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This mission isn’t what Twilight thought it would be.
A simple “infiltrate and obtain whatever is the target” kind of mission is what he was expecting. A kind of mission that he’s done time and time again, being a spy.
But this? This isn’t it. Discovering that the government “office” building that he entered has secret basement floors and is practically filled with staff and guards was not part of the plan.
Nor was Twilight deciding to go further into the earth and infiltrating this secret floor’s offices even after getting what he needed.
Still, he couldn’t help himself. A place which is hidden underneath a normal government office building, and one which WISE has no information about? Twilight had to figure out just what this place was for in the end.
If there’s one thing good about the entire situation, it was that it was easy for Twilight to blend in with the staff. Researchers, from what the spy could tell. As for what they’re researching, he isn’t sure yet.
Other than the fact that the floor was completely hidden from the outside and underground, it looked disappointingly normal. There were a few research labs from what Twilight could see, but nothing that seemed threatening. Regardless, there was something that bothered him. An entire floor that lay hidden underneath the earth? It simply didn’t make sense, especially considering that the entrance into the place was secret as well.
The spy manages to slip into one of the offices, one conveniently labeled ‘Research Files.’ If there was something that these people were hiding, then this particular room wasn’t a bad shot to take.
File cabinets took up the majority of space inside. They towered over Twilight as if they were one of those high-rise apartments he’s seen in the upper ends of Berlint. Despite how many cabinets there were, they too, like the room itself, are labeled.
Most of what Twilight sees seem to be research on new medicines and methods of treatment. Better remedies for certain wounds, and better medicine for diseases which long plagued Ostania and Westalis.
But there is one file cabinet in the back which caught his eye.
Experimental Research.
Thinking back to Project Apple and Bond, he wonders if there’s more to it here. Pulling open the cabinet, he finds the files related to the animal experiments. Unfortunately, it’s nothing that him nor WISE aren’t aware of, but the fact that such information was put away here is interesting to say the least.
Another file folder inside of the cabinet makes him stay for a moment longer. One with a name that he isn’t familiar with.
He grabs the folder, opening it up. Another experiment, like Project Apple. Unlike the usage of animals, it was clear that humans were used. It was easy enough to tell based off the small synopsis which talked of creating powers that could bring about world peace. Twilight silently scoffs at that bit. The irony of that wishful thinking feels annoyingly palpable when adding in human experimentation.
He begins to read through it, feeling disgust rising up in him as he notices how the experimental subjects become younger the more he flips through them.
Middle aged adults, young adults, teenagers, and children. And it didn’t appear that most of those experimented on lasted. It makes Twilight sick. Still, he reads on to see what else is there.
It isn’t until he sees a familiar face that he stops as if he were shot dead.
Light pink hair, with two small buns fashioned on her head, though the black accents that usually covered them are nowhere to be seen. Green eyes that he became so used to seeing. A blank expression that’s so unlike her that for a second, he isn’t even sure if he’s seeing correctly.
Twilight stares at the file for a long, long time. He isn’t sure how long. Time feels as if it has stopped, and nothing feels real as he numbly reads the paper.
Anya [-----]. Subject 007. A test subject meant to bring about world peace with the power she ended up receiving as a result of the experiments. A child, not even six or seven years old, having mind reading abilities. Escaped over a year ago, labeled as a priority level one to secure.
Twilight can feel his heart in his throat, threatening to choke him while his hands shakily hold the file folder.
Everything comes at him at once, overwhelming his mind and senses.
But he does not have time to break down. Not in this place. The spy in him won’t let him be consumed by those emotions yet. A mission needs to be completed, after all.
Forcing himself to take a long, deep breath, he closes the folder and places it in his briefcase quickly. Internally, he orders himself to get a grip and act like a spy, lest he be caught. Twilight tries his best to keep calm, but rationally, he knew it was impossible. Not when he just discovered something as shocking as this.
His adopted daughter, an escaped test subject. A mind reader.
