking at Sakura.

"Kosai, I'm warning you right now…" Kaede growled, starting to get pissed.

"Or what? I'm not afraid of you. And it's very clear that neither Sakura, nor Ichigo know what's going on. Which means, you did the ritual without their knowledge or permission. You know damn well that's against the rules. You're hoping everything goes according to plan so that you don't get in trouble and sent into Limbo or wherever. You're the one who broke the rules—and now, you must pay the consequences. And right now, because it's past Ichigo's expiration date, you're betting Mai's life now." Kosai challenged Kaede's threat, starting to explain things.

"What is going on?" Sakura demanded, becoming agitated.

"Are you going to tell them—or am I?" Kosai asked, narrowing her eyes at Kaede.

"Kosai…" Kaede started but was interrupted.

"What is going on? What did you do?!" Ichigo asked, having enough as she stood up.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Deary." Kaede calmly spoke, trying to persuade Ichigo to back off.

"If my children are in danger of any sort, I demand to know." Ryou spoke up, getting a word in.

"Mom, what did you do?" Sakura asked, completely suspicious.

"Nothing." Kaede lied, looking away from everyone.

"Kaede went and made a deal with the wrong dead guy. That accident Ichigo was in when she was ten and a half, should've killed her. Actually, that little boy Ichigo kept seeing—the one who kept pushing her down and such; he was supposed to kill her. But anyway… When both of those methods failed, Kaede tricked the doctors into thinking Ichigo had ovarian cancer. So she had her ovaries removed in hopes she'd never be able to get pregnant—not on her own anyway. Ichigo made it past eleven and again at twelve; the curse passed her. So, Kaede had to think of a Plan B, seeing as Ichigo is your only child and all. Still, she needed a child from a direct family member to go forward with the deal. So, in came a patsy if you will. Kaede was afraid that if Ichigo were to push out a child on her own, the curse would be completely dead. So, that's why, when she found out that your eggs were stored somewhere, she possessed some girl, stole the eggs, implanted, and got a sperm donation—obviously from Ryou, over there. You'll learn more about that later. But I digress. Neither Ryou nor Ichigo were to know about the child… Well, in this case, children—until they were at least two and a half or three. Technically speaking, Ichigo was never supposed to know or even be a part of their lives. So, there's mistake number one with this generation. Right, Kaede? But moving on. The little boy you saw as a child—the one the little girl's seeing now—isn't a child; he's a demon. He is the demon that Kaede made a deal with. This demon has already failed once; he doesn't plan to fail again. He wants to and will most likely kill Mai." Kosai seriously explained, causing Ichigo to look back at Mai and Kai as Ryou pulled them to him.

"Ichigo!" "Mommy!" "Mom!" Sakura, Ryou, and the twins called when she fell to her knees.

"So, there's nothing we can do?" Ichigo asked in shock.

"I didn't say that, now, did I? I just need to see the children. It's ok, I understand; you don't really know me. If it makes you feel any better, you can hold them in front of me; I don't even have to touch them." Kosai calmly informed Ryou and Ichigo after seeing their hesitation.

"Ryou?" Ichigo asked, looking at Ryou.

"Might as well; we don't really have a choice. I'm holding Mai." Ryou answered Ichigo, standing up; he lifted Mai into his arms and stood in front of Kosai.

Kai walked over on his own, but Ichigo quickly picked him up.

"Kai's the older one?" Kosai pondered, looking at Kai.

"Correct." Ryou and Ichigo replied.

"Can you place them next to each other—like right next to each other?" Kosai calmly asked.

"What are you doing here in the first place?" Kaede asked, annoyed.

"I'm here to help—if I can. I'm not going to watch someone as innocent as this little girl become demon food. Not to mention; I was never a fan of having these abilities. None of us girls were. You were the only one who was." Kosai firmly answered.

"Mom, how could you do any of this?" Sakura asked in shock.

"I have nothing to say; I didn't do anything wrong." Kaede selfishly defended herself.

"She wanted immortality. Which, at first, I thought was hilarious; she was dead after all. But after some time, I figured out she was going to try to take over Ichigo's—or in this case—Mai's body. However, what she doesn't realize: is that the demon never planned on letting her have any of that. Our family—and the Shirogane family are two of the strongest families that have spiritual abilities like that. Said demon will say and do anything to completely destroy our families. I may not like any of this—but being dead, I had a lot of time to learn about everything. Oh, and Ryou, your parents aren't dead. But I'll get to that in a little bit. Let's see—Kai and Mai. Well, they BOTH definitely have powers. Spiritually, she is stronger than Kai. However, physically, he is stronger than Mai. Oh? They both have blue eyes. We haven't had a girl in the family with red hair and blue eyes in a few hundred years. It's very rare in our family. You know… In the spiritual business, they say children with blue eyes have tremendous powers. And this little girl definitely has tremendous spiritual powers. But for a boy, so does he." Kosai thoughtfully explained, looking at both Mai and Kai.

"Is there anything we can do?" Ichigo asked, worried; she was almost begging Kosai.

If it meant she had to give her life for either twin, Ichigo would sacrifice herself. Ryou was the same way.

"There is a way. But it has to be up to them." Kosai seriously responded.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Mai complained, twisting and turning in Ryou's arms so that she was facing him.

"I know, Baby; we'll get food in a little bit." Ryou told Mai, unsure, pushing her bangs to the side before lightly bouncing her in his arms.

"You're very good with her. Your parents would be so proud of you." Kosai thoughtfully told Ryou.

