Chapter 1: Prologue (1)
Chapter Text
11 months…
6 days….
4 hours…
This was the exact time Anya had been a Forger.
The thought of living with a spy and an assassin had always fascinated Anya since the moment she saw her ‘parents’. She thought it was exciting to help a spy with his mission, until it wasn’t.
It never occurred to her that she was only adopted by Twilight, the famous spy of WISE, for Operation Strix. Her 5-year-old self didn’t know that once the mission was over, everything would go back to how it was before. She helped her ‘dad’ to complete his mission and arrest Donovan Desmond for World Peace.
But what about her?
She was sent back. Back to the orphanage. Anya couldn’t process anything. Everything happened so quickly she didn’t got to do anything.
*******
[3rd Person POV]
Soon after Peace was declared and Donovan Desmond was arrested, both Yor and Loid were called. WISE and Garden both called their best to have a meeting… together. It was about what they would do now. Shopkeeper, Matthew McMahon & Yor Briar were sitting on one side while Sylvia, Nightfall & Twilight sat opposite them.
It was quite a shock for the West spies to see Yor, the cheerful and clumsy woman, with such a poker face. Well, they couldn’t see her face as it was hidden by a long black veil, but only a little part of it to make out that it was a straight expression masking sadness.
They discussed what to do with the Forgers now.
“Well, it’s obvious, they are divorcing. Twilight, please sign those papers. Thorn Princess has already signed the papers.” Said the Shopkeeper.
Everyone waits for him to sign it. After he signs it, Sylvia says, “Well, now the Forgers are no more. With this, Loid Forger is just an identity you held, Twilight. And Ms. Briar, you can go back to your previous life. Do you agree?”
“I agree with this decision,” Yor said, almost in a tone unrecognizable.
Twilight nodded stiffly, sliding the signed papers across the table. It felt oddly final. Like something more than just an identity was being erased. A silence hung over the room—sharp and cold.
Yor didn’t look up. Her hands were folded on her lap, clenched tighter than necessary. She had always known this day would come. The day the family would stop existing. But knowing didn’t make it any easier.
“I think we should take our leave now, right, Ms. Sherwood?” The Shopkeeper said, folding the papers.
“Right, we should... after you,” Sylvia said, gesturing to him. The Shopkeeper gave a small nod and rose from his place. After him, Matthew McMahon and Yor Briar followed.
Twilight saw her from the corner of his eyes. Anyone normal would just say Yor looks normal, but Twilight saw through her. He was a spy after all, a spy who could point out even the smallest of changes. He immediately saw she looked… sad.
Almost as if she wanted the forgers. But why wouldn’t she? She just wanted a cover for her assassin job. Yes, that is exactly it. She married him for convenience. She did not have any connection, just like Twilight.
*******
[3rd Person POV]
This is what Twilight thought again and again, all the time since they got married, in order to lie to himself. He obviously wanted the family; it brought something to his days he longed for, but he was a spy after all. His hopes for love, marriage, and a happy life were all destroyed the day he became a spy.
Both Twilight and Yor pretended not to care, but how could they not? That girl they were about to leave in an orphanage was once someone they would’ve given up their lives for. They both knew exactly what the girl wanted and how easily they could get her to shut up by bargaining her with peanuts.
And her everlasting love for Bondman. Oh! How could Twilight ever forget the night he rented out a castle and got all the agents in WISE to pretend play ‘Saving Princess Anya from the villains’. How his fake wife almost could’ve beaten him up if she weren’t drunk. How he wore that very embarrassing mask and gloves similar to Bondman just so his Princess Anya could be happy. How his Princess Anya told him she wanted to be with him forever. Oh….
Oh! How could Yor ever forget how her little Anya liked her hot cocoa. How she once ran to her Anya’s school to deliver her P.E. uniform, only to be told they weren’t going to need that. How her Anya hugged her and told her how much she loved her mama, who cleaned the hot cocoa she spilled on the table. How her Anya was grateful to have Yor as her mother. How her Anya gave a perfect 100 score to both of them in the interview and wished she could be with both her mama and papa forever. Oh..
*******
[Anya’s POV]
Anya was sitting in the apartment with Mr. Chimera. A spy from papa’s company was told to babysit Anya as the Boss lady told her to. The moving company moved the packed stuff out of the apartment. Anya could hear the thoughts from the spy; she was thinking about how sad it was that Anya got stuck in this mission.
