AN: Okay since my last Fallen Petals/Banana Split has fallen through...like I got nothing for it, I decided to try again. There is a bit of ooc in this story, but not much. Well here ya go, an Adoption!AU, Read&Review, if you so desire


Cinder sat in the back of the car with her arms crossed. She looked up at the man driving. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

The man looked at the 18 year old in the mirror. "We may have finally found someone to take your ass."

Cinder growled at the man and looked out the window. She watched the morning sky begin to lighten, her amber eyes reflecting the new morning sun. She distracted herself from her abusive caretaker by watching the clouds fly by.

She watched in silence as the man drove up to the adoption center. The large brick building seemed almost like a prision. It was really...for the orphans who didn't get to go to a foster home. Cinder remembered her life in that building, she had one friend, everyone else, even the adults, called her a witch, her eyes seemed to glow from time to time. Only one other girl didn't find it weird, and it was a young girl whose eyes were brown and pink. Cinder hadn't seen her friend in a year, since she was sent to a foster home.

Cinder was jostled from her thoughts as the car stuttered to a stop. She was dragged out of the car by the man who was supposed to take care of her, his powerful grip would hurt if she weren't used to it.

"Listen here ya little bitch. There's another chic they're looking at, so make yourself presentable, this is probably your last chance to actually get adopted because-"

"In a week I'll be 18 and my ass will be out the door…" Cinder finished his statement. In Vale once an orphan is 18 it's legal to kick him or her out of a foster home.

Her 'caretaker', for lack of a better word, pulled the black haired girl into the building and to the dining room, which was used as a type of interview room for adoptions. Two adults already sat at the large oak table, one a beautiful black haired woman, and the other a large blonde man. Both were fairly muscular, though the man looked like he walked out of a body building magazine.

As Cinder sat down across from them, she tried not to stare at the woman. The young woman, when seeing a woman with beautiful black haired, would sometimes pretend that was her mother coming to take her home. Though she now knew better, it was amusing to entertain the thought that she could go home with someone like her. As the adoption agent came in and gave the couple a copy of her file to look over, Cinder took the opportunity to look at the woman.

Now with a second look, she saw the woman's hair wasn't pure black, the tips where a reddish color, it almost looked natural. Cinder watched as the woman's silver eyes scanned over the page, and her gaze was drawn down the contours of her face down to the white jacket she was wearing. She looked so young, but old at the same time...she was beautiful.

Then Cinder's crimson eyes flicked over to the man she assumed to be the woman's husband. He was a large man, bigger than the other guardians that Cinder had been taken care of in the past. It would hurt if she messed up in this house. The man had an epic mullet of golden blonde hair and had a hard angular face. He was wearing a black muscle shirt with a strange yellow symbol, like a burning heart. Cinder studied the symbol for a moment, it looks familiar, but she can't place it.

She begins to go through the different local businesses that have a personalize symbol, trying to identify it, when a voice calls her attention. "So you're Cinder Fall?"

Cinder looked up and nodded a little, trying to keep a stoic face. She looked a the woman who spoke and sighed. "Yes, I'm Cinder."

The woman smiled and held out her hand for the teenager to take. "Well my name is Summer Rose, and this is my partner, Taiyang Xiao Long."

"So you're not married," Cinder just blurted out. She probably shouldn't, but she no longer cared if she was actually adopted today.

Though the reaction she got was the last thing she expected, a deep bellowing laugh from the man named Taiyang. She could almost feel the table vibrate a little. "Nay girl, legally we are."

"Just for reasons, I had to keep my maiden name," the woman, Summer, explained softly.

Cinder blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding a little. She understood that some people were just like that. "So...why adopted a seventeen year old?"

"Its not your age, its your file. You know as well as I you won't survive past eightteen," Summer explained.

Cinder sighed and looked away, she was right. Cinder probably wouldn't survive when she got evicted out of her foster home. She closed her eyes and sighed in defeat.

Then she heard something, the door behind her opening. That must be the other girl they asked for. Cinder took a deep breath and turned to look back at her competition, but what she saw made her pause.

"N-Neo?"

The small girl who now stood behind Cinder looked up and blinked a few times. Cinder hadn't seen her in such a long time...but she looks the same. The right side of her hair was brown, and the left was pink with a white highlight. Her left eye was still brown, and the other still pink.. She was wearing a plain pink t-shirt and black shorts. She looked almost 12 with how petite she is, but Cinder knew she was actually about 15.

Neo slowly walked up and took a seat beside Cinder, as once again the couple looked over the file. Neo held her standard silence, most would find it uncomfortable, but Cinder almsot enjoyed it.

Again Summer looked up from the paper and smiled. "You're Neopolitan?"

Neo simply nodded.

"Well it says here you were a social secruty case...taken from your legal guardians."

Again just a nod. Summer looked at the girl in confusion, this silence is normal.

Cinder noticed the action and spoke up. "She doesn't talk...it hurts for her to."

Neo let out a soft whimper, expecting to be forced to, though again, Summer surprised the orphans. "That's fine, she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to. You seem to know enough about her, Cinder."

The young woman nodded and the interview began. Cinder answered for both of them, just standard things.

"Any juvinile criminal records?"

"No."

"Drug use?"

"Nothing but the occasional cigarette for me, nothing for Neo."

"Alcohol use."

"No."

Summer paused for a moment and looked at her partner for a moment. He nods and they both stand. "We'll be right back, darlings," Taiyang said with a smile. He took his wife's hand and they walked out.

Taking the moment of silence, Cinder looked over at Neo and smiled a little. It was good to see her friend again. Neo met her crimson gaze and smiled as well. The small girl reached out and took her hand.

"Neo...you're gonna get adopted today...I'll be fine."

Neo whimpered and shook her head. "You...you deserve it too…" she said in a soft gentle voice.

"Neo...with how you are...you can't stay here."

"I won't go before you."

"That's good to hear."

Cinder and Neo both looked up and found Summer and Taiyang smiling down at them. Cinder turned as red as Summer's tips and pulled away from Neo as the woman continued speaking. "We've decided to adopt you both."

"What?" Cinder looked at Neo in surprise, and the small girl met her gaze. They were both surprised. A double adoption with non-siblings was so rare, the others would tease that it was illegal.

Summer nodded as Taiyang went to go get another set of adoption papers. "I'm sure Ruby and Yang won't mind sharing a room again."

"Wait you have kids?"

This day can only get weirder for the two orphans who now have a home.


AN: So here it is...hope ya'll liked it.