New Haven

Chapter Twenty-Two: Meet the family.
KNOCK KNOCK
Duo looked over at the door with a frown. The firm knock was something he hadn’t expected. “Damn! What is he doing here?”
Wufei burst into laughter as he motioned Damian over to him. Damian handed him the brush and looked at him questioningly. “Howard.” Was all Wufei said as he went to work on the copper hair.
The door opened with a creak and Howard Green stuck his head in. He grunted at the sight of Duo hiding under the blanket of his bed. Wufei calmly brushing Damian’s hair and no females in sight. He winked at Wufei and approached the bed with slowly steady ominous steps. A hand suddenly snaked out and pulled the blanket down.
Duo blinked owlishly at the man glaring down at him. “Uhh, Hi.” He finally managed to say.
“What have I told you about ventilation ducts?” Howard growled. “They are not armor!!!” He growled out in frustration. “You have things to live for now. What were you thinking you fool?” He rapped his knuckles on Duo’s head.
Duo blinked his eyes owlishly again. “Sorry, Howie. I thought I had better control of the situation. If the piece of the elevator hadn’t broken when it did. No one would have known I was there. It’s my own fault.” He looked guiltily at Wufei. “I didn’t see the rust.” He muttered looking down at his hands.
“Don’t do it again.” Howard muttered back. “You have family now kid. You don’t need to do things like this.”
Duo’s head jerked up to glare at Howard. “Yes I did.” He stated firmly in an almost snarl. “I had to get this bastard Howard.” He snapped his mouth shut and refused to say anything more.
Wufei tapped Damian on the shoulder. He asked the youth a silent question.
Damian looked into Wufei’s eyes and turned to look at Duo. Duo wouldn’t lift his eyes from his stubborn position. Damian looked over at the old man and crossed his arms in front of him and grabbed the hem of shirt and shucked it off his body.
Howard looked up from Duo at the motion and stared in horror at the marks on the young man’s body. “He’s alive.” The words hissed from the man’s mouth. He turned to storm out of the room to find Heero in the doorway. “Out of my way boy.”
“He’s in a jail cell right now.” Heero replied calmly. “He will not escape justice now.” He told him calmly. Quatre peered past his shoulder.
Howard stopped in mid step. “What do you mean?” Howard tried to ask innocently. He didn’t do it very well.
“Fei and Quat took him prisoner on the mission. They found Sakura in his clutches. Literally from what I could figure out.” Duo said softly still staring down at nothing his arm crossed stubbornly over his chest. Chin resting on his collarbone.
Wufei tied off the braid he had made for Damian and threw it over his shoulder. “Literally.” He growled as he absently patted the shoulder of the youth. He looked over to the couple in the door. “Thank you for not waiting for me Quatre.” He said quietly.
Quatre nodded absently. “Heero who is Sakura?” He whispered absently. He watched as Damian shrugged the shirt back on. Duo still hadn’t put his own on.
“Chang Sakura.” Heero said distractedly. “It seems Meiran managed to get the baby and her parents off the colony.” The door to the bathroom opened and naked six year old streaked across the room to climb onto the bed giggling the whole way.
“Chang Sakura!!!” Sally’s voice roared from the bathroom. “Get your bottom back here this second.”
Duo whimpered and clutched his stomach and laughter poured out of him. Sakura looked adorably cute as she streaked toward them. Damian had fallen from the bed he was laughing so hard. Which made Duo laugh all the harder.
Sakura climbed in full glorious wetness into Duo’s lap and promptly sat down. She began to chatter away about her bath experience leaving nothing to the imagination.
Her father just stared at her slack jawed. He couldn’t believe that his daughter had just streaked and was now sitting chattering away as if nothing was wrong with what she had done. “Well she’s not body shy.” He muttered as he scooped her up. She protested the transfer strongly.
He slithered off the bed and calmly walked back to the bathroom where Sally stood with a towel in hand. “Sakura.” He said firmly. “This is not home.” He told her trying not to think of the audience. “You can not run around with out clothing.” He looked down at her sternly. “What are Grampa Howard, Uncle Heero, and Uncle Quatre going to think of such an unladylike display?”
Sakura looked up at him with wide innocent eyes and her lip quivered slightly at the reprimand. “I’m sorry.” She whispered softly. A tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
Wufei crumbled and squeezed her close. “It’s alright. But don’t do it again. Okay?” He asked as he pressed a kiss to her temple before he handed her over to Sally.
“Oh man,” Duo called from the bed. “Has she got you whipped.”
Wufei turned with a frown of outrage. He opened his mouth in protest to be cut off.
“It’s okay Fei.” Duo went on knowingly. “I’ll be discipline man for the little munchkin.” Duo hid the smile that wanted to break free at the look of outrage on the dragon’s face.
Quatre had taken a closer look at the girl now that he had time to. ‘She’s the spitting image of Wufei!’ His mind exclaimed in amazement. He felt a finger tap him on the shoulder and looked up at Trowa. The silent question on the man’s face obvious. He shrugged and mouthed wait to him.