Yesterday, Boss lady had asked Anya if Anya wanted to keep the stuff she had, but Anya told the Boss lady a big grown-up no. Anya had told the boss lady that Anya only wanted to take back Mr. Chimera. But now Anya is thinking it was a bad decision not to take Agent Penguin with her, too. Boss lady had told Anya that all her stuff would be given to a charity for kids like Anya.
Bond was going to be given to a big animal shelter. Bond was really sad too. They took away Bond in the morning. Anya had not seen Papa and Mama since yesterday. They did not want to see Anya. Anya saw it in Boss Lady’s Mind; both Papa and Mama said no to meeting Anya.
Suddenly, there was a ring on the phone, and the spy lady ran to the phone and answered it. It was Boss Lady. She told Spy Lady to bring Anya out. It was time for Anya to go back into the orphanage.
Anya and the spy lady went out to see a black van. The spy lady opened the door of the van and told Anya to enter it. After a long time, the van stopped, and Anya was sent into a new orphanage named ‘Mary Children’s Home’.
Anya saw a lady who looked like someone Anya had seen before. She took Anya inside and showed Anya around. Then she took Anya to Anya’s new room, which Anya had to share with many children. There were a lot of beds there.
*******
[3rd Person POV]
The woman held Anya and made her sit on the bed. She looked straight into Anya’s eyes and said, “007- You’re experiment 007, right? Oh yes, you are 007, I would recognize those ornaments anywhere.”
Anya froze.
Her tiny fingers gripped Mr. Chimera tightly as her eyes widened in horror. No one was supposed to know. No one ever called her that name anymore. Not even in the deepest parts of her memory did she want to go back to being that.
The woman’s eyes were cold now. The warm, fake smile she had when she welcomed Anya in was gone.
“You really thought you could disappear into a fake family, didn't you?” she whispered, brushing a strand of Anya’s hair behind her ear.
Anya’s heartbeat thundered in her chest. Her telepathy buzzed against her skull like static. The thoughts around her—so many thoughts. Echoes of children wondering why the new girl looked so scared, others full of boredom, hunger, and sleepiness.
“P-please d-don’t take Anya back. P-please” Anya sobbed while pleading with her.
“Who told you I was going to take you back there? I was kicked out two years ago. I just want something very simple from you.” The woman said coldly, annoyed by her.
“W-what?”
“Your powers”
“Huh?-”
“Shhh… Just sit quietly for me, got it.”
The woman removed Anya’s horns and undid the buns. She began to massage the spots on her head where her horns used to be until she found the spot. The spot that was the source of Anya’s powers. The spot that had the button to the wires in Anya. Anya whimpered in pain but was harshly told to stop making noise.
The woman’s fingers pressed against the tender skin with methodical cruelty. Anya could feel the faint sting of something metallic brushing her scalp. Her breaths came in short, uneven gasps, her little body trembling with the urge to scream. But she stayed quiet. Papa always said a real spy must know when to stay silent.
“Found it,” the woman murmured. There was a tiny click, almost imperceptible. And then—a sudden sharp pulse jolted through Anya’s mind. Her thoughts scattered like marbles across a floor.
The voices. The emotions. The sounds.
Gone.
Everything was silent.
Anya’s eyes widened in horror. She couldn’t hear the thoughts anymore. Not the ones from the other children. Not from the woman. Not even from Mr. Chimera, whom she always liked to pretend had thoughts, too.
She reached out weakly, her tiny fingers grasping at the air.
“N-no… please… bring them back…” she sobbed, her voice cracking.
The woman stood and walked away, ignoring her. “You’re just a leftover project now. But if I can sell what’s left in that little brain of yours, I won’t have wasted my time.”
Anya curled up on the bed, holding Mr. Chimera to her chest, her sobs shaking her small frame. The room full of bunk beds felt suddenly like a prison. Even her unique pink hair was gone. The color had changed; it was blonde now, just like her papa.
*******
[Loid’s POV]
Twilight stood at the edge of the city, watching the sun set beyond the skyline. His hands were buried deep in his coat pockets. He had been reassigned quickly, of course. WISE had no time to let a top agent sit idle. But for the first time in years, he had asked for a delay. Just a few days.
