So, it's been quite a while since I updated this story too...along with a few others. I just want to take the time to apologize to you guys. I had a bit of problem, as you all know a few months ago, but now it's been resolved. My new friend DinosaursgoRawr101 and I have sorted everything out and now I'm going to start updating. The least I can do is give you this chapter for all the time you've waited...

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Chapter 7: Home is where the Heart Used To Be

In a somewhat decent apartment building, Hoshiko was staring outside at the night life going on in the city. People dressing their best to have a fun night out, not having a care in the world. That's what her life used to be...until now. After everything went down three days ago at what was supposed to be her perfect day, Mr. Hamasaki kicked her mother and herself out of their mansion. On top of that, Mr. Hamasaki was planning on divorcing Mrs. Hamasaki.

I can't believe how far downhill my perfect life has gone...I used to prance around in my black Louboutins, show off my new Louis Vuitton handbag...all because of one poor girl I'm reduced to nothing, but my sanity, Hoshiko thought, bitterly.

"I wish you would stop moping. Everything's going to be okay. I understand you're upset that your father and I aren't going to be together anymore, but its fine. I'm already getting people to find where they're hiding." Mrs. Hamasaki told her, handing her a cup of tea.

"Yeah, you said that about killing them and getting their money, and you see how that turned out." Hoshiko mumbled, sipping her tea.

"No. It'll be different this time. Once I eliminate that Aki girl, the Fudo's have no one left to protect them." Mrs. Hamasaki explained, walking away.

xxxxx

Aki counted three days. Three days that she had been staying in a townhouse in England with Yusei and his family. Fortunately, they had an aunt who lived in England and let them stay in one of her houses. It had also been three days since she talked with her family, letting them know she was overseas now.

"Hey, you okay?" Yusei questioned, appearing in her doorway.

"I'm fine." She answered, quietly.

"It'll be okay, I promise. I feel bad that I took you from home." Yusei apologized, feeling guilty. He hadn't meant to tear her away from her family and friends, but he wanted her to be safe.

"It's okay. At least I'm here safe and sound with you." Aki told him, somewhat smiling. She tried to put on a happy face, but it was still really difficult. She missed her family and friends back home.

"Maybe later, we can go take a tour around London if you want." Yusei suggested, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I'd like that," She smiled, feeling somewhat happy, "I'm going to go to sleep for a little bit."

"Okay. Get some rest." Yusei whispered, kissing her cheek before she went to sleep...

She was in a black nightie, making out with her lover. She could smell the scent of his strong cologne as his lips continued to collide with hers.

"I'm so happy, Yusei. I'm glad that you're in my life." She admitted, smiling while she blushed lightly.

"I am too, Hoshiko." He smiled, making Aki's face flatten.

"No you have it wrong. I'm Aki, not Hoshiko." She said, looking into a nearby mirror and saw that her head was transformed into Hoshiko's.

She shot up out of her bed and looked around, realizing she was still in the same room. She couldn't even manage to sleep without seeing Hoshiko's face. Aki wondered if it were guilt? She did barge in and ruin the girl's marriage and it caused her to father to want to divorce her mother.

It's not my fault. She was getting married for all the wrong reasons...and then she tried to kill innocent people because of her greed and selfishness, Aki thought, looking at the clock. It had only been an hour since she went to sleep. She really hoped that this whole Hoshiko problem would come to an end soon, and fast.

It had been about a week or two since Mr. Hamasaki finalized the divorce. During the process time, he'd been completely worried about his best friend and his family. He knew exactly where they were, but was sure not to let the information he had slip into the wrong hands. Everything was starting to stress him out. He was still in disbelief that the woman he loved and his own precious baby girl were attempting to murder innocent people for just an insignificant piece of paper with a value to it.

It's my fault. Maybe...if I hadn't rushed into my marriage, maybe I would have seen my wife for who she really is, Kenji thought, sighing for the umpteenth time.

"Can I get you anything, Master Kenji?" His butler, Bennett asked, politely.

"Not now, Bennett, but thank you anyway." He responded, trying to give him a smile, but it came out as a pained one.

