November 27th 1998…
"Yukie, where are you?" 8 year old Amanda asked as she and Yukie were playing hide and seek on a crisp autumn afternoon… and Amanda stopped and turned after she heard footsteps. "Minako, you scared me." She replied with a slight laugh.
"I love scaring people. My daddy laughs at it. Mommy on the other hand just screams out for help." Minako explained, as a blue butterfly landed in the palm of her hand.
"Fly away, butterfly!" Amanda responded, the butterfly doing so and Minako angered at Amanda's child like innocence.
"You think you're so cute, huh? You getting the attention of my sister when me and her share the same Mommy. And it's really, really, making me sick." Minako explained, as she pulled out a knife from behind her back.
Amanda screamed in pure terror and ran, Minako chasing her and tackling her.
Amanda felt the blade pierce her skin and then heard yelling and Minako cry out as she was shoved down before Yukie picked Amanda up in her arms.
"Minako is mean!" Amanda cried as Yukie held her.
"Come on, Yukie! Come on, Mandy! Let's play tag!" Minako called out, as Yukie was looking back.
She ran with the smaller girl and busted open the door of the Cena house as John Sr ran downstairs and to them.
"Mandy, Yukie, what happened?!" John Sr asked after barricading the door.
"Minako hurt her!" Yukie cried, John Sr tying a towel around Amanda's wound and picking both girls up into his arms.
"You want to play hide and go seek? Okay, just let me crawl through the cat door from the backyard so we can play together." Minako shouted from the front of the house.
John Sr snuck out the foyer door and to the Volvo, driving off and calling 911.
The next thing the three saw was Minako being dragged to the hospital psych ward and screaming… and Amanda, her arm stitched up, clung to her dad.
"Minako's not getting free, is she, Daddy?" Amanda asked, John Sr lightly brushing her light brown curls back.
"She's never getting free, sweetheart." John Sr whispered, kissing Amanda on her forehead.
In a straitjacket, Minako looked up at the ceiling.
She was plotting her escape… but she knew she needed time to…
Present time, September 10th 2015, taping for September 30th 2015 episode of NXT, Amanda's perspective…
Sometimes things don't always go to plan on or off camera… and it sucks when they don't.
That's one reason I'm on the ground now with most likely a scraped up shoulder, bruised face and broken foot as Enzo helps me sit up… and picks me up to my feet, me backing away from him and managing to put weight on my left foot and walk.
Okay, so it's not broken… wouldn't be able to walk if it were.
I feel a hand touch my face before Finn pulls me into his arms, us holding each other before they get back in the ring and Finn and Joe win the match.
I guess I must've said something when we're hugging again in the trainer's office because Finn turns confused and readjusts the ice pack on my foot.
"Who's Minako?" Finn asked as he cradled my face into his hands… oh fuck!
"Don't freak out but… she's Yukie's evil twin." I explained… which evokes a few snickers from Joe and I look at him. "That's not funny, Joe. Minako is a fucking sociopath, she had to be locked up in an asylum." I responded after Finn rests one hand on my back and the other on my right shoulder, Joe looking at us.
"Finn, you can't honestly believe this, right? Mandy just got crashed onto and fell, she's gotta be disoriented." Joe replied, Finn narrowing his eyes at Joe.
"You know the answer to that question, Mandy doesn't lie about anything. Personally, I think you just don't want me getting too close to one of your former wrestling students. Is that why you never introduced me and Mandy to each other back then?" Finn responded, his right hand wrapping around mine and me lightly squeezing it… and Joe leaving, Finn holding me close to him.
"You knew right away what I meant… by saying that Minako is evil. Before she tried to kill me, I never thought people could be born bad. I thought Hiro was just turning a blind eye to her behavior." I replied as we held each other… and Hiroki walked in.
"What's going on here? First, you crash and burned your head, and now you're cuddling with Finn?" Hiroki asked.
"Everyone needs comfort after a fall like that." Finn responded.
"I noticed her say something out there." Hiroki replied.
"You did?" I asked.
"Yeah, not sure what it was though so I associated it to you falling to the ground too hard." Hiroki responded before he looked at Finn. "Keep an eye on her." He replied before he left.
Probably for the best that no one else mentions Minako.
Yukie's/Minako's perspective…
"You're sure you heard her say Minako?" I questioned, Enzo nodding.
"I have no idea who Minako is, I was thinking that you knew." Enzo explained before I show him the tattoo on my right thumb.
"Only way to tell us apart. From what Hiroki had told me, Minako was institutionalized." I responded.
"She try to kill someone?" Enzo asked.
"From what I was told by Hiroki, Minako had stabbed Mandy." I replied.
"But you don't remember seeing a scar…" Enzo responded before I stood up.
"Enzo, I got struck by lightning and it scattered most of my memories! I hardly remember my childhood, let alone that… that woman calling herself Mandy! For all I know, Mandy made up the stabbing incident!" I replied in a frustrated tone.
"Okay, calm down. I was just trying to make sure what was going on here. Mandy may not be the same girl you knew in Massachusetts but she wouldn't lie about something like that." Enzo explained before he left and I slam the door closed.
Mandy should just let the past stay buried!
