"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!

"He didn't and you're a liar!" The boy shouted from the bottom of his lungs, catching the attention of several other kids, who stopped their games for a second to observe the fighting pair, only to resume their activities after some moments.

Miss Toya looked up, but decided the situation wasn't alarming and went back to her chat with Hikari's mom; kids always seemed to quarrel over unimportant things.

The blonde haired girl gasped at the unfair adjective, her cheeks turned red, half from anger, half from shame, but she recovered her dignity and answered with a raised chin.

"I am not!"

"Hey, hey, what's going on here?"

Jet Link dismounted his Harley-Davison and headed towards the arguing children; a pair of beautiful cinnamon eyes sparkled at his sight.

"Uncle Jet!" The girl then turned to the boy and narrowed her eyes. "Now you'll see!" she warned and ran to the recently arrived man.

"Uncle Jet, come here! Tell'im!" she pleaded.

"Woah! Easy Kiddo! Tell what?" Jet chuckled when her 'niece' started pulling at his hand with all the strength she possessed in her little body.

"About the story!"

Marie guided him to a black haired boy her age; for a moment the child just stood there, looking amazed at the imposing tall figure of Jet and his wild hair. But soon he reacted and replied with a smirk over his young features.

"That's your famous uncle Jet? I don't think he can fly!"

Jet frowned as he started understanding the situation. Marie kept tugging at his hand. "Of course he can and he'll show you!" She retorted and then added, "right uncle?"

The blond girl turned her expectant eyes to his favourite uncle; of course he would show him and that idiot Haku would regret ever calling her a liar.

Jet blinked, then looked from Marie to the boy with that hideous expression. How he would like to erase that smug look from the little face by doing what Marie was asking him to. But he couldn't.

Marie waited anxious for her uncle to speak, but he just closed his eyes and shook his head, his large fire coloured hair moving from one side to the other. He then turned around and started walking to his bike, dragging Marie along.

"Let's go kiddo, it's getting late."

"No uncle, wait! Tell him about your rocket legs and how you saved my dad back in space!" she said as she tried to resist his pull.

An annoying sing song was heard behind them. "Ha! I knew you were lying! Liar, liar!" and then a couple of small feet could be heard running off.

Marie freed herself from Jet's hold as her voice raised in anger. "Why didn't you tell him?"

Jet turned around and after a short sight he knelt in front of her. It was his joy pleasing every single wish of his little princess, and letting her down pained him greatly.

"Listen Kiddo, you can't go 'roundtelling everyone about us." He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Why not?" she asked in genuine confusion.

"Because it's dangerous."

"Why?" her voice still reflected her resentment.

"Because… you know… we're not normal" Jet tried to explain the situation, but he got little success.

"We aren't?" she frowned, bewildered.

"Well… you are, but we are not."

"I don't understand you, uncle Jet!" She raised her arms in frustration, taking his hands off her.

"Ahg forget it! Just come here, I've to take you to your mom, it's getting late. Alright?"

Jet picked her up and sat her down on his bike, placing on her head the small helmet Joe had made him buy for her. Marie just puckered her brow.

"Listen Marie--" he started after climbing behind her.

"I don't wanna talk to you! I'm very very mad at you!" she interrupted him, crossing her arms across her chest. Jet knew her well enough to understand that, in that moment, any talk with her would be totally pointless.

"Whatever, you'll understand latter."

With those words, he started the engine and in a matter of seconds the bike was out of sight.

------------------------

"One more time girls, and remember; each movement should be done gracefully and smoothly, as though each individual step became one. Now, go back to fifth position."

"Hai." After the collective response, the stick started hitting the wooden floor again.

"One, two, three, four, --Ayame, your arms en avante."

A line of girls clothed in black leotards followed carefully the instructions of their young teacher, as well as the rhythm she was setting with her stick

"Tilt your head to the right, now to the left, very good, Hiromi, watch your port de bras…"

the class kept going with the basic exercise as Francoise watched them, pleased; this new class was advancing very fast, but a sudden noise distracted her from the dancing girls and made her turn her head around.