As Kenji was going back to wallowing in his deep depression, Bennett slowly shut the door to his boss' study. He noticed that Kenji had been depressed like that for weeks now. He felt bad for all the pain he had to go through. He kicked his own daughter and wife out his house and went through and divorced his wife. Nothing of what he did was easy, by any means. Bennett noticed that everything was taking a toll on him. As Bennett walked outside to the garden, he felt another presence around as well. Before he had time to react, he was knocked out cold.

xxxx

In a small, but quaint neighborhood, Sam was busy on her laptop paying her bills like she did every few weekends when the time came. She had been training for her next CFC season, ever since Aki left. She had heard from Aki everyday in the last two weeks. All Sam knew was that Aki and the Fudo's were hiding in England with one of Yusei's relatives who lived there. Though they talked on the phone every single night, Sam still worried a lot about her cousin. Ever since Aki told her and Yumi that she decided to secretly date Yusei behind the scenes, everything was going downhill and chaotic things happened as well.

Aki had also filled her in on how Hoshiko tried to kill the Fudo's for their money, not that it surprised Sam at all. She knew that Hoshiko wasn't what you would call an angel. She was the epitome of a rich girl. Spoiled, rich, and didn't do shit but ask her daddy for money.

I just hope that Aki is okay. I really want her to come back home. Everyone is worried sick, Sam thought, shutting down her laptop. It was around the time to pick her dog's up from the groomers. After grabbing her car keys, she headed out to her car. After shutting the door and putting her seatbelt on, she screamed before someone in all black put a cloth with chloroform over her mouth and nose. All the figure did was smirking as she collapsed.

xxxx

While taking a tour around London on the double-deckered bus, Aki looked around the city with Yusei beside her. Her outfit consisted of an oatmeal colored, lacy sleeveless cardigan with a floral strapless dress, and a dark grey beret.

"Oh my God! It's Buckingham Palace!" Aki chirped, looking to her right.

"You're so bad at hiding that you're a tourist." Yusei chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, but I've always dreamed of traveling here. I've always wanted to see Big Ben and the palace...and I finally get to." Aki explained, trying to take her mind off as to why they were in England to begin with.

"I understand. I liked coming here for Christmas when it was my aunt's turn to host Christmas dinner. It would always snow Christmas Eve and a little bit Christmas morning. It was fun because when I was really little, I was still learning English and it would be so odd when I spoke to them, none of my cousins understood because they were raised in England." Yusei said, looking around the familiar place.

"That's understandable." Aki responded, ruffling his hair, "Despite what's happened, I am glad that we're here together, and that I'm here with you."

"Well, that's it for the tour, everyone. Have a nice day and we'll hope to see you again." The tour guide said, happily.

"Hey, why don't we find somewhere to eat?" Aki suggested, hearing her stomach grumble.

"Yeah, I just realized I haven't eaten since seven this morning." Yusei agreed, as they enjoyed their little stroll around London.

"I hope everything is okay at home. I miss my parents and my family so much...even though I've talked with Sam every day. You don't need to worry, she erases the number from your aunt's house everyday and she asks her phone company to erase them too." Aki explained, as she noticed his fingers laced between hers.

"It's fine. I'm just still a little down because I really didn't want to take you from home. I just don't know what I would do if...," Yusei mentioned, stopping before he could get the rest of his sentence out.

"Don't speak like that, please. I've already had to deal with you and your family almost getting killed. Can we just enjoy this time that we have? Away from all the bull shit?" Aki asked, quietly.

Yusei looked at her, and smiled, "Yeah, we can."

She let out a toothy grin as the two continued their through London, letting all their worries fly through the breeze.

xxxx

A few hours later, Mrs. Fudo was sitting in the living room of her sister-in-law's house. Mr. Fudo was out getting groceries for them, since they had no idea how long they were planning to stay. She was sitting there speechless, after receiving a voicemail ten minutes after her husband left...

She had been minding her own business, tidying up a few things that Yusei left lying around the kitchen before him and Aki left. She finished putting the dishes away, until she heard the phone ring. She was too busy to answer it, so she let it go into voicemail.

"You have reached the Mirotashi residence. We're not available to take your call, leave a message at the beep" Her sister-in-law's voice said, politely.

"We know where you are. You didn't fool us either. Tell that little whore who's with your son that we're getting revenge on her and if she's not careful, we will catch her. All she has to do is surrender herself to us and things will become easier. If not, we may have to purchase body bags for all her relatives and friends we're going to kill." The voice said, hanging up the phone ferociously, leaving Amaya Fudo in shock...

xxxx

"Hey, Mom, we're back," Yusei told her, shutting the door behind Aki, "What's wrong?"

"Listen to this voicemail." Mrs. Fudo replied, as she pressed the button on the answering machine.