He feels as if someone is crushing him as he instantly thinks back to that fateful first meeting. It all made sense now. How she somehow responded to his thoughts and solved that crossword puzzle. Her strange behavior, and how she seemed to know things without being taught. She knew what he was thinking, and she knew his true identity from the very beginning.
It makes the guilt that had been sleeping in his heart rudely awaken when thinking of how she had heard everything. His every doubt and concern that he had about her. How he thought of replacing her, of returning her to the orphanage. And when knowing how she had gone from place to place, it only makes the latter worse.
Twilight curses himself for being so callous. Though it’s not as if he could’ve done anything about his thoughts in his past, it still made him want to punch himself.
Children are impressionable. He knows this, and how even trivial comments can impact someone so young.
He doesn’t want to imagine what he unintentionally let Anya hear from his mind as he feels the weight of guilt suffocate his heart. Silently, with his thoughts flooding his mind and drowning him, he slips out of the room. Twilight doesn’t allow himself to cry until he’s long since left the building.
He spends more time than normal outside of the Forger household. He hasn’t even entered the building, no less approached the stairs.
Twilight hesitates, knowing what he knows now. Anya is at home, and she can hear his every thought. He isn’t sure how she would react once she realizes that he knows, and he, at all costs, doesn’t want to upset her with his thoughts. Especially right after what he learned.
But he has to go home. He promised to make dinner tonight, and to not show up would be strange to both Yor and Anya. They’d worry, and Yor would call the hospital to find out if he was still there or not.
A long, nervous sigh escapes him. After several minutes of standing outside, he finally enters the building. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, he shakes his head in an effort to clear his mind.
It isn’t time yet to let Anya know that he’s aware of her powers. Not when he’s still trying to process everything in his mind. For now, he needed to play the part of reliable husband and father.
Twilight takes a deep breath at the top of the stairs before he makes it to the apartment door. Then, as he puts his hand on the door handle, he begins to think of hamburger steak. He isn’t sure just how Anya’s powers work, but if he were to think of preparing dinner it could possibly distract her.
After all, she’s still only a child. A child which Twilight learned to how to raise since the beginning of Operation Strix, even if he isn’t the best at it.
The sound of Yor’s voice is the first thing he hears upon opening the door.
“Welcome home, Loid! We were wondering when you would get back.”
She gives him a smile from the kitchen, where she was preparing to set the table. Twilight does his best to reciprocate before he sees Anya run up to him. For a fleeting moment, he feels his heart leap out of his chest at the sight of her before he forces himself to be calm.
“Papa!” the child exclaims, hugging Twilight’s leg. Then, she suddenly looks up to him with an expression he can’t quite understand.
“Did a bad thing happen?”
He doesn’t know how to react for a few tense seconds. In the end, he manages to give Anya a smile and a pat on the head. He hopes that she’s unable to hear how nervous he is as he ignores the storm he’s hidden in his mind.
“Nothing’s wrong, Anya. I was just thinking about what to make dinner tonight and got distracted. What do you say to hamburger steak?”
Her face lights up and she nods quickly. Twilight smiles in response, ruffling her hair lightly as he chides Anya to let go so he can prepare dinner.
The rest of the evening goes on like almost every other night. The Forger father prepares dinner, eats with his family, then begins to bid good night to his wife and child. All the while ignoring the storm of thoughts in his mind as he did so. Twilight tried his best to not to say any words internally. While he wasn’t sure just how powerful Anya’s abilities are, not thinking of his usual ramblings and whatnot seemed to work.
It was however, exhausting to prevent himself from thinking of everything that had happened from today’s mission to now. To not think of it, especially with how Twilight worked, was something that he had never done before. It makes him have a mild headache as a result.
Regardless, his strategy appeared to work. Though Anya would occasionally look at him in confusion, she behaved as usual. She played with Bond a bit before bed, and diligently brushed her teeth like she was told to. Now in her room, Twilight watches his wife tuck their daughter into bed before they say goodnight.
“Have a goodnight, Anya. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Yor warmly says, giving her a peck on the forehead before she stands up. The child beams, saying goodnight and I love you to her before her mother steps out of the room to let her husband say goodnight.
