We have finally reached the end, you guys, and congratulations for supporting me all the way and through the years; I wish I could personally give you all a hug and thank you for the support on this long journey. I had enjoyed each and every review and I will cherish it all to the end of my days.
I do hope that you will not be disappointed with this chapter and sorry for the length but certain things had to be rounded up and there will also be the explanation of why Vladimir had wanted Kai to kill him and his parents.
Anyway, enjoy it you guys, there will be a longer AN at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 42 – good bye, ana
Kai looks at Mya with no expression on his face and he sees how her demeanour changes after she has overcome her initial shock of him calling her by her real name, the black haired beauty now having her arms crossed in front of her chest in a defensive stance and she too has no expression on her face right now.
For Mya it feels as if the oxygen has been yanked directly from her lungs and has been dispersed into the air along with the slight breeze that is blowing all around them, and while she continues to stand and watch Kai wordlessly, she can feel how her heart has jumped from her chest and has settled in her throat, the muscular organ pumping at a pace that she does not recognise and she is pretty sure that if Kai does not kill her for her betrayal right now, a heart attack will definitely do the job.
A moment of silence passes between the two lovers before Mya finally finds the courage to speak up all while remaining in her defensive stance with no expression on her face, "How long have you known about who I really am?" she asks and even her voice contains no emotion, when in fact she is a bundle of nerves on the inside right now, her mind racing a million miles a second on how Kai could have found out, when he exactly found out and where he is going to shoot her, in the head or in the heart?
Kai also shows no emotions as he keeps the gun in his hand, he somewhat shocked at how calm Mya actually sounds after being discovered, but then again, this is Mya that he is talking about and she continues to surprise him with how well adapted she has become to these dangerous situations, and this is no different, "Since the first day, that day when you walked into my office," he answers her without also showing any emotion in his voice.
Mya wants to gasp at this but she knows that she has to keep her pose in front of Kai; however, she can't help but to feel utterly shocked, knowing that all this time he knew who she was, he knew that she was lying to him about her real identity and yet, he still pursued her, so what the hell? And if he has known all this time then...that means...
"You were Demyan, weren't you?" Mya suddenly blurts out without thinking, her mouth suddenly disconnected from her mouth and she can secretly kick herself for asking that, but yes, now she finally can get confirmation on something that has bothered her for so long now.
Kai nods his head to this and he actually wants to smile to this because of how intelligent Mya is, and now he knows that when she had suggested that they go try on those wigs, she was looking for answers or at least some type of confirmation about him maybe being Demyan, and now she knows the truth of who he really was back then.
Now she knows how Kai found out who she really is: he must have immediately recognised her that day. She may have changed her hair colour but her eyes remained the same, and that was probably how he had recognised her, by seeing her eyes. She and Vladimir always did get compliments for their unique eyes, but she never even thought of wearing contact lenses, and anyway, that truly would have been nothing but bothersome, with the constant removing and taking care of the eye; no one has time for that much hassle when it is not needed.
Kai does not elaborate any more on him being Demyan and another moment of silence passes between the two lovers before Mya once again breaks the silence.
"And still you killed my brother, Kai, and my parents, and I thought you were best friends; how could you, Kai? How could you kill your best friend in cold blood, and now, you are probably here to finish the job, to finally kill the last remaining member of the Grekov family, isn't that right, Kai?" and Mya finally starts to show some emotion in her voice but she does not uncross her arms and continues to stand in a defensive stand, while he heart is still causing all sorts of havoc within her body.
Kai does not say anything and instead starts to walk closer to Mya, he seeing how her entire body tenses but she makes no move stop him and even if she did, he would not have stopped.
It hurts him to see Mya suddenly fear him like this while still trying to act all brave and hard ass, but soon Mya will realise that he is not here to kill her, but rather the other way around. Kai clenches his fist that contains the SD card and he stops about two feet away from Mya and he looks deep into her eyes, he seeing how a storm is brewing behind those beautiful eyes of hers and no doubt she is panicking right now because he knows that Mya thinks that he is probably going to kill her for her betrayal; she has already voiced it, thinking that he is here to finish the job and to kill the last member of her family.
He opens up his fist so that his palm can face upwards and Mya looks down and sees the SD card, she not certain what is going on right now and why Kai is showing her the card, but she says nothing to this because Kai would most likely explain it to her anyway of why he is holding that SD card.
"Watch this, Mi Amor, and then you will get your answers to your questions. I never wanted to kill them, and you have to believe me. I loved your brother and it pained me to do what I did, but he gave me no choice. Vladimir was the one who had orchestrated everything, and you were always meant to know the truth, but not so soon. It was arranged for you to only learn the truth when you were much older, but unfortunately certain circumstances has forced my hand to reveal it to you sooner," Kai takes a deep breath after saying this because he too has to calm his nerves right now and his breaking heart, knowing that soon Mya will hurt with immense pain.
"I cared about Vladimir and about your parents, Mya, so believe me when I say that slitting their throats was one of the most difficult things that I have ever done in my life," this last statement filled with so much raw emotion that not even Mya can deny it, and it at once starts to pull at her heart strings.
Mya can feel, see and hear that Kai feels real remorse for what he has done and this confuses her even more because she suddenly has no idea what the hell is going on, and what the hell does Kai mean with Vladimir had orchestrated everything and that she was only meant to know the truth when she was much older? Mya looks down at the SD card in Kai's open palm before again looking up at him, she not sure what she should do now, whether she should take the card or not.
"Please, Mya, all the answers that you are looking for are on this card, and this will finally explain about what had been going on; you will finally be able to get closure. It will both hurt you and shock you, and you will be very disappointed when you realise what was going on in your brother's life, but you have to watch it, Mi Amor, please. You deserve to know the truth, Mi Amor, because you have suffered for too long now and it is time that your suffering over their deaths finally comes to an end."
Mya keeps her eyes on the card and finally decides to take it, she placing it in the pocket of her trench coat and then turns her attention back on to Kai all while crossing her arms in front of her chest once more, her heart still running amok in her chest because of how close Kai suddenly is to her, all while still having the gun in his hand.
Her eyes drift to it for a second, Kai seeing this and he knows that he has to tell her the real reason of why he had brought her here, and it is not to kill her, but rather for her to kill him, and when she learns why, she is going to be hurt and feel so betrayed, he just knows it.
"I am not going to kill you, Mi Amor," Kai finally admits and he sees how her eyes narrow, almost as if she does not believe a single word that he is saying, but he shrugs it off, "you are going to kill me."
Mya's eyes at once widen to this and she involuntary gasps to this with her arms uncrossing in front of her chest, she not certain whether she heard correctly, "Wha...what?" she asks in a shocked and confused tone of voice and Kai cannot blame her for reacting this way, seeing as he probably would have reacted the exact same way, if not even worse.
"You are going to put a bullet through my heart, Mi Amor."
Still Mya cannot believe what she currently hearing, she briefly wondering if her hears have started to deceive her or not, because why would Kai want her to kill him, it just does not make any sense, "But...why, why would I want to kill you, Kai?"
"Wasn't that what you wanted to do in the beginning, Mi Amor, wasn't that why you had joined the mob in the first place, to kill me and avenge your family?"
Mya is still shocked with this turn of events and she still cannot believe that all this time, Kai knew who she was and what she really wanted to do, and despite all of that, he still fell in love with her, just like she fell in love with him, but now he wants her to kill him, and that after all they have been through? For God's sake, they just got back together and now Kai wants to take his love away from her once more! Like, what the hell?
"Why do you hate me so much, Kai?" Mya suddenly blurts out without even thinking or planning on asking this, she suddenly feeling so hurt all over again, and again it is all because of Kai.
"I don't hate you, Mya, I could never hate you. I have had a crush on since New York when you were still Ana, and that crush turned into real love when you became a part of my life, so I can never hate you, I promise you, Mi Amor."
"But then why do you want me to kill you, Kai? I already forgave you for what you did to my family, that is why I fell in love with you, so I have no reason to kill you, Kai, I can't kill you, so get that idea out of your head right now."
Kai walks closer towards Mya, they now literally a few centimetres away from each other and the two lovers look deep into each other's eyes, both pairs of eyes showing hurt but also love, a short moment of silence passing between the two while they just look each other in the eye and take in the other's presence.
"You have to kill me, Mi Amor, please," Kai says softly in a pleading tone of voice, "because it is the only way."
"The only way for what, my phoenix, what is going on, please, I need to know," Mya also says in a soft tone of voice while she places her hands on Kai's chest, and she can feel that the aura of this entire situation has suddenly shifted, and it is a hurtful aura because Kai is hiding something from her and it is something painful, his eyes showing it clearly.
"I am not well, Mi Amor," Kai says softly and then he caresses Mya's right cheek with his left hand, his eyes momentarily drifting towards his hand to watch its movement, Kai smiling softly to this as he thinks back to how he enjoyed feeling Mya's skin underneath his hands, "I have not been well for a while, and there is nothing they can do for me," Kai finally meeting Mya's eyes once more and his smile disappears and a look of sadness comes over his face, "I have cancer, Mi Amor, and it is terminal."
Mya gasps to this while clutching the front of Kai's coat with both hands, her eyes begging Kai to tell her that he is joking, that this all has to be one sick joke, but Kai would never joke about something like this.
Kai continues to caress Mya's cheek so that he can at least try and comfort her because he knows that this must be one hell of a shock for her right now; no one wants to know that their lover is sick and that there is nothing that can be done for them, and that they have kept it from them all this time, just like he has kept it from her this entire time, from the symptoms that he was experiencing to the actual diagnosis.
He knows that were their roles reversed, he would have literally lost his mind and would have demanded that there has to be something that could be done, and he would not have stopped trying.
"How...how long have you know, Kai?" Mya asks and Kai can hear how broken her voice sounds, and he cannot blame her.
"About two months, Mi Amor; that day I broke up with you, that was the day I had found out, I had found out that morning after Valentin called me to come and see him," and again Mya's eyes widen to this but she says nothing so that Kai can continue his story, "That was the real reason why I broke up with you, Mi Amor, I wanted you to hate me so that you did not mourn me the day I die, and before you say that there has to be something that can be done," Kai shakes his head to this, "nothing can be done because by the time I went for medical help, the cancer had already spread to the rest of my body. Valetin had given me medication to help with the headaches and seizures, but he told me to get my affairs in order because the cancer is aggressive and spreading fast and I don't have much time. I had already met with my attorneys to draw up my will and to get all of my affairs in order because my body is finally starting to shut down, and I refuse to suffer, Mi Amor. I am going to die on my own terms and I refuse to end up as a bedridden skeleton, a shell of my former self, and that is why I decided the way that I want to die is by the hands of the woman I love, and that is why I want you to kill me, Mi Amor, please."
Mya can only look at Kai, she barely registering what he has just said; all she knows is that Kai is dying, her Kai is dying and there is nothing she can do about it. She suddenly pulls away from Kai and turns her back to him, her arms hugging herself so that she can try and make sense of all of this; it feels like she is suddenly in a nightmare, one horrible nightmare and she just wants to wake up from it.
Kai makes no move to stop Mya because he knows that she needs a moment to herself, especially after hearing all of that; it is a lot to digest and he will give her enough space to process all of it.