Howard had returned to his staring match with Heero.
Damian had managed to control his laughter at last.
Wufei was grumbling as he made his way back to the bed and his love. The world was against him on this day it would seem.
Katey exited the washroom looking at the floor unsure of her welcome.
Duo seeing Katey’s problem whistled at her appearance. He now knew why it had taken so long in the washroom.
Sally had gotten the mats out of her hair it was deceptively longer then it looked. It was no longer a dull red but a vibrant red similar to flames of fire. She wore an emerald green asian style shirt with bootlegger black jeans. The shirt framed her slender frame perfectly. It showed her off beautifully. Making her seem older than she actually was.
Wufei looked up at Duo’s whistle and grinned in appreciation. His sister was breath taking. He would have a fun time chasing boys and men away from her. “Beautiful.” He told her quietly.
Howard turned to see what was going on and whistled as well. He had a feeling that Duo and Wufei would have their hands full with this group. Even Damian was breathtaking in that male way that had women drooling after Duo. They were of similar build. They also both had that deadly edge to them that seemed to draw women like flies. Duo’s face had a softer heart shaped face to Damian’s harder rugged face. But they were actually close enough in looks that they could actually be brothers for a fact.
A fully clothed Sakura zoomed out of the bathroom to resume her place of honor in her ‘Duo-Daddy’s’ lap. Sally sighed as she followed. “Sakura, dear. Your Daddies need to have their own bath.” She told the little girl. “Why don’t you ask your grampa and uncles if they could take you for a little walk while they get all cleaned up.”
Sakura wrinkled her nose and thought about what the woman had said. “Okay.” She looked up happily at her Baba and Duo-Daddy. “You do need to have a bath.” She told them in a voice that was meant to be conspiratal but was heard by all. “You smell really really bad.”
Wufei fell back on the bed with a groan. His daughter may look like him but she had her mothers way with words AND Duo’s unseemingly endless supply of energy. “Sakura, we really have to teach you some manners.” Wufei muttered to his daughter. His arm was placed over his eyes so he wouldn’t see the looks on everyone’s face. He couldn’t deal with that to add to his embarrassment.
“Sakura, munchkin.” Duo caught the little girls attention. “Sally was being polite when she pointed out we needed to bath. But when people are around that you don’t know you don’t say things like you just did. You be polite about it or say nothing at all. When your at home you can say anything you want. But always think about what you’re going to say. You may hurt someone if you say something with out thinking about it. I know this is something new to you. But you have to think before you say things around people. They may not be as understanding as we are. Do you see what I mean by that?” Duo couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. He had never thought they would ever com out of his mouth.
Sakura looked up at him with a frown on her face. “Words can hurt just as much as hitting.” She finally managed to wrap her mind around what Duo was trying to tell her.
“Yes they can munchkin. They can hurt even more than getting hit or kicked. They hurt you here,” Do placed the tip of a finger in the center of her forehead. “And here.” He placed a hand over her heart. “If you don’t know the person you can hurt them really really badly.”
Sakura looked up at Duo with wide understanding eyes. “Like when that mean man said Danny was nothing but a little whore to be ridden and nothing else but garbage. But Danny was nice to me and made sure I was okay.”
Duo nodded trying to keep his face from showing the anger he wanted to let lose.
Sakura turned to her father to see what he thought. “It hurt Danny.” She told Wufei. “It made him go somewhere else inside his head.”
Wufei winced and pulled his daughter close to cuddle. “That’s what we’re trying to say.” He said softly as she cuddled as close as she could with a wrinkled nose. “No matter what you have to think before you say something. There are times where you’ll want to say really bad things because you’re hurt or angry by what some one else says. You tell them it hurt and you tell them why but don’t do what they do. You’re better than they are. We know it.” Wufei tilted her head up. “And I know that you know it as well.”
Sakura nodded and bounced back to her spot in Duo’s lap. “Then don’t you think you should introduce me to my grampa and uncles.” She whispered eagerly to Duo. Her voice actually whispering.
Duo poked her in the belly and gave her a big grin. “Okay munchkin,” He looked up and grinned at his audience. “Howie, Heero, Trowa, Quatre this is Chang Sakura,” He poked her belly again and got a giggle and squirm. “Chang Katey, and Damian Maxwell. Damian is my brother and Katey is Fei’s sister.”
Wufei looked at his love wryly as he continued to poke Sakura randomly. “Sakura, Katey, Damian, the blond lady is Doctor Sally Po. She is your aunt. When we aren’t in her jurisdiction that is. The blonde man is Doctor Quatre Raberba Winner. He is your uncle and he will be living with us. The old guy is Doctor Howard Green. He’s your grampa and a mad scientist.” Wufei ignored the growl of warning. “The guy with the hair that goes just about everywhere but where it is supposed to is Preventer Heero Yuy. He’s your uncle that talks in grunts.” Sakura giggled in delight. “The giant guy behind them is Lieutenant Trowa Barton. He is your uncle as well. He can bend himself into a pretzel.”