"We know where you are. You didn't fool us either. Tell that little whore who's with your son that we're getting revenge on her and if she's not careful, we will catch her. All she has to do is surrender herself to us and things will become easier. If not, we may have to purchase body bags for all her relatives and friends we're going to kill." The voice repeated, as Mrs. Fudo cut the machine off.

"They know that we're here...and they want to kill Aki, or they'll go after her family." Mrs. Fudo said, sadly as tears came down her face.

Aki stood there in shock, in disbelief at what she heard. She felt dizzy and as if she were to throw up the dinner she just had less than fifteen minutes ago. All the thoughts going through her head made her lose her balance.

"Aki!" Yusei exclaimed, grabbing a hold of her and sitting her down on the couch.

"I...I...can't believe this. Just when I was thinking that things would stop...something else has to happen. Why can't things just be normal for once?" Aki questioned, not noticing that she was crying as well, "I have to get back to Japan."

"Are you crazy? Don't you guys see...this is a trap? It's either Hoshiko or her mom trying to get Aki so that they can kill her anyway. If they really are holding her family hostage, they're using them as bait." Yusei explained, not believing that Aki was considering going back.

"I can't take that chance, Yusei. I have to save my family...and who knows what she could be doing to them. I'm not going to sit here and let those two sorry excuses for women hurt my family." Aki told him, trying to reason with him.

"Aki, I can't have you get hurt again. You already took a bullet for my dad already...I can't live my life without you anymore. If they kill you, I'm gonna go mad and end up in a psych ward." Yusei said, trying to calm himself down.

"Yusei, you have to understand that I have to protect my family. Why did you think I took the bullet for your dad? It was because I cared about all of you and didn't want any of you to die. You guys are like a second family to me, and it made me sad at the time to think of attending a combined funeral. So, please understand that I have to go back. If I don't, then we'll be in England forever." Aki explained, imploring him to see reason.

He sighed, looking at his mother before he gave her his response. "Okay. What's your plan?"

It had been a week and a half since the phone call. Within that time frame, Aki had contacted Hiro and came up with another plan to take down Hoshiko and her mother once and for all. Hiro had contacted FBI and they agreed to collaborate with herself and Hiro. Though she knew that she was hurting Yusei, she felt deep down that she was making the right decision.

"I'm meeting Hiro at the airport in an hour. We're going to discuss a few things and catch our flight." Aki told the Fudo's, though Yusei was the only one that was less attentive as his parents.

"Good luck, dear. Promise you'll be safe." Mrs. Fudo told her, embracing her tightly.

"I will." Aki smiled, as she glanced at Mr. Fudo.

"Just as long as you come back to us, Aki. I see how happy you make my son. He needs a girl like you in his life." Mr. Fudo whispered, hugging her as well.

"Thanks, Mr. Fudo." She replied, looking at her boyfriend's saddened face.

"Look, I know you're not happy that I'm going back...but I just hope that after this is all over, you'll find it in your heart to forgive me someday." Aki told him, pecking his cheek, "I promise I'll come back."

Not hearing another word from him, she bid the Fudo's one last goodbye. Too bad she didn't know if it was her last.

xxxx

For the last week, Sam had been locked in a basement with another man and two other girls, none of which she recognized. The last thing Sam remembered was going to get her dogs from the groomer and there was a weird guy in the back of her car. She thought for the last few days why she was kidnapped, or why anyone else was kidnapped with her.

I haven't done anything to anybody...I know I download music off the internet, but who doesn't do that? Point being, I haven't done anything to deserve getting kidnapped...unless this has something to do with...oh no, Sam thought, as she heard the door open.

"We get paid too little, with as much work as we're doing getting these hostages." The bigger guy said, sighing with frustration.

"I know right? That Hamasaki bitch is really pushin' it." The scrawnier guy added, shoving two more girls with the rest of them. Once they left, they locked the door behind them.

Sam noticed that the two other girls were oddly familiar. She took a careful observation and realized that the same girls were from the party the Fudo's had months back.

"I can't believe this is happening to us. I hope Uncle Kenji is okay. I always knew that auntie was a psycho." The redhead girl said, sighing.

"Wait, your own aunt had the balls to kidnap you...and you're family?" Sam questioned, disgusted by what she was hearing.

"Well, used to be. Uncle Kenji divorced our aunt." The brunette mentioned, quietly.