It’s Twilight’s turn now. But unlike Yor, he feels as if he’s been frozen by one of the bad guys from Bondman. He isn’t sure what to do despite the fact that he’s simply only saying goodnight to his daughter. His throat feels as if a dam had been placed inside, preventing him from speaking. And yet he also feels that if he were to speak, a flood would emerge.
The silence from Twilight prompts Anya to call out to him.
“Papa? Papa are you okay?”
The worried sound of her voice manages to snap him out of it momentarily and he nods.
“I’m fine. Nothing to worry about. Just spaced out for a second there,” He explains, hoping that Anya didn’t notice the crisis in his mind.
“Anyways, goodnight, Anya. Have good dreams tonight.”
Gingerly, Twilight leans down and gives her a gentle pat and stroke of her head. Anya watches him do so, a slightly confused expression on her face. She hasn’t quite caught onto him yet, making that restless, nervous feeling in him lessen a little. But in classic Anya fashion, she catches him off guard.
“Goodnight Papa, I love you.”
Twilight blinks, seeing his daughter give him a smile before she snuggles into her blankets. Then, he gets up and heads for the door. Before he closes it, he wishes her goodnight again.
The feeling of guilt is anew in his heart. Why Anya says those three words to him, he isn’t sure. Especially when he’s done so much to be undeserving of such affection.
A long, tired sigh escapes him. He has a lot to contemplate tonight.
Anya knew her father was acting strange when he arrived home. At first, she thought that he was only tired from the mission that he completed earlier. It usually explained his tiredness, along with how sluggish his thoughts would sound sometimes.
But this time around, Twilight’s mind sounds constrained. Stiff too, in a way that Anya can’t explain in words. It was simply a feeling that came upon her the more she tuned in to his thoughts.
It worries Anya a bit. Usually, her father is always thinking of something. Whether it was a mission, her grades, his wife, or something else, his mind would have words endlessly rolling by like the end credits in movies. To hear only a few sentences from him felt off to say the least.
Thankfully, she could hear his usual scrambled thoughts from her bedroom. Twilight sounded like how he usually does, which makes her feel a bit better even if they made her wake up in the dead of the night. The quicker and more worried feeling that Anya gets from his thoughts distracts her so much that she eventually hops out of bed, knowing that it’s somewhat useless to try to sleep like this.
She may as well go and knock on his door to see just what the problem is. And plus, she felt a bit hungry. An excuse to have a late-night snack, possibly.
As quiet as a mouse, she opens her door and tip toes into the hallway toward her father’s room. His thoughts grow louder as she approaches, along with the anxious feeling that she felt before becoming stronger.
Shaking her head to try and ignore her father’s thoughts momentarily, she begins to reach for the doorknob.
She stops, however, when she hears her name in the whirlwind of words.
Anya is only a child. I should be gentle about this. I don’t want to scare her or make her upset. Calm down, Twilight. Think about this.
The young girl frowns, confused. She knew her father would often think of whatever troubles are at hand, but this didn’t sound like his usual worries. Listening more closely, she concentrates a bit more on his mind.
If I had known she could hear my thoughts, then….
Her body freezes upon hearing those words. Words that made her feel as if she were shot through the heart.
He knows. Anya is unable to think of just how he found out, but he knows her true identity and that scares her.
It scares her so bad to the point where she is unable to hear anything else but her own thoughts. Her mind spirals, filled with those scientist’s words, past families, and the pain of running away.
Anya, you can’t ever tell anyone about your power. You understand that, right?
An indifferent family, a neglectful family, another orphanage.
Moving from place to place all the while keeping quiet, belonging to nowhere.
A cycle that would once again continue.
Twilight would leave her behind now that he knew. Anya is sure of it. The very thing that she had been afraid of for so, so long would happen, cutting her out of the life she's known for the past few months. He can hear his voice in her head now, horrified, and shocked at who she really is.
What ARE you?
It echoes like a bad dream that lingers.
Slowly stepping back from the door looming over her, the child quietly runs back into her room.
She spends the rest of the night trying not to let her cries be heard.
