AN: Happy Tuesday Everyone! I've been reading reviews and have decided to go in a slightly but all that different new direction with this story 😊 I really hope that you guys read along and enjoy.
Chapter Seven – Fan Girl
To say that Kyoko Hizuri was annoyed was an understatement.
She knew that her husband had problems and she had married him willingly with that knowledge. She knew that he sometimes let the strangest things upset him and that he always had some hidden meaning behind his words. She was sick of the game though, she really did not want to play anymore and maybe it was just best to yell at him.
Kyoko shot Kuon a glare which made him take a step back. She knew that she had only glared at him a couple of times since he had started being completely Kuon. Ren had gotten used to it though. Maybe she was seeing more Ren in him right now.
"Before you say anything," Kyoko muttered as she looked away, "I need to talk."
"Kyo-" Kuon said before Kyoko gave a firm look up at him.
"I don't know everything in the world, Kuon. I don't know how to do calculus equations in my head. I don't know all the properties of the scientific table. I do however know you and I need you to listen to me." She said before taking a deep breath in as an attempt to calm down. "You're MAZE."
Kuon paused as he looked at her and was about to open his mouth before catching her stern look.
"I didn't know it at first. I didn't think you could sing, actually I remember that years ago when I was with Shoutaro, that I would go around telling people that you weren't a singer and that your brain was too small to remember any lyrics. As time went by, I started to see who you were and because you were confident doing your own stunts and were able to learn the piano, I started thinking that the reason that I hadn't heard you sing was because you were terrible at it," she sighed and looked down, trying to catch the tears away as he stood there guiltily.
"I didn't know when the music had come out, but it was when I was in my flat here that I managed to search up online for 'MAZE' but I spelled it wrong. I put an I in it and then I realized that it was another word for Corn. I just…"
Kuon looked at her weakly, "Kyoko, I'm really sorry, I…" he wanted to wrap his arms around his wife and help her feel better but being the cause of her tears made this much harder for him. "Why…"
"Kuon, I might not know the exact thoughts that go through your head, but I have learned what your characters, especially Ren, mean to you. They are part of your escape, a way not to show your entire being and I understand that. When I get into a character sometimes I feel safer than when I remain as Kyoko. I wanted to pretend and go along with MAZE until you told me what had happened. That's why I've been trying to be a fangirl, I wanted you to feel guilty about lying to me. I don't care who else you may need to lie to, Kuon, but not to me." Kyoko tried to stop her tears but felt relieved when she was swept up in Kuon's arms. She gripped to him and allowed him to help her through her tears.
"Kyoko, I am really sorry, I've been a complete asshole to you," he apologized as he held her close. "Is there anything that I can do to apologize for this or anything that…"
"I want to be MAZE's fangirl," Kyoko said as Kuon blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe part of his crew," she tried to explain as Kuon gave a faint smile. He nodded slowly whilst not truly knowing what she was talking about.
"So you want to just come along with me when I record?" he asked as Kyoko laughed and shook her head, her head bowed which made it so Kuon couldn't see her soft grin, a very cute one at that.
"I want to play a role too. We had so much fun when we were acting out the Heel siblings, I think that this will be a lot of fun as well," Kyoko said as she saw Kuon's weak smile. "I'll create a character to go along with MAZE and then we can work on this together. Whatever you're going through, I just want to help," Kyoko admitted as Kuon paused. He was unsure whether or not to tell her the root of MAZE but with her as upset as she was, he didn't want to lie to her again.
"Kyoko, I really hate to tell you this," he said sincerely, "but I wanted to be MAZE and to sing because I was feeling bored. I wasn't feeling the passion in my life that I really do want to. You didn't do anything wrong and I don't think that…" Kyoko looked at him and nodded as if she was understanding something that he didn't realize he was saying.
"Thank you for all the time you've given me so far," she said as Kuon blinked in confusion. "You weren't feeling motivated because you've wanted to work and live in the US for such a long time and you haven't done that because you were waiting for me to be ready. I'm really grateful," she smiled as Kuon had that look of even more guilt on his face. "So, I would like to be MAZE's head cheerleader and maybe you could even teach me how to sing."
Kuon nodded, "Sure, I can try that, but are you sure that you want to be my fangirl, can't we just say that you're my girlfriend."