While hugging herself, Mya walks until she reaches the edge of the cliff and just looks out at the icy White Plains in front of them, but her focus is not on the scene in front of her seeing as her mind is such a mess right now. She feels hurt, she feels angry, she feels betrayed, she suddenly experiencing so many conflicting emotions right now and the fact that she is experiencing them all at once makes it even worse.
All this time he made her believe that their breakup was for her own safety, but now she learns that it was so that she did not have to mourn his death? Of course would she have mourned him! She mourned for him when they broke up, so why would she not mourn him when he had died!
Kai can only look at Mya's back with sadness and longing in his eyes because he knew that this was going to happen, he knew that he was going to hurt her and there is nothing he can do to take her pain away from her. He truly has never caused Ana nothing but pain; first by taking away her family, then by breaking up with her and now with him telling her to kill him; maybe it will be for the best if he does die and is no longer a part of her life because then finally she will be able to experience happiness once more.
"All this time and you knew," Kai hears Mya say softly but he says nothing as he lets her continue to speak, "You knew that you are going to die and still you begged me to give you another chance, to give us another chance, so that you can make it all up to me for hurting me in the first place, and yet here you are again, Kai, hurting me again but this time there will be no making up for us, there will not be another chance for us. You knew that we were on borrowed time and still you made me believe that we had the rest of our live to be happy together. How...how could you, Kai?" Mya's voice dropping to an almost whisper when she asks the question while hugging herself even tighter with her arms.
Kai makes sure that the safety clip of the gun is in place and then places the gun in the pocket of his trench coat before making his way towards Mya where he gently wraps his arms around her and pulls her up against him and to his relief, Mya leans into his touch and another moment of silence passes between the two lovers without a single word being uttered.
"I am sorry that I lied to you, Mi Amor, and that I gave you false hope for the future," Kai says softly against Mya's hair while she pushes herself even more up against Kai, the two lovers looking at the icy world in front of them while taking each and every second that they can get in being in each other's presence, because time is running out for them, and it is running out fast.
"I was devastated when Valentin told me that I had to get my affairs in order, because I had plans for us, Mi Amor, many wonderful plans; for God's sake, we were going to start our own family in a matter of weeks," and to this Kai clenches his fists as he tries to get a hold on his spiralling emotions, he once again reminded about all that has been taken away from him, "I wanted us to get married, Mi Amor, I wanted us to have more children, I wanted to grow old with you by my side. I never wanted this!" Kai suddenly exclaims, his voice suddenly sounding even more raw and broken because he can no longer hold in his emotions, he just wants to scream at the entire world and universe for this unfair treatment of both him and Mya because it is nothing but unfair, and Mya does not deserve this, she has had enough heartache to last her life time and still she will get so suffer more heartache.
Mya does not deserve this!
Mya flinches when Kai loses control of his emotions and a single tear makes its way from her right eye after trying her best to keep the tears at bay, but her eyes are already filled with welled up tears because she still cannot believe that all of this happening, that after today Kai will no longer be here with them in this life and that she will never be able to wake up next to him ever again.
This morning truly was the last time she is ever going to wake up in his arms, and last night was the last night they got to make love and fall asleep in each other's arms.
If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that this was all some sick drug induced trip from a drug binge or something because how could this have happened, and she is not just talking about Kai's cancer, but everything that has happened these last couple of years.
She and Kai had met before, they had so much fun before and then he went and killed her family and as if that was not ludicrous enough, she went and fell in love with the very man that killed her family after she was determined to kill him in cold blood; she even went through rigorous training in order to obtain that goal and what happened after all of that? She is now standing in the arms of the man who killed her family, crying over him because he wants her to kill him because cancer is going to take him from her anyway. What kind of sick joke is the universe playing on them?
Not even a Hollywood director would have been able to think of such a plot for a movie.
"The universe is really playing a sick joke on us, my phoenix," Mya says softly as she unwraps her arms around her so that she can hold on to Kai's arms once he holds her again, the two lovers now even more comfortable within each other's hold, and it suddenly seems much more intimate and loving while holding each other this tightly and basking in each other's presence.
"Why did you never call me after you left New York?"
Kai places a kiss against Mya's hair and hugs her before resting his right cheek against her hair, "Vladimir made me promise to stay away from you because of who I am, and he did not want his sister to get involved with a mobster. Just before I met you at the airport, your brother told me that we can have our fun while we are together in New York, but the moment I leave New York, I am to forget you completely, to never ask about your wellbeing and to never contact you ever. I of course agreed to it, thinking that it would be easy, but then I met you and for the first time in my life I wished that I was a normal young man with a normal life, instead of having a mob and a multibillion dollar company to run, because if I was a normal guy, I would have been able to have a normal life with you and I would have been able to experience all those wonderful adventures that goes along with young love. I missed you so much after we left New York and it was really difficult to keep my promise to your brother, but I had to, and over time I managed to forget about you, but it did not remain that way for very long."
Kai suddenly pulls away and Mya immediately turns around to look at what Kai is doing, she seeing how he is removing his wallet from his trench coat and how he removes a laminated photo from a hidden compartment within his wallet, he handing it to her which she takes and the moment she looks at the photo, she can only gasp in shock.
"I have never removed that photo from my wallet because I never wanted to forget you. I didn't want to forget you, not your brother, or your parents, Mi Amor, and so I had always carried it with me. I may not have looked at it every day but it was always with me and so, a piece of you were always with me. All these years I made sure to keep you close to me because you got a hold on my heart that I could not break, and I did not want to break it even though there were days I was begging for it, but I just never could forget you completely, Mi Amor."
Mya continues to look down at the photo that is of her with her family, and she can't believe that Kai has been holding on to this for so long, that this entire time he knew who she was and why she had joined the mob, and still he did not push her away, and if she had any doubts before, they are gone now because Kai really did care for her long before she fell in love with him, and he also cared for her brother and her family.
Mya looks at Kai, tears now flowing freely from her eyes because it again just seems so unfair because she is about to lose Kai, and that after this huge revelation. She had a feeling that Kai and Demyan were the same person, but always thought it was ludicrous because it just did not make sense because why would Demyan kill his best friend, and yet, now it all makes perfect sense.
"I don't want to lose you, Kai, please," Mya suddenly blurts out without even thinking and while still holding on to the laminated picture, she wraps her arms around Kai which he returns, she finally breaking down as she starts to sob against Kai's shoulder because now that the air has been cleared between them, she does not want to lose Kai, "Please, my phoenix, please, there has to be something that can be done, please, I don't want to lose you."
Kai scrunches his shut while he tightens his arms around Mya because he too does not want to lose Mya; he will give up his entire kingdom if it could ensure him a lifetime with Mya, but this is not a fairytale, this is life and it does not work like that.
The two lovers continue to hold each other like this for a while longer before Mya finally pulls away, she wiping her tears away with the back of her hands while still holding on to the laminated photo, she once again looking down at it and still unable to believe that all this time Kai had carried it with him.
"You can have it, Mi Amor," Kai says softly while running his right hand through Mya's hair while she continues to look at the photo.
"Why, because you no longer have use for it seeing as you are no longer going to be here?" the hurt evident in Mya's voice while she starts to get choked up once more because of her losing Kai again.
Mya looks at Kai, he still gently stroking her hair while smiling to himself and he also looks at her when he feels her eyes on him, he clearly seeing the hurt within her eyes, "You need to remind yourself of who you are, my bubbly blonde, that being the nick name I had for you whenever I looked at the photo. You are a strong woman that has overcome so much already, and you will overcome this as well, I promise. You don't know how to be weak."
"Kai, please, we can't just give up like this, please; I don't know you as one to quit, I know you as someone who always gets up after every challenge, so why not get up again? Are you really going to allow cancer to beat you down, are you really going to allow a sickness to bring down the mighty Kai Hiwatari?"
Kai feels proud that Mya still sees him as this strong man, but even he knows that this is not something that he can beat; no one has ever beaten terminal cancer, so no matter how powerful he is or how many resources he has at his disposal, this is one fight he will not be able to get up from.
Kai lowers his hand from Mya's head and caresses her cheek instead while still smiling softly at her, "I can't win this battle, Mi Amor, no matter how hard I fight back. I have accepted defeat, it was difficult and painful, but I have finally made peace with it, and you should to."
Mya's eyes are shining with all of her welled up tears, a tear making its way down a cheek every now and then, the tears making turns with which cheek they are going to run down. Mya leans into Kai's touch, hearing that he has made peace with his oncoming death, but how can she make peace with it? She loves him so much and wants to spend her life with this man, how can she just forget all about that and accept that Kai won't be around anymore.
"I don't want to lose you, my phoenix, I don't want to imagine a life without you. I love you, Kai, I never stopped loving you, even back at the hospital when I said all those nasty things to you, I was angry at myself because even though I hated you, I still loved you and I hated myself for that, the fact that I still loved you. I wanted to truly hate you without any love, but I just could not will away my love for you, and I will never be able to. Even if you are no longer here, I will always love you."
Kai releases his hold on Mya's cheek and pulls her into a hug where he wraps his arms tightly around her and holds her close to his body, his eyes closed while he takes in her presence and her body pressed up against him.
Mya also wraps her arms around Kai's waist and just rests her head on his shoulder, her eyes also closed as she too just takes in Kai's body and presence, the love enveloping her like a magical blanket, and she envisions how it falls onto both Kai and her and how it just wraps them securely and snugly, shielding and protecting them both from the hurt and pain that awaits them in the real life.
The weather is cold but with the two lovers holding each other like this, they don't feel it seeing as their own body heat is being felt by the other, the two lovers feeling safe in this embrace right now, but they both know that sooner or later they will have to get back to reality, and that reality is a world where Kai will be no more.
"There were so many times where I almost let your real name slip my lips, Mi Amor; it was really tough in the beginning to call you Mya when I knew that you were really Anastasia, but later on it became easier, especially after seeing that you were no longer that blonde that I had met in New York City, you were no longer my bubbly blonde, and I knew that it was all my fault because I took your parents away from you, I had killed your happiness and innocence and I had made you become this hardened person, a criminal, and I still feel guilty about doing that to you, for changing you into this person, and for that I am sorry, Mi Amor."
Mya hugs Kai while still resting her head on his shoulder, she hearing the regret and guilt in Kai's voice, but she has truly forgiven him for all of that, and besides, were it not for him killing her parents, she never would have met Bryan and she never would have met him, and sure, she still misses her parents and brother, but she has learned to love and enjoy this new life without them. She will never forget them and will always hold them in her heart, but this is her new life and she has made peace with it.
Kai feels Mya hug him and he only smiles to this while he rests his cheek against her hair, his eyes still closed while he continues to hold Mya tightly against him, "When we found you at the abbey of Boris, there was a moment where your heart flat lined and I never want to experience that moment ever again, because at that moment I thought that I had truly lost you. I remember clutching your body in my arms, crying your name and begging you to come back to me, and it seems that I was so distraught over your death that I started calling you by your real name. I didn't even realise it; Tala and Valerie asked me about it after I was discharged from the hospital, the two wondering why I was calling you another woman's name, and I honestly could not answer them because I didn't want them to know the truth, so I said the only I could say: 'Hn', and then I turned and left and thankfully those two left it at that."