Twilight wakes up in the morning after a near sleepless night. His head hurts, and his body feels more fatigued than usual. Still, he gets up and readies himself for the day.
He brushes his teeth, washes his face, and puts on his usual suit for work. Yor gets ready not long after him, eating her breakfast and leaving early due to City Hall having an event she needed to be at. The Forger mother bids him goodbye and asks him to let Anya know that she’ll see her in the evening. Putting a smile on his face, Twilight nods and waves goodbye to her as she closes the apartment door behind her.
Then, he goes to Anya’s room. It was time to ask her about it. To let her know that he knew, and that he needed to talk to her. It makes his head hurt even more thinking about just what to start with, but he knew ruminating over it would do nothing.
Twilight takes a deep breath before knocking. If anything, he just hopes that Anya won’t be scared of him.
“Anya? Can I talk to you?”
He listens only to be met with silence. Sighing, he tries again.
“I promise it isn’t anything bad. I just… want to ask something, is all. Though you probably already know what.”
Again, silence. She must be hiding in bed, he assumes. Letting her know that he was coming in, he opens the door. What greets him isn’t a child hiding in bed, but an empty room. Worry and confusion instantly manifest in the pit of his stomach.
“Anya?”
No reply. Kneeling down on the ground, he looks underneath the bed to find nothing but scattered toys and coloring pens.
Standing up, he looks around her room, searching every nook and cranny. Twilight knows there aren’t really any hiding places in her room. But still, he needed to check. If she’s here, then…
Suddenly, Twilight realizes that he doesn’t see her chimera plush in the room. If there's one item that she couldn’t bear to part from, it's the toy that came with her from the orphanage.
And there was no way she would put it away or leave it on the ground.
His movements are frantic as he rushes out of the room and to the front door, throwing it open and slamming it behind him. It makes a loud, booming noise but it doesn’t concern him. Not when Anya was outside, going to who knows where alone.
The panic he feels at this moment is foreign to him. It eats at him, both heart and mind like he’s never felt before. Not even being close to death made him feel like this.
She knew that he had found out and ran away. As for why, Loid has a sinking feeling that he was the reason.
Every doubtful thought he had toward her, every word that he had spoken in his mind would of course cause her to react like this, he believes. Especially when taking in the fact that he once considered returning her to the orphanage, or simply replacing her early in the mission.
It was obvious that Anya would run. Twilight had unknowingly planted all the right seeds without realizing it, after all.
But hindsight is 20/20. And right now, the only thing on his mind is finding his daughter.
If there’s one thing Anya that learned from going place to place, it’s that people won’t pay attention to a lone child if said child appears to know where they’re going. Having escaped from the research lab, she knew how to get around by herself until she found somewhere to stay. With her experience, she would’ve gotten a perfect score on running away if it were a test at Eden Academy.
She didn’t bring much with her. Anya wore her usual black dress with the white ribbon, along with a small bag of snacks and Mr. Chimera. Truthfully, she wanted to bring Agent Penguinman with her too, but Anya had swallowed her tears and hugged him goodbye.
Alas, the penguin plush was too large for her to take.
Anya left early in the morning, before either of her parents had left for work. While her parents were slowly waking up, Anya gathered her things and silently left. Had she waited longer, she feared what could’ve happened.
A confrontation. Shouting. Tears.
The mere thought of it makes the knot in her stomach tighten.
She acted as if she were going to school at first. Her destination was past Eden Academy, and passing through would be easy. All she had to do was put on her school hat and not many seemed to care much.
Though, it was most likely because it was early and people were still waking up. A child wearing an Eden Academy hat outside the school gates wasn’t something to pay attention to, anyways. Regardless, it worked in Anya’s favor.
It took her a while until she finally found the bus stop she was looking for. One that would head straight to Berlint’s Railway Main Station, and where not many people are riding it. It took a few peeks behind a pole and a few questions to a nice older man at a nearby bench, but she felt a bit proud that she managed to find it all by herself so far.
After waiting a few minutes, the bus arrives. With the little money she brought, she pays the fare and ignores the quizzical look the driver gives her before shrugging and taking the coins.
