Her mother could only gape at her when she arrived at their doorstep, coated in dust, in damp clothing and covered in a thin veil of weariness that was obvious even from a mile away.

"Ayako?"

"Hey, mom," she said and rubbed her eyes, removing a small speck of dust there. "How's it going?"

"What...What happened?" Masaki's words caught, gaping with astonishment.

"Didn't you hear the news?" she asked. Her mother still hadn't allowed her in.

Masaki shook her head, unsure of what to say. "No, I didn't."

"Could I come in first?" she asked, weary.

Her mother seemed to have noticed that she was still hanging outside the threshold and shifted aside, her daughter trudging in and leaving mud stains on the floor. Ignoring the mess, Masaki turned to look at her.

"Okay, now tell me what happened."

"A masked man attacked and tried to suck the whole place up into a portal that was actually a wormhole to another dimension because he was mad at the main benefactor - Alistair Krei –- for putting his daughter's life in danger. I got caught in the crossfire but managed to escape and I think Paul is never going to let me work for him again because I left his DSLR under a pile of rubble."

Masaki's mouth fell open in shock. Her mother took a moment to absorb it all in, struggling for words to depict how stunned she was at the things she had just told her. The only thing Masaki could muster was, "Ayako this is not a sci-fi film."

And her daughter could only shrug, going, "that's what I kept telling myself the whole time."

~~O~~O~~

The atmosphere in the cafe was relaxed and the whole team was hanging around, enjoying fresh cups of coffee courtesy of Aunt Cass. Ayako was seated in between Tadashi and Fred, the latter entertaining them with the story of how he found out his dad was actually a superhero.

Wasabi snorted. "Come of it. Your old man? A superhero?"

"That's what I thought, too," Fred said, excited. "I mean, I told myself dad couldn't be but then when I thought it over, it seemed incredibly possible, mi amigo. He could've had an old team way back then. I just need to search for their name in some comic books."

"Sounds fake," GoGo added dryly, leaning on Wasabi's shoulder, much to the bigger man's surprise.

Ayako snickered. "We've seen weirder things, GoGo. There could be a possibility."

"Yeah," Tadashi added and they both shared a glance. Realizing who was missing, she voiced out, "hey, where's Hiro?"

Tadashi shrugged and became brooding, brown eyes stormy. "I don't know. He hasn't come out of the garage since the" -he couldn't bring himself to say it- "and he's been preoccupied with school work."

Ayako took his hand, lacing her fingers with it. He offered her a small smile and she squeezed his hand, silently giving him her support.

"Give him some time," she said softly, going unnoticed by everyone except him.

"Ooh, we just have to take a photo," Honey Lemon squealed as she whipped out her phone, breaking the moment between them. He grasped her hand gently and let go, shifting his cap, much to her amusement.

"Why?" Fred asked, purplexed.

"Because this is our first sit-down as a team," she reasoned and beckoned everyone to come closer. Ayako adjusted her hair and beamed up into the camera, Honey quickly snapping a few pictures.

They leaned back, Honey sharing the phone between them so that they could all check the quality.

Ayako took a moment to breath in and relax. There were no more threats as far as she was concern, except for the looming date of her scholarship project and she could take a moment and enjoy the present; the smell of coffee hung rich in the air, the machine that Tadashi and Hiro invented whirring happily in the back, chatter drifting from the other patrons in the background. With a pang of amusement, she wondered when their lives had went from sharing their ideas and creations with one another to surviving life threatening missions together.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked in quiet voice, and he glanced at her, smirking.

"I recall," he said. "You looked beautiful in your paint splattered jeans and I thought to myself 'my God, you couldn't be anymore perfect' until you accidently showed me your drawings."

She ducked her head, blushing. "I was beating myself up the whole night for messing up in front of you. I wanted to make a lasting impression... just not like that."

"It worked," he hummed and she stuck her tongue out at him."

Ayako sighed. "How did we get here?"

"Yeah," Fred said in a faraway voice. "How did we get here?"