Mya chuckles to this because that is just such a typical Kai thing, "Kai Hiwatari strikes again with his infamous 'Hn' remark," Mya says jokingly against Kai's shoulder but she does not lift her head as she continues to talk, "If I had known that you knew who I really was, I honestly don't know what I would have done, my phoenix. Now I am glad that we know about my true identity, but back then, I don't know how I would have reacted. After I started having my suspicions about you maybe being Demyan, I constantly questioned about why you would do that to your own best friend, I was so confused about so many things, but over time things got better, especially after we got together and I realised that you too had strong feelings for me and that you were not really such a bad guy and that you had these hidden soft sides that I knew you were only showing me. It made me feel special and it became harder and harder to ignore my feelings for you, I later realising that I actually fell in love with the man that murdered my family. I knew you had feelings for me, I just did not know how strong they were."
"They were very strong, and they just stronger the more time I spent with you, Mi Amor. I always had feelings for you, but it finally turned into real love, and I just knew that I had to have you by my side. In the beginning after I had met you, I was determined to get you out of the mob because I knew that this world was going to kill that innocence inside of you and I wanted to preserve that for as long as I could, and I wanted to keep you save because I thought that you were too soft for this world of ours, but soon you proved to me that you were actually cut out for this world, and that is when I decided, now that I know you will make it in this world, I am not going to lose you again, I can't lose you again and that is when it became my mission to show you that I am more than just a mob boss, that I also have a human side and a beating heart with real emotions. I just wanted my bubbly blonde back in my life, and I finally got her," Kai smiling broadly to this last part because he can still remember how happy and overjoyed he had felt that night they got together. That truly was one of the happiest days of his life.
Mya again hugs Kai while still resting her head on his shoulder all while smiling to herself, "I am glad that you decided to pursue your bubbly blonde, my phoenix. I will be honest, I was completely broken after the death of my family, completely shattered and I honestly did not have the will to continue to live. And then one day, I got a call that they have found the killer of my family; I went to the hearing which in my opinion was kind of strange because usually these things take some time, but apparently it was over in less than an hour. I confronted the guy who killed my family, Tyson, and that is where I learned the truth. He begged me to not go after you, like literally begged me and I told him that I would not do anything, but then he also got killed and I just knew that I had to make Kai Hiwatari pay, I had to kill him with my own hands," Mya finally lifts her head from Kai's shoulder where he also moves his head from hers and the two lovers look at each other once more, there no malice evident in either pair of eyes.
"I finally did get my hands on Kai Hiwatari but instead of killing him, I fell in love with him," Mya says softly and then kisses Kai before looking at him once more, "My life had turned out differently than what I had planned, my phoenix, but I do not regret it one bit. I am happy here with you and I was happy and I still would have remained happy with you by my side. I love you, Kai, I really do love you and I am glad that our paths had crossed, both times."
Kai can only look into Mya's eyes, his eyes also starting to well up and not just because of her brutal honesty but because despite all of that, she loved him and she still loves him and now he has to take away his love from her forever. He caresses her right cheek once more, a single tear making its way down his own cheek while he smiles at her.
Seeing a tear run from Kai is all that is needed for Mya to release her tears once more, she now crying more than before while she also looks deep into Kai's eyes.
"I love you, Mi Amor, and with you by my side, I learned the true meaning of love. I don't want to lose you, not ever, but the universe has decided otherwise, Mi Amor," another tear runs from Kai's eye while he continues to caress Mya's cheek, "I learned about true happiness and I learned how to be a man that his woman can be proud about. I always knew that you were something special and I was not wrong. I have done a lot of things in my life, horrible things, and I am honest that I hardly have any regrets about all of the bad things that I did, but if there is one thing that I truly regret, it is not meeting you earlier in my life, Mi Amor, because if I had, I would have had more time to love you and to give you the world and to make you happy."
The two lovers continue to look each other in the eye, both eyes red from all of the welled up tears and Mya tries her best to control her sobs but it is not so easy with all of the confessions that Kai is making.
She still can't believe that by tonight Kai will be no more, that she will never get to fall asleep in his arms ever again, and that she will never get to wake up in his arms ever again. She too does not regret meeting Kai because she can say in all honesty that she was truly happy with Kai, that she loves this murdering psychopath will all her heart and she will never stop loving him.
"I also don't regret us meeting, my phoenix, and I never will, and yeah, it would have been nice if we had met earlier," Mya says in a whisper because her throat is almost all choked up from holding back her sobs, tears still running freely from her face, "Can't we just wait a day before I have to kill you, my phoenix, please, I can't let you go, not after all we have just shared, please," Mya whispers in a pleading voice because she wants to spend one more night with Kai after all that has just transpired between them, she now feeling even much closer to Kai, closer than ever before and she did not think it was possible after they got back together, but here she is, feeling like she and this wonderful man is truly one being right now and if she has to lose him right now, she will never be whole ever again.
Another tear falls from Kai's eye and he again smiles at Mya for wanting him around for one extra day and even though he also wants this with his entire soul and body, he can't because he has finally gathered all of the courage needed in order for this to happen and if he pulls out now, he will not have the courage again, and then he will end up dying a slow and painful death and he will lose all of his dignity while dying, and he does not want that. It pains him to disappoint Mya like this, but it has to be done, it has to be done today.
"Mi Amor, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to spend one more day and night with you, but we both know that it won't be possible. My body is already dying, Mi Amor, my hair is falling out, I can feel how my lungs are not receiving oxygen like they are suppose to, the headaches are unbearable and I don't want to lose any more weight because then I will really be a shell of my former self and I don't want that. I want to die with my dignity intact, Mi Amor, please," Kai now also pleading, his actually meaning for Mya to let him go so that he can die with his dignity, so that he can still be somewhat of the man that she fell in love when he gives his last breath, instead of just a bedridden skeleton.
That is his only dying wish from her.
Mya again loses the battle in controlling her sobs and she grabs Kai tightly and starts to sob against him once more, he too holding her tightly while more tears roll down his cheeks because he knew this was going to be difficult, and it pains him so much to see what he is doing to Mya, and he wishes that he could just make this easier on her, but no matter what he says, it will never take away the pain that he is currently causing her and the pain that she will feel after his death.
"Please, Kai...[sobs]...please, my phoe...[sobs]...phoenix...[sobs]...I can't...[sobs]...can't do...[sobs]...this, please...[sobs]...please, Kai," Mya begs and pleads through her tears and sobs while she holds on tightly to Kai as her heart breaks more and more into pieces because a life without Kai will be unbearable and she does not have the strength to face a life without Kai; she does not want to be without him.
Kai scrunches his eyes shut while he continues to hold Mya tightly against his own body, he too not wanting to let go because he still wants to spend a lifetime with her by his side, to love her and to cherish her, and Kai can't help but to suddenly hate the universe and whoever decided that this should be his fate. He knows he probably deserves this, but not Mya, she does not deserve to be hurt like this.
No words are further spoken between the two as they continue to hold each other tightly, both now crying because of what is about to happen. Their love for each other is about to be ripped apart, their hearts and souls shattered, and how is Mya going to pick up the pieces once Kai is gone?
While holding Mya tightly in his arms, Kai can feel how a blinding headache is starting which means that the medication has worked out of his system and it is time to take more pills, but he is not going to do that because the time has finally come, the time where Mya has to kill him. Kai pulls Mya even tighter against himself because this will be the last time he gets to do it; he takes one deep breath and with a lot of reluctance, he finally pulls Mya away from himself, her eyes all red and puffy as she looks at him, he seeing in her eyes that she also knows that the time has finally come.
"Kai, please," she whispers while keeping her hands on his hips, her heart feeling like it wants to stop from all of this pain that she is currently experiencing, and she realises that it is the death of her family all over again.
Kai places a kiss on to Mya's forehead before removing the gun from his pocket, both he and Mya looking down at the gun that he holds in her hand.
"It is time, Mi Amor," Kai also whispers and looks into Mya's eyes once more, the anguish visible in those beautiful spring green coloured eyes of hers.
Mya says nothing and she allows Kai to put the gun into her right hand where he then proceeds to position it over his heart, she still not making a move to go against his instructions.
The two lovers look deep into each other's eyes, Kai again caressing Mya's right cheek and softly wipes away a tear with his thumb as he smiles softly to her, "Promise me one thing, Mi Amor," he asks and he receives a single nod from Mya while she looks him in the eye waiting to hear what his instruction is, "promise me that you will never stop living and never stop being happy and that you will find love again, okay? I want you to be happy, Mi Amor, even if it is in the arms of another man, because Lord knows you deserve to be loved by a man that knows your true worth. Never forget how special you are and that you only deserve the best, my bubbly blonde, so please promise me to always be happy, okay?"
"Kai...I..."
"Please, Mya; I want to know that you will do anything in your power to ensure your own happiness, please."
Mya takes a deep breath as she continues to look into Kai's eyes, tears still falling from her eyes and after looking at Kai a while longer without saying anything, she finally gives in and nods her head to show that she promises him this.
Kai pulls Mya in for a soft, yet very, meaningful kiss which she gladly returns, but before either of them can get too caught up in the kiss, Kai pulls away but he keeps his forehead pressed against Mya's head, both lovers' eyes closed with their lips only a hair's breadth away from each other.
Mya is still holding the gun and while the two lovers remain in this intimate stance, Kai moves Mya's index finger and places it at the trigger of the gun, the black haired beauty not showing any objection to this because she knows that this is what Kai wants and even though it hurts with an unexplainable pain, this is what Kai wants and she knows that she cannot deny him this, no matter how selfish she wants to be.
She knows that Kai will have a horrible and painful life due to the cancer because everyone knows and has seen some way or the other the ugly picture of terminal cancer, and it truly is horrid and painful for both the person who has terminal cancer and the loved ones of that person. She really does understand why Kai wants to do this, but it does not mean that it makes it any less painful.
"This past weekend, you were greeting everybody in your own way, weren't you, my phoenix?" Mya whispers against Kai's lips and she feels him nod his head against her and she can't help but to smile through the tears because that just seems like a typical 'Kai-trait.'
He was never one for words and always chose to do things through actions; Mya knows that it would have destroyed everyone if he had told them what was going on, and Mya knows that Kai wants everyone to remember him the way he was when they all last saw him, and again she can understand Kai's reasons, but it still hurts a lot.
"I love you, Mi Amor, and don't you ever forget that, okay?" Kai also whispers against Mya's lips, their eyes still closed.
"And I love you, my phoenix, and I will never stop loving you, not even in death."
Not another word is said from either of them as they again starts to kiss, this time with more depth and passion, their tongues also joining in this time and without either of them voicing it, they both know that this will be their very last kiss ever.
As the two lovers continue to kiss lovingly, Kai pushes the gun even harder against his chest as his signal to Mya to finally pull the trigger. Mya scrunches her eyes tightly while she continues to kiss Kai, her finger still on the trigger and while they continue to kiss, she finally pulls the trigger...
A loud bang is heard echoing through the icy white plains, a pair of birds immediately taking flight the moment the gun is fired, and then the thud is heard as a body hits the snow, crimson liquid slowly starting to flow from the body and staining the perfect patch of white snow.