"Where are you going kid?"
"The train station," Anya answers, hoping that the driver wouldn't question any further.
"Berlint Main Station, I'm assuming. You meeting your parents there?"
Anya nods, and the driver frowns. "It'll be a bit, young lady. Though, why aren't your parents with you? You're much too young to be traveling by yourself."
She knows the driver is just worried for her, based on how their thoughts sound.
"My mama and papa are really busy with work," She answers, frowning slightly as she looks down. "They aren't able to pick me up, so..."
The driver's eyes widen in surprise. Then, they nod in solemn understanding as they gesture for her to sit down. "I see. Well, just sit tight for a while. You'll see them soon."
Anya doesn't respond to that. She climbs up onto her seat, setting her plush and bag next to her. As the bus's engine starts, and Anya tries to ignore the pain in her chest.
The time it takes for WISE to pick up the phone is excruciating. Twilight knows that calling from a public phone booth isn’t the most ideal place to call an intelligence agency, but it was one of the last things on his mind.
When he finally hears another voice on the other line, he spares not one second as he states the required codename. The line changes again, and he once again hears another WISE agent. This time, he simply speaks his superior’s title.
“Handler. Now.”
He hears the line being changed swiftly and Sylvia’s voice clearly comes through.
“Twilight? To what do I owe the pleasure—”
“I need every agent in Berlint to be on the lookout for my daughter. Now.”
“What? Did your daughter get kidnapped? Just what happened—”
“I’ll explain later,” He quickly interjects, “Just know that Anya is missing and I need all the information I can get to find her.”
Gripping the receiver, he feels how dry his throat feels as he quickly takes in deep, shaky breath.
“I don’t know how far she’s gotten now. So, just— please… please…”
For a moment, Twilight hears nothing but static on the other line before he hears his handler’s voice.
“…I understand. Go and find her, Twilight. I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
He wishes he could feel some relief hearing those words instead of ever-increasing ache in his chest.
The father calls up Franky next. The line rings for a few long, excruciating moments until he hears the sound of his friend on the other side, calmly answering.
“Hello—?”
“Franky, I need you to call up every person you know and see if they’ve seen my daughter.”
Twilight wastes no time speaking into the phone as he did before with Handler. For a moment, Franky processes just what exactly he’s being asked of before letting out a sound of surprise.
“Wait what?! What happened? Did Anya go missing or—?"
“Not… Not exactly. I don’t have time to explain so just— Please, Franky. I’m begging you.”
The line is silent for a few moments. Then, Franky speaks.
“Well, since you sound so desperate, I’ll help you out. It’ll take some time calling up friends, but I’ll be on the double for Anya. You owe me, Forger.”
A relieved sigh escapes him as Twilight pushes back strands of his hair stuck against his forehead.
“Thank you. I'll talk to you later, then.”
Hanging up, he begins to make his way toward Eden. At the very least, someone may have seen her nearby the school. There's a question however, that arises in his mind now that he was just a little bit calmer now.
She knew from the beginning. From him being a spy to the truth of the Forger family. That this family that he brought together would end after Operation Strix is finished.
He knew that she heard more than enough to realize that this family is temporary.
So why did she stay?
Was it because she had nowhere else to go? Because she was afraid of being discovered by scientists who experimented on her? Because she didn’t want to go to another orphanage or to another foster home?
Maybe it was because of one or more of those reasons. But there’s something else that comes to mind. A memory, clear as day replays in his mind.
One hundred points, she said when answering the professor’s question. Saying that he and Yor are fun, and that she wants to stay with them forever.
Telling him that she wanted to go home with him even after she had been kidnapped.
Anya didn’t lie. Not like Twilight. In those moments, she was being genuine.
A sharp, aching pain wraps around his heart when he thinks about it. Anya genuinely enjoyed being with the two parents she’s only ever known, and yet she was afraid of what would happen if either of them found out her secret.
He wants to kick himself for not being able to reassure her enough. For not letting her know that she’s loved.
Twilight nearly smacks himself out of frustration when he hears someone call out to him in surprise.