Kyoko laughed, "Can I act as overprotective and overly loving of MAZE as Setsu was of Cain. I couldn't possibly let another woman close to MAZE because of how much I love him," she said as Kuon nodded.
"If that's what you feel is best then we can work on a disguise together," he offered and Kyoko smiled.
They didn't need to take a break that could lead to a divorce and she could see him perform, hear him speak in his Californian accent. It was too exciting. Maybe though she should focus on what her role was for this project and perfect the girlfriend character for when she returned to Japan.
Whilst doing so, she would see the easiest way of getting her and Kuon on the track to living in The United States. She had married him knowing that he had always had plans of returning there and she could be happy anywhere as long as she had access to his warm embrace.
"So," Kyoko tried to smile despite the number of tears she had let flow, "Do I get to show my husband around London now without any tricks."
"No more tricks," Kuon said as he kissed her passionately and she smiled back at him.
Her husband was an idiot, but he was an idiot that she could handle.
….
….
Kyoko stretched out her arms as she stood on a bridge looking out at the Thames. She had wanted to show Kuon the place where you could see the best sunset in London. She knew how big a fan of nature her husband was and she wanted to share with him every experience possible. She grinned as she saw him looking out at the world around them and then paused as she caught the sadness in his eyes that he probably wouldn't show her naturally.
She hummed, trying to decide whether to comment on it or not.
"You know," she said with a grin, "I think people would buy Hizuri Kuon CDs by the dozen," she said honestly as she walked over to him and let herself hold onto his arm. Was there something behind MAZE other than boredom?
She had had thoughts about Kuon perhaps suffering from a depression since she had seen him as Bo in that hallway. Listening to the way that he said certain things and the way that his past haunted him allowed her to make sense of Ren. Then when she had learned who he really was, she seemed to understand the need to be Ren. Maybe there was a similar need to be MAZE.
"What is it?" she said softly, looking up at him concerned. "Should I have continued to pretend not to have known anything?" she asked and Kuon laughed and shook his head.
"No, it's fine. They're just thoughts," he told her before he started to speak in English, "I mean, I really don't want to talk about those kind of things. It's…" he saw Kyoko's annoyed expression as she tapped her foot and he guiltily turned to her. She was annoyed at him now. Had he really done something that would have pissed her off?
"You do know I am speaking English in my acting role. You should tell me what is wrong, Corn, because now everyone around can hear." Kyoko looked up at him sadly. She had always seen him smile at a sunset and now he was looking at it as if it were some plant that was dying and would never be able to be revived with just water.
Kyoko saw the fake smile and sighed. As much as she loved him, sometimes the only way she could think of working with Kuon would be to smack his head against something hard and tell him that she needed him to tell her the truth.
"Do you like Kuon?" he asked her as Kyoko felt herself knocked back a little at that question. Was that the need for MAZE? She knew it had taken years for Ren to accept that he was Kuon and not really Ren, though he did readily admit that many things were the same in both of them.
Before she could answer properly, they were mobbed by a couple of Japanese tourists and she took Kuon's hand in her own as she saw him use his gentleman's smile towards them.
"Oh my gosh! You're Kuon and Kyoko aren't you?" one of the girls said as Kyoko looked up at her husband but decided to speak first.
"Yes, we were just enjoying some time looking at the sunset," she said as both girls dropped down into low bows. "Is there…"
"Can we get your autograph or a photo of the four of us?" the second girl asked as Kyoko turned back to see if her husband was okay with doing that. He had just asked her a very serious and very complicated question and they were bombarded before she could give him the answer that she loved him unconditionally.
"Sure," Kyoko smiled as she held to Kuon's hand giving it a light squeeze. She hadn't meant to make him upset just by telling him that she was angry at him. She really wanted to be MAZE's groupie and she hoped that Kuon would be alright with that. It was always more fun to do things as a couple or at least she had felt so.
Once the photographs were taken and the excited girls walked away, Kyoko looked back at the man she loved. She reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"More than anything," she said as she smiled seeing that he was slightly happier having heard that. Kyoko felt her heart ache. "Come on, I have more places to show you," she said as he looked at her and tried to smile too, the guilt in his heart of having deceived her when he could have just told her from the beginning. He had lied to his wife and he didn't think he should be forgiven that easily.
….
AN 2:
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic in the past and a special thank you to: Crazy4Animation, DreamIdol, and ladygraywolf for reviewing the last chapter 😊
