Author's Note: IMPORTANT! Because Halloween is around the corner, and I like to take a holiday for Halloween (and Christmas) Chapters 10, 11 and 12 will not be written/uploaded until November. However, in November they will be written, and the audiobooks for them will be put out. Those will be the last three chapters, and this is the last chapter to Makoto and Kayo's arc. The audiobook parts for this chapter, and chapter 8 will be up before my Halloween break. I'll be back on November 2nd!
Kayo's vision was blurry, her hearing muffled. She could hear voices around her...but she couldn't place them. She also couldn't move her body...she felt so weak, and heavy.
Was this...what death looked like? Everything felt so cold...so cold. It felt like she had been frozen in ice, and had no way of escaping.
She kept seeing flashes of memories in her mind...like her life flashing before her eyes. Every single night of the abuse from her mother...as far back as she could remember.
The bruises, the beatings, the starvation...and yet, mixed in with those horrible memories...she kept seeing Makoto's face.
His kind face, his sweet voice...Makoto and his family was the only good memory she held. The coldness was so intense...Kayo was no longer even sure where she was at this point.
Did she die from drowning in the pool? Was Makoto saving her only an illusion? Or did she die in the shed, and was she just hallucinating when Makoto rescued her?
Kayo couldn't tell the difference between reality and hallucination anymore, her body and mind had reached their limits.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Kayo began to feel less cold. And...warmth was starting to fill her. Slowly her body began to warm up...but why?
This wasn't just warmth from a blanket...it was a different kind of warmth. A loving, protective warmth. A warmth Kayo never once felt before in her life.
Was she being reborn? It felt like the warmth a newborn baby would feel when they first came in contact with their mother's skin.
Then, finally the voices became clearer as her body slowly warmed up.
"Come on sweetheart, come on...that's it, I got you, I got you...stay with us, Kayo, stay with us! Eren, where's that ambulance?!", Mikasa was sitting in front of the lit fireplace in the Jaeger's living room.
She was holding Kayo in her arms, wrapped in about four blankets. She had changed Kayo into dry clothes. And now she was gently rocking Kayo back and fourth like a baby, using her body heat to attempt to warm the little girl up...and save her life.
"Rubi called! They're coming as fast as they can, the roads are horrible", Eren answered, hurrying over. He brought the thermometer over.
Mikasa grabbed it, and gently took Kayo's temperature. "It's still 103...", Mikasa said, fearfully after it beeped and she read it.
"It hasn't gone down at all?", Makoto asked, he was wrapped in a blanket, and hadn't let go of Kayo's hand, his heart racing.
"She needs to be in a hospital, buddy, and medicine...", Eren explained softly. "I'll go stand outside and wait for the ambulance, it might be hard for them to see in this weather", Carly said then, as she grabbed her coat.
"Thank you, sweetie", Mikasa said, as Carly hurried out. Akane had come downstairs, hearing all the commotion.
Kayo had only been here for about 10 minutes, but the seconds drug on like hours for everyone. "Mommy? What's wrong with Kayo?", asked Akane worriedly.
"She's very sick, angel, don't worry, your Auntie Rubi will look after her...can you go upstairs and get dressed honey?", Mikasa asked her youngest softly.
"Uh huh", Akane nodded, still looking worried as she hurried upstairs.
Mikasa held Kayo close in her arms, rubbing her back and stroking her hair...when suddenly Kayo stirred. She coughed hard, gasping for air.
"Kayo..!", Makoto cried fearfully, gently squeezing her hand. "That's it baby, that's it, keep fighting sweetheart, keep fighting", Mikasa soothed, anxiously.
Kayo's eyelids could barely open, but as they did, she saw it was Mikasa who was holding her. The warmth she was feeling, the motherly warmth...it was coming from Mikasa.
"M-Makoto...", Kayo started, very weakly. "I'm right here, Kayo! We're going to get you to a hospital, just hang in there!", Makoto answered her urgently and worriedly.