“Loid?!”
The sound of his wife’s voice makes him jump, nearly causing him to trip. He snaps around to see Yor in her beige coat, a handbag around her shoulder and her eyes wide as she stares at him. He wasn't aware that she had gotten off work early.
“Yor! I, um— Good to see you! You're off early, I see. I was just passing by and uh—”
He stumbles over his words, unable to form a coherent sentence. Twilight knew he should save face in front of his wife. But with everything about Anya and how she was getting farther and farther away by the second, he could do nothing but stutter.
“Loid, are you alright? You look like you ran a marathon or something. Did something happen…?”
Twilight sucks in a deep breath before exhaling it out. “I’m fine! Completely good. I’m just tired is all. Anya is upset with me and I just—”
His throat tightens and he’s unable to speak further about the child that he’s driven away.
“Sorry, sorry. I just— I’m pretty scrambled right now, I’ll see you at home later Yor—”
He begins to turn away until Yor speaks.
“You're not okay, aren’t you?”
The words feel like a dagger through the chest. He shakes his head, denying it.
“Me? Oh, no. I’m fine, just tired is all. Just tired.”
Yor doesn’t say anything for a few seconds as her expression becomes more worried.
“Loid… you look terrible. Just what happened? Are you alright? Is Anya alright?”
Twilight blinks, thoughts racing inside of his mind.
I caused our daughter to run away. I made her feel unwanted and unloved.
I didn’t know better, and I hurt her.
And now I don’t know what else to do except to apologize and try to bring her back.
A nervous laugh escapes him as he looks down and away from his wife’s eyes. He doesn’t know how to exactly answer her. Not without making her worry and question even more. Twilight hesitates, the worry lines on his face more prominent than before.
“I’m not... exactly sure how to tell you. I…”
Yor frowns lightly, eyes creased in clear concern for her husband.
“I don’t know what’s happened, but you can tell me anything, Loid. I mean, I’m your wife. I should be here to listen to you, right? It makes me sad to see you like this, so….”
A small, somber smile pulls the corners of her lips up as she takes one of Twilight’s hands. She squeezes it, not knowing how Twilight feels as if he could crumble right here and now from the comfort of her touch. Taking in a deep breath, he closes his eyes before looking into hers.
Maybe, it’d be okay to tell her a bit of the truth. Enough for her to understand why he was so anxious.
“I… I made Anya pretty upset today, after you left for work. And I don’t know how to solve this. I have an idea of what to say to her, but still I… I can’t help but feel that it isn’t enough. That I won’t be able to make her happy again, or to have her trust again. Everything I’ve done, from the beginning to now, I know isn’t nearly enough. I know you told me that I’m a wonderful father and all, but….”
The words spill out like a rushing stream and carefully trail off into a silence. Still holding onto her hand, Twilight feels as if he really would shatter if he lets go. Then, she answers him.
“I still think you’re a wonderful father, Loid. I’m not sure what you did to make Anya upset, but I can say that she still loves you regardless. I know you feel… doubtful, but she really does adore you. I saw how much she loves you when I came to live with you both, and I can still see it now. And if you’re this worried about how Anya feels about you after whatever it is that happened, I’m sure she’s doing the same thing. Like father, like daughter, right?”
Yor chuckles a little at the end, giving her husband a light smile.
Her response makes Twilight feel as if a small weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He blinks a few times, not from the tears that threaten to spill but from his wife’s words. It sounds so, so strange to him, to hear that Anya loves him. Maybe it’s obvious, but it still felt foreign to Twilight.
A child that he adopted just for the mission and knew from the beginning what his intentions were, loves him anyways.
Why exactly, he still isn’t sure. But for now, he knows what he has to do. Giving Yor’s hand one last squeeze, he lets go.
“Thank you, Yor. I truly am glad I married you.”
He says those words, filled to the brim with warmth and gratefulness. Yor is unable to speak for a few seconds, caught off guard by the sudden appreciation before she stutters out a reply.
“I- I am too! I suppose I should leave you to it, saying sorry to Anya and all. You’re picking her up, right?”