"By the tram?" Wasabi teased to the chuckles of the rest of the team. "What else did you expect since my car is still in the bottom of the ocean."

"I'll ask Heathcliff to get that for you," Fred promised, a little sheepish although the chase wasn't his fault.

"Down in the ocean?" Tadashi quirked a brow.

"We'll tell you later," Honey said.

"Is there anything Heathcliff can't do?" Ayako asked, impressed by the butler's arsenal of knowledge. He could fly a helicopter, make amazing lemonade and now he knew how to extract cars from the bottom of the ocean?

Fred scrunched his face up, deep in thought. "I think he once burned a whole batch of mac 'n' cheese. That was the first time I ever saw him lose his cool."

"Figures," Ayako said with a small shake of her head.

Just then, Hiro came walking down the stairs, joining his brother and friends. He had donned a S.F.I.T hoodie, and she wondered if school merchandise was a staple of the Hamada brother's wadrobe.

"Hey, guys," he greeted warmly.

"Hey, Hiro," they echoed and stood up, ready to head to their college. Ayako planned to follow them on tram as her university was just a short way from theirs.

"Come on, or we'll be late for class," Tadashi voiced, downing his cup of coffee.

They all bid goodbye to Aunt Cass and both the Hamada brothers turned around to give her a last hug. Ayako knew that since the events of the fire and the kidnapping that they had grown to cherish their aunt more than they already did and would subtly reassure her that they would be coming back home.

The tram ride was pleasant, the team chatting on and Ayako's fingers linking with his, the two of them talking to other people yet remaining connected in what little way they could. Her heart thrummed with a joy that she had never felt before, strong yet pleasant at the same time, like happiness that a person would experience when they had just spent a day at the beach, tired yet content.

She treasured it, embedded it in her mind, reassuring herself that all those days of locked doors, angry music and pent up emotions would no longer trail behind her like a cold shadow and she was free to finally live.

It was amazingly ironic how it took two instances of nearly dying to make her feel this alive. But her life was always filled with ironies, anyway.

~~O~~O~~

Like now when her mother had just dropped the biggest bomb in her life, leaving her staring at the older woman with wide eyes and an opened mouth.

"Close your mouth, Ayako, or a fly would enter," Masaki said, amused.

"W-What?"

She pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming, that action earning a small chuckle from her usual stoic mother. Ayako didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that her mother had just laughed or that she had just given her express permission to go down to Russia.

"You heard what I just said."

"B-But why?" Ayako couldn't wrap her head around it. Just last week Masaki was adamant that she couldn't go down to Russia and meet her father. Now, she was telling her that she had jusy booked a flight ticket for her and the plane would leave in a week's time.

Masaki lifted her shoulders, and was that a sparkle of mischief in her mother's gaze?

"I know that you've been...unhappy and that the stress of school and being in danger twice was starting to take a toll on you. I thought you needed a change of scenery and Russia was the best place that I could think of. But I have my own conditions."

Ayako settled back in the seat, sobering up from her shock. "Shoot."

"One, the trip will be shortened to two weeks and two, that you will always update me on where you go; call me at least once a day and for God's sake, don't get yourself into trouble again."

She knew her mother was referring to the Krei building incident and mentally winced at the reminder.

"And I'll give you some money to bring back some vodka - distilled one, because I haven't been able to get my hands on-"

Masaki's words were cut off when Ayako embraced her mother, choked up at the opportunity that she was giving the young woman. Russia was so tangible and she had harbored secret hope that her mother would let her go. Ayako had even started saving in case her mother said 'yes' but was low on sufficient funds.

"Thank you, thank you," she whispered and felt Masaki rubbing her back tentatively.

"You're welcome?"

Ayako couldn't help the small laugh at the words that sounded like a question, recognizing then that no matter how much people said she resembled her father the most, she would still be her mother's daughter. They even accepted gratitude the same way.

"Thank you, mom," she said, eyes and throat welling up with emotion. "Thank you so much."

~~O~~O~~

"Russia? Really?" Tadashi was giving her a wide smile and he laughed, wrapping her in a side embrace.

