Disclaimer: I don't own jackshit. Things I don't own include Skip Beat!, Christian Dior, Mercedes, Porsche, and absolutely anything or anyplace in Los Angeles.

BEFORE YOU READ, for the beginning of this story to make sense, pretend that the Cain/Setsu thing never happened, and just accept everything I say as god's truth.

Oh, and this story was a challenge from zeichnerinaga. Thanks for that, by the way. I'll explain the challenge at the end of the next chapter, otherwise it would give everything away. If this story sucks, I apologize. I tried.

It's all emotion. But there's nothing wrong with emotion. When we are in love, we are not rational; we are emotional. When we are on vacation, we are not rational; we are emotional. Frank Luntz

Neon Metropolis chapter 1

She realized that she trusted him more than anyone else when she was nineteen and she was the first one he told about his real identity and told her about their past together.

She realized that she loved him when she was twenty, and he spent six months in California filming several movies and spending time with his much neglected family. She was happy for him, but her heart still ached to be near him again.

Of course, she never told him that. She instead threw herself into her work to avoid dwelling on him, to the point where she was Japan's most celebrated actress when he returned.

Kyoko was still afraid of love, after all. She wasn't so presumptuous as to think that Kuon would love her back. He was perfect; although she knew now of his past and all of his mistakes, she still thought he was perfect.

So she just accepted that she was the victim of yet another unrequited love. She wanted to continue to be his friend, though, someone he could talk to and trust and take care of sometimes when she asked for help. When he arrived in Narita International Airport, she was one of the few people, with Lory, Maria, and Yashiro, to greet him. The press had been lied to, so he was able to have a relatively peaceful homecoming.

She entered the President's office two months later, soon after her twenty-first birthday to tell him that she wanted a vacation- she hadn't taken one, had hardly had a day off, since she had joined LME. But now that she had fair success, she modestly thought, she could afford to visit her "father" as he had been telling her to do for several years.

She spoke to Kuu on the phone at least twice a month. She would talk about her work and he would give her advice; she would talk about friends and he would ask why she wasn't dating anyone; she would say that there wasn't anyone that she was interested in, and he would ask why she wasn't interested in his son. Their conversations usually reached the point when Kuu tried to hook her up with his son at least once a call, and she just gradually got used to it and didn't even blush about it anymore.

The president of LME looked at his hard-working actress, and conceded that she deserved a vacation after all the work she had put in over the last few years. When she told him where she was going, he asked if she wanted some company. She asked who he had in mind, and he told her. She smiled and agreed.

A quick call to Kuon's cell phone later and tickets were secured by Lory's mysterious assistant for them both.

It was was set: Mogami Kyoko and Hizuri Kuon were to visit Kuu and Julie Hizuri in June.

Kyoko stretched her arms and legs as she walked off the plane and groaned. She hated flying, no matter how much of it she did. In the past couple of years she had done a lot of location shoots, her favorite being in Paris, but flying made her nauseous.

As uncomfortable as she had been throughout the whole flight, she had been very comforted by the presence of her attractive traveling mate in the first class seat next to hers. He had talked to her until she fell asleep, and then had remained very still as she slept on his shoulder. She had been embarrassed when she woke up, and apologized profusely, asking if her head had hurt his shoulder, or if she had been too heavy. He had to reassure her three times before she would actually believe that he didn't mind.

Walking out of one of the gates of Los Angeles International Airport, Kyoko's head started swiveling around immediately. When she found what she was looking for, her face broke into a huge grin.

"FATHER!"

In a scene not uncommon in American airports, Kyoko ran through a crowd and into the arms of her self-declared father, followed slowly by Kuon.

Kuu laughed out loud. "It's good to see you. I can't believe it's taken you so long to visit. What is it with my sons and never coming home?"

"Sorry, father. I'm here now though! Where did Kuon go?" Kuon had made sure that after knowing each other for so long they were on first name basis.

Finding him finally weaving through the last of the crowd, Kuu held onto Kyoko while he went to give his real son a half hug. "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon."

Starting to walk towards the exit Kuon smiled, "Yeah I didn't think I'd be back so soon either, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"The opportunity for what?" Kuu teased, "To spend more time with Kyoko?"

Kuon, who had no idea that Kuu had been talking to Kyoko on this subject since Kuon's identity was revealed, actually blushed, which Kyoko, who had rolled her eyes at the comment, thought was adorable.

He stuttered, "Dad, that's- that's-"

Kuu cut him off, knowing he wouldn't have anything intelligible to say. "Yeah, I'm sure." He laughed, "I guarantee I'll have the two of you together by the end of your vacation."

Kyoko laughed, which stunned Kuon. He thought that such a modest girl would be horrified by his father's implications, but she just brushed it off.

They got to Kuu's car, a silver Mercedes E350, and Kyoko sat in the back while the men went in front. While Kuu chattered on about how excited Julie was to see them, Kuon mulled over Kyoko's reaction. Based on experience, he thought that she would vehemently oppose the notion of love, especially with him. He spent the whole car ride going back and forth from thinking it was good that she didn't so strenuously deny the idea of a relationship with him, to thinking that it was bad that she laughed at the idea like it was ridiculous.

When they arrived at the Hizuri's home in Malibu, they were greeted by an enthusiastically cheerful Julie. Kyoko had met her several times since Ren became Kuon, because she visited Japan to see him every few months. The two women had become very attached to each other. Kyoko thought it would have been incredible to have such a loving mother, and Julie wished she'd had a daughter as darling as Kyoko. In fact, she knew exactly how she would get Kyoko for a real daughter.