Mya remains standing in the same position, gun in hand and pointed at where Kai's chest was, her eyes still closed with her lips open. She starts to struggle in getting air as she starts to heave from sheer shock, Mya unable to open her eyes because she knows the moment she does, she will no longer see Kai and she is not ready for that, not yet.
She has killed him, she has killed Kai, she has killed the man that she loves.
Mya suddenly feels like she just wants to stand here and turn into stone, her eyes never opening to face the harsh reality of her dead lover lying at her feet after she put a bullet in him, and in that way, she will never be able to feel the horrendous pain of losing Kai and then she can just join him in the afterlife.
Without thinking about it, Mya finally screams.
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Tala is finally making his way down the icy road, the red head still praying that he is not too late, that he can still talk sense into Kai's head so that he can get treatment, even though he is terminal; he knows that somewhere in this world there has to be something that can be done to help Kai because this just cannot be the end for Kai, it just cannot be.
Tala follows the tracks that he sees in the snow, he thankful that no snow is falling because this will make it easier for him to find Kai and Mya, he also hoping that Mya refused to do as Kai wants, and that she had actually smacked Kai over the head with his own gun for wanting to do what he wants to do.
He can finally spot Mya's pick-up truck up ahead but he cannot see anyone, he actually in a blind spot right now and the closer Tala gets to the truck, the faster his heart starts to beat from sheer nervousness, he constantly saying to himself, 'don't be late, please don't be late.'
Tala finally stops the pick-up truck a few metres away from Mya's pick-up truck and then gets out, but the moment he closes the door and starts to walk towards Mya's pick-up truck, he can hear the sobbing of a woman and there is no denying that this woman's heart is breaking.
He stops dead in his tracks, Tala actually afraid to take another step because of what he might see and he is not ready to see his best friend dead, he does not want to see Kai dead. Tala takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, but it does not help and without thinking anymore, Tala again starts to walk until he reaches the front of Mya's truck and the moment he sees why she is sobbing, he grabs hold of the truck to prevent himself from falling seeing as his entire body suddenly goes numb.
There, right in front of his eyes, is his best friend, lying on his left side with a pool of blood around him, with his girlfriend clutching his coat tightly while crying into it and it suddenly becomes too much for Tala; he just gasps to this and falls down to his knees, his eyes wide as he takes in the scene in front of him, he only realising now that he was too late, that he could not save Kai.
Kai is gone.
Mya finally looks up and their eyes meet, Tala seeing how red and puffy her eyes are from all of the crying and he can see the sheer agony Mya is currently suffering, the two friends just looking at each other while Mya continues to clutch to Kai's dead body.
'No...Kai...'
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Summer is finally in full swing and it is evident all over; the birds are singing their beautiful melodies, the bugs and bees are flying from flower to flower, collecting honey and food for themselves and their families, green plants, trees and grass are visible everywhere in the beautiful city of Moscow and the entire atmosphere and air just feels so full of life and positivity. The Moskau River is sporting all types of boats as everyone takes advantage of the heat to spend some quality time with friends, families and lovers, everyone dressed in their summer attire while each and every living thing is thankful for the heat all around and for the beautiful summer that they are all experiencing.
Somewhere in a graveyard, a woman with blonde hair that reached mid back, is holding three single white roses and is making her way through the various tomb stones towards a certain destination, she reaching her destination in no time where she comes to a standstill in front of three headstones.
Anastasia smiles to herself as she looks down at the names of her parents and her brother, she still holding the three white roses in her left hand while her right hand is resting on her bulging stomach, her five month pregnant belly. She can feel her baby kick and this broadens her smile as she starts to rub her belly through her long flowing red dress.
"This is your grandparents and uncle, sweetie, and even though you will never get to meet them, they would have loved you so much, just as you would have loved them."
Ana removes her right hand from her stomach and takes the first rose in hand and places it on her mother's grave, she straightening up while she looks at her mother's headstone.
"Mama, it will be a while before I come around again because I am flying to America later today to start my new life and it will be the best for us, so I am just here to greet you," Ana rubbing her stomach while she says this, "I wish you could have met your granddaughter, you would have been a wonderful grandmother but I know we all will get to meet again one day. I am going to impart all the wisdom that you imparted on me, onto my daughter, because with those life lessons, she will never go wrong in life, so thank you for all that you had taught me, mama. You were a wise and wonderful woman, and you were the best mother any child could ask for, and I was both blessed and lucky to have you as my mother. Take care, mama, and know that I will always love you."
Ana places a kiss on her right index finger and middle finger and places it onto her mother's headstone before moving onto the next grave, which is that of her father. Ana repeats the motion of placing the white rose on the grave before straightening up once more, she again rubbing her stomach with her right hand.
"Papa, you too would have loved your granddaughter, but I will make sure that she will know about you and mama, about the wonderful parents you were and how much you would have loved her, and I promise you that I will do everything in my power to give her the same amount of love that you gave me, I will shower her with love just liked you did with me and I will teach her all that you have taught me, I promise. I will never forget you, papa, and just know that I will always love you, no matter what mistakes you and mama made in your past. Love you," and just like Ana did with her mother's headstone, she also places a kiss onto the headstone of her father.
Ana looks over at the last headstone, that of her brother and after taking a deep breath, she finally moves over to it and comes to stand in front of it, she just holding the remaining white rose in hand while looking at her brother's headstone.
"Vladimir, what can I say? I guess I know why you did it, I know that craving for power. I may not always have had it, but the moment mine was awoken, I just wanted more. I guess us Grekov family always had a dormant dark side, mine just took the longest to wake up, and it took your deaths to wake it up within me, but yeah, the darkness is in us, brother. I just wish you would have taken a different route, but then again, had you not I would not have met Bryan and Kai, and I never would have had this little angel," Ana looking down at her stomach once more and again rubs it with a smile on her face before looking up at her brother's headstone once more, "Life sure worked out funny, hasn't it? I just wish you would have been honest with me from the beginning, Vladimir. I know in your eyes I was always your innocent yet crude sister, but I would have been able to support you and I am sure that together we would have been able to find a solution to this, but I guess it is too late for that now, isn't it?"
Ana sighs and finally places the last remaining rose onto her brother's grave before straightening herself up and places both hands on her stomach, "I have already forgiven you for what you had done, Vladimir, and yes, I was hurt and disappointed when I finally learned the truth of why you were killed, and I could see that Kai felt both guilty and hurt for killing you all, but you really gave him no choice, did you? Well, he also gave me no choice in the end, but I have also forgiven him for that. Thank you, Vladimir, thank you for everything you have ever done for me and that you always took care of me. I could not have asked for a better brother. Well," Ana says and sighs softly to herself because she has no idea when she will be able to visit her family's graves again, "I guess I will see you guys later; I still have one more thing to do before I get on the plane. Love you, brother," she says and also places a kiss onto her brother's headstone, she deciding to stand here for a while longer seeing as it will be quite some time before she will see them again.
Tala and Alisia continue to lean against their car, the married couple smiling at Ana and how she is greeting her family.
Tala suddenly thinks back to the day Kai died and how utterly heartbroken he was and how angry he was at 'Mya' for giving into Kai's demands, but he later calmed down and then the two of them just cried in each other's arms for quite a long time next to Kai's body. When their tears have finally dried up and they were utterly exhausted from all of the crying, they were able to pick up Kai's body and take him back to Feniks manor to get him cleaned up and to start making the arrangements for his cremation and letting the world know that Kai Hiwatari is no more.
By the time they had loaded Kai's body into Ana's pick-up truck, both of them were covered in blood, Ana more than him seeing as she held Kai's upper body in her arms while crying and calling his name, and that scene momentarily reminded Tala of when Ana flat lined back at Boris's abbey, when Kai also held Ana like that and cried. Neither of them put on new clothes until Kai's body was taken care of, their hearts and mind only focused on Kai.
Tala still has the letter that Kai left him where Kai explained to him how he has cancer and that he is terminal, and that he refuses to die on someone else's terms and that he wants to die by the hand of the woman that he loves. Kai also told Tala that the attorneys will contact him soon enough to inform him of his will and what is going to happen to everything that Kai owns, from the mob to the company, and true to his word, it was not long before Tala was contacted and he received the news that he is the new head of The Chernyy Feniks and that he has full authority to do with it whatever he wants.
The letter also informed Kai that the world is never to know the truth about it being his own lover that took his family, and Tala also stayed true to his word; at least the attorneys knew about this and kept quiet about it.
Tala was given The Chernyy Feniks to do with as he pleases, and that is exactly what Tala did: Ray is his right hand man now, and Tala has withdrawn their power from all the other countries, The Chernyy Feniks now operating only in Russia. Tala has also stopped all human trafficking and prostitution and sure, a few may have lost their jobs, but Tala wanted The Chernyy Feniks to be a 'cleaner' mob, but still powerful, and to his surprise, their allies have supported this movement because Kai's memory is still kept alive through their other illegal activities, The Chernyy Feniks still going from strength to strength without showing any sign of falling apart.
About two weeks after Kai's death, Ana finally came clean about who she really is and why she had joined the mob in the first place. Both Tala and Ray felt very betrayed in the beginning and they both actually stated to hate her, Tala accusing her that she finally accomplished her goal, that she finally killed Kai, but it was Alisia who talked sense into their heads, making them see what Ana had truly gone through and how much pain she must have been in to be determined for so long to get to the man that had taken away her family and in the end, the two men finally came to their senses and forgave Ana after apologising to her for their reactions, and today they are even closer than before, everyone calling 'Mya' Ana now, and Tala even apologised for having a hand in the death of her family, Ana assuring Tala that she forgave both him and Kai a long time ago, and that she is just both glad and relieved that the truth has finally come out because she did not want to continue to lie to them, and seeing as Kai always knew the truth, it was time that they also knew.
Tala and Alisia are both happy and sad about Ana expecting Kai's child, all three of them saddened by the fact that Kai will never be able to hold his baby girl in his arms, and that after he wanted to have a child so badly.
Kai's ashes are currently in a beautiful black porcelain urn sitting on the back seat of the car, and as soon as Ana is done with greeting her family, they will all drive out to Kai's special place, the place where he died, and then Ana will release his ashes into the wind as her final goodbye to him before she leaves Mother Russia for good and starting her new life in America along with their daughter.
Alisia and Tala see that Ana is finally making her way back to them, the married couple just smiling at her when she reaches them, and Alisia immediately pulls Ana into a tight hug because she can't even begin to imagine what Ana must have gone through all these years, and were it her, she definitely would have been admitted into asylum a long time ago because she would have lost her mind. She would not even have thought of getting revenge, much less go through that gruelling training in order to join a dangerous mob and then get rid of some of her humanity in the process, all for the sake of avenging her family's deaths.
"Are you ready for this last trip?" Alisia asks as she releases her hold on Ana, the blonde haired woman just nodding at her friend, "Then let's go."
Tala opens up the back door for Ana to get in, she immediately taking the black urn into her arms and holds it close to her chest with her eyes closed as she thinks to all of the happy times she has had with Kai.