Kayo gazed back up at Mikasa. She felt so out of it from her fever...yet this she was sure of. That woman who gave birth to her, and abused her for all 10 years of Kayo's life...that woman wasn't her mother.
Mikasa...was her mother. Kayo instantly latched onto Mikasa in deep attachment.
She looked up at Mikasa weakly. "M-Mommy...? Please...don't leave me...", she whispered then, very weakly. Mikasa's heart dropped, as her eyes widened a bit.
"Oh Kayo...", she wiped her tearful eyes, as she cuddled her close. "Don't...make me go back there...please mommy...please", Kayo pleaded very weakly, as she gripped a handful of Mikasa's sweater.
"I won't sweetheart, I promise...", Mikasa soothed her. Eren watched, as he gently wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders.
After what felt like an eternity to everyone, the ambulance finally arrived. Kayo was taken into the Critical Care unit, where Rubi examined her.
Carly, Arashi and Armin were in the waiting room, watching Makoto, Akane and Alex. Eren and Mikasa were allowed to go back with Kayo.
Rubi already had Kayo hooked up to oxygen, a heart monitor, and began checking her. "Bloody hell...jesus Christ...", Rubi commented, swallowing hard.
Kayo's small body was caped in bruises, and she was underweight to boot. "She has pneumonia, and mild hypothermia...Miki, her mother left her in a shed all night?", she asked.
Mikasa nodded, not letting go of Kayo's hand. At this point, Kayo had fallen unconscious again.
"Yes...Makoto found her, and carried her home. Sis, Kayo can't go back there...", Mikasa began, anxiously.
"Don't worry Miki, she won't be. This is plenty of evidence...no child could bruise themselves this much, its not physically possible. And her hypothermia also sells it, not to mention witnesses", Rubi assured her sister.
"Will...will she be all right?", asked Eren worriedly, he was sitting by his wife, rubbing her back. Mikasa had gotten a severe stress migraine, but she blinked through it, her eyes not leaving Kayo.
"Most likely...you got her here just in time. She's not out of the woods yet though. Her fever's still high, and she's extremely dehydrated. I got fluids in her and she's on medicine...", Rubi answered, as she brushed Kayo's hair back.
Just then, a nurse came in with Arashi's dad, who was a police officer. "Satoshi, you got my message!", Eren said in relief.
"Yeah, sorry it took me a while Eren, storm is horrible...Oh my god...", Satoshi stopped, seeing Kayo. "This girl...is clearly being beaten. How stupid is that school?", he said, angrily.
"Pretty bloody stupid", Rubi agreed, crossing her arms. "I need to take photos of her bruises for evidence, it'll help get her out of that psycho's custody", Satoshi said then.
"Yes, now's the time. She needs her rest", Rubi said. Mikasa gently gripped Kayo's hand, as the officer flashed some photos.
The flashes made Kayo flinch a bit. "Shhhh, it's okay angel, it's okay...", Mikasa soothed her, stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry honey, just one more", Satoshi apologized to Kayo, he needed to keep the flash on for clear photos of every bruise.
He took the last photo.
After he left, Mikasa hadn't let go of Kayo's hand. Rubi noticed their closeness.
"I think you and Eren should talk, Miki...I really don't want to send this little girl into foster care. It's a horrible system...", she admitted then, as she exited the room.
Mikasa looked at Eren, pleadingly. "Mikasa...are you considering...", Eren started to ask. "Of course I am! Eren...four kids isn't that different from three, she needs us. We're the only good people she knows...I won't let her be bounced around in foster homes...and...", Mikasa looked at him.
"I will NOT separate her and Makoto...they're both far too close. They need each other...Kayo needs Makoto...just like I need you, Eren", she added.
"Oh Mikasa...", Eren exhaled then, looking at Kayo who was sleeping a bit easier now that she had fluids in her system, and medicine.
"Okay...we'll take her in", he smiled softly. "Eren, I don't want to officially adopt her or change her last name...I want to do what your parents did with me. When they took me in...I see the way Kayo and Makoto look at each other, and they are not siblings. They're...just like us Eren", Mikasa said softly.