He told them he was tired. That he needed rest.
He lied.
He had tried to burn the memories of the Forger household from his mind. The staged breakfasts, the clumsy dinners, the childish drawings stuck to the fridge. But instead of fading, they replayed. Every night. Every damn night.
***
He hadn't gone to see Anya because he knew she would ask him to stay. And he didn’t know if he would be strong enough to say no.
But now… something felt wrong. Sylvia had called earlier. She had sounded normal. Too normal.
“Anya has been taken to a new orphanage. Standard procedure,” she had said. But Twilight heard the missing pieces in her voice. She hadn’t said goodbye to Anya either. No one had.
He looked up at the sky.
Forgers are no more.
Then why did it feel like something unfinished was clawing at his chest?
*******
[Yor’s POV]
Yor walked through the marketplace with a paper bag in her hands, filled with groceries she no longer needed. Her fingers were trembling, and she told herself it was just the cold. But it wasn’t cold.
The bag slipped from her arms, scattering tomatoes and eggs across the pavement. She didn’t even try to stop it.
People walked past, barely sparing a glance.
She crouched down slowly, tears pooling in her eyes, but not yet falling.
Anya’s voice echoed in her head. "Mama, can we have cocoa when I get home?"
***
She had told the Garden she was ready to return. She had told the Shopkeeper she didn’t need the family anymore. That it was just a cover.
But of course, the Shopkeeper knew better. He knew her better. He knew she was lying about her feelings because otherwise, why would she be crying in his arms? But how could he even consider saying no to her? That would be a crime for him, saying no to Thorn Princess, especially now.
She whispered to herself, “I didn’t even say goodbye.”
*******
[3rd Person POV]
Back at the orphanage, Anya sat in the dark, her head resting against Mr. Chimera. Her thoughts were still silent. But her heart was loud.
She didn’t want to be 007. She didn’t want to be an experiment.
She wanted to be Anya Forger.
Her mama’s daughter.
Her papa’s princess.
Bond’s friend.
She wanted her pink hair to come back. The hair that her mama liked to style. The hair that her papa liked to absent-mindedly play with. She also wanted her green, emerald eyes back. The ones that her mama said made her look like a princess.
Chapter 2: Prologue (2)
Chapter Text
[Aqua’s POV]
1 year...
10 months...
23 days...
5 hours...
This was the exact time for which I had been without Ruby. I miss her so much. The last thing Ai asked me to do was protect Ruby and be by her side forever. But right now I don’t even know where Ruby is.
When Ai died, some FBI agents took me and Ruby away from Miyako as she wasn’t our birth mother. They had put us up for adoption, but then took Ruby away, saying she was getting adopted by someone, which was a lie. When Miyako came back for us after a month of trying, they told her Ruby was already adopted, but refused to tell her who adopted Ruby.
If Ruby was adopted, then they would’ve just said the names. It has been almost two years without her, and I’ve never felt worse. Ruby was the only person who knew I was reincarnated like her. All this time, I have been trying to find out who our father is and where Ruby is.
***
This morning, I was doing my usual research in order to find some answers. Miyako gave me my tablet while I was eating and started doing her work, thinking I was just playing. I was about to close the tablet, then I got a notification. It was about Ruby.
After almost two years, I got to know my answer. I found out about Ruby’s location. She was in an orphanage named ‘Mary Children’s Home’ in the east extension. I was about to tell Miyako, but stopped.
What should I tell her? She would get suspicious after knowing I found out about Ruby’s location by myself. I couldn’t just go up to her and tell her, ‘Oh, I know where my sister is, the one whom I haven’t seen in about 2 years, ’ she would ask me how I’d know all this.
But this wasn’t the time to be afraid and not tell her. I had to save my Ruby, just like Ai told me to do. So I marched up to her and looked straight in her eyes. “I know where Ruby is,” I told her like I was some brave soldier. She just looked at me, confused. “H-huh? Aqua, what are you talking about?”
“I said I know where Ruby is right now.”
“W-WHAT?! WHERE…WHERE IS SHE?!”
Thankfully, she did not ask me how I knew where she was, just asked me her location. I just hope she never asks me how I knew anything about this ever.
“She is in an orphanage in the east extension named ‘Mary Children’s Home’.”
“Oh my god… W-we need to get there immediately! Aqua, quickly get dressed, we have to get her back!”