Tala starts the car as soon as everyone is in and the three friends finally make their way out of the graveyard and heads towards the cliff where Kai had died, and this time the road is clear of all snow so they can drive there with a normal car and without any worries of getting stuck.
It isn't long before the three friends make their way out of the city, Ana still holding the urn in her arms while looking out of the window to the world outside, her thoughts drifting back to when she had watched the SD card.
Vladimir's face appeared first on the screen and then Kai's face, and had Kai not confirmed that he was Demyan, she would have been confused by the sight to see both murderer and murdered together on one screen.
The video was taken a few days before their deaths and Vladimir explained to her why he and their parents won't be around for much longer. It turns out that when Vladimir was younger, he made a deal with some very bad and very powerful people, people that could have destroyed Kai if they wanted to and people that Ana always thought were a conspiracy theory: The Illuminati.
Ana first thought that it was some kind of joke that her brother was making but the more he explained certain things, the more things started to fall in place and the clearer the bigger picture got. The money, the success her brother was able to reach at such a young age, everything started to make sense, and it seems that their parents were also involved with these people, which again explained the money that she had inherited.
She never could understand how her parents and brother were able to have so much money because she could never remember the Grekov family being millionaires, but now she finally knows where all that money came from.
Vladimir admitted that he had traded the lives of their parents for success, but he later wanted out but couldn't because he knew what was going to happen, and that is why he decided to have them all killed in a peaceful manner seeing as these people would have caused them immense pain and would have tortured them for who knows how long, so Vladimir actually saved himself and their parents a lot of agony.
To Ana's surprise, Kai had transformed into Demyan right before her which once again proved to her that Kai and Demyan were the same person, and that Kai and Vladimir were really best friends.
The two men went to explain how they became friends and why they had to keep their friendship a secret, but Ana could see on the screen that the two men appreciated and cared for each other. The video ended with her brother telling her how much he loves her and how she should never stop living and that she should continue to be the strong woman that she is, which she has been doing ever since their deaths.
A next video appeared and it was of Kai this time and he was alone, and she could see that it must have been taken a couple of days before she killed him because his face already looked skinnier and paler, and he looked very tired and emotional while speaking to her. He told her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him and how sorry he is for taking away her family and for all of the pain that he had caused her.
He also told her how she will inherit 50% of his shares in Hiwatari Enterprises and how she will inherit his money so that she will be set for the rest of her life because even though he could not keep her happy anymore, he hopes that his money will remind her that he will always be there for her.
Ana was completely broken after watching the two separate videos and she had watched them over and over again for two days straight, she locking herself within her penthouse and shutting out the rest of the world so that she could just mourn on her own.
Kai's last words to her was, 'I love you, Mi Amor,' and she will never forget it, never.
Ana again hugs the urn to her chest, knowing that soon she will have to let go of the last remaining thing of Kai so that he can finally be free, away from a life of crime and power and suffering, and to be just be free as a bird, as free as the mighty black phoenix.
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Tala gently shakes Ana after the car has stopped near the cliff, the blonde haired woman not even realising that she had dosed off; she still has the urn in her arms and after Tala tells her that they are finally here, she just shakes her head to fully wake up and then gets out after Tala opens up the door for her, Alisia also getting out and while the married couple holds each other, Ana makes her way towards the edge of the cliff and looks out at the scenery in front of her.
The last time she was here, it was nothing but snow, but now it is green as far as the eye can see, small streams of water shimmering in the bright sunlight and colourful flowers being seen everywhere, not to mention the different wildlife also being seen and birds that can be heard singing.
"You would have loved this scene, my phoenix," Ana softly says as she looks down at the urn that she still holds securely in her arms.
Ana suddenly feels a gentle breeze against her skin and she imagines that it must be Kai that is agreeing with her, this causing her to smile to herself while she closes her eyes and continues to take in the gentle breeze around her.
She opens up her eyes once more and places the urn under her left arm and gently starts to stroke her stomach with her right hand, "You would have been so happy about little Mya, my phoenix. She was conceived on our last night together, and how ironic is it not? The day before you die we manage to create a life together, and that after we had made plans to start trying for a baby as soon as spring time started."
Ana sighs to herself as her smile disappears and tears start to well up within her eyes, "I miss you so much, Kai, it has been really difficult without you around and that first couple of weeks were the worst, but I know why you did what you did, and thank you for telling me the truth about the murders of my family. I am sorry that my brother had put you in that position, but you too had put me in that position, and we both made the ultimate sacrifices for the person we care so much about in this world," she again sighing to herself as she takes the urn in both hands and lifts the lid, "I guess this is finally goodbye, my phoenix; you are freed from the life of crime and now you can be as free as the mystical phoenix. I love you, Kai Hiwatari, and I will never stop loving you, not ever."
Ana finally turns the urn upside down and the ashes of Kai immediately gets released into the wind, she along with Tala and Alisia watching how Kai's remains are dispersed in the wind where he will finally rest in his home country, the country that he loved so much, and now Kai is free from all cancer and anything that may have hurt him in the future.
Ana remains to stand at the edge of the cliff with the empty urn in both of her hands, she silently crying to herself because that was the last thing she had left of Kai to prove that he was real, that they were in love and happy together.
Alisia and Tala come to stand on either side of Ana and embraces her in a comforting manner because they know that this is not easy for her for so many reasons.
The three friends continue to stand there for a while longer before leaving and finally making their way towards the airport because it is almost time for Ana to check in and get on the plane that will take her to her new life in America, New York City to be exact.
The business world got quite the shock when it was announced that Kai Hiwatari has retired from Hiwatari Enterprises, effective immediately, and that he has been diagnosed with brain cancer and that he is terminal. The attorneys of Hiwatari Enterprises released an official statement to let everyone know that Kai has left for Switzerland to receive the mercy death because Mr Hiwatari's health was deteriorating very fast and he did not want to suffer, and that is why he chose to end his life in this manner.
Nestor officially became the new CEO of Hiwatari Enterprises and fortunately for him, most people supported this notion seeing as most of the business world already knew Nestor as Kai's right hand man, and they knew that Kai did not make a mistake in assigning the company over to Nestor seeing as Nestor has proved himself over and over again while working alongside Kai.
Hiwatari manor is to be sold and the money is to be divided between the staff members so that they all will at least be able to live comfortably for a couple of years while they find new work, all of them having received wonderful references from Kai that he had drawn up himself before he draw up his will.
Oksana unfortunately died a day after Kai's death after battling with her health after Ralph's death, and she never got to find out about Kai's death seeing as she lost consciousness and slipped into a coma the day Kai died, which was also ironic.
Kai never went to greet Oksana because he knew that it would break his heart to do this to her and after Ralph's death, she did not deserve this. Nora was the only one Kai informed of what was going to happen and she promised him that she will keep his secret until everything was over. Kai had also made sure that this family receives a lot of money, this being his token of appreciation for all that they have done for Oksana and Ralph and also for him, and Kai just wanted to thank them in this manner.
Money has also been set aside for the remaining animal sanctuaries that still need to be built and they will have enough funds for a number of years to support them all, which Alexis is very thankful for. She was very saddened by Kai's passing, but she knew that Kai did not want to suffer with this illness and knew that this was the best choice for Kai.
Kai's muscle cars were to be sold and the money to be placed in the trust fund that he had made for his two godchildren, the trust fund already containing a large huge amount of money, this being something that completely shocked both Tala and Alisia because they never even thought of receiving anything from Kai because they never cared about it, but they were still thankful for what Kai has done for them. The children are to receive the money when they both reach the age of 21, but there will still be financial advisors which will ensure that they do not waste the money seeing as it is quite a large amount of money that both children will receive when they come of age.
Everyone within the crime world was shocked to learn of Kai's passing, condolences coming in from all over the world and many praising Kai on what he has done and accomplished within the crime world. Kai's memorial was attended by hundreds of people, people from both the business and crime world, all of them paying tribute to a strong man that they all had the privilege of knowing.
Only a hand full know the real truth about Ana being the one who had killed Kai, after he made the choice of dying by the hands of the only woman he has ever loved, and only these select few will ever know the truth, they all making a pact with each other of keeping the truth a secret for as long as they live.
Kai may be gone, but his memory lives on through many, and many will keep holding his memory alive. The mystical black phoenix of Russia may have finally died, never to rise up from the ashes ever again, but now it is immortal in the land after death with the rest of the mystical beings where it will now live forever in all its beauty and majesty.
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Bryan is nursing a cup of coffee while being lost in his own thoughts on Ana and Kai as he continues to sit silently at his usual table in his bar.
He was heartbroken when he found out about Kai and he wanted to run to Ana to just console her, but a part of him knew that she would need time to work through all of this and if she needed him, she would contact him.
It has now been five months and he still believes that she will reach out to him when she needs him.
Bryan still can't stop thinking back to the last time he saw Kai, to that Saturday night, and after Kai's death, he realised that it was Kai's way of saying goodbye to him. He knew Kai was ill, but he never knew just how ill, and it saddens him to think that this strong, brave young man was taken down in the prime of life, by a bloody illness.
Bryan just can't get over the fact that this was how Kai died; he should have died while taking down his enemies, while showing everyone why he was the black phoenix and while fighting with all his might and power because that is what Kai deserved: to die in battle, or better yet, and this is also more deserving, he should have died as an old man, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and his wife, his wife no doubt being Ana, but just look how it all turned out, A bloody illness took down the mighty Kai Hiwatari and it just seems so unfair to him.
As Bryan continues to look down at his cup of coffee while being lost in thought, he does not focus on his surroundings, and so he does not notice the red head walking in to the bar, the red head looking directly at him and just smirking, because he still cannot believe that this guy is truly alive, that Brooklyn did not kill this burly bastard.
Tala has an envelope in hand and immediately walks towards Sevastyan, and he will admit that he is nervous of seeing the psychotic Sevastyan once more after all these and after they all thought that he was dead, but he promised Ana that he will deliver this to Sevastyan, or as Ana calls him 'Bryan.'
That was another bitter pill Tala had to swallow after learning that it was Sevastyan who has taught Ana all of her skills and that they were lovers before she joined the mob and that Sevastyan knew she wants to kill him and that after he saw Kai as his little brother. Tala once again felt very betrayed by all of this, but again, his wonderful wife made him see things in another light and now he gets why Bryan did what he did and also why he never came back to The Chernyy Feniks.
Tala too has those days where he wishes he can just take his wife and children, pack up and head for a village so that they can start over and start with a life that is filled with nothing but peace and love.
Tala finally reaches the table, Bryan still not noticing him, but he soon will, "Well, well, well, as I live and breathe," and at once Bryan's head shoot up and the two men's eyes meet, Tala still nervous and ready should Sevastyan retaliate in any way.
Bryan's eyes only widen when he sees Tala here, he having no idea what the hell Tala is doing here, and how the hell did Tala find out about him in the first place? He had told Kai that he did not want anyone to know that he is alive, so how did Tala find out about him?
"What the hell are you doing here, Ivanov?" Bryan asks coldly, he suddenly in defensive mood even though it is not needed.