Sakura eeled herself around till she escaped Duo’s fingers. “Hi.” She chirped happily as she bounced off the bed.
Howard caught her before she could fall. “Girlie, you have got to be more careful.” He said with a scowl. He received a bright smile at his words.
Sakura wrapped her arms around Howard’s neck and placed a big wet kiss on his cheek.
“Ahhhhgggg.” Howard howled in protest as he fell backwards into Heero. “A deadly girlie kiss.”
Heero grunted and rolled his eyes relieving him of his burden. He eyed her and waited for her to react.
“Hello Uncle Heero.” Sakura greeted her uncle and promptly gave him a wet kiss.
Heero groaned and tossed her into the air knowing Trowa would catch her. “Felled by a girl.” He fell to the floor beside Howard.
Sakura soared through the air with a small shriek and her father’s growl of warning filled the air as did Duo’s startled gasp. She landed safely in strong arms and looked up with delighted eyes. “Hello Uncle Trowa.” She gave him a wet kiss as well.
Trowa gasped in fear. “Girl kooties!” He let himself slowly ease to the floor and held Sakura high in his arms to be passed on.
Quatre rolled his eyes and accepted the little girl from his love. He eyed the girl for a second.
Sakura was giggling for all she was worth. “Hello Uncle Quatre.” She placed another wet kiss on him.
Quatre frowned and suddenly grinned. “I live. I have survived yet another encounter with the female kind.” He swung Sakura around and buzzed her cheeks playfully as he traipsed around the limp forms on the floor. “You have to better than that to get me.” He informed the giggling wiggling bundle. “I have twenty-nine sisters.”
Sakura stared at him in awe. “Twenty-nine?” She asked her voice almost inaudible.
Quatre nodded solemnly. “Yup. You’ll meet them all eventually. And you’ll run the other way if you ever see them coming because they’ll think you are so cute and adorable that they’ll want to dress you in pink, frilly dresses and put ribbons in your hair.”
Sakura’s light golden toned skin went absolutely white. “Baba help!” She whimpered. “No pink. NO PINK!” She yelled as she started to struggle to get free from Quatre. “NO PINK!!!”
Quatre stared at the girl in his arms. He didn’t know what had come over her.
Wufei looked up at the teasing and tensed when his daughter went spastic in Quatre’s arms. He shot off the bed and had his daughter pulled in his arms in a heartbeat. Duo was beside him murmuring quietly to the child. “It’s alright Sakura. No pink I promise.” He told his daughter quietly. “No more pink. Not unless you say so.” He bounced her gently against his chest as he pressed kisses to the top of her head.
Duo was out of the bed almost as quickly as Wufei. ‘No pink.’ was his mantra as he placed kisses on the silky black hair. He had an idea about what had brought it on and shot a glare at Quatre. ‘Don’t ever mention the word PINK around her again.’ He mouthed to the man. His eyes promised an explanation later.
Quatre moved hesitantly to the girl. “Sakura.” He murmured softly. A small tear drenched face turned to him slowly. “I promise never to let my sisters near you.” He promised the girl in her father’s arms. “Cross my heart.” Quatre made an X motion over his heart to show her he meant it. He ignored the sounds of movement on the floor. He wanted to see the little girl smiling again. “No pink will ever be allowed in the house unless I’m wearing it.” He told her solemnly.
Sakura smiled hesitantly. She nodded and tucked her head under her father’s chin.
“Sakura.” The quiet voice called to her.
She turned to look into one visible green eye.
“Would you like to meet my new sister and son?” Trowa asked her softly.
“Can Katey and Damian come too?” She asked in a small quavering voice.
“Of course.”
“Okay.” She pulled back to look at her father. She gave him a watery smile and hug. He had saved her from the pink things.
Wufei looked down with a slight smile at his brave daughter. He thought she was brave to be allowing someone to take her from his sight so soon.
Sakura looked over Wufei’s shoulder to see Damian watching her quietly Katey standing close to him. Dr. Po was putting her stethoscope away and gave her a little smile of understanding. She turned her head to look at her Duo-Daddy and gave him a solemn look. “No pink.” She told him vehemently.
Duo gave a little smile and wink. “No pink.” He told her in agreement.
Sakura looked back at the four men she had had fun with. She held out her arms to Heero of all people. She trusted him the most. He was like her Baba. No one was like her Duo-Daddy.
Heero blinked at the trust he was being given. His eyes looked from Sakura to eyes that matched hers. He silently promised Wufei to keep an eye on her as he stood to take her. He pulled her in close to his body and murmured something into her ear that no one in the room heard. He turned and proceed out of the room with three men and two confused teen following him.
They left Dr. Po, Wufei, and Duo somewhat alone in the room.