Everyone sat down in the living room and Kunzite
picked up the envelope laying on the table. "Here are the results." He handed
it to Yui. "You open it, sweetheart."
She gulped, but nodded and began unsealing it.
Zoisite clutched Kunzite's hand, while Rogue and Remy exchanged worried looks.
Haruka and Amara both stared at the floor and waited.
Yui unfolded the sheet of paper and smoothed it
out, then read aloud from it, "To Kunzite and Zoisite Tenou and Remy and Rogue
LeBeau in regards to the joint test results in the matter of Amara's parentage.
All test performed by Dr. McCoy and Dr. Tomoe prove conclusively that Kunzite and
Zoisite are Amara's natural parents and that she is half-identical twin to Haruka
Tenou." Yui looked up. "It's signed by both doctors."
Haruka and Amara slowly raised their heads to
look at each other. Haruka ventured a smile first.
"Welcome to the family," she said.
Amara didn't know what to say in return. She
looked to Rogue for support, and the Southern woman quickly embraced her. Amara
felt tears prick her eyes and cursed herself for her weakness in front of
witnesses.
"Ah'm sorry," Rogue said to the others. "She's
been a mess for days over this. All the uncertainty, ya know?"
"Of course," Kunzite said.
"But there isn't any uncertainty anymore,"
Zoisite said, the emotion in his voice barely controlled. He moved over to kneel
in front of Amara and put a hand on her leg. "You're our daughter, honey. Our
little girl. We thought you were gone forever." Zoisite broke down in tears and
Kunzite gently pulled him to his feet and hugged him.
Remy was stroking Amara's hair. "You want me to
take you home, petite?"
"No." She sat back and wiped her eyes. "I'll
be okay in a few minutes, then we can go out back."
"Are ya sure, sugah?" Rogue asked in concern.
"Positive," Amara said. "I want to get to know
Seiya better, and his brothers and friends. And the others came here to mingle -
I don't want to ruin it for them or for you."
"Yer all that matters right now, honey bun."
Rogue gave her a squeeze.
Amara fought not to start crying again. "I'm
okay," she insisted. "Or I will be soon."
"Come on, Zoisite," Kunzite said. "Let's leave
them alone for now. We can go tell everyone the news."
"Haruka, are you coming?" Yui asked.
"In a second," she said.
Her parents and Yui went out, and she took her
mother's place kneeling in front of Amara. She reached out and placed her hand
over her twin's, their first physical contact since birth. Amara startled as if
receiving an electric shock. She stared at Haruka, wide-eyed.
"There's a connection there, Amara," Haruka said
with a smile. "Even after all these years apart. I feel it when I'm near you -
I think there have even been times when I've felt it while we were apart." She
squeezed Amara's hand gently. "Take all the time you need and don't worry about
Mama and Papa, okay? Just know that when you're ready, I'll be here."
Amara paused, then slowly turned her hand to
intertwine her fingers with Haruka's. They fit together naturally, comfortably.
Amara looked up into her twin's moist eyes and felt a swell of pain. All those
lost years when she could have been looking into those eyes, feeling the warmth
of the hand she held. Without stopping to think about it, she grabbed Haruka in
a tight embrace. Haruka held onto her, feeling her own tears spill over.
Fish Eye felt his heart sink as his parents and
their friends rushed forward to congratulate Kunzite and Zoisite. They had just
announced that Amara was their daughter, which to them was a joyous thing. To
Fish Eye, it was the worst news possible. He didn't like it any better when
Seiya asked Zoisite if he could see Amara.
"She's going to come out soon," Zoisite promised.
Yui saw the look on Fish Eye's face when he heard
that and wished she could say something to reassure him.
"Are you okay?"
The words were being directed at her. She turned
to find Inuyasha eyeing her with concern. She gave him a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine, really. It's pretty exciting to learn
that you have another sister. I'm just a little worried about the two of them -
it must be overwhelming."
"Amara's pretty strong, she'll be okay."
Inuyasha rubbed one of his ears. "I think it'll be good for her."
Yui was quiet for a moment, then said, "My
parents will want her to move in with us."
He frowned. "That's going to be the tough part.
She's attached to Rogue and Remy. Us, too, although she'd never admit it."
Yui sighed. "I hope it doesn't get ugly."
"It's going to be up to Amara," Inuyasha
predicted. "Rogue and Remy will respect her wishes - the group home has an open-
door policy." He shrugged. "So it'll only get ugly if your parents try to force
her to move if she doesn't want to."
Yui sighed a second time. "It's going to get
ugly."