Tala immediately puts up both of his hands in a surrendering manner while still smirking at the burly giant, he showing him that he bears no ill will towards him, "I come in peace, brother, I promise. Here," Tala says as he places the envelope in front of Bryan in a gentle manner, "it is from Ana," Bryan's eyes widening to this because how does he know Ana's name, Bryan's reaction immediately causing Tala to just laugh, "Relax, Bryan, I know everything about what has been going on and I am not angry, but anyway, she wanted you to read that letter."
Bryan looks at the letter and then back up at Tala, his mind suddenly going to Ana and her well being, it being clear to him that Tala must still have contact with Ana, "How is she, Tala? How is she after the death of Kai?" Bryan asks with concern clearly evident in his voice.
Tala turn serious but he does not turn away from Bryan, he seeing in Bryan's eyes that he still cares deeply for Ana, "She is doing well, Bryan, but it was not easy after the death of Kai. That letter will explain all there is to know, but I do have some bad news though: Ana is currently on a plane, she left about an hour ago and she is heading for New York City, but she wanted you to read the letter and if the time is right, I will give you the information that you are looking for. So, I am going to leave you to get to your business, Bryan. Just one quick question though: do you sell coffee in this joint?" and Tala looks around while asking this.
"Yeah, just go to the bar and he will whip you up a good cup of coffee."
Tala nods his head to this but says nothing else and then makes his way towards the bar counter so that he can leave Bryan in peace to read the letter, he actually relieved to see the burly man alive. He is definitely going to keep in contact with this former mobster because he too has missed this giant with all his heart.
Bryan takes the envelope in hand and he can feel that there are a few papers within it; he finally opens it and removes the letter that is clearly handwritten and after taking a deep breath, he opens up the folded papers and finally starts to read.
My dearest, sweetest, Bryan, my love
I don't even know how to start this letter or even what I am going to say because in all honesty, my mind is a complete mess right now as I sit here with the pen in my hand, but I have to at least start somewhere right, so here goes nothing.
First off, by now you know about Kai's death and that the news reported that he had died after being diagnosed with cancer and being told that he is terminal. I know it was also reported that he went for that mercy killing thing in Switzerland, but that is complete goat shit, Bryan.
I did it, Bryan, I finally put a bullet in Kai, but not for the reasons I had planned to long ago.
Bryan raises an eyebrow to this, he now suddenly confused as to why Ana had killed Kai because the last time he saw them together, they were so in love, and a few days after that, Kai was dead, so why did she do it? Bryan takes another deep breath before continuing to read the letter, knowing that Ana would explain it all.
In the beginning I wanted to kill him for what he did to my family, but in the end I killed the man that I loved after he begged me too, and now I am going to tell you the truth surrounding Kai's death.
It's true about Kai's health, he was terminal and there was nothing anyone could do for him seeing as the cancer had spread from his brain to the rest of his body and by the time Kai was diagnosed with the cancer, it was already too late. I knew we all noticed how Kai's physical appearance changed, and I for one always thought that it was because of the stress of our break up and me being in hospital, but it turns out that Kai's body was deteriorating before us and in true Kai fashion, he never breathed a word to anyone because he never wanted anyone's pity, and God forbid Kai receives any pity from us [frowning and smiley face].
Kai had told me that he wanted to die on his own terms and he refused to be turned into a helpless, bedridden skeleton of a man and he refused to suffer any more than he has to, and so his terms of death was on his own and he wanted to die by my hand, and so I did it, Bryan, I took Kai out of misery by putting a bullet in his heart which killed him instantly.
Bryan stops reading while trying to process this, he trying to imagine how broken she must have been when Kai told her what his intentions were. A part of him can't help but be angry with Kai for putting Ana through this agony, and after she had lost her family by his hand, and now he wanted her to kill him all so that he did not need to suffer?
Bryan temporarily closes his eyes to get his emotions under control because he knows he can't be angry at Kai for wanting this, but to put Ana through more agony? That just was not fair to Ana.
He finally opens his eyes and continues to read the letter.
I still get nightmares about that day, Bryan, and even though I know that it was what he wanted, I can't help but feel guilty about what I had done because I constantly think what if there was something that could have been done for him, what if Kai gave up to early, but I guess it is too late for the 'what if's' because nothing will bring Kai back now.
And surprise, surprise, it turns out the bastard knew who I really was all along seeing as he and I have met before but he was wearing a disguise at the time and he went by a different identity, and he has had a crush on me ever since, and he knew that I wanted revenge for what he did to my family, but after realising that he has his 'bubbly blonde' back in his life and that I was cut out for this world of organised crime, he was not going to let me go and decided that he wants me in his life and by his side.
He and my brother were best friends, but they always kept quiet about it seeing as they both stood on opposite sides of the law; Kai was against the law and Vladimir fought to uphold the law, and so for the safety of both of them, they both decided that it would for be the best to keep their friendship a secret.
It also turns out that Kai had killed my parents and my brother on my brother's orders, that Vladimir had actually forced Kai to do it. When I found out the true reason, I could not believe it because my whole life, I believed that my parents and my brother were innocent and law abiding people, but apparently I was fooled, and my brother was the most corrupt of them all.
I never did quite understand where all of the family money came from that I had inherited but now I know, and you can actually call it blood money, Bryan. Way before the birth of me and my brother, my parents made a deal with the devil, like in literally, and so they were blessed with fortune. There was just one catch though, offer the first born, let him become a puppet for them, and it seemed that it was not a problem for my parents.
The Illuminati, can you believe it, Bryan? Those bastards actually exist! And my family was part of that organisation! I still can't get over it, but anyway, on with the tale. It seems that after my brother grew up and was of age, he too went and made a deal with these devils, and he used my parents as leverage. That is why my brother was always so successful at such a young age, he had the right connections that could manipulate the law in any way he desired, and my brother unfortunately became addicted to power at a very young age, and that is why he had made such a dangerous deal. I was never part of it which explains why I am still alive to this day.
Again Bryan stops reading, his thoughts again going to Ana and how she must have felt when she learned the truth. For so long she had mourned their deaths, she was broken, and she was filled with so much hate towards Kai, all to find out later that Kai was also just a pawn in it all, that her own flesh and blood was the cause of all her hurt, and again Bryan can't help but feel angry because again someone caused this wonderful woman pain, and this time it was her own brother!
Bryan suddenly has the urge to just get up and go after Ana so that he can just hold and console her for has been done to her; how can someone so sweet be treated like this by her own blood?
Again, after calming his anger, Bryan takes the letter in hand once more so that he can continue, and hopefully somewhere he will learn that Ana is doing fine, or as fine as she can be because who the hell can remain normal after learning and undergoing all of this shit?
The day finally came where my brother finally grew a conscious and he wanted out from the organisation, but he couldn't get out without any serious repercussions, one of those repercussions being that my parents will be tortured and killed before him, and Vladimir couldn't stomach that being done to our parents, and that is why in the end he begged Kai to kill them all, or more like, he forced Kai to do it, and Kai had to agree in the end.
Kai even offered to help them and to get them out of the country and to get them all new identities, but apparently it would not have helped seeing as these people have connections all over the world and there was nothing Kai could do to protect them.
I never did understand why my family was put to sleep before their throats were slit; I always thought that it was a bitch move because they did not even get a chance to fight back, but now I realise that it was the most humane thing to do. My brother may have wanted them all dead, but he did not want them to suffer which I am thankful for.
I was shocked when I learned the truth but I am not as hurt as I should have been, and I don't really know why. I guess because I realised that me and my entire family always had a sleeping darkness within us, I mean, just look at me and how I basked in it while I was with The Chernyy Feniks, so the craving for desire I can understand, that craving for power I get, and I think that plays a huge part in why I am not angry at them or that I hate my brother for taking my family away without even giving me the option of joining them.
He always did want me to live my life to the fullest and to always remain happy, so I guess I get that, but I will be honest that there are days that I wish I would have died with them, but that is only when I really feel VERY melancholic, and fortunately I don't get those days often.
Life sure has a funny way of working out, my love; had they not died, I never would have met you and I never would have met Kai, and I am honest that with both you and Kai, I had felt true happiness, and I will never ever regret meeting you and falling in love with you both.
My life sure has been on a roller coaster of events and emotions these last couple of years; I have learned so much about myself, but unfortunately I have also lost myself, my love. I don't know who I am anymore, whether I am Anastasia Grekov or whether I am Mya Azarov, and that is why I have decided to go back to America to try and find myself while I complete my studies.
I have to find myself once more, my love, so that I know what I truly want in life, and I cannot do that while I am still in Russia seeing as there are just too many memories, both good and bad.
I also have to tell you that I am pregnant, Bryan. I'm five months along now, and I only found out about two months after Kai's death.
To this, Bryan can't help but gasp and he immediately feels a hurtful stab in his heart, he dropping the letter and looking at his now hands while he tries to come to grips with this news.
He never even imagined that Ana would get pregnant with Kai's baby, and to make matters worse, she will have to raise that baby all on her own seeing as she killed the baby's father, and again Bryan has this sudden urge to just hold and console Ana.
'What more tragedies are going to hit you, sweetness? Have you not already been through enough heartache?'
Bryan knows that he has to continue to read the letter, but he is really just going to need a minute to process all of this.
Unbeknownst to Bryan, Tala has been keeping an eye on him and watching his expressions as he continues to read the letter and even though Tala has no idea what is written in it, it must be serious for an in-control guy like Bryan to freak out like this every few minutes, and right now Bryan suddenly looks pale and shocked, so Tala can only guess that it must have been something heavy, but he is not going to intervene because this is something that Bryan has to do on his own.
Tala looks at Bryan one more time before placing his attention on something else within the bar, knowing that Bryan would not appreciate it if someone looks at him like this.
Bryan has finally managed to compose himself and he takes a deep breath and after releasing it, he again picks up the letter and continues to read it.
Apparently antibiotics and the contraceptive pill don't work together, and little Mya was conceived the night before I killed Kai. She is a girl and I am already so in love with her and she is not even born yet, and she is also part of why I want to move away from Russia. I have to start over, Bryan, not just for me, but also for her.
I made the choice to name her Mya seeing as I was known as Mya when she was conceived and it is sort of a tribute to my life as a mobster and to when I was together with her father; her middle name will be Kailee so that she at least has something of her father, and I am going to make sure that she knows who her father was and what a wonderful a man he was. I owe it to Kai seeing as he always wanted to be a father.
By the time you read this, I will already be on the plane, and I am sorry for not greeting you personally, my love, but I knew that if I had seen you, I would not have been able to leave and I have to leave, my love, I just have to.
You have probably seen the forms that have come with this letter, it is the deed to the house, and all that you have to do is to sign it and the house will officially belong to you. I sold my penthouse, and my pick-up truck is already being shipped to America; I unfortunately had to sell my bike seeing as I am going to be a mom and there will be no place in my life for it, but believe me when I tell you that it was a sad day when I sold that beauty, it felt like I was cutting off a finger or something.
Bryan just smiles to this as he starts to envision Ana leaning over her bike and hugging it while crying like a little girl, she acting all dramatic for losing one of her most prized possessions because she really loved that bike.