"Thank you." Ryou thanked Kosai as Mai laid her head on his shoulder and started crying.

"Mai, Baby; what's wrong?" Ryou asked, concerned, rubbing her back; she was inconsolable at that moment.

"Listen to me carefully. Ryou, you move to your left about—three feet. And Ichigo, you move right about two feet." Kosai instructed.

Ryou and Ichigo did what they were told. And as soon as they did, they felt a small gust of wind rush pass them.

"I no wan to see ghosts no more!" Mai screamed, reverting to her previous way of talking.

"Well—it's safe to say she doesn't want these abilities anymore. Now, here's the deal: with how strong her abilities are, she cannot get rid of them all. In fact, she can only get rid of one. Because she's only three, that decision cannot be made by her; it must be made by her parents. So, what don't you want her to have: sight, sound, or feel?" Kosai asked, looking at Ryou and Ichigo.

Ryou and Ichigo didn't have to talk about it; they just had to look at each other.

"Feel. We don't want her to be hurt by anything like that." Ryou and Ichigo simultaneously answered.

"Ok. That can be done easily." Kosai said calmly, with a smile.

"How long will the barrier last?" Ichigo asked, earning a confused look from Kosai.

"It's permanent—unless she says otherwise. I'll come back when she's about sixteen. Now, what about you?" Kosai asked, looking at Kai.

"I want to keep my abilities—as long as I don't have to feel them." Kai quickly answered.

"Well, unlike your sister, you only had the two abilities; you never had the ability to feel spirits or such. It's really amazing that you have both sight and sound." Kosai told Kai.

"Cool!" Kai happily exclaimed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Ryou and Ichigo asked, looking at Kai.

"Of course! Mai can't be the only one with special abilities; she'd be very lonely. Now I can be right there with her!" Kai exclaimed, determined.

"He's a very good brother, isn't he?" Kosai asked, watching Kai walk around more like an older brother than Mai's twin.

"Yes, he is. I guess, at least Mai will have someone looking out for her." Ichigo sighed, but with a smile.

"Ok then. Please place Mai in this circle. Don't worry; it's so that neither Kaede nor the demon can get to her while the sense of feel is taken away." Kosai calmly explained, drawing a circle on the ground.

"You're making a mistake; we could all be immortal. And I can be around longer; we can talk. I can teach you how to channel these abilities properly. And then you two will only have to focus on one child." Kaede pleaded with Ichigo and Ryou.

"Daddy?" Mai asked, scared and confused as Ryou stepped forward and pulled her away from his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Baby; you'll be ok." Ryou promised, kissing her forehead, before passing her to Ichigo so she too could kiss her forehead; he then placed her in the circle.

And just as Kosai said, neither Kaede nor the demon could get to Mai as she sat in the circle. They watched as the demon kept ramming itself into the barrier.

After about ten minutes, the demon sank or melted into the floor.

"Don't pick her up; leave her in the circle. Actually… Kai, Ichigo, Ryou and Sakura: you all need to get in the circle as well. Trust me; it's for your protection." Kosai sternly instructed when Mai lifted her arms, wanting to be picked up.

"If you'd like, you may pick the girl up now. Just make sure you stay in the circle." Kosai told Ryou as Mai managed to stand without falling out of the circle—or causing anyone else to fall out.

"Come here, Baby." Ryou gently spoke, picking Mai up while Kai let Ichigo pick him up.

While they were in the circle, Mai buried her face in Ryou's shoulder and covered her ears.

"Kai, don't look." Ichigo firmly told Kai, keeping him between her and Ryou as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Sakura held onto Ichigo's shoulders and looked behind them, at the floor.

A hole opened up in the floor a few feet away from the circle, and a vacuum-like suction was starting to suck the demon back to where it came from—along with Kaede, trapping them.

After a minute or two, the demon, Kaede, and the hole were gone, and the circle disappeared.

"Is it over?" Ichigo asked, looking around.

"Yeah, it's done. The little girl will no longer be able to feel or be hurt by ghosts or spirits. In a way, I'm sorry about Kaede, but she brought that all upon herself." Kosai answered and then sighed, frustrated.

"I think we can all agree on that." Sakura replied.

"Two more things before I go…" Kosai started.

"Yes, what is it?" Sakura, Ichigo, and Ryou asked, watching Kosai.

"One: you know these two are twins. With that said, because of their differences in genders, height, appearance, and their intellectual differences; many people will ask or question whether they're really twins or not. So, unless someone heard any of you say they're twins, try not to get annoyed. Because from someone who doesn't know any of you, they don't know."

"Two: Ryou, this is mainly for you. As I said before, your parents aren't dead; they're alive and well in America. Honestly, they thought you and Keiichiro were dead. They were on the opposite side of the house when it blew up. I guess that will teach you to look around the entire area from now on. But anyway, they know you're alive, well, and have two children. They don't know they're twins. Nor do they know how old they are—or what their genders are; they just know you have two kids and that you didn't get them until later in life. They do know how they were conceived, but not the circumstances surrounding it all. They will be on their way to Japan in a few days; so, don't worry about cutting your vacation short. Well, that's it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful life. Love you all. Bye!" Kosai explained and then bid farewell before leaving.

"Daddy?" Mai softly asked, tugging on Ryou's shirt with tear stains on her rosy cheeks.

"What is it, Baby?" Ryou asked.

"Pancakes?" Mai softly asked.

"Oh, right. Umm… Yeah; if we hurry, we can make it in time. We have about an hour." Ryou answered, looking at his alarm clock before he, Ichigo, Sakura, and Kai started walking downstairs…