Eren smiled, holding his wife in his arms. "Yeah, it'll be too awkward for them to be adopted siblings...they're like mini versions of you and me", he agreed, stroking her shoulders.
Mikasa gently squeezed Kayo's hand, smoothing her bangs back. "You're safe now, angel. You're safe...", she soothed gently.
Out in the waiting room, Rubi had let Armin and the kids know about Kayo's condition. "We'll be able to see her tomorrow morning, I think your parents are gonna stay with her", Armin said softly.
"Uncle Armin...I'm thirsty", Akane admitted tiredly. "Okay honey, let's go get a drink", Armin took his niece's hand, as they went over to the vending machines.
Makoto was sitting, his mind racing. Carly sat by her little brother, rubbing his back while Alex and Arashi had gone to get snacks for everyone.
"I should have done something sooner, sis...", Makoto admitted then. "Hey! Don't even talk like that, Makoto...you did what you could, and she's safe now because of you. You saved her life, little brother...", Carly said firmly yet gently.
"But if I had done something sooner, she wouldn't be this sick!", Makoto pointed out. "You really love Kayo, don't you kiddo?", Arashi asked then, as he and Alex came back over.
Makoto nodded softly, his eyes not lying. Arashi sat by Carly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I understand just how you feel buddy...but hey, your sister's right. Kayo is safe because of you. And now my dad has plenty of evidence to arrest that lunatic...", Arashi assured him.
Carly had leaned back in her boyfriend's arms, it was clear at this point she and Arashi were soulmates. Carly had found her future.
And...it was also obvious Makoto and Kayo were soulmates. They may not realize it fully yet, but they were each other's future.
By morning, Kayo's fever had finally broke. And Makoto was able to see her. She was still weak, but she was awake.
"Kayo..", Makoto went up to her bedside, as Kayo reached for his hand. "Makoto...what...what happened?", she asked weakly, as Makoto took his hand.
"You were left in that shed, remember? Easy, you have pneumonia and hypothermia...", Makoto replied, worriedly.
Kayo looked around at her surroundings weakly. "You...carried me to your house?", she asked, looking at Makoto.
"Yeah...I couldn't leave you lying there...", Makoto answered. Kayo's eyes softened, as she looked down, her hands in her lap.
"Thank you...", she then looked up as the door opened. "Kayo? How are you feeling, sweetheart?", Mikasa had entered, along with Rubi.
"I feel tired...and a bit hungry", admitted Kayo softly. "That's a very good sign sweetie", Rubi assured her, as she adjusted the IV.
"I'll have a nurse bring you some breakfast", she added. Mikasa sat on the other side of Kayo. Kayo looked at her softly.
"Listen to me angel, I promise...you are NOT going back to that house", Mikasa assured her. Kayo looked down softly.
"She'll just claim self harm again...", she began. Mikasa's heart actually broke...Kayo was so used to never having real help..she had lost so much faith.
"No, no sweetie, you don't understand. Your mother, she's currently in jail", Mikasa explained softly.
Kayo blinked, and her eyes even widened. "W-What...?", she asked, in disblief, starring at Mikasa.
"She's lost official custody of you...that means, starting as soon as you're better, you're living with us. You are officially a member of the Jaeger family...that is, if that's what you want sweetie", Mikasa explained.
Kayo starred blankly at first, in complete shock. Was it a dream? It felt like one...nothing...this good was ever supposed to happen to her.
And yet...this was real. She was really..saved. Tears welled up in Kayo's eyes...tears of relief. "Kayo..", Makoto's eyes turned worried.
"T-This is real? I'm..I don't have to go back to her? I can stay with you?", Kayo asked, wiping her eyes. Mikasa smiled kindly.
"Yes, sweet face. You're family now", she replied. 'Sweet Face' would be Mikasa's nickname for Kayo. Her nickname for Carly was "Angel" and for Makoto it was "Buddy" and for Akane it was "Bellflower"
Kayo wiped her eyes again, as it sunk in. "You...you're my mommy now, right?", she asked. Mikasa nodded. "If you want me to be honey", she assured her. Kayo's eyes filled with more tears, as she then broke down, hugging Mikasa.