Twilight nods. “Yeah. I should go right now, but really, thank you Yor. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
A bloom of pink colors his wife’s face. “T-Thank you, Loid. I’ll see you two at home then.”
She smiles at him once again, and Twilight returns it before he takes off.
Anya doesn't buy a train ticket when she arrives at the station. She has enough to buy one, but even with the money and acting as if she knew what she was doing, it isn't enough to not bring attention to herself. With how those scientists are still searching for her, Anya would rather lay low.
She ends up coming across a family of six getting prepared to board. The mother and father were checking off what was needed, along with doubly checking their baggage. The children, around Anya's age, played nearby and waited for the train doors to open.
A lightbulb goes off in her head as she watches them.
She waited nearby. Close enough to be considered as one of them, and far enough for the parents to not notice that an extra child is here. Ten minutes pass and the train finally opens its doors, ready for passengers. The family, picking up their baggage and staying close together now, got in line to board.
Anya follows close behind, unnoticed by the family and the conductor who merely glanced at the amount of tickets the parents messily held in their hands. When she passes the conductor, he doesn't give a second look to her. Silently, Anya feels some of the tension in her chest release as she begins to find a seat where not many others are seated nearby.
She finds one after walking through several train cars, hopping onto the seat and placing her items next to her. Though she still felt nervous about being found out, she felt quite smart. Anya had slipped in without anyone noticing. It felt like she was a spy, almost.
Like Twilight.
Quickly, she shakes her head, trying not to think about him or the rest of the Forgers.
What she was doing now was what she decided on a long time ago, and she would go through with it. No matter how much it hurt her heart.
Turning her head toward the window, she peeks out to see the last of Berlint.
What she sees instead, however, is Twilight.
Anya ducks down quickly. Then, she looks again in an effort to see if she was just seeing things.
He's still there, however. He appears to be questioning a station employee from what Anya can see. Twilight is too far away for her to hear his thoughts, but she can see his expression.
Desperate and pained.
It confuses Anya. Why is he here? Why would he be here of all places? To search for her? No, no it had to be some kind of mission.
He isn't here for her, she believes. Twilight has to be here for something else. Not for the child who lied to him.
The train's whistle blows and the locomotive begins to move. Slowly, Anya watches the figure of her father move away. She doesn't know how to feel, seeing him right now. The child wants to cry, but she wills herself not to. She needed to stay quiet, and to not attract the conductor's attention.
Anya isn't able to tear her eyes away from Twilight. He's still talking with the employee, along with another one. Anya wonders what he's talking about, and with such a pained look on his face.
If it's about her...then--
Suddenly, one of the employees points toward her direction. A look of realization and of recognition flashes across the spy's face as he turns toward her. Just before her train car moves out of sight, Anya's eyes meet Twilight's.
She nearly screams out of surprise when he starts running toward the train.
Twilight sees her. In an instant, his feet move across the platform.
He sprints after the train, trying to find the right moment to jump. Anywhere with a ledge or handle for him to grab onto would be ideal, but with how the train is now picking up speed Twilight aims for the rear train car that’s coming into view. Some staff, having already noticed that a seemingly crazy man is trying to jump onto the train, shouts to him. Twilight, of course, paid them no heed.
He's trying to go after his daughter, after all. There isn’t any time to waste.
“Hey, wait! You can’t just leap onto a moving train—!”
The station employee cries out to no avail as Twilight jumps off the platform, hands reaching for the metal handrailing. Latching onto the handrailing and feeling his body practically slam against the metal, he manages to secure his footing before pulling himself over and onto the floor. For a moment as he collects himself and ignores the pain from the impact, he thinks of all the Spy Wars episodes he’s watched with Anya.
Running after a train and jumping onto it felt like something that Bondman would do. He smiles a little at the fleeting thought before he takes a deep breath, opening the rear car door and walking in.
And as he begins to walk faster with each step he takes, his mind races even faster.
He’s worried of course, that he’s mistaken. That he didn’t see her peeking out of that window, near the front of the train. But even then, it isn’t the thing he worries the most about.
