Hello, everyone! Thank you for being so patient! Everything has fallen into place for the most part and I can't wait to get back to writing! I apologize that it took so long and that this chapter is so short, but the next one will be longer.

I don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds! Enjoy!

Seed of Hope

Martha POV

"So you were slapped in the face for mistaking the girl for her?" I rolled my eyes as I slid a plate of steaming food in front of Crow. "What did you expect, a hug? That poor girl had helped you out of the goodness of her heart and you didn't even bother asking for her name." He held up a hand saying that her name was Autumn, but hung his head as he mentioned that she had said it after the slap. "and here I thought you had better manners than that."

"But she had the same eyes!" Crow reached up and pulled at the corners of his own slightly. "They were slanted just like hers! Even their color was just like hers!"

"There is such thing as color changing contacts," Yusei tapped his chin in thought. "and slanted eyes aren't that unusual." A sigh escaped from between his lips as Jack backed him up. They must have also mistaken her for Akiza, but they should have known better than to expect her to just walk back into their lives as if she appeared out of thin air. They had made little to no progress since they had found the documents, so why were their hopes so high?

"Anyway, did you three check up on the place that Crow mentioned the other day?" I asked while placing a pot of steaming coffee on the table. A look of confusion clouded their expressions and I held back the urge to hit them all upside the head with my ladle. They were worse than I expected. "Didn't you three say something about your dragons giving you hints? Don't give me those looks, I'm not completely oblivious to what's going on with you three."

"Are you talking about that building that I saw those kids in?" Crow held up his Black-Winged Dragon card then raised Yusei's hand to reveal a few scribbles. "Or the writing on Yusei's hand?"

"I already looked into those two while you three were getting some rest and they happen to be one in the same." I grabbed the nearby pile of papers that I had printed off while the boys had been bringing in the groceries and gave each a few. "The address that Yusei had written down before falling asleep lead to an company called Arcadia Movement. When I called them, their was an automated system that answered and one of the questions it asked was if I was calling on behalf of unexplainable events." Their eyes locked on mine as I brought up the park incident. "I don't recall her parents ever talking about it, but that doesn't mean that they didn't know. Akiza had told me of what happened after you three went home and she had trouble sleeping because of a nightmare. I've found some information, but I suggest that you three pay them a visit." My hand shot out, grabbing Yusei and Crow's collars as they stood. "AFTER you finish eating."

...

I gently tapped my knuckles against the door, smiling as Mr. Tanaka opened the door. "Long time no see."

"Miss Martha," the elderly man opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in. "It's such a relief to see you doing well. Tell me, what brings you by the manor?"

"I was wondering if the Mrs was in," I asked, slipping my shoes off and accepting the slippers he offered. He explained that her mother was currently in the study and departed for the kitchen with words of bringing refreshments. Nostalgia hit me like a brick wall as I made my way through the mansion. As Akiza's nanny, I had spent a lot of time with her when her parents were away on business. A voice was coming from the open door of the study and my heart clenched tightly as I paused in the doorway. Mrs. Izinski was curled up in one of the lounge chairs with a large album in her lap and was muttering to herself under her breath. She looked so frail and thin that I hardly recognized her. "My goodness, has everyone forgotten how important food and rest are?"

Her head rose and I found myself looking into glazed brown eyes. "Martha, how lovely of you to stop by."

I sighed and sat in the chair opposite of her, taking her hands in mine. "Honey, I wish I could say that it's good to see you, but frankly you look miserable." My eyes fell onto the album in her lap, finding baby pictures. "I remember when you came home from the hospital. You two were so exhausted but you couldn't keep the smiles off your faces for more than two seconds. Akiza was such a beautiful and easy baby."

The woman's eyes watered. "Yes, you did a wonderful job with her. I just wish that I had more time for her..."

"Now you listen here," I gently took the album from her. "You need to stop talking about her as if she's gone. I can't go into details, but I can assure you that she's alive."

