Be honest with yourself do you see in your reflection someone else?...All my life I tried letting you inside to see the world through my eyes…All my life I thought I lost my mind. If I could just get it right then you might see…
Hands Like Houses- Perspectives
"There's something else you need to know."
"What?"
"Your parents…are alive."
"What? No…how is that possible? What about their graves?"
"We had an anonymous tip that I took seriously. The plane did go down, but I made sure there was no live casualties. Convincing your father was a pain in the ass. You're both stubborn as hell."
"Those graves," she pointed at, "probably empty. Just like yours."
"What about the bodies they found?"
"Cadavers; Jane and John Doe never reclaimed or donated for science. Who knows?"
"Where are they now?"
"Who knows I don't deal with those kinds of messes. Why would you care?"
"What? No not the cadavers my parents."
"My guess, probably back home."
"Is it safe now?"
"Not from journalists, but your family and you will still be under protection as long as alive."
Ana held out her hand for Aki to take. Aki took it.
"Welcome home Aki Izayoi. Welcome to the rest of your life."
Ana shook her hand before letting go. She smiled before turning her back to leave.
"Thank you!" Aki called out to her retreating form.
Ana held out her signature two finger salute.
"Don't thank me until you've forgiven me…open that envelope before you decide."
Akiza was nervous as she held Yusei's hand. They stood in front of her old home.
"Do you need a minute?" Yusei asked, squeezing her hand.
"I-I'm not sure…should I knock or…?"
The door opened to reveal her parents.
"Aki! My little rose!"
Akiza and Yusei were enveloped into two pairs of arms.
"Thank goodness! We thought we'd never see you again! Thank you Yusei for bringing our little rose home!" Aki's mother had tears streaming down her face as she spoke.
"I missed you so much my little girl." Hideo hugged his daughter tightly.
They all broke apart. When Akiza noticed a little girl hiding behind a chair she cried. Yusei stiffened as he noticed the little black-haired girl. Aki's mom motioned the girl over.
"Come here honey."
The girl ran into Hideo's arms.
"Who are they grandpa? Where's auntie Ana?"
"Honey, do you remember your auntie Ana's promise?"
The girl stared at the couple. The girl wriggled out of Hideo's arms. She approached the tearful Aki and shocked Yusei. The girl had long jet-black hair with burgundy streaks. Her brown almond eyes searched their faces.
"Auntie Ana said goodbye this morning. She said she was so sorry that she wouldn't see me again, but I wouldn't be sad forever. She promised me my mommy and daddy would come home when she said goodbye for the last time. She also said she would take care of me and grandpa and nana until you could come home."
Aki knelt opening her arms. The little girl ran into her arms hugging her tightly.
Flashback…
Aki unsealed the envelope and pulled out a document. A couple of pictures fluttered out she reached out to pick them up. She picked up 4 separate pictures. Aki furrowed her eyebrows her eyebrows as she studied the photo of a newborn baby bundled in pink. The next two pictures were of, who she assumed was, the same baby covered in cake.
The girl looked familiar. She noticed writing on the back of the photo and realized it was the same month and day starting almost 4 years ago and the initials A.F and the name Stella written above the date. Aki put the pictures aside and looked at the document.
She felt a knot growing in her belly as she looked over the paper. She was looking at a birth certificate belonging to a barely 4-year-old girl. It belonged to a girl named Azalea Estrella Fudo and under the parents' names was hers and under the father's name was none other than Yusei Fudo.
"Mommy I missed you. Daddy I love you."
"Azalea, right?" Aki asked.
"Mhmm." The little girl made a sour face."
"It's actually Stella." Hideo interrupted.
"We have a daughter." Yusei finally snapped back to reality.
"Auntie Ana calls me Stella mommy. Where's auntie Ana?" The little girl asked.
"Auntie Ana had to go baby, but she wanted me to tell you that she loves you very much and not to cry. She also wanted me to say, remember your training?"
"The kicking and screaming is only for emergencies only." Stella repeated.
"She was given to us by an agent named Ana after you were taken." Hideo interrupted.
"Azalea like the flower and Estrella or Stella like the star. Who gave you that name baby?" Yusei asked.
"Auntie Ana said mommy, but she helped with my middle name."
Aki put her little girl down. Yusei quickly picked her up and pressed a kiss on the girl's forehead. Aki couldn't stop herself from smiling at the thought of her future with her family.
Aki ran towards where Ana was walking off. She found her struggling to get on her helmet.
"Wait! I need some answers!"
"Damn I was really hoping it would take you longer to go over those. This damn arm…" She grumbled.
"I have a daughter…How? How is it even possible…? I don't even remember giving birth! I don't understand…" Aki was shocked.
"Aki calm down. I can explain…most of it anyway. The day you were approached by one of my superiors, you apparently went back to say goodbye to your hubby and you know got it on." She winked.
"What are you saying?"
"You got yourself pregnant and we didn't know until you were already under cover. I was furious when they closed the case without getting you back. My SO got a tip of an underground fight club and illegal gambling headed by Sayer. I was trained as a boxer before…anyway I took the tip. After I followed that fool I found out you were working in the hospital."
"That's when you showed up at the hospital to work with me."
"Yup and when I saw you so oblivious of me I knew I couldn't just take you back… I don't know how I knew, but when you told me you were pregnant I just knew that kid wasn't his. I'm sorry for the pain I put you through…I hope you don't remember it."
"What are you taking about?"
Ana took a deep breath and sighed shaking her head side to side.
"I really didn't want to tell you, but I guess here it goes. They day you had the baby…I took your baby away and had the nurses and doctor tell you that the baby was born stillborn. The pain I caused you…" She shifted her eyes away from her.