Twilight walks through several train cars, his pace steady and ever so nervous. His eyes dart to every child he sees, hoping and praying for that head of pink hair with those black accents he never understood.
It isn’t until he arrives at the first car that he finds her, sitting by herself. She stares at him, eyes wide in disbelief with tears.
His mind is a mess of words. Tangled and scrambled together, unable to make a coherent sentence. His hands, one in a fist with the other covering it, feel clammy. After everything that’s happened, Twilight finds himself unable to speak.
Anya speaks first.
“Why… why are you here?”
The way her voice trembles as she asks him crushes Twilight's heart.
To ask why he's even here pains him more than her tears ever could.
Slowly, Twilight takes a deep breath and takes a seat next to the child. He tries to let his mind slow and relax as best he can so that he can speak. When he feels the knot in his mind untangle, he begins to open his mouth.
“Because I’m here for you. Not anyone or anything else.”
And not for the mission either, he says silently.
“I want to make that clear, alright Anya? I’m here for you, and I just— I wanted to say sorry, along with so many other things.”
I know I’m the reason why you’re here right now. And I’m sorry for making you feel the need to leave. I actually wanted to talk about it with you but I… I was too afraid. I was afraid of making you scared. Afraid of how you thought of me. And I did make you scared, it seems like.
There’s a pain in his chest that seems to swell with every passing moment, but Twilight ignores it as he continues to speak with both heart and mouth.
“I’m not exactly sure what’s happening, but Anya, Anya can you look at me? Please.”
Anya sits still, unmoving as she grips her chimera plush closer to her body. She’s crying silently.
Seeing this, Twilight moves to her side, gingerly wiping her tears with the end of his sleeve. He quietly apologizes to her, trying to be as gentle as he can.
“Anya, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you feel like this. You deserve better, especially from me. You don’t have to hold back on crying, too. It’s okay. It’s okay, Anya.”
He continues to whisper to her, trying to lessen her tears.
The child beside him continues to cry, eyes blinking out the tears that fall down her cheeks and onto Mr. Chimera. Gingerly, Twilight begins to gently pat her head. It makes her tears fall faster, prompting Anya to turn her head and bury her face into his side. He can feel how she shakes now, and how her tiny hands grip onto his coat. An urge that he didn't realize was there revealed itself because of it.
Twilight wants to hold his daughter. To tell her that he’s sorry, that he loves her more than he could ever express any other emotion. That he promises to make sure that she will never feel unwanted or unloved, and that she will never have to worry about finding someone to love her.
Carefully, he manages to pick her up and into his arms. Anya, not holding back her sobs anymore, cries into his chest as she holds onto him. Twilight whispers those words he held hidden in his heart, feeling stupid for fearing that he would regret saying them and believing that he shouldn’t say them at all.
“I love you, Anya. I really do. I’m sorry I never said it until now. I love you, so, so much. More than I could ever say or do.”
It feels strange, saying it finally. Strange, but fulfilling. As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“P-Papa, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for never t-telling you, I’m s-sorry—“
She hiccups through her stuttered words, and Twilight reassures her that it’s alright as he holds her more tightly.
“You don’t have to say sorry, it’s okay Anya. I understand why you didn’t, and that’s okay. It’s okay, dear,” He quietly whispers, rubbing circles into her back gently.
He continues to do so, gently speaking of reassurances and I love yous.
Twilight thinks of their first meeting. He isn’t sure why he’s thinking of it now, but it appears before him regardless.
The memory is as clear as day.
The faint smell of gunpowder. How a little girl clung to his leg and told him that she wanted to go home with him, even after such a scary experience.
The spy had made his decision at the time. He just didn't realize it until today.
Twilight hugs his daughter closer to his chest, placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head as he does so.
"Let's go home."
He says those words once again, clear and warm. This time, there isn't a doubt in his mind.
His daughter, of course, remembers the memory too. It makes a smile tug at the corners of her lips and slows her tears. She nods, nuzzling her face against his heart as she whispers I love you too.
Like that day, the sunset glows softly on two souls.