There she was, her little angel; her head was barely visible through the glass, as only her bright brown eyes could be seen over the wooden door. Jet was standing behind her, knocking at the door and waving at her to join them.

"Arisa, please, take over the class, I'll be back in some minutes."

"Hai Francoise-san." The assistant took the stick from Francoise's hand and resumed the counting.

Francoise placed a towel over her shoulders and walked to the door. The second she opened it, a blur of blond hair clutched onto her waist, burying her face in her stomach. The child then muffled something that sounded like; "Mommy-I-don't-love-my-uncle-Jet-anymore".

"Honey, what's going on? What did Jet do to you?" She asked as she stroked the little head and then turned her eyes to Jet, suspicious. He shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"I didn't do anything! What I wonder, in the other hand, is why haven't you done something you should have," he defended himself and then whispered some words, not loud enough for Marie to catch, but there way no was Francoise would miss them, thanks to her enhanced hearing.

"Oh…" she nodded after understanding the situation. " I see, don't worry Jet, I'll take care of it."

"Yeah, no prob. See you later, okay Marie?" He placed a hand over her head, but the little girl would not respond.

"…Right, well, bye Fran, gotta go now, Kathy and Jimmy must me waiting for me already." Jet turned and headed to the exit.

"Okay, thanks for picking her from school."

"Whatever." He waved his hand, not bothering with turning around, but Francoise knew his manners too well to feel offended.

She turned her attention to her daughter, whose face was still firm against her stomach; she picked her up in her arms, resting her on her right hip, then she lifted the girl's chin until their eyes made contact.

Her big chocolate orbs reminded her so much of Joe's. Looking at them always brought a smile upon the French headmistress' face.

"What's wrong sunshine, how was your first school day?"

"It was okay…" The young girl gazed down as she started playing with the ribbon on her mother's golden hair.

"Is that so? Then why are you so upset?" Francoise started walking towards her office until she reached the door. After entering, she sat Marie over her desk and then took a seat in one of the chairs.

"That kid Haku called me a liar…" the girl answered in a low voice.

"And why did he do that?"

"Because he didn't believe me when I told him that uncle Jet could fly, or when I told him about the story when he saved my daddy from space."

Oh heavens.

Francoise lowered her head after listening at this, how careless they all had been. Marie had been living this strange life, surrounded by all these... peculiar people. Yet all of that was perfectly normal for her, as it was for all of them by now. They completely forgot to explain to her the difference between her family and the rest of the world. Big mistake. How did they miss that little detail before sending her child out into the real world?

"I see."

"And then I wanted to show him that I wasn't lying but uncle Jet didn't want to tell him. Why didn't he want to tell him maman? He said it was dangerous."

Francoise Arnoul-Shimamura took a deep breath as she tried to get an explanation, a reasonable one for a four years old child anyway. She knew this moment would arrive someday, but she had been trying to fool herself in thinking that they still had plenty of time before she had to deal with this situation, they all had.

'Well honey, we were kidnapped by a criminal organisation who transformed us in living weapons to help them destroy the world' some how didn't sound like the best choice.

Marie touched her mother's arm after, for the girl, a really long silence.

"Maman, won't you tell me?"

Francoise took the girl in her arms and sat her on her lap as she started removing her shoes and socks.

"Well sweetie, uncle Jet told you that because we're special, I mean, your uncles and I."

"I'm special too, papa told me."

"Yes you are, because you make us very happy, but we're different, I mean, dad, your uncles and me."

"Why?" Marie raised her hands so her mother could take off her hello kitty shirt.

Francoise took a hand under her chin as she reflected in the answer. "Because… we do things that no one else can, like breathing under water like uncle Pyunma or transforming into things like uncle G.B."

"And no one else can see into one's thoughts like Ivan?"

"No one else." Answered the French cyborg and Marie looked down in reflection, frowning.

"And the other moms can't see through the walls like you?" The girl raised her eyebrows, as if such thing never had crossed her mind.

"Nope, just me." And Marie's skirt was off. Francoise put her daughter over her desk so she could start dressing her with her leotard.

"And why can't I do special things like you? If you and papa can, then why not me?" Marie tilted her head.