"Congratulations, Kunzite, Zoisite!" Da Cider
clapped Kunzite on the back. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if we'd discovered
a long-lost quadruplet for our three."
"I don't _want_ to imagine it," Apricot said
dryly. "But I'm happy for the two of you."
"I don't think she took it well," Zoisite said
sadly. "I wish they'd come out."
"Stop worrying, she'll get used to the idea and
everything will be fine," Da Cider said in a rare moment of seriousness.
Apricot took a second to scan the group of
youngsters for her own kids. Taiki was talking earnestly to Hawk Eye, Seiya was
listening to Duo while Fish Eye glared at his back, and Yaten was studying
Inuyasha closely without his knowledge. At least they were all behaving
themselves at the moment, she thought with relief. Her gaze fell on two of the
kids from the group home who were standing near the buffet table. The blonde
Russian girl, Maria, and her big red-haired companion, Kanna. The muscular girl
was already loading a plate with food, even though the barbecue hadn't really
begun yet. Apricot looked her up and down, amazed by her impressive physique.
She's more buff than my own husband, she thought dryly. More than most of the
males here, in fact. And with all that, she observed, Kanna had a beautiful
face, with wide expressive purple eyes and an easy smile. She wondered if she
were a total tomboy like Haruka, or if she had any feminine personality traits.
"Don't you think, Apricot?"
"What?" she turned to Da Cider, startled.
He laughed. "You weren't even listening! What
planet were you on?"
Before she could answer a hush fell over the
crowd. Haruka and Amara had come out of the house.
"What's everybody staring at? Haven't you ever
seen twins before?" Haruka grinned. "Come on, let's party!" She bounded into
the throng of people, while Amara looked around for Seiya. Catching his eye, she
smiled and walked over to him.
"How'd it go?" he asked in concern. "Are you
okay?"
"I'm great," she said. "Haruka's cool. The rest
I'll deal with later." She linked her arm in his. "Want to get something to
eat?"
"Excuse me," Fish Eye said frostily as he grabbed
hold of Seiya's other arm. "Seiya came with me."
"Uh, Fish Eye, this is Amara," Seiya said
uneasily. "Amara, Fish Eye."
"I'm sorry," Amara said, holding Fish Eye's gaze,
"I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. I don't know many people here other
than those I came with, and I thought Seiya could introduce me around, that's
all."
"Of course I can." Seiya turned to Fish Eye, an
apologetic look on his face. "You don't mind, do you? I won't be long."
"If you say so," Fish Eye muttered.
Amara steered Seiya away while Fish Eye glared
daggers at the back of her head.
"I apologize for her."
Fish Eye looked up at the beautiful blonde and
tried to remember her name. Maria! That was it.
"Why should you apologize for her?" he asked.
"She's not your responsibility."
"I feel as if she is," she said. "I am the
eldest, so I feel responsible for them all."
Fish Eye watched Seiya and Amara stop to talk to
Taiki and Hawk Eye. She was still holding onto his arm. "She wants him, doesn't
she?"
"She is interested in him, yes," Maria said.
"But if it is any comfort, Amara tends to be rather fickle. She may lose
interest soon."
"I don't care if she does," Fish Eye muttered.
"It's _him_ I'm worried about."
Maria frowned slightly, studying Seiya. "He has
a strange aura about him. Powerful spirit energy."
"I didn't know that," Fish Eye admitted
with a sigh. "I guess I still don't know him that well at all."
"The oddest thing is that his energy feels female
rather than male," Maria said thoughtfully. "I have never felt this before from
a man. Although ...." She turned her gaze toward Taiki. "That one has it, too.
The redhead with the ponytail."
"Really? Weird." Fish Eye pointed at Yaten.
"How about the little blonde?"
After a moment, Maria nodded. "Yes, he as well.
They are related, are they not?"
"They're all brothers," Fish Eye said.
"Their spirits feels as if they are sisters
instead." Maria shook her head. "Perhaps I need to work harder on my own
training. I cannot be getting te right impression."
"No, I guess not," Fish Eye replied. He may not
know everything about Seiya yet, but the one thing he did know was that Seiya was
male. Their swim in the lake had proven that.
"Do not worry too much." Maria gave him a
reassuring smile. "Amara will have a lot on her mind in the days to come. I do
not think that your Seiya will be a priority."
"I hope you're right," Fish Eye sighed.
Everyone sat down in the living room and Kunzite
picked up the envelope laying on the table. "Here are the results." He handed
it to Yui. "You open it, sweetheart."