Mikasa held her close, stroking her hair as Kayo sobbed heavily, tears of relief. "Kayo...why are you crying?", Makoto asked, worriedly, not understanding.
"It's okay buddy, she has to cry. She needs to let it out, she's most likely never been allowed to when living with...her", Mikasa explained to her son softly, as she continued stroking Kayo's hair.
Makoto nodded softly, as he rubbed Kayo's back, as she continued sobbing in relief.
After having to spend a full two weeks in the hospital, Kayo was finally feeling better. However, on her way home from the hospital, she and Mikasa had to go to the trailer, and pick up Kayo's personal belongings.
Unfortunally, Kayo's mother was out of jail on bail. But she wouldn't be for long. The court date was set for Spring, and then she'd be put away in Prison for good.
Eren was at home with Carly and Akane, they were putting together Kayo's bedroom.
In the mean time, she was at the trailer and was already informed Mikasa and Kayo were coming. Kayo was shaking, clinging tightly to Mikasa.
"I got you sweet face, it's all right", Mikasa assured her gently. "We won't let her hurt you, Kayo", Makoto added, he had insisted on coming along and was holding her hand.
He was also wearing his green scarf his mother had sewed for him years ago. Mikasa was wearing her red scarf, since it was snowing outside.
They approached the trailer, the door opened. Mikasa stopped with the kids.
Mrs. Hinazuki stepped out, smoking a cigarette. Mikasa glared, feeling her blood boil. This woman looked...completely unbothered by this. Even annoyed.
"Kayo came for her stuff", Mikasa growled, her tone dangerous. "Yeah, yeah", Mrs. Hinazuki then tossed a black garbage bag that had Kayo's belongings.
Makoto glared, as the bag hit the snowy ground. Kayo approached it, untying the knot. She then blinked, lifting an old plush teddy bear. It was ripped down the middle.
"Why's he ripped...?", she asked in a quiet voice. Mrs. Hinazuki glared then. "Excuse me? I was nice enough to give you back this trash, and you have the nerve to...you little bitch", she suddenly growled, and lifted her hand about to hit Kayo.
Kayo flinched, closing her eyes, expecting the pain...but nothing happened. She opened her eyes, and saw Mikasa had grabbed Mrs. Hinazuki's arm tightly. She was squeezing it with all her might, cutting off the blood circulation and bruising it.
"Touch my daughter, and I'll have you face down in this snow faster than you can put that cigarette out, understand you sick bitch?", Mikasa growled dangerously, glaring at Kayo's mother.
"YOUR daughter? Kayo, you know who your real mother is!", Mrs. Hinazuki started, pulling her arm away from Mikasa.
Kayo looked at her, and then slightly glared. She felt braver, knowing Mikasa and Makoto were there to protect her.
"You're not my mother...Mikasa is. Mikasa...has done everything...a mother SHOULD do!", Kayo cried then.
Mrs. Hinazuki glared dangerously, but saw Mikasa's look. "Fine, you were nothing but a fucking mistake anyway...", she then reentered her trailer, slamming the door.
Mikasa hurried to Kayo's side, holding her close. "You are NOT a mistake, sweet face...don't listen to that psycho", Mikasa soothed her.
"I know mommy...", she gazed down sadly at her teddy bear. "He's...all I had for so long..before Makoto and you...I had found him on my way to school when I was 4...", she started.
Mikasa then gently took it, examining it. "I can sew him for you sweetie", she offered.
Kayo blinked. "You'd do that for me?", she asked. "Of course honey, I sew my old scarf monthly when it needs it, so this will be easy", Mikasa replied, smiling softly.
Kayo smiled softl and hugged Mikasa tightly. "Thank you...", she said. Makoto helped Kayo to her feet, as Mikasa got the bag of items in the car.
Kayo shivered a bit at the cold, and Makoto noticed. He then approached her, and removed his scarf. Mikasa watched, and her eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat.