Two determined scheming parents against two kids with no experience with real love, and who were already in love with each other. Kuon and Kyoko didn't stand a chance.

The first several days in LA Kyoko wanted to spend time at home with her "parents." No one opposed the idea, they all wanted to spend time together, and being out in public could get crazy for the Hizuris, considering their fame.

Julie was the only one who demanded time out of the house, in the form of a shopping trip along Rodeo Drive that she had planned, but even that wasn't for a few days.

Kuon was just fine where he was, considering he got to see Kyoko in a bikini for the better part of the day. But his father was a thorn in his side. He really seemed determined to tease, and poke and prod him into a relationship with Kyoko. He wasn't even subtle.

When they woke up the day after their arrival, muggy with jetlag, Kyoko and Kuon met the other two downstairs for breakfast. Kuu had already started breakfasting on a huge mountain of food. Kyoko stole a bagel off the top of his pile, earning her a playful glare, while Kuon merely grabbed a mug and poured in some coffee. When all four were seated at the table, Kuu swallowed his mouthful of food and asked, "So, son, when are you going to confess your undying love for Kyoko?"

"PFFFT!"

Kuon had been taking a drink of coffee, and narrowly missed spitting it all over his mother. He looked at his father in shock, while Kyoko leveled a glare and said, "Father, don't say things to deliberately make people uncomfortable."

Kuu just shrugged and laughed, and then continued eating. Kuu spent three days entertaining himself like that.

When the girls went on their anticipated shopping trip, they left Kuon to be tortured endlessly by his father. His father knew how he felt, knew how much Kuon wanted to do exactly as he told him. So why did he insist on torturing him?

In response to one particularly mortifying comment that day, Kuon snapped, "Do you hate me or something?"

Kuu looked shocked by the question. "Of course I don't! I love my precious son!"

"Then why do you insist on mocking me?"

Kuu looked at his son sympathetically. "That's not what I intended. I'm just encouraging you to tell the girl of your dreams your feelings. You know your mother and I would love Kyoko for a real daughter-"

"UGH! Enough!"

Late that night Kyoko and Julie returned laden with bags and packages with expensive designer names on them. Ren walked over to relieve Kyoko of some of her bags, as she looked exhausted. He looked down at her apologetically.

"Someone should have warned you about how difficult it is to keep up with my mother in a clothing store."

Kyoko smiled. "No, I had fun. But mother insisted on paying for everything. She wouldn't even let me thank her."

Julie looked at Kyoko with reproach, and repeated what she had been telling her all morning, "It is my right as a mother to spoil you. Besides, a girl who is going to model for Christian Dior should always be well dressed."

Right before she left Kyoko had been approached with a modeling contract. She had been floored; she couldn't believe that someone as plain as her could become a model for such famous fashion. They said that they wanted to use her in commercials for perfumes and accessories mostly, but they would also love for her to be a runway model, and told her to keep Paris Fashion Week in early July open. If they liked her they may request to use her in the fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris in the fall.

Kuon took the last couple of bags from her, and carried them up to her room. She apologized for being a bother the whole way up, but still allowed him to do it for her.

Once he had set down the bags, he asked, "Kyoko would you like to go see Los Angeles tomorrow? We've done the relaxing and now you've done enough shopping, I think. I'll show you all the tourist traps."

She looked worried. "Oh you don't have to do that and put yourself to so much trouble! You grew up here, why would you want to see all the tourist things? Please, I don't want to be a bother."

"Kyoko, I offered, so of course it's not a bother. It's because I grew up here that I never actually saw that stuff, and I'd like to go with you. Unless you just don't want to go with me?"

"No, no, no, that's not it; I'd love to go with you, Kuon. I just don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

"Well then I won't. We'll leave around 10, okay?" Kyoko smiled and nodded.

When the four met for breakfast the next morning, Kuu and Julie were delighted with the kids' plans, since they both had to work that day. They also mentioned that they would be away that weekend, but they assured their guests that those were the only days they had to work during their stay, and that they would set up something for them to do while they were gone.

Kuon definitely did as promised. They took several days, and saw as much as they could that LA had to offer. Kuon took her to the film studios, teasing her that she would be working there soon enough so she should get to know them. He brought her to Disneyland, where she freaked out the women in the princess costumes with her enthusiasm. He took her to the boardwalk one night. She always chose the places they would eat, even though she didn't know the area. She talked to the locals and read some brochures, and she always managed to find great restaurants.

When friday night came around, Kuu finally told the younger pair what they would be doing over the weekend while they were away for filming.

"Now that you've seen LA, I think it's important to also see some other of America's famous cities. Julie wanted to send you to New York, but Kyoko will be there later in the year for Fashion week anyway."

Kyoko cut him off, "That's not decided yet, father, they might fire me in Paris if they don't like me on the runway."

Julie interceded, "That is simply ridiculous. I'll give you some tips that will instantly make you one of the most wanted models out there; they will have no choice but to cry and beg and pay you more to do it, since you are an actress first and can't model all the time."

"Thank you, my dear, but I would like to tell them where they're going now," Kuu whined.

"Yes, I'd like to know as well," Kuon agreed.

"Good. Well, as I was saying, you should see some of America's most famous cities. So, tomorrow you two will be making a very quick flight to-"

Kuu paused for dramatic effect while Kuon thought, Oh God please say he's not sending us to-

"Las Vegas!"

Fuck.

So, um, was it terrible? I don't know... I hope not. Cheers.