Thanks God, thought Francoise.

She had been deeply worried when she found herself to be pregnant. She never thought her body still held such possibility in the first place. And then she and Joe were so scared wondering what their child would turn like, if it would be damaged because of all the things that had been done to them… if it would suffer during its whole life because of what its parents were.

Then Marie was born, and she was perfect. She was normal.

"That's not completely true, you can do all those beautiful drawings and I bet you'll keep getting better, that's a special thing you do, your talent."

Yeah, that was it.

Francoise smiled, finding a way to explain thing to her girl. "The things we do are like your ability to draw; they're our talents. You see? But our… um… talents can't be shared with others like your drawings, because people might be afraid of them..." Next she started combing Marie's hair in order to make it into a ponytail.

"Why? I think they are great!"

"Ah… you'll see… people are afraid of what they don't understand and a person that can breathe fire, like uncle Chang might scare them a little. Don't you think? That's why we have to keep our talents a secret and I'm counting on you to help us with that. Okay? Can you do that for us sweetie?"

Francoise turned Marie toward her after her hair was done. The little white ribbon was the perfect final touch. But her child's face was set in worry.

"What's wrong?" said Francoise, touching her cheek.

"I'm sorry maman, I already told someone."

Don't panic. It can't be that bad. We can always say it is a child's fantasy. Francoise tried to reassure herself.

"Who, sweetie? Who did you tell?"

"My teacher, Miss Toya, I showed her my drawing and I told her all your talents, she said it was very nice. Did I do wrong? Now people are gonna be afraid of you mommy?" Marie was now at the verge of tears.

Francoise crushed her to her chest, caressing her little head. "No no, it's alright honey, don't worry, surely Miss Toya thought you were only playing a game, it's alright baby, I'm not mad at you."

"Really?" her cinnamon eyes looked at her, hopeful.

"Really." Francoise smiled. "But remember, no more telling about it. Agreed?"

"Ok."

"Well now, we better get you into your pointe shoes, or you'll be late for your ballet class."

Francoise started tying the laces around Marie's ankles when the girl sent yet another question.

And why can you all do those things? Why no one else can?"

The woman sighed. There was not easy answer to that.

"I… I can't really explain it to you now, Marie, you wouldn't understand, but I promise someday we'll tell you, when you're old enough."

"Promise?" the child smiled.

"Promise. And you know what? The person that will explain it to you is about to enter through the door."

Marie turned her eyes to the entrance and seconds later, Joe Shimamura opened the door, the girl's face lit up with a smile as she ran to him and he scooped her up.

"Papa!"

"Here are my two girls! Hello sunshine! How was school?" he said, kissing the cheek of his daughter.

"More or less, but I'm better now."

"How come?"

"We'll tell you all about it over dinner, alright? Marie's already late for her class," said Francoise, walking to her husband and placing a peck on his confused face.

"Okay…" he lowered Marie to the floor.

"But maman told me you are going to tell me, when I grow up, why you have special talents that no one must know about, okay daddy?"

"Wha--?"

"I'm going to my class now, bye daddy! Bye mommy!"

Marie ran out of the room, her little tutu bouncing up and down with every step. Joe looked at hischild and then to hiswife, who gave himthe utmost innocent look.

"What was that about? And why the one to tell her about that is me?" he asked.

She smiled mischievously. "What? I'll explain to her where do babies come from and you get to tell her why her parents are cyborgs. I think you've got an excellent deal."

"Hey! That's not fair? Don't I get a say on this?"

"Not really."

"In that case, you have to compensate me over this, you mean woman." He pretended to sound hurt, then he put his arms around her and started nibbling her ear.

"Too bad I have to return to class, you know, it would look real bad if the owner of the school skipped her responsibilities but… get Marie to sleep early tonight and we'll see," she blinked and took his arms from her.

Joe could only smile.

Next: Miss Toya meets the Cyborgs.
Well. After a really long time, I got enough inspiration to add a couple of scenes to this one-shot. Hope you liked it. Let me know.

And everyone say 'thank you' to GoldAngel2, who is once again, beta-reading me. Believe me, if not for her, you wouldn't be reading this.