*******
[3rd Person POV]
Miyako had never driven so fast in her life. Her hands trembled slightly on the wheel as she navigated through the East Extension, heart pounding against her ribs like a drum.
Aqua sat silently beside her, his fingers gripping his tablet tightly. He was trying to seem calm, but his mind was racing. What if she had already been moved? What if someone had gotten to her first? What if she didn’t even remember him?
“Please, let her be okay,” he whispered, almost like a prayer.
As they pulled up to the worn, rusted gates of Mary Children’s Home, a chill swept through the air. The building was grey and unwelcoming.
Miyako and Aqua stepped out of the car. The woman at the front desk barely looked up until Miyako slammed her hand on the counter.
“We’re here for a girl named Ruby. She’s six, pink eyes, blonde hair.”
“You want to adopt her?” The woman asked, annoyed.
“Yes! Yes, please.”
The woman looked up, tapping at a folder lazily. “You’ll need to fill out forms. She’s in Room 12B with the other younger girls.”
Miyako didn’t wait for more instructions. She grabbed Aqua’s hand and stormed down the hall, her shoes echoing against the linoleum floors. Each step felt like an eternity. Aqua’s grip tightened around her fingers.
At the end of the dim corridor, they found the room. The door is slightly open. No laughter. No sounds of playing children.
Miyako pushed it open.
There, on the lower bunk near the far wall, sat a small girl, knees tucked to her chest, clutching a worn-out stuffed animal.
Blonde hair. Pink eyes. Pale face.
Aqua’s breath caught in his throat. “Ruby…”
Her head snapped up.
For a moment, she just stared. The kind of stare that dug through space and time, disbelief wrestling with recognition. Her lower lip trembled.
“A-Aqua…?” she whispered.
He ran to her, and in an instant, her arms were around his neck, her tears hot against his skin.
“You’re really here,” she sobbed. “I thought-I thought I’d never see you again!”
Aqua couldn’t speak. He held her tightly, letting his own tears fall for the first time in what felt like years. “I promised Ai I’d protect you. I’m so sorry I was late.”
Miyako joined them, wrapping both children in her arms. “You’re safe now, Ruby. We’re taking you home.”
“I want to go back, to our home,” Ruby said while crying hard.
Miyako just held her close. “Shhh… I’m here now. I’ll take you home, Ruby, our home.”
***
Both Miyako and Aqua held Ruby’s hands and went up to the front desk. “Please give us the paperwork for the adoption now.” Miyako requested the woman. “That one, you want to adopt her?” The woman asked, pointing at Ruby, who was standing a little far with Aqua holding her hand like something would eat her up.
“Yes, she is my um- sister’s daughter. She was separated from us two years ago after her real mother died.” Miyako told the woman.
“Oh.. I see. We do have her records of the past two years. She was involved in some spy’s mission. He adopted her for his mission and now um... gave her up. And before that, she was adopted four times and returned. And before those adoptions, we don’t have any records of her.” The woman said lazily.
“H-huh? S-spy?”
“Yeah. A spy from Westalis adopted her for his mission to bring down some politician.”
“What?”
*******
[Aqua’s POV]
A spy from Westalis.
Ruby… no - Anya. That’s the name they gave her.
“She was adopted by a spy for a mission,” the woman had said, like it was nothing. But for Ruby, that wasn’t ‘nothing’. That was her previous life.
My heart twisted with pain and anger.
She looked so small, standing there beside me, clutching her old stuffed animal. I hadn’t noticed it before, but her pink eyes, once filled with excitement of being reborn as the child of her favorite idol, now looked… sparkless.
Like she'd seen too much.
I bent down beside her. “Ruby… is Anya your name now?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her grip tightened on the toy. Then, quietly, she said. “Anya was the name they gave me.”
“So… you remember everything? Even Ai? Me?”
He whispered in her ear. “Even your past life?”
She nodded. “Of course. I could never forget you.”
I almost broke down again. I had thought—what if she was brainwashed, or what if they’d changed her memories? But no. My Ruby was still here. Somewhere behind all that pain and sadness… Ruby was still here.
*******
[3rd Person POV]
Back at Miyako’s house, the air was warmer.
Ruby sat at the dining table, legs swinging gently off the chair, while Miyako prepared something quick to eat.