She saw her son wrap his scarf around Kayo's neck. "Here...you can keep it Kayo. Let's go home", Makoto said softly, gently taking her hand.
Kayo nodded softly, tears in her eyes. Mikasa felt her own eyes grow heavy with tears...it was like looking into the past.
Makoto truly was Eren's son, and the two of them were truly mini versions of Eren and Mikasa.
When they returned home, Mikasa got to work on the teddy bear and fixed him up for Kayo.
By dinner time, Mikasa cooked a traditional Japanese meal with cooked fish, rice, soup, vegetables, and tea. Along with pudding for dessert.
Carly and Akane sat on one side of the table, while Makoto and Kayo sat on the other side. Titan was resting under the table, waiting for any crumbs that may be dropped.
Mittens was washing herself in the living room. "Oh, Arashi's taking me out tomorrow", Carly revealed then. "To where?", questioned Eren, protective.
"Dad, we're just going to the amusement park with Emily", Carly rolled her eyes. "I wanna go too!", Akane piped up then.
"We haven't been there in a while, okay Bellflower, how about we make it a day trip? That is, if you feel up to is Kayo", Mikasa decided.
Kayo blinked. "I've...never been to an amusement park", she admitted softly. "If you feel too tired, it's fine Kayo", Makoto assured her too, softly squeezing her hand.
"No...I want to go. I've never been to one, and...I've always wanted to try the swings", Kayo confessed. Mikasa smiled softly.
"Then its set", she said. Carly groaned a bit. She wanted it to be just her, Arashi and Emily. "Carly, angel don't worry, the park is huge. We'll give you and your friends space", Mikasa added then.
"Please keep dad on a leash, please! Arashi and I wanna be alone...", Carly admitted, blushing. Eren grumbled, not commenting as he ate.
"I promise we'll give you privacy, as long as you spend at least an hour with the family", Mikasa replied. Carly nodded. "Okay, fair enough...thanks mom", she smiled.
"Yay!", Akane cheered excitedly, while Makoto smiled softly.
By bedtime, Kayo wanted to sleep in with Makoto. Eren and Mikasa allowed it, since they were only 10, and they knew Kayo needed him.
Carly had fallen asleep in her room with Mittens, while Akane was in her room still awake. Mikasa gently tucked in Makoto and Kayo, while Eren was tucking in Akane.
"Daddy, I don't wanna sleep! I want to go to the park!", Akane insisted. "Princess, the park is closed right now. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning..and hey, if you're real good I'll get you extra cotton candy", Eren assured his daughter.
Akane bit her lip, she loved cotton candy. "Okay...", she sulked a bit, but settled down in bed. "That's my girl..", Eren kissed her forehead, as Akane held her plush wolf.
In Makoto's room, Mikasa gently tucked them in. Titan was asleep at the bottom of the bed. "Goodnight you two", Mikasa smiled softly. "Mommy..can you leave the nightlight on?", asked Kayo.
"Of course sweet face, Makoto is your oxygen okay?", asked Mikasa as she clicked the night light on. Makoto nodded, his oxygen tubes in.
"Get some sleep you two, I love you both", Mikasa kissed their foreheads. "Love you mom", Makoto smiled softly. "I love you mommy..", Kayo said softly, she looked so relieved to finally be safe. Mikasa smiled softly, stroking Kayo's hair.
Makoto and Kayo cuddled a bit, after Mikasa exited the room. She saw Eren exit Akane's room. "Is our Bellflower asleep?", asked Mikasa.
"Yep, how about Makoto and Kayo?", asked Eren. "Sleeping like babies...and Carly's out too..", Mikasa and Eren gently held each other's hands then.
Eren softly pressed his forehead to his wife's, holding her close. "How's your head, beautiful?", he asked. "It's okay right now..", Mikasa replied.
They kissed softly. "So...four kids", Eren grinned a bit. "Yes...three girls, and a boy. Makoto will need extra attention, he's the only boy", Mikasa smiled.
Eren nodded, as he kissed the old scar on his wife's cheek, before they headed into their bedroom.