Ayako giggled and nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I know, right? I couldn't believe it myself when she told me that."

"That's great, 'Yako," he said tone reflecting his warmth, their movie and pizza forgotten. They were having a simple date night, with a recent movie about aliens playing in the background and toasty boxes of pizza on their laps. The garage was quiet except for the sounds coming from their soft conversation and the movie showing, the space relaxed and radiating peace. Sounds from the cafe were dimmed, being drowned out by their own little bubble of privacy that nobody was privy to except for the both of them.

He wiped his hands on a napkin that came from the pizza shop and pondered for a moment.

"Two weeks, though."

"I know," she sighed. "I know it's a bit long, but that's my break and coupled with the fact that I need inspiration, it would be perfect."

"Just don't miss me too much," he teased, making her realize what he had been pondering on in the first place.

She gasped, immediately looking bashful. "Aw, I will miss you, you know that."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," he admitted. "It's just that it's a really long time. What about your scholarship work?"

"I'll complete it there," she reasoned. "And I'll call you every single day. That is, if you're cool with the clinginess."

He rolled his eyes. "In what world would I tire of your adorableness? Of course I wouldn't mind."

Ayako playfully shoved his shoulder, earning an indignant, "hey!"

"I'm going to die from your dorkiness one day," she said, and he chuckled at that.

"'Death by a nerd's ramblings' sounds pretty nice," he teased.

"I would much prefer 'death by my hot nerdy boyfriend's kiss' than that."

Ayako kissed him then, heart melting at the warmth that he exuded, knowing that the moment the plane left San Fransokyo's soil, her mind would be stuck on this moment; on the taste of tomatoes and oregano on his lips, the feel of his sturdy body pressing into hers and the reassurance of his firm mouth. Her heart thrummed and her breathing turned ragged, head spinning from the emotions that his kiss was evoking; love, endearment, longing at the thought of leaving him, and – she wasn't going to deny it – lust.

She broke the kiss with a giggle, taking a deep breath.

His eyelids pried open, lazy smirk in place. "What's so funny?"

"You taste like oregano," she admitted in a whisper.

"You wanna know something?"

"Hmm?"

"I only kissed you back cause you tasted like that last slice of pepperoni pizza I wanted."

She smacked his shoulder at that and the two of them dissolved into quiet laughter.

~~O~~O~~

A week passed in a blink of an eye, Ayako having prepared her suitcase three days earlier in anticipation of today. All her assignments had been completed and sent, the only thing left to do now was to tell her dad, the conversation between her and Mikhail brief.

"I'm so glad your mother finally agreed," Mikhail said, voice grainy over the phone due to the distance.

"Me too," she admitted, "guess I have to repay her back soon."

"I'll do that, no worries," her father said. "After all, it was my idea for you to visit and it would be unfair if I didn't pay my share for your plane ticket."

"Dad, you don't have to, you'll already be taking care of me in Russia," she added hastily.

Mikhail snorted. "Please. I want to."

She couldn't argue with him, agreeing with a defeated sigh.

"You'll love it here," her father promised. "There's an art supply shop down the street where we can get acrylic painting for a reasonable price and there's a cafe next to it that serves the best vanilla latte I have ever tasted."

Ayako chuckled, already envisioning it. "That sounds amazing. I can't wait to see you again, dad."

"Me too, Ayako, me too."

And now she was really about to leave. She did a mental list of any items that she may have missed and was satisfied to find that everything was all set. A rap on her door caught her attention and she looked up to find her mother waiting.

"Ready?"

She nodded, hefting up her suitcase and hiking her carry-on backpack onto one shoulder. "Yup."

~~O~~O~~

With her bags checked in and waiting for the airline gates to be open, Ayako had nothing else to do but use the airport's free Wi-Fi and wait for the announcement that said it was clear to enter the gate.

Her mother was beside her, wanting to see her off, nose buried in a magazine that she had purchased, silent except for the riffling of the pages.