Neither Aqua nor Ruby had said much on the drive home. Aqua kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror. She sat quietly, but it was the kind of silence that screamed.
Miyako placed a bowl of miso soup and rice in front of her. “It’s simple, but it’s warm. You haven’t eaten properly in a while, have you?”
“N-no…”
“When was the last time you ate properly, Ruby? Gosh, you look so thin. You’re old family, that spy, he did give you proper food, didn’t he?” Miyako asked Ruby, holding her arms, worried about her health.
“Papa made me yummy food every day, but Mama didn’t know how to cook properly. At the orphanage, they gave us yucky food in a small bowl.”
“Oh, poor you. You still are thin, aren’t you, honey?” Miyako fussed.
“Really? Sy-on boy called my legs stubby.” Anya replied.
Miyako blinked, caught off guard. “S-Sy-on boy?” she repeated, confusion lacing her voice.
Ruby fidgeted with Mr. Chimera in her lap. Her pink eyes dropped to the floor. “He was… my friend. Kinda. But not really. He called me stubby a lot.”
Aqua tilted his head, studying her. “Sounds like some brat,” he muttered, though part of him felt a strange, nagging curiosity. She’s speaking about her time with that family again… she still thinks about them, even after all this.
Miyako sat beside Ruby, brushing her hair softly. “Well, stubby or not, you’re perfect as you are. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise, okay?”
Ruby’s lips trembled. Her throat ached like something heavy was pressing against it. She wanted to smile. She wanted to say “thank you.” But the words stuck. Because she could still hear in her memory—“Forgers are no more.”
*******
[Ruby’s POV]
I sat there eating Miyako’s food, and it was warm and yummy, but… different. Not the same as when Papa made stew with carrots cut into stars. Not the same as Mama’s cocoa—even if she always burned her tongue making it.
I held my spoon tight. My hands were shaking.
“Ruby?” Aqua whispered.
I looked up. His eyes were sharp, like always, but I knew him. I knew the way he tried to act like a grown-up. He always said serious things. He always tried to protect me, even before… even before Ai left us.
But I wasn’t Ruby anymore.
I wasn’t even Anya anymore.
I was nothing.
My chest hurt so much. The voices were gone. The world was so quiet now. Too quiet.
“Do you… still want to be Ruby?” Aqua asked suddenly, his voice soft but serious.
The spoon clattered back into the bowl. My eyes burned with tears. “I… I don’t know.”
*******
[Loid’s POV]
Twilight was restless. For the first time in his career, he couldn’t complete his debrief report. The pen hovered over the paper, unmoving. His thoughts kept dragging him back—back to that little girl’s face.
I didn’t even say goodbye.
He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes shut. “She was just part of the mission. Nothing more. Nothing less.” His voice sounded hollow even to himself.
But a small part of him wondered—was she safe? Did she cry when they took her away? Did she still wait for him to come back?
And why—why couldn’t he stop seeing her emerald eyes every time he closed his own?
*******
[Yor’s POV]
Yor sat on her bed, hands still stained faintly with tomato juice from when she dropped her groceries. The room felt suffocating. Empty.
Her mind replayed the sound of Anya’s laughter, the way she would cling to her skirts, the tiny arms wrapping around her waist.
Her tears wouldn’t stop this time. She pressed her face into her hands. “Anya… I’m sorry. I should’ve fought harder. I should’ve kept you safe. I should’ve—”
Her words broke into sobs. Thorn Princess had killed dozens without hesitation. But Yor Briar—Anya’s mama—was powerless to fight the silence in her arms.
*******
[3rd Person POV]
Back at Miyako’s house, Ruby lay curled under a blanket on the couch. Her blonde hair shimmered faintly in the lamplight, but Aqua couldn’t stop staring.
“Ruby…” he said again, quietly this time, almost like a vow. “I’ll never let them take you away again. Not WISE. Not that orphanage. Not anyone. You’re my sister. Always.”
Ruby’s grip on Mr. Chimera tightened. Slowly, her lips curved into the faintest, trembling smile.
But deep inside, she still wondered-
Would her pink hair ever return?
Would she ever be Anya Forger again?
And somewhere, not too far, both Loid and Yor stared at the night sky; hearts aching for the same child they had let go.
Gabycc on Chapter 1 Thu 29 May 2025 12:52PM UTC
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