"Why?"
"Why? Isn't it obvious? I couldn't allow that child to go to that monster and I already had your parents safe, so I made the call. My suspicions were affirmed once I saw you at work in a couple of days with no recollection of your baby. Everyone simply avoided you, so they didn't seem to notice. I gave her to them to take care of."
Aki cried as she looked at her through tears.
"Look go to her, if I were you I wouldn't miss another second away from her. Just do me a favor. Don't waste this life I've fought so hard to get you back to. Adios." Ana put her helmet on the back of her bike and gave her the two-finger salute she was so accustomed to, and rode off leaving her alone.
A few years later…
Goodwin had confessed to despicable crimes and was living out the rest of his life incarcerated.
The school was merged with a public school and the ban was lifted. Some of the teachers fired before returned to teaching while others found a different meaning to their lives. Jack and Carly had two twin boys and one high maintenance daughter. Carly went on to become a stay at home mom, but simultaneous big shot blogger/ journalist. Jack still taught self-confidence classes.
Luna became the youngest school director and her brother Leo was promoted to assistant director of the school. Luna became engaged to Dexter, who continued to work at the school. Crow went on to work with Trudge and Mina as a sector security officer. Mina finally relented and accepted Trudge's feelings for her.
Misty and her brother caught up and traveled the world with Kalin right behind them. Misty and Kalin married in Europe and had one boy that loved to play with his uncle Toby all the time. Aki and Yusei renewed their vows a few weeks after they finally reunited with their family.
Sherry and Bruno had started managing up and coming racers. Sherry trained her drivers hard, but they barely ever lost. Bruno would fix the runners and make them faster.
Aki was laughing as she watched Stella blowing out her birthday candles and sneakily bit into her cake before anyone could push her face into her cake.
"Hey that's not fair!" Jack and Carly's son, Kaden huffed.
"It's not my fault you weren't quick enough." She stuck her tongue out.
Kaden crossed his arms annoyed as Aki started cutting the cake. Carly passed out the cake slices. The next thing they knew, Stella was wiping cake off her face. Stella grabbed the nearest cake slice and aimed for Kaden only to miss and hit Jack directly.
Aki watched as an all-out cake war commenced. Aki smiled as she noticed her husband laughing and unguarded. Aki grabbed a piece of cake and snuck up to her unsuspecting husband. She got behind him and as soon as he turned his head towards her smack she smacked him with cake.
Aki quickly took off and hid behind a tree after she had caked her husband. She almost screamed as she heard a familiar voice speak up.
"Jeez I'm not gonna kill ya. You know I went through too much trouble keeping you alive."
"Ana?"
"Hey Aki. Hmm cake in your hair." Ana laughed as she picked a strand of her hair filled with frosting.
"Guess it's family tradition now, sorry about that." She chuckled.
"Yeah Stella's been starting cake wars since we've had her. You know she really misses you." Aki said.
"Poor kid, but look at you all ready to pop." Ana motioned at Aki's pregnant belly.
"Well Stella did just turn 9." Aki began.
"Hey I'm not judging!" She put her hands up in defense.
"I'm actually surprised you waited so long." She said.
"We wanted to make Stella a priority before introducing another baby to the world."
"Makes sense."
"Do you know the gender yet?"
"No, not yet, we wanted to be surprised."
"Ughh you're one of those..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, one of those."
Aki decided to ignore Ana's comment.
"Hey why don't you stay?" Stella would love to see you."
"No can do, I'm already putting you in danger by showing up here. I just came to give you this." Ana gave her a multicolored dressed doll with two black braids.
"It's a doll from my country. I had it blessed by the pope while I was in Italy or maybe it was Madrid I don't remember either way. She'll know who it's from."
She gave her a small smile before giving her a two-finger salute.
"Take care Aki."
"Wait Ana…" She turned around only for Aki to smack her with cake she had.
Ana laughed as she wiped her face. Before she reached out and caught Aki with icing on her face.
"Much better! See you Aki. Oh and good luck with boys are gonna be a handful." She smiled knowingly.
"Wait...twin boys, really?!" She looked down at her stomach, eyes wide.
Aki looked up only to see an empty space where Ana stood a minute ago.
"Way to ruin the surprise..." She grumbled out loud.
"Ahh I found you!"
Yusei found Aki, but frowned when he saw Aki's icing streaked face.
"Who got you?"
"Someone very sneaky."
"What's that?" Yusei motioned to the doll in Aki's hand.
"A gift for Stella. I think I should sit down my feet are swelling."
Yusei helped his wife back. Stella laughed as she ran past them.
"Stella honey! Come here please."
Stella ran back and noticed the doll in her mother's hand.
"Is that?! Lupita!"
Her eyes widened in amazement. She took the doll and hugged it.
"Where's Auntie Ana?" She asked expectantly.
"I'm sorry sweetie…"
"She's not here, is she?"
"No honey I'm sorry."
Stella smiled as she looked at her large family gathered around laughing.
"It's okay she gave me the best gift I could have ever asked for, my family."
The End.
That's it, what a plot twist right?
So, stuff that I wanted to point out…
My OC Characters:
Liz- poetrymagic12 *wink wink*
Jay- Jade546
My lovely reviewers I hope you enjoyed this journey and hopefully I'll see you guys in my next stories…Yess I said stories! I want to give a special dedication to Ai star and Fate in the star.
This well probably be the last thing I upload for the year since I'm going to be out of the country for the holidays and I do not plan on taking my computer to get stolen.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
-MMXX
Here's a gift from my next story
"I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours."
The room was silent for a few seconds before Akiza sighed, and then clapped chuckling. She got up and opened her office door.
"Get the hell out."
...
"He quoted the notebook!"