A text chimed in through her phone from Mike who wished her a good trip and that he was sorry he couldn't see her off. She chuckled and texted a quick reply, Masaki tapping on her shoulder and stealing her attention.

"Hang on, mom, I'm texting Mike."

"Why would you when he's right there?"

She looked up, mystified, and found her group of friends walking towards her, Mike whisper-yelling, "surprise!"

Ayako gasped and stood up, walking over towards them. Everyone was there and the smile that threatened to burst from her face was wide with astonished happiness. "Guys! I didn't know you'd be coming."

"You didn't think we'd leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Lucy said and gave her shoulder a squeeze. The tall red head punched her arm when she didn't answer, much to Keiro's snickers.

"I hope you don't get lost there, you still owe me a meal at Mega Burger," Miko reminded and Ayako laughed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, I won't."

Lucy turned around and waved towards Ayako's mother who waved back at her good friend.

"Going on your own?" she asked.

"Yeah, mom said that she only had enough for one person." Her voice went quiet at that and she felt that overwhelming sense of gratitude crash into her again. Someday, she was going to repay her mother, that much she could promise.

"Aw, that's sweet," Lucy said and Mike nodded.

"Yeah 'Yako, you're going to see your dad again," he reminded and she smiled at that, the excitement churning in her gut.

"I can't wait for that."

Lucy peered over her shoulder and her mouth opened up in a gasp. "Don't look now, but hot boyfriend with what must be his group of friends are walking over."

"Aw Lucy, you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," Ayako teased much to her friend's amusement.

"I was talking about yours, pancake head."

She turned around and sure enough, the whole nerd team was there, Fred waving at her enthusiastically.

"W-What is everyone doing here?" She was surprised that this much people were willing to come and see her off to Russia. It made her feel like laughing in pure joy and crying all at the same time.

Tadashi was the first to reach her as he grasped her hand.

"I thought you said you weren't c-coming," she stammered.

He winked. "That was a diversion to get you not to notice. And it worked."

Mike guffawed. "That was the same trick I used on her, too."

The two young men looked at each other, flicker of recognition lighting.

"Hey, you're her project partner that I mistook for her boyfriend once."

"Ah yes, the instant boyfriend." Mike smirked. "I remember you. Glad to know that 'Yako has someone reliable taking care of her and who's willing to be her boyfriend under pressure."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I work best in difficult moments.

"Great, now everyone's here," GoGo said as she eyed Miko, the other girl staring at her in interest. "Nice hair," she said, referring to Miko's blue streaked hair, matching GoGo's purple one.

Miko nodded, smirking. "Likewise."

Ayako did a quick round of introduction, and her two groups of friends exchanged greetings.

Her mother stood up from her seat in the coffee shop where they had been waiting and walked over. Ayako quickly introduced the nerd team to her mother, accidentally stuttering on Tadashi's name when it came to his turn.

Hiro, who had remained silent, coughed loudly, mixing in a word that sounded a lot like, "boyfriend."

Masaki lifted a brow, appraising the suddenly bashful young man before her. Something about him reminded her a lot of Mikhail, and she reasoned that it must be the light build as Ayako's father was similar in that aspect. What would she know; children tended to gravitate towards partners that reminded them of their opposite sex parents.

"So, you're the boyfriend that I've heard about," she said, and even though her mother was far shorter than Tadashi, it seemed as if she towered over the young man what with her stoic stature and commanding presence. A presence that unfortunately, Ayako had not inherited.

Wasabi coughed behind his hand, muttering a quiet, "Ruh-roh."

"Y-Yes, I am," he said, sticking out his hand. "Tadashi Hamada, ma'am. I-I mean Miss, if that's what you like being called."

Her mother paused for a moment and Ayako desperately hoped that she wouldn't start judging him here and now. To her immense relief, Masaki shook his hand.

"You can call me Miss Ito if you would like."

"Or mom," Hiro muttered under his breath, earning a dirty glare from both Ayako and Tadashi who knew that he wasn't making this situation any easier.