I really wish that I could have told all of this to you in person, but I just had to get away. Tala and the others also know the truth about me and about us, and yes, Tala was not fine with it at all in the beginning, but he finally accepted all of it, and now our friendship is stronger than before, and he even admitted that he is going to hound you for a drink and that he is going to make sure that you two will hang out regularly, along with Ray of course. [Winking face]
I also apologise that I had sent Tala to drop off the letter, but I thought it would be good for you two to become acquainted once more seeing as he now knows that you are alive. They all have missed you, my love, and I think it will do you all some good to hang out.
I still love you, Bryan, and I will never stop loving you, and that is why I have a proposition for you: if you want to continue things with me in the future, come find me, because I still want to be with you, Bryan, despite all that has happened. I know that I am expecting another man's baby and that it would be completely unfair to you to expect you to raise another man's baby, but I will admit that I am selfish and I hope that you will consider raising little Mya as your own daughter, my love.
I always knew that we had met for a reason and I still believe it.
I know that what I am asking of you is not something small, and I do not want you to feel pressured or feel forced to stay with me, so take your time in making your choice, Bryan, and whatever you choose, I will respect it, but should you decide to join me in New York, Tala will give you my address.
I love you, Bryan, and I thank you for all that you have done for me. Without you, I would have remained a lost soul who never would have found peace, but you made it all possible, and for that I will always be grateful. I miss you, Bryan, and I do hope that we will end up together one day, but whatever your choice will be, I will respect it and I will be happy for you, even if it is in the arms of another woman.
Your happiness is my happiness.
Take care of yourself, Bryan, and send my love to Yurik and Grigory, and give Logan and Mystique a kiss from me.
Lots of love
From Ana
Your sweetness
Bryan places the letter on the table, his mind and heart in so much turmoil right now because it is so much to take in right now. Ana is gone, she has left Russia and she wants him to join her in New York? Of course will he join her! He does not even have to think about it, but he knows that he has to give her some time to get settled in and to try and find herself, but he will soon join her in New York, there is no doubt about that, and then they will raise little Mya together and they will raise her as THEIR daughter.
He loves her and he will never stop loving her.
Bryan looks at the deed of the house, he not even going to bother to sign it seeing as soon he too will be moving to America, so what is the use of signing it in the first place?
Bryan looks over at Tala, he smirking to himself to have this red head back in his life and he thinks back to Mya words about Tala wanting to have a drink with him and that currently sounds like a million dollar plan, the former mobster suddenly having a new lust for life because soon he will be able to start his life with his precious Ana, and he is going to love Kai's kid as his own, and hopefully, somewhere in the future, he and Ana will also be able to have a child of their own.
Life just got so much better and he honestly cannot wait to start his life with Ana.
Bryan finally gets up and comes to sit right next to Tala, the two men smirking to each other, "So, kid, how about we get a drink?"
"Now you're talking."
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The plane took off about three hours ago, and Ana is currently sitting comfortable in her seat and looking out of the window, she both smiling and crying at the same time as she thinks back to her life the last couple of years and all that have transpired.
She has both of her hands on her stomach and she cannot wait to hold her daughter in her arms in a couple of months.
It sure was an emotional affair when she had to greet Tala, Alisia and Ray, all four of them crying like babies, but Ana knows that she will do everything in her power to stay in contact with them because she does not want to lose their friendship seeing as they have all become an important part in her life, and even though she is no longer a mobster, she still wants them in her life because they are truly good people.
Ana looks at the clouds and she suddenly starts to imagine seeing Kai on the back of a black phoenix, he clutching the feathers of the mystical being with a smile on his face as they both fly freely through the clouds and in life, Kai finally being as free as the mystical bird where he is healthy and happy without a care in the world and where he can be free for as long as he wants to.
She can see how the wind flows through his hair, he continuing to smile while he continues to ride the mystical beast that is the black phoenix, happiness radiating off of him as he continues to soar through the skies, nothing going to hurt him ever again.
'Live free, my precious phoenix.'
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A soft groan is heard from a woman as she straightens herself up after moving a wooden cot, she rubbing her lower back with both hands for a while before moving her right hand over her seven month pregnant belly and then rubbing her still growing stomach while smiling to herself.
"In two months I am finally going to hold you in my arms, my little Mya, and I cannot wait. Your room is almost done and then all that will be left to do is to wait for your arrival."
Ana glances around the room that has been painted white because she did not want a pink room, the white wall having various animals painted on it. In the middle of the room is a huge black phoenix dangling from the ceiling, this being Ana's way of having Kai always watch over his daughter. There is an antique designed wooden cot in the room, a wooden rocking chair where she will breastfeed little Mya; there is a changing station as well as two large cupboards containing all types of clothes for babies and toddlers as well as shoes, and there is also a large dresser with five drawers, every drawer also filled with all types of baby stuff.
The room overall has a serene feel to it, and that is exactly what Ana wanted; she knew if she had to make each and every little thing pink, both she and her daughter would have been driven crazy from it, and that is why she settled for a peaceful colour, mixing it with all types of colour in between.
Ana walks over to the rocking chair and takes a seat so that she can just rest her somewhat swollen feet. So far she has had an easy pregnancy and she hopes that the labour will also be this easy, and she has opted to give birth naturally because Ana believes that every woman has to experience it when their body allows it and fortunately for her, her body will be able to take it, so she wants to give birth naturally.
She has been in New York for two months now and she has settled in rather quickly, something that still surprises her to this day. She talks to Tala, Alisia and Ray at least twice a week over video calling, Alisia always asking to see her stomach and the two women can talk about baby stuff for hours, and sometimes even Tala joins in on the conversation seeing as he was very hands on with the twins when they were babies and even now, he is still a very hands on dad.
Ana has already started with her classes once more and she knows that it will be somewhat difficult once Mya arrives, but she knows that she will be able to make it work, and fortunately for her, she was almost done with her studies before the deaths of her family, and she still remembers all of the things she has learned up until now, so for her it feels likes she was away on spring break and just returned back to class.
She has already received the money from Kai's will and she was beyond shocked about the amount, never once thinking it would have been so much, but she had decided to use this money to set up a trust fund for Mya which will pay out at three different dates: Mya will receive 10% when she turns 18, and then she will receive 25% when she turns 21 and then when she turns 25, she will receive the rest of the money with the intent that about 30% of it will be invested, whether in a house or a business or buying shares or something, as long as 30% is made into an investment that will hopefully pay out when she too turns a mother one day.
Ana leans comfortably back in the chair and rubs her stomach with both hands, she still not fully able to believe that she is about to become a mother, and yes, she gets very sad at times thinking about how happy Kai would have been about their daughter seeing as the guy was so broody; he literally went behind her back to try and get her pregnant, and if that is not broodiness, she has no idea what is.
It is Tuesday today and fortunately for Ana, she has no classes today, which is why she is finishing up the last small jobs of the baby room before she goes and lies on the bed for a well deserved afternoon nap.
Just then Ana hears the doorbell ring and with a groan, she gets up and makes her way towards the door of her three bedroom apartment that she had bought just before she came back to New York.
'Please don't let it be someone that wants to stay the entire day because I really just want to go to sleep,' Ana thinks to herself as she walks towards the door.
She does not even look through the peephole and just opens up the door, her eyes immediately meeting grey eyes and this causes her jaw to just drop in sheer shock and rendering her completely speechless.
"Hi, sweetness," Bryan says with a smile on his face while he looks at how shocked Ana looks at him, a lock of disbelief in her eyes as she just looks at him without uttering a single word.
A moment of silence passes between the two before Ana suddenly launches herself at Bryan, the burly man immediately taking her in his arms and holding her, he hearing how she softly starts to sob against his muscular chest, Bryan not saying anything to this because he is certain that she needs a shoulder right now.
Bryan can feel her bulging stomach pressing up against him and he swore he just felt the baby kick, this bringing a smile to his face as he continues to hold Ana tightly in his arms.
Bryan can't believe that he is finally here, standing with his sweetness in his arms after all this time. About a week ago, he felt that he was finally ready to leave for America and after asking Tala the physical address of Ana, he booked his plane ticket and started counting down the days until he will have his sweetness in his arms once more where they will finally be able to start their life together. He can feel how the small velvet box is burning within the pocket of his jeans, it containing an engagement ring because right before Bryan asked Tala for Ana's address, he made the decision to ask Ana to marry him and he hopes that she will say yes.
Bryan continues to hold Ana in his arms until he feels her pull away, she looking up at him with a smile on her face as tears continue to roll down her cheeks which Bryan gently rubs away with his thumbs.
Still no words are uttered between the two, Ana suddenly crashing her lips against Bryan's lips in a seething kiss, the burly man gently starting to push Ana back into her apartment and after closing the door behind them, he gently pushes her against the wall without breaking the passionate kissing between them, which continues for a while longer until Bryan finally breaks away from it, but he keeps his forehead pressed against Ana's forehead, both of them having their eyes closed.
"You came," Ana says softly while having her hands against Bryan's chest and clutching his shirt in both her hands, she still in a state of disbelief to see Bryan here, which hopefully means that he is willing to start a life with her.
Bryan does not comment to this and just kisses Ana once more before pulling away again, his forehead once more pressed against her forehead.
"Marry me, Ana?"
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EPILOGUE
Bryan officially moved in with Ana that Tuesday, because he wanted to be there for the baby's birth, the two quickly settling into their new life seeing as they have lived together before, so it was just like they were picking up where they had left off.
A week before Ana's due date, Ray, Alisia and Tala flew to New York so that they can be present when little Mya is born, the little girl arriving three days later after the three Russians landed, and even though it was a long labour, little Mya was a healthy 3.1 kg baby with a beautiful set of blonde hair and with her father's beautiful brown eyes.
Bryan was with Ana every step of the way and he endured every insult that came his way while Ana was in pain, but the moment he heard little Mya's first cry, his heart just burst from happiness and pride .and all was forgiven as he and Ana just looked down at the beautiful baby little girl, there no doubt about who her father is.
Little Mya Kailee Kuznetsov was born 02:14 on a Wednesday morning, 23 November, which makes her a winter baby and also a Sagittarius.
Six months after little Mya's birth, Ana, Bryan and little Mya flew to Moscow for their wedding because Ana said that she wanted a Russian wedding, the trio staying in Moscow for about a month before Bryan and Ana finally tied the knot.
Alisia and Tala offered to look after little Mya while the newlyweds went on their two week honeymoon, but after a week, Ana couldn't wait any longer and she just wanted to hold her daughter in her arms once more, so after a week of honeymooning, the newlyweds returned to Moscow where they stayed for another week before finally heading back to New York to officially start their lives as the Kuznetsov family, Logan and Mystique this time joining the family back to the States, because Ana wanted her cats with her once more.
After being married for about five months, Bryan and Ana decided to try for another baby, but unfortunately after a year of trying, they still were not expecting and after seeing a fertility specialist and undergoing all sorts of tests, it turned out that Bryan's excessive drug using days in his younger days have affected his sperm, which also explained why Ana never got pregnant when they were together a couple of years back.
Bryan was not completely unable to conceive children, it was just more difficult than for the average man, but after undergoing treatment, Ana finally became pregnant six months later, and today she and Bryan are the proud parents of a four month old baby boy, little Sergei, the boy named after Bryan's deceased brother, Sergei Vladimir Kuznetsov.