Wow, I guess after what happened at the fucked up wedding, Hoshiko's dad had the common sense to divorce the golddigging trap and her clone-like bimbo of a daughter, Sam thought, listening to the go on.

xxxx

"Everything is going according to plan. This is sure to have that little whore crawling to my feet." Mrs. Hamasaki said, looking out the window of the house she was keeping the hostages in.

"Look, boss lady, we've been holding these hostages for like a week. When are we gonna get to doin' stuff?" The bigger guy asked, in frustration.

"You'll get to do your damn jobs! I have a perfect way of getting them to talk. I already know that Bennett won't say much. He's way too loyal to Kenji to cough anything up. However, there are five young women down there. I'm sure men such as yourselves can find a way to make them...speak." She explained, smirking with wickedness. This left the two men grinning.

Unfortunately, Sam managed to hear everything that was said upstairs. On the outside she looked fine, but on the inside she felt sick. Mrs. Hamasaki was giving them permission to rape them as a way to get them to confess to where Aki and the Fudo's were hiding.

"I'm so scared! They're actually going to rape us?" The redhead girl, Lynn asked, starting to cry.

"I can't believe this! I'm still a virgin and with if they hurt me?" The brunette, Yuri questioned, crying as well.

I don't know, Sam thought, hearing the door open.

"Sooooo, which one o' ya's am I takin'?" The big guy questioned, tapping his chin as a joke, "You!"

Before anyone could react, Sam was grabbed by her arm and dragged by the muscular man. As he shut the door, Sam got a glimpse of Hoshiko's mother. She saw her walking towards them, grinning with enjoyment.

"Well, well, well. Look what fate has come upon you...all at the cost of your cousin. You know, she ruined my daughter's wedding?" She asked, playing with Sam's hair, "You know, I can make you a deal. If you tell me where that whore is, then I'll let you go free."

"I'm not going to rat my cousin out on some golddigging trash like you and your daughter." Sam countered, spitting in Mrs. Hamasaki's face.

She growled as she wiped the spit off her face, "Take her away. Make sure she talks."

Without another word, the muscular guy threw Sam over his shoulder and carried her upstairs. She was trying her best to kick and scream as a matter of escaping, but nothing worked. They reached the first room as he threw her on the bed and slammed the door shut. He wasted no time letting his hands roam. His hands stopped at the edge of her shirt, taking it and her bra off in the process. His right hand massaged her breasts. She tried to fight him off to the best of her ability, yet even though she was a pro fighter, she couldn't manage to get him off.

He's like three hundred pounds, and I'm way less than half of that, Sam thought, as he pinned her arms down.

"You're too weak, little girl." He smirked, taking his pants and underwear off. After getting turned on by her large chest, he ripped the rest of her clothes off and entered himself roughly. Sam cried out in agony as he started to buck back and forth, ramming himself into her.

"Stop...please...STOP! STOP!" She screamed, as tears came down her cheeks.

"Tell me where that girl is and I will...," He said, continuing at a faster pace. Though she was in agonizing pain, Sam refused to rat out her cousin. In her family, blood was way thicker than water...and it was going to stay that way. Hesitantly, she let out a moan as he kept going. As he kept going deeper and deeper, he eventually released and rested his elbows as he caught his breath.

This is my chance; I have to get out of here, Sam thought, taking her leg and swiftly kicking him in the stomach. Just as he shot up from the pain, it caused him to slide out of Sam. Though she was naked, she pushed herself up and roundhouse kicked him in the temple, making him pass out. Before he had the chance to get up, she put her top on without a bra and her pants and jumped out the window. Once she landed on the ground, she took off running down the street, not knowing where exactly her feet would take her.

"I'm glad we've finally landed." Aki muttered, sighing with exasperation.

"As am I, but we have to get to the hideout soon." Hiro told her, as they quickly got into his car, "The hideout is close by to where Mrs. Hamasaki is keeping the hostages."

"So does the agents already know the plan?" Aki questioned, looking out the window.

"Yes, I filled them in just before I left for the airport. Apparently from what they could gather, instead of killing the hostages, they're actually raping the hostages for information on you and the Fudo's whereabouts." Hiro explained, making Aki's heart fall.

"Wait, so they could be raping people in my family?" Aki asked, feeling like she was going to faint.

"I'm sorry, Aki, but let's hope that they haven't gotten to that point. I'm pretty sure some of the other hostages are people in Kenji Hamasaki's side of the family. Mrs. Hamasaki is somehow under the impression that Kenji is helping you all by giving them information about where they are. It's all rather confusing, but the point being. If we can somehow get Mrs. Hamasaki to lure her into a trap we create, then it'll be easier for the agents to arrest her." Hiro added, pulling into a weird tunnel.

