“Awwww! My little boy has a date!” Sakura did this all the time since she found out. “Mom stop it!” Peridot was blushing. His date was tonight and he was nervous enough without his mom going all crazy. “Have fun!” The only one annoying him more than his mom was Jade. “I will. You have fun at Kino’s!” Jade only blushed a tiny bit. ‘Good thing Mom doesn’t get the joke, “Topaz, Czarus, and I will have a wonderful time watching scary movies with Kino.”  Usually on Fridays the Uzumaki’s and the Uchiha’s had a scary movie night, but today Peridot and Mel were going to the theater.

            Hinata was getting Mel ready for her date. Hinata sprayed a bit of perfume on her, “Mom, were just going to the movies!” Hinata giggled, “Yes, but if he tries to kiss you I want you to smell nice.” Mel blushed, “Mom, when’s the first time you kissed Dad?”

Hinata smiled remembering the moment, “During the spring when we both went on the Ferris wheel together.” Ding Dong. It was Peridot. “Hi, Kino. Is Mel ready?” Kino smiled, “Yeah, she’s been ready since 8 hours ago!” “SHUT UP KINO!” They both looked up at the staircase. Mel was wearing a light purple shirt that clung to her skin and had her long blonde hair down and was wearing a jean skirt. All Peridot did was stare until he stuttered out, “You look great.” Mel blushed, “Thanks. Let’s go.” And with that they were off.

            “Hey Kino!”  Sakura made Topaz and Jade go later then Peridot so they wouldn’t embarrass him. “Um…. where’s Czarus?” Kino was a little nervous. It was just going to be him and the girls. “Oh…he uh got sick. I know it was a little last minute, but when we were getting ready I found him lying in his bed groaning. He said he had been throwing up a lot.” Kino nodded his head, “Why didn’t he just say that in the beginning?” “Well, I get really scared during these movies and he, uh, wanted to be there for me.” ‘My gosh,’ thought Topaz, ‘after today I’ll never lie again.’ Jade noticed something. Topaz said “uh” a lot when she lied. Czarus didn’t want to come because he was afraid to be hanging out in the dark with his monster of a sister, Jade. Naruto walked downstairs, “Lucky you, son. You get to spend the night alone with 2 pretty girls.” Topaz blushed and Jade blushed just a bit more. “Dad!” Naruto just winked.

            “Is this movie good with you guys?” Kino held up ‘The Exorcist’. “Umm… sure.” Topaz didn’t like scary movies too much so she always just agreed. She usually dug her face in Czarus’s shoulder. The movie started. Jade was in the middle. The person started walking down the hallway towards a room, “It gets pretty scary soon, Topaz.” Kino always watched the movie he wanted them to watch before his friends came over so they wouldn’t think that he was a wimp. Topaz jumped up, “I gonna…go to the bathroom.” Jade was a bit nervous. It was just her and Kino. If anyone walked in they would’ve thought it was a date. She was sitting really close to him just incase it got too scary. The person on the screen opened the door. The demon was waiting for him. Jade was surprised at her actions she gasped and grabbed Kino’s arm. She was hiding her head in his shoulder and holding on to his arm really tight, “Just tell me when it’s over.”  Finally she realized what she was doing. She felt her face get hot and she turned her head up and looked at Kino. His face was really red. “I’m so sorry!” she said letting go of him. “That’s alright,” he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her back, “you can hold on to me anytime you want.” He took his arm off her and motioned for her to take it. She reached for it, but hesitated, “I can’t.” She put her hand in her lap. “I know what you’re thinking and it doesn’t matter.” She couldn’t believe it, but decided she had to, “Well, I think it does matter.” He looked into her eyes, “I’ve never told anyone about this before but if it’ll make you go out with me, fine. I’m…adopted.” She stared at him in disbelief, “But you look just like your mom.” “Well, she adopted me from someone in the clan. You couldn’t really call this woman a relative because they weren’t closely related. They didn’t even really know each other.” Jade stopped him, “Then how…” “I was getting to that.” Jade looked at her hands not paying attention to the movie anymore. “My mom died when I was about 8 months old. Well, I don’t know the story that well because I was so little but it’s been told to me several times. My dad died earlier in a war. No one wanted to take me in because I was part of the branch family. Mom though, she loved me and took me in.”

FLASHBACK

“He’s from the branch family. I can’t take him”

“I can’t have someone from the BRANCH family living with me!”

“Stop it all of you! Who cares what family he is from? He’s a helpless and adorable little boy. DOESN’T THAT MATTER TO ANY OF YOU!”

Naruto grabbed Hinata’s shoulder, “No need to yell. All that matters is that you were a good enough person to take him in.”

 END OF FLASH BACK

 “So if your worrying about what I think your worrying about technically Mel and I aren’t related.” Jade sat there for a moment staring at him, “Not many people know about this?” Kino sighed, “No, but I told you because I was hoping, then, you would give me a chance?” Jade smiled and nodded. “So is this Sunday good?” Kino held out his arm for Jade to grab it. “Yeah.” This time she didn’t hesitate. She looked back at the screen, “Hey, It’s over.” Topaz walked down the stairs and saw her sister clinging to Kino, “What’s going on?” Jade was a bit frazzled. If she told Topaz she would tell everybody, “It got really scary. I thought I could handle it but I couldn’t. I wish I ran away like you.” Topaz got a little pink in the cheeks, “I didn’t run away I went to the bathroom!” Jade giggled, “It doesn’t normally take someone more than 3 minutes to go to the bathroom. Let alone 3 hours.” “Ha ha! I wasn’t in there 3 hours!” ‘Good,’ Jade thought, ‘at least now she’s not focusing on me and Kino.’ She just realized she was still clinging to Kino and she let go. All of a sudden the door opened and they saw a dark figure standing in the doorway. Topaz shrieked and ran in the closed while Jade grabbed on the Kino. “Relax! It’s just us.”  It was Peridot and Mel, “Oh! Hey, guys.” Topaz came out of the closet. Peridot looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow. She quickly released Kino, “Well, we should probably be going now.” Jade got up and her and Topaz left with their brother. “So what happened here?” Mel asked. “Well, what happened there?” They weren’t the kind of siblings who shared stuff

            On the walk home it was quiet. Jade was dying to ask her brother about the date. He was dying to ask her about what was going on with Kino, but he was going to wait until they were alone. Topaz was clueless.