Ana finally managed to finish her studies and even though she is no longer part of the crime world, there comes days where she really misses it, and she has made peace with it. Ana finally realised that she will never be Anastasia Grekov again and that she will now always have a part of Mya Azarov within her and she is completely fine with it, Bryan supporting her in this.
She has finally managed to find herself, but this time she is a brand new woman: she is a loving wife and mother with a dark and hurtful past, but who has overcome life's hurtful obstacles and who has risen above all the hurt and pain, and who has grown stronger after every challenge. She may no longer be Anastasia Grekov or Mya Azarov, but rather a union between the two of them, and she is fine with it because the lives she lived as these two women has moulded her into the strong woman that she is today and she couldn't have been prouder with herself.
Soon the family of four with their two cats will be moving to Texas where Bryan finally bought a ranch, this being a lifelong dream of his that finally came true; Ana will be opening up her own veterinary, the married couple both excited and ready to start this new chapter in their lives, right by each other's side.
Tala is still the head of The Chernyy Feniks and it is still doing well, despite Tala moving all of their business to Russia and stopping all the human trafficking and prostitution rings. He and Alisia are still happily married and still very in love with each other, their two children now in school. The twins' first day was a very emotional day for Tala, he crying more than Alisia was, but it just showed once more what a devoted father Tala is.
Ray is also going to be a father in three months' time after he had a one night stand with another Chinese woman, Mariah, and Ray is very excited about it seeing as he and Mariah are really in love with each other, the two of them already living together and talking of getting married after the birth of their girl, and hopefully they can have two more children later on. Ray sold all of his bars after finding out that he is becoming a father because he too wanted to start with a new clean slate with the birth of his daughter, and he too is excited about this new chapter in his life.
Mikhail unfortunately died in a car crash seven months ago when a drunken truck driver drove straight into his car, the impact killing Mikhail instantly.
Garland and Hilary finally stopped dancing around each other and finally confessed their love for each other and the two are finally getting married in three weeks' time.
Valerie and Inessa moved to Moscow after Tala pulled The Chernyy Feniks from the other countries, Valerie now an official doctor at HMC. She and Inessa both got to experience how it feels to be pregnant, the two women still together with two children of their own, two boys. Valerie was artificially inseminated with semen from Inessa's brother, and Inessa was artificially inseminated with semen from a close cousin of Valerie's, and today they are proud parents of their children.
Ming-Ming also moved back to Moscow but she is no longer involved in The Chernyy Feniks, seeing as she is a mother to three children, and they were her reason for leaving the crime world.
Elena and her husband have three boys and they already visited Ana and Bryan in New York two times, the family of five planning another trip as soon as Ana and Bryan has settled in to their lives as ranch owners.
Dmitri was married, but to everyone's horror, she died in a car accident about a year ago, but he is finally ready to move and to find love again, and he already has a special lady friend, she being 6 years older than him and she has lost her husband about two years ago to lung cancer, and the two have agreed to take it slow seeing as they are still not fully recovered from the deaths of their spouses, but they are supporting each other all the way and helping to ease the other's pain.
Hiwatari Enterprises is still a multibillion dollar company, Nestor still running the company successfully. Ana has given Nestor her proxy should there be times where a vote is needed, Ana always placing the profits that she receives from the company into the trust funds of her two children.
Nestor too managed to find love again and today he is a happily married man with a beautiful woman who is currently pregnant with their second child, she still in her first trimester.
Vera also finally retired from Hiwatari Enterprises but not after finding the perfect replacement to help Nestor, and after finding a woman and training her, she finally retired knowing that Nestor is left in capable hands.
Johnny is also finally married after realising that he needs another type of happiness in his life; he got his act cleaned up and finally met a sweet woman, and today he is the proud father of two red headed twin boys, and the Irish mobster could not be happier.
Valentin finally retired from the medical world where he and his wife moved to a small village and today he is a happy small time farmer, he occasionally helping the villagers with any ailment they might have, but overall, the doctor is happy about his successful career that he had. He still misses Kai dearly seeing as he had such a close bond with the Hiwatari prodigy and seeing as Kai literally grew up before him, but he knew has made peace with Kai's death, knowing that Kai no longer suffers from the horrid cancer.
Yurik and Grigory are both also married with children, Yurik having a daughter and Grigory having a boy.
Antonio from Colombia unfortunately died of a heart attack about a year ago, but at least he got to be a grandfather to four grandchildren, Antonio's son now being the new leader of the Vicente cartel and continuing with the success that his father has accomplished.
Alexis has successfully managed to built and open all of the remaining animal sanctuaries that she and Kai agreed upon, her heart filled with pride because of all of the animals that they have helped up until now, and Ana makes sure to donate enough money every year, she also getting her former mobster friends to make a donation to something that was a huge passion for Kai.
Ana still misses Kai and there are days where she would just look at her daughter and think of Kai; no one can deny that Mya is Kai's daughter because she is a spitting image of her real father, she already showing certain personality traits that Kai was famous for, especially the arms crossed in front of the chest and the huff if she does not get her way, this both warming Ana's heart and also hurting it because it is at these moments that she misses Kai the most, but she is happy with Bryan by her side, she now finally realising why she and Bryan had met: to get married and to have their own little happy ending after all of the hurt they both had endured in their lives, but those hurtful and dark days are finally a thing of the past and it will remain in the past.
Bryan and Ana had agreed that they will tell little Mya about her real father when she is 18, and then they will tell her the truth about him being a powerful man but also a brave man that never stayed down; Ana thought it would be for the best if she does not learn the truth now seeing as she sees Bryan as her father and Ana wants to keep it that way.
Ana also still gets nightmares from her time when Boris had tortured her, it usually starting where he and his men ambushed her at the traffic lights right before she reached the building of her penthouse and then it usually ends up with her being hit in the face, but fortunately for her it only happens about once every two months and ever since Bryan came back into her life, it just became better. She knows that she will most likely never fully forget what Boris had done to her, but with Bryan and their children in her life, she has the strength to face any memory her mind conjures up.
She has kept the promise that she made to Kai, that she will again find love and never stop being happy, her happiness coming in the form of her husband and their two beautiful children, and she will try her best to stay this happy, because she owes it to Kai to keep this promise to him.
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It is night time in New York and even though it is cold outside, Bryan does not mind as he rests over the balcony and looks at the night life all around him. While he continues to look at the concrete jungle in front of him, he feels two arms wrap around his waist and how Ana rests her head against his body, he placing his left hand on her left arm and starts to run his hand up and down her skin while keeping his sights to the buildings in front of him.
"Are you excited for tomorrow, my love?"
"Yeah, and you?"
"Yeah; I cannot wait to breath in fresh country air once more. I am really over this city life and it is about time we get the hell out of here."
Bryan straightens himself up and pulls Ana to the front of him where he also wraps his muscular arms around her, the married couple just holding each other quietly.
"What do you say we do it in our old apartment for one last time?" Ana asks in a suggestive tone as she looks up at Bryan with a mischievous glint in her eye, and Bryan only his smirks to this to show that he is on board with that.
He leans down and just as he is about to capture his wife's lips in a passionate manner, little Sergei's cries are suddenly heard over the baby monitor, both husband and wife sighing to this before chuckling.
"I'll go take care of him," Ana says as she pulls away from Bryan, she stopping at the entrance to their apartment and turns to face Bryan, "but the moment I have put him back to sleep, it is you and me, and I am going to ride you, big boy," she smirking at him and winks her right eye at him before she goes inside to go and check on her baby boy.
"Can't wait!" Bryan calls after her and then leans over the railing of the balcony and looks at the city lights once more, he suddenly starting to play with his wedding ring and then looks at the platinum ring and smiles to himself as he starts to think of Kai, "Wherever you are, kiddo, I hope that you are happy. I just want to say thank you, because you are the reason why I am this happy, Kai, you are the reason why both Ana and I are so happy, so thanks, kiddo. I miss you and I promise that your memory will live on, both Ana and I will make sure of it. Thanks again, kiddo," and then Bryan finally pushes himself away from the railing so that he can go inside and join his wife.
He closes the door of the balcony and walks past the fireplace where he briefly stops to just look at the large family portrait of him, Ana and their two beautiful children, he once again thanking Kai in his mind because were it not for what Kai had done to Ana, they never would have met and he never would have been this happily married right now.
With a last glance at the family portrait, Bryan switches off the lights so that he can go to bed and wait for his beautiful wife so that they can make love in this apartment for one last time seeing as tomorrow morning their things will start getting loaded into the truck, and tomorrow afternoon they are flying out to Texas where their new life will begin, and Bryan is already very excited about this new life that he is starting along with his beautiful wife and their two beautiful children, knowing that things will only get better from here on out.
It sure has been a journey to get here, but he is happy about it all because it shaped both him and Ana into better people, and now he knows that he will never lose this happiness; he will kill any person that tries, and he has no doubt that his sweetness would be right there beside him, defending and fighting for their love and happiness.
No more darkness for either of them, only light, happiness, peace and love.
And there it is, you guys, the final of The Black Phoenix of Russia, and I really hope that you are happy with how things ended.
Kai and Mya were never meant to end up together because I wanted her to have a stable life and she could never have that with Kai, and remember, Kai was a HORRIBLE person and he did not deserve happiness. He may have mellowed somewhat when he started dating Mya, but he was still a selfish, power hungry killer and it would have been completely unfair if he got to experience true happiness while his victims' families mourned their deaths; he has caused many people pain, and that is why he was never meant to be happy.
Bryan and Ana always would have ended up together, that was my plan from the very beginning; Kai was just a pit stop on the way to Ana's true happiness, so yeah, I do hope that you guys are happy about it.
Some probably feel sad for Kai that he died and never got to meet his daughter, but it is better this way. Ana and Bryan finally have true happiness with each other after their dark pasts and they will live happily together because that is all that both of them want in life, ultimate peace right beside each other.
You guys, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the ongoing support that I got from you all. To all the readers that started this journey with me from the beginning and to all the new readers that joined us along the way, thank you so much for the support. I am still shocked at how many views it has which means that at least somewhere I did something right.
I will never forget this journey that I shared with you guys, it truly helped me keep sane while going through my challenges that I faced whenever, and I really enjoyed writing each and every word of this long story. I was determined to finish it, come what may and I have finally done it.
I still have one more story to complete, the Kai/Bryan one for those of you who are following it, but I am also going to try to end it in one long chapter, and then after that, I will say farewell to Beyblade, but I will not close my account, so no worries there; everything will stay the same as they are now.
It will be sad to leave this fandom but yes, I have already reached that stage where it is time to greet one fandom, it being Beyblade for me, but I will never forget what it has meant for me. This fandom has brought my passion for writing back after I lost it after finishing school, so I will always be grateful that it was awakened once more. I have met some wonderful people here and I hope to remain in contact with them, and I have also read some wonderful stories here which I will never forget.
I may pop up one day again, maybe with another story for another fandom, we'll see what life holds for me ;-)
I am most likely going to post a short AN somewhere in the future just to give my thoughts on this story and where certain foreshadowing had occurred in this story, so just a heads up to that, but it may take some time, we'll see.
Well then, I am going to greet you for now. Please let me know whether you enjoyed it or not, and whether you are happy with the ending or not.
Take care you guys and stay safe, and many blessings to you all!