"Yeah, but question is...what exactly are we going to do the lure her into our trap...rather than get sucked up into hers?" Aki asked, curiously.

"We take something that means a lot to her." Hiro answered, plainly.

"No way, Hiro! I'm not kidnapping Hoshiko just so her mother can loss any marbles that she has left in that thing she calls a brain." Aki responded, furiously.

"That's not what I was thinking of. What was her reason the entire time for helping Hoshiko marry Yusei?" Hiro questioned, as Aki's eyes lit up.

"Of course, the fortune! But wait, how do you know where the fortune is?" Aki asked, feeling like she was asking a lot of questions.

"That's one thing I can't answer. I made an oath to the Fudo's that I would not tell anyone." Hiro replied, "But, if we can somehow manage to get the agents to call in the FBI and have them surround the premises, then we should be golden."

I hope so, Aki thought, as the gate to the hideout shut behind them.

xxxx

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I never told you that I wanted any of this!" Hoshiko exclaimed, shocked at what her mother revealed to her.

"Hoshiko, dear, I'm doing this for us. If my plan works, then we'll eventually get the fortune." Mrs. Hamasaki said, trying to get her daughter to calm down.

"No. I've had enough of this! It's bad enough that I've already been put to shame at a wedding that never happened, I'm not going to make a fool of myself again. You're on your own!" Hoshiko yelled, turning away from her mother.

"If you turn your back on me, then you are no better than your father." Mrs. Hamasaki muttered, as her voice filled with venom.

She stopped in front of the door. Hoshiko had never seen, let alone, heard this side of her mother. Something changed with her, ever since two years ago, when she was fifteen. Her mother had started acting strange after they arranged the supposed union of Yusei and herself...

~Two years earlier~

"Darling, I'm so happy that Hoshiko will be a bride in a few short years! She'll be happy and with a good man like Yusei." Mrs. Hamasaki chirped, clapping her hands excitedly.

At the time, her daughter had just started attending high school. She wondered what compelled her parents to arrange a marriage between her and an older guy. Her mother told her that it was for the purpose of the two families. They were one of the most powerful families in Japan. Hoshiko noticed that the Fudo's, however, were the only family who didn't flaunt it like her family and others, which she didn't understand.

I really don't want to get married. I've never even met this Yusei guy, and he's older than me. Plus, I just started high school, and I don't know anything about dating, Hoshiko thought, nervously as she sat in her all pink room, cuddling with her white teddy bear.

Hoshiko then figured out that the months of arguing and fighting turned into years of her parents not sleeping the same room anymore, and now things had reached this point. Her mother and herself lost a father and a husband, all their belongings, and their dignity. Hoshiko knew that she wanted to do the right thing, but was torn between her mother's love and common sense.

"Fine, I guess I'm as bad as dad is then." Hoshiko mumbled, walking out the door. After catching a bus further in the city, she realized that she had her mother's purse, and enough money to catch a quick flight to England.

I don't know why I'm going, but in my mind, going to warn them seems like the good path to take, Hoshiko thought, enjoying the long bus ride.

Well, I can honestly say this chapter was a piece of crap! Either that or I had too much of an overload. I added so many parallel things in this chapter it's not even funny. Well, the good news is I'll probably go back and edit this chapter, but I really wanted to get this one done for you guys. I love you all so much for being so patient with me and I'm sooooo immensely sorry. I feel so terrible for making you guys wait so long.

Next time: Hoshiko decides to go to England to warn the Fudo's that Aki's plan might falter if they don't catch the next flight back home. Also, Sam calls Aki and Hiro for help and tells them what happened to her when she was kidnapped. In addition, Mrs. Hamasaki eventually figures out that Aki and Hiro were trying to set a trap for her. Was Aki too many steps behind Mrs. Hamasaki? Will Mrs. Hamasaki get a hold of the fortune and be able to kill Aki in the process, or will Yusei and company be able to save the day. R&R plz!

Oh, and just as a heads up, there are only going to be one and a half more chapters left and then there's going to be an epilogue (with the last half chapter). I just wanted to say now (and I will again later), thank you all so much for supporting me through this story. I'm so grateful and fortunate for all my fans, reviewers, and readers out there! You all are my inspiration and what keeps my writing going, and I couldn't make this story happen without any of you, so I love you and thank you all so very much for supporting me the entire way.

Cherriez