            “Mommy?” It was teeny tiny Hope. “Yes dear?” “What is ‘date’?” Sakura giggled, “A date is when a boy and a girl who really like each other hang out. Just them.” Hope stared, “Well, Kearb asked me to come to his house to play. Does that count?” Sakura giggled, “I suppose so.”

            Czarus and Peridot shared a room. But only Peridot knew about the trap door under the bed. “C’mon. To the hide out.” Peridot and Jade always went there when they wanted to hang out alone. “So spill. What happened on your date?” Peridot wanted to say ‘I could ask you the same thing.’ But what would be the point, “Nothing much. We watched a movie. On the way there we talked a lot.” Jade raised an eyebrow, “Did you put your arm around her?” Peridot blushed, “Yes.” “Did you kiss her?” Peridot took a deep breath, “Y-yes.”

FLASHBACK

“We’re almost to your house.”

“Mmhhmm.”

Peridot stopped, “Before we get to close for them to see us…”

“Yeah?”

He blushed, “I want to say good night.”

Peridot leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

END OF FLASHBACK

 Jade knew she was going to squeal so she put her had over her mouth. “So what about you?” She looked at him confused, “What are you talking about?” He chuckled, “When I walked in you were practically in Kino’s lap!” Jade blushed, “Was not! When the movie got scary I need something to grab and Topaz was hiding in the bathroom.” “Come one Jade! I know you too good for you to lie to me.” She let out a breath. She wasn’t supposed to tell her brother about Kino’s secret. So she lied, “I decided that I’d give it a chance. I don’t really care if you’re dating his sister. So what?” Peridot smiled, “So when’s your first date?” Jade blushed, “Sunday.” She was staring at her feet. She looked sad. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” Her head shot up, “No. I gave you a bunch of crap about you and Mel. You should have the same right.” He surprised her by chuckling, “I don’t care about that. If it makes you happy I won’t make fun of you.” She smiled. “But you can’t hide it from mom forever.” Her smile got a bit smaller, “But I can try.”

            “Czarus?” Topaz was looking for him in the basement. He wasn’t coughing or sneezing. He didn’t even look sick. He was running on the tred-mill and watching TRANSFORMERS. She snuck up behind him and smacked him in the back of the head. He went flying off, “OUCH!!” He looked up to see his attacker. “Uh-oh.” Topaz looked down at him angrily, “WHAT WAS THAT!?!” He looked at her nervously, “I…uh…made a miraculous recovery.” “Nice try. Let’s go.” She grabbed his arm, “Where are we going?” She looked at him, “We’re going to solve your problem.”

            Peridot and Jade were walking down to the basement to watch a movie since Peridot missed movie night, and they bumped into Czarus and Topaz. Topaz looked at what she bumped into, “Just the demon I wanted to see.” Jade was a bit hurt, but Topaz always said things she didn’t mean when she was angry. ‘What did Czarus do?’ she thought.

            They were sitting on the couches now, “Czarus, please explain to the group what your problem is.” Czarus looked at her, “I don’t think…” Topaz was ticked, “JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!” Czarus was scared, “Ummm… I’m scared of you, Jade. Okay!?!” Jade’s face was expressionless, “Okay. Go ahead. I don’t care.” Everyone saw her breaking down. Peridot reached out, “Jade?” She slapped his hand, “This was bound to happen! I mean how could you not be afraid of me? I’m a freak. A monster. What else could I expect? Everyone to go on like nothing happened?” Jade was crying, “Just pretend I don’t exist! I wish I wasn’t born! And so does everyone else!” She ran out into the backyard, and climbed as far up in the tree as she could. “WHY ME!” she shrieked.

            “Topaz, why did you do that?” “Czarus! What was I supposed to do! Just let her think everything was okay when her brother was avoiding her at all costs?” Peridot stood up, “I’m going to go get her.” Czarus grabbed his arm, “Only I can fix this.”                                  “Jade! Where are you?” He saw her. He could barley tell though. Her hair was so dark, but when she opened her green eyes you could see her from a mile away. He ran up into the tree, “Jade. Come on.” He reached out to touch her but pulled his hand back. She cried more, “We used to be friends! I ruin lives!” He put his hand on her head, “No. It’s not your fault.” “I WISH I WASN’T ALIVE!” “DON’T SAY THAT! I understand you don’t like what you are but no one wants you dead.” “NO ONE EXCEPT ME! You don’t understand…at all” “Come on. You can’t die. You could never. So many people would be torn apart if you were dead.” “Yeah? Like who?” “Mom, Dad, Peridot, Topaz, Hope, Chara, Lee, Mr. Uzuamaki, Ming Ming, Shika, Mel, Kino,” she blushed at the sound of Kino’s name, “Anya, Chouji, Ijen, Wen, and…me…I would be torn apart.” She looked at him crying harder than before, “That last part isn’t true. You want me gone! You can barley touch me without jumping out of your skin.” “That’s not true Jade. I’m already hugging you, and you didn’t even notice.” She looked around her brother was hugging her. She smiled, “I guess it felt so normal I didn’t even realize.” He smiled, “Can we go inside now. It’s cold.”