"All right now, everyone, yer all gonna be on yer best
behavior, right?" Rogue looked over her shoulder to eye the kids seated behind her in the
minivan.
"When am I not?" Maria asked, sounding more than a little
offended.
"When you boss us around," Inuyasha said. "When you talk
down to people, when you swear in Russian, when "
"I did not ask _you_!" Maria snapped.
"What he said," Rogue told her. "Ya may be the eldest,
Maria, but yer still only seventeen and that don't make ya a grownup yet."
Amara listened to the discussion with only half an ear.
Three days earlier, the day after she met Haruka, the Tenous had gotten in touch with the
LeBeaus about having the tests done to prove Amara's parentage. The two couples both
had a doctor of their own choosing be involved, since the Tenous were now
understandably leery of any doctor working alone. The LeBeaus' choice was one of their
old teammates from the X-Men, a mutant organization dedicated to preserving harmony
between mutants and humans. The doctor was Henry McCoy, with the codename of
Beast. Amara wondered what the Tenous' doctor thought of the big blue fur-covered
manimal when they met especially if Beast began quoting poetry, as he was wont to do.
More than that, she wondered about the results, which she would learn today at the
Tenous' barbecue.
She had only seen Haruka once in those three days when
the blood was taken. They had exchanged few words, both of them being nervous about
the tests and what they could mean. She hadn't spoken to Haruka's parents at all. There
was nothing she _could_ say until she knew the truth.
"Are you all right, Amara?"
She looked up into Kanna's concerned purple eyes and
forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."
"I don't blame you, it's a lot to think about," Kanna said.
"I'm not so sure dis was a good idea," Remy remarked from
the driver's seat. "Hearing the news public like dis."
"The Tenous have a lotta friends, I guess," Rogue said.
"They were all involved in one way or another in finding Amara, so they figgered they may
as well be there for the big news."
"Aw, Amara won't mind," Duo teased. "She'll get to see
Seeeiiyyyaaa."
Amara grabbed Duo's braid and wrapped it around his
throat. He tried to wrestle away from her and the two of them fell off their seats.
"Will you two stop that?!" Maria ordered.
"Go, Amara!" Kanna cheered.
"Gak! Urk!" Duo gasped. "I give!"
Amara released him. "Wuss," she said, and sat back down.
Inuyasha shook his head. "You're so pathetic, Maxwell,
letting a bitch beat you."
Amara gave him a black look. "I don't care if you ARE a
dog, I hate when you call me that!"
"He can't help it, it's natural to him to call females 'bitches'."
Kanna shrugged.
"Yeah, it's only an insult if you think of the double meaning,"
Duo said mischievously. "Of course, in your case, that's unavoidable."
Amara lunged at him again and Maria forced her six-foot
self in between them. "That is ENOUGH!" she yelled.
"Maria's right, you two, settle yerselves down!" Rogue
warned. "We're almost there!"
Amara glared at Duo, then turned to look out the window.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to move out and away from him, she fumed. But then, she
amended reluctantly, she'd probably miss the little monster before long. She'd miss all of
them. Rogue and Remy had been her guardians for two years she loved them. How was
she supposed to just leave? And as bossy as Maria could be, she knew she could always
count on she and Kanna for anything. Even Inuyasha and Duo were like bratty brothers
to her. Damn it, she thought. Does my whole life have to change in the next hour or what?
She felt an arm slip around her and turned her head to look
at Duo. He grinned at her.
"Just remember, Amara," he said. "You hold all the cards.
You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Duo."
"Here we are," Remy said.
Fish Eye tried not to frown, but he couldn't help noticing
how Seiya perked up when they heard the minivan pull into the driveway. He hadn't met
Amara yet, but hoped no matter how much she looked like Haruka's twin, that she was only
a look-alike. He didn't want her moving in across the street. Closer to Seiya.
The Quartet were peeking around the corner of the Tenous'
house, trying to get a better look at the group home members as they arrived.
"There's Braid Boy!" Jun Jun announced.
Palla Palla clapped her hands. "It's the puppy!"
"Good heavens!" Cere Cere gasped. "Who is that
enormous girl?!"
"And the sexy blonde," added Ves Ves, grinning.
"There's Amara!"
"Girls!" Nuriko called as he realized what they were doing.
"Come over here and give them some breathing space!"
The Quartet reluctantly retreated back into the yard where
the rest of the Tenous' friends and their children waited. Kunzite and Zoisite were out front,
greeting the newcomers. Haruka sat with Michiru on a deck chair, holding her hand, while
Yui nibbled her bottom lip nervously.
"Right back here," Kunzite was saying as he, Zoisite, and
the group home bunch came around the corner into the back yard. Everyone stood up to
welcome them and be introduced, which took a few minutes. Haruka and Amara locked
eyes briefly, then looked away.
"Well," Zoisite said, "if the LeBeaus and Amara will come
inside with us, we'll open the sealed envelope that our doctors gave us with the test results
and then we'll come back out and everyone can get to know each other." He smiled.
"Whatever happens with the tests, it'll be nice to have new friends."
Haruka and Yui followed their parents and the LeBeaus into
the house. Amara went last, wondering if she shouldn't run while she had the chance.
"Hey, Amara!"
She startled and looked back to see Seiya wink at her.
"Good luck!"
She smiled warmly at him. He must have seen in her face
how scared and unsure she was. "Thanks," she answered. "Be right back," she added,
and continued into the house, finally feeling courage enough to face the truth.
"All right now, everyone, yer all gonna be on yer best
behavior, right?" Rogue looked over her shoulder to eye the kids seated behind her in the
minivan.