Ayako hadn't pictured introducing her boyfriend this way, assuming that she would do this over dinner where Masaki was more comfortable with the idea of her daughter dating someone. But now that the cat was out of the bag, she just rolled with it, knowing that if there were any issues to discuss, Masaki would find a way to tell her.

She just hoped that her mother wouldn't disapprove on Tadashi just because of the few incidents that happened these past few months. It wasn't his fault that she made a choice to throw herself into danger to keep him safe.

Her mother didn't seem too worried, but Ayako knew that she hadn't forgotten. She was merely bidding her time on when she could get Tadashi alone and question him on his intentions for her, wringing out an explanation as to why her daughter had nearly died twice in this year alone.

Ayako had no doubt about that.

"Flight SF 387 have already opened their gates. Passengers are advised to get their passports ready for boarding."

"That's my flight," Ayako informed and hiked her bag higher up her shoulder.

A chorus of, "goodbye Ayako!" could be heard and she reached out to Lucy, hugging her first.

She was about to hug them all goodbye when Honey brought out her phone and called them for a 'we-fie'.

Ayako's mom had offered to take the photo for them, but Honey told her it was okay. They posed and after a few clicks, they were done, nothing to hold her back from entering the gates. People were starting to stream in and Ayako patted her jeans pocket where her passport was, checking to see if it was still there. One couldn't be too cautious.

Her friends rushed her into a group hug and she did the same for the nerd team, pressed next to Tadashi who gently squeezed her waist as a silent goodbye. She knew that they had already said their goodbyes during the date night and with her mother standing right there, she couldn't exactly start kissing him.

So she did the next best thing and squeezed his hand, taking a few moments to look into his eyes.

"Take care," he whispered. "And remember, you said that we would keep our painting date. Don't forget that."

"I won't," she whispered back.

Turning around to her mother, she pulled her into a short hug, whispering, "thank you for this, again."

Her mother patted her shoulder and she felt her smile.

"Take care and listen to your father. He may be a deadbeat but he's always been a good caretaker." She ignored the snub on Mikhail and nodded.

Turning around, she gave everyone one last wave, wishing she had a camera to capture their expressions right now. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was a bigger part of things, like she mattered and it was surprising how a few minutes bidding goodbye to friends who cared to see her of could make her feel more valued than she ever did in her whole life. Except that time when she won an art competition and was awarded the best art student in her whole class.

Giving them one last wave, her gaze lingered on Tadashi who was wearing a soft smile, brown eyes gentle with unconcealed longing. She had no doubt that the same look was glimmering in her eyes.

Showing her passport, she was ushered in and turned around for the final time, waving for as long as she could until their faces disappeared from view. The waiting venue was crowded and after five minutes, they were announced into the plane.

Ayako was glad that she had a window seat all to herself, the only person beside her a friendly elderly woman who told her that this was her second time on a plane after her husband had died. She had nodded and smiled at the older woman, feeling the plane preparing for lift-off.

Bittersweet longing filled her chest at the sight of San Fransokyo disappearing from the her sight, the Red Bridge fronted with fluffy clouds the last thing she saw, glinting brightly in the morning sun. The sprawling city before her folded in like a closed book, showcasing the end of a chapter, making way for the bright blue sea promising the unknown and many new memories to come.

Maybe it wasn't the end. Maybe it was just the beginning.

I'll miss you all, she thought, mind latching onto the last image of Tadashi as her heart squeezed in silent yearning. She wished he could've come along with her, so she didn't suddenly feel all alone.

Russia beckoned, crystal clear as the sky outside the plane window.

A/N: And there you have it, the last chapter of Our Sutures! It's been an amazing ride this past year with you guys and I can't thank you all enough for the support you all have shown for this story (it has one of the highest ranking of reviews for any of my stories, EVER.)

Now, for an important announcement:

I have already decided that Ayako and Tadashi's story is not over and would soon be releasing the sequel titled 'Exit Wounds' which would be out sometime this week (it's still in the editing stages). I would highly appreciate it if you guys would show the continuation mad love like what you did with the first story :)

Do leave a review and don't hesitate in telling what you love from this story!