At my words, her eyes sharpened and came into focus. I blinked in surprise as she stood and anger entered her eyes. "And how can you be so sure? It was because of you that she was taken from us in the first place! She was taken right out from under your nose!" I stood and opened my mouth to respond, but my lips closed as she continued. "We trusted you, Martha, you were supposed to protect her! How could you let her be taken?! I thought you loved her as much as we did!"

"I do love Akiza, as if she was my own daughter, but I'm not letting my guilt and grief lash out to those around me." I saw surprise flicker across her expression but I wasn't done yet. "Those three boys are doing everything they can to find her. I happened to stop by to visit them the other day and do you know what I found? I found them half starved and so sleep deprived that they were unable to tell day from night. They are showing how far they will go for Akiza, but what about you? How do you think she would feel if she saw you sitting here wallowing and crying over the past? I'm guessing she would be disappointed and sad that you gave up so easily."

"Not even Security was able to find her, so what else am I supposed to do?!"

"You can start by having faith in Yusei, Crow, and Jack!" I nearly shouted, causing her to flinch. "I pray and truly believe that they will find her, but they need to know that you believe in them too." Her eyes fell to the floor as she fell back into the chair, her hands shaking and asking what else she was supposed to do. "You can start by taking care of yourself. You can't help anyone in the condition that you're in right now, so may I suggest that you eat something first?"

"Splendid idea," Mr. Tanaka pipped up, placing the tray containing a teapot and cups on the table. "Is there anything that you would recommend, Miss Martha?"

"Let's have her start with something easy. Maybe a soup or some simple cucumber sandwiches would be alright, we don't want her stomach to get upset." I poured the brown liquid into a floral teacup, smiling as the familiar fragrance tickled my nose. "Earl Grey, perfect." Turning, I slipped her hands around the cup and encouraged her to drink. Maybe visiting her would prove to be helpful in more ways than one.

...

"I saw your runners in the driveway," I called, closing the door behind me as I entered Yusei's home. They answered from the next room that had become their gathering of information headquarters. "How did it go?"

"We got nothing." Yusei appeared in the doorway as I shrugged out of my light jacket. "They didn't so much as blink when we asked if it was true that they had experience in strange phenomenon and even asked for details about the incident. When we told them of what happened on the playground, they asked us to leave the building or else they would call Security."

"They are definitely hiding something." Jack pipped up, sipping from a familiar cup bearing a dragon insignia.

"If only one of us had similar abilities as she did, but I don't know if that would help us." Crow scratched the back of his head.

I hummed softly as I looked over the pamphlets that they had brought back. It looked as if it was an institute that specialized in "talented" individuals. Akiza definitely fit that description, but her parents had never mentioned it. I blinked as my eyes fell on one of the children in the pamphlet's front cover image. It was a little girl with mahogany hair pulled up into twin ponytails and was wearing a sunflower patterned sundress with lace straps. The dress looked oddly familiar...wasn't that the dress that Akiza had chosen to wear on her birthday? I asked for the image of the surveillance camera that caught her being taken by the stranger, but she had already changed into her night dress. "Crow, you were the one who searched her room, right?" He nodded. "Did you happen to find the dress that she wore on her birthday?"

"Let's see now..." He scratched the back of his head, his eyes closing. "I want to say that I did but maybe not." His eyes snapped open as I said that it was kept in a dresser. "Wait, the dresser next to the door? I accidentally knocked it over and everything spilled out of of the drawers. I didn't see that dress though. Why?"

Laying out the pamphlet, I pointed out the little girl. "She's wearing a similar dress to the one Akiza did. I'm not saying that it's exact, but something is telling me that this might not be a coincidence."

"She was wearing that dress when I saw her," Yusei picked up the paper, his eyes locked on the girl. "She never liked her hair up in that style though." He turned the pamphlet around to where the success stories were placed. "It looks like her name is Autumn."

I turned toward Crow. "Maybe you should get to know that girl."

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