Author Note: This is definitely a shorter chapter but I hope you enjoy it. There's not much in here but I hope it gets the emotions across well.
Chapter Seven – In the DNA
Kyoko saw Kuon's eyes flash for a split second with a deep level of fear before he managed to mask it perfectly. She wanted to hold onto his hand and gently let her thumb roll over the back of it to calm him down, but she knew that would make things worse. She was about to open her mouth when Katsuki spoke first.
"Are you confused?" he asked, "I think that's the wrong name," he laughed, "I'm just a seventy year old man, the man you're looking for is much younger."
"Well," the waiter said, "I could be wrong and so could a DNA test…or five. I'll come back in a little bit and check on you," he said with a smug look as Kuon felt his entire body pale and he felt faint. What on earth did this waiter know and who was he going to tell next? Was this the reveal of the secret and so soon? He was honestly very scared about what this would mean to his career and Kuon's friendships, Yashiro didn't know any of this, would he even want to talk to him knowing this?
"Dad, your forehead is very cold right now, how about we go and sit outside," Julie said as she tried to control the fear in her own eyes. "Kyoko, maybe you could come with us?" she suggested.
"I can do that," Kyoko said slowly, "Are you okay if we leave, fa-" the expecting mother to be said as she tried to look at her father in law. She paused seeing him go after the waiter. "Come on, why don't you two go outside and talk. I'll wait for father," she said before looking at Kuon and trying to ask if he was alright. She didn't get a good response from him.
Kuu, who had put his designer sunglasses back on again, was approaching the waiter. "I would appreciate a private word with you," he said trying to control the anger in his voice. Kyoko stood back watching the two of them before seeing the waiter take them to a remote part of the restaurant. Kyoko sat down and watched them from afar.
"So, are you gonna act all tough guy, tell me I was right," the waiter said as Kuu gave a cold – and honestly terrifying – look.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked, "there's not many in the acting business who are up there in my social ranking. I have more friends and contacts than there are days in the year and you don't even know the closeness I maintain with TV hosts and reporters, I doubt they would accept your doctored forms over my years of loyalty to them."
The waiter rolled his eyes, "Of course, but these aren't doctored, I know that that man is your son, the once famous Ren Tsuruga. I'd love to prove that there are things like ghosts and magic. You just need to accept that that man, that really old geezer, is your kid."
"That really old geezer?" Kuu repeated. "Whether that man is or is not my son is not the point. The point is that you have absolutely no idea what I will go through to protect my family and our close friends. I promise you," Kuu growled. "I have more power than I know what to do with. I can have you wiped out both metaphorically and if I really wanted to physically as well, though I wouldn't actually hurt you, I hate causing people pain. What I hate more, however, is my family hurting. I would recommend that you delete that information at once and keep your mind off of rumors with no proper foundation. I'm warning my friends about you, you dare to go one step into their workplace and you will be arrested on site."
"You know," the waiter grinned, "You are just proving that that guy was the great Ren Tsuruga."
Kuu looked away, "I did not confirm anything," he said before glaring, "but if you have plans to target my son then I pity you. My son has a lot of people who care about him and I'm in the top three. I would be very worried if you were to spread this any further."
The waiter laughed, "Well, I already sold the information last night," he said. "Someone gave me about two and a half million yen for it."
Kuu looked away, so someone else had the original documentation of the lab work? Even if the public didn't believe it, another DNA test would come back with identical results. "Who might that be?" he asked as he formed a fist and then slowly released.
"Shou Fuwa," the guy smiled as Kuu felt his anger rise again. He looked at Kyoko who had been eaves dropping on the last part of the conversation and saw her expression of horror. If this was a way of taking down Ren's or Kuon's legacy, Shou wouldn't have any mercy.
….
….
Kuon kept staring at a single spot on the floor as the four of them were all in the living room of his house. He didn't know what to do. He had just started to get used to the old man character, now it might be taken away. He was scared. He didn't want to talk about fairies or the fairy world, Kyoko had said to be very sacred to them and he owed them for keeping her alive and giving him the chance to do that. If he didn't say that he could only assume it would be followed by medical questions and isolation from the larger population.
He was scared that instead of life as a seventy year old who sometimes had trouble breathing, after the news came out he would lose all his oxygen.
"What kind of form did you give them father?" Kyoko asked, "How did they get their hands on DNA tests, why were they even looking for them unless you were talking. You're not trustworthy, father, you told me that my husband was dead when you should have known I wouldn't stop loving him."
"That's not fair. I wouldn't give out any information like that, all the information I gave out on Katsuki were to help Kuon. I can't believe that you would think I'd turn against my son, the son that I love no matter what."
"You can't be trusted, father," Kyoko argued, "Nobody trusts you."
"I trust him," Kuon said as they both looked at him. "Kyoko, my dad has never done anything to hurt me. He would never let anyone hurt me, I can't believe that he would just expose me. He didn't expose me as Ren Tsuruga and I know he would not expose Katsuki. My dad would never -"
"Thank you, Kuon" Kuu said as he looked at the older man with deep concern rooted in his expression.
"And who are you to talk about who can be trusted. Not once have you ever thought about the fact that my son's body is frail and weak and delicate" Julie argued. "You just act as if he can live forever."
"He's going to live a very long time!" Kyoko argued back to Julie. The older woman raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know that he's going to live a long time? Do you have proof about that? We should all be considering how we're helping Kuon, if you weren't with him out in the open so much," Julie argued back. Kuu knew she was just speaking very emotionally, he knew that she would regret what she said but he didn't want to argue with her.
"I have done nothing to hurt Kuon!" Kyoko yelled back, "I know him best, you two weren't even around for him in the early part of our relationship," she argued as Julie looked horrified.
"I wasn't allowed to be there. I'm extremely jealous that you were there, I needed to be there for my son," Julie said. "At least I'm not tricking him and promising him things that might never come true."
"They will come true," Kyoko argued back, she knew she wasn't allowed to speak about the magic seed that the fairy princess had planted. "I know they will."
"Where's your proof?" Julie asked.
"I don't have any," Kyoko said in a quiet manner before looking at Kuu, "and why did you tell me that Kuon had died, do you not love your son!? You seemed quite the doting father when I first met you."
"I love my son," Kuu said as he took a few steps towards them.
"Well it's not like he loved you!" Kyoko said in the heat of the moment, she noticed that Kuon had stood up and come to the wall behind his dad trying to stop the arguing. Maybe it wasn't fair to do this and have Kuon feel guilty, but all three of them wanted to help him as much as they could.
Kyoko was surprised when Kuu's anger boiled over and he created a fist. She didn't wrap her mind around what was happening when, instead of punching the wall, Kuu punched Kuon in the face sending the elderly man to the ground.
Kuu took a step back in shock, "Kuon," he said slowly as Kuon struggled to get his back against the wall, he just kept coughing and having labored breaths due to his age. Kuu felt his heart pounding in his chest as he saw Kyoko reach his son.
"Kuon," Kyoko said, "Does it hurt that much?" she asked before glaring up at Kuu. "How dare you!" she yelled, not giving Kuu the chance to explain that he hadn't meant to punch Kuon and hated himself for doing so. "How dare you hurt him, father. Do you know that he has joint pain. Do you enjoy beating up defenseless old men?"
"I will murder you for this Kuu!" Julie yelled at him, she was terrified over the fact that her son could be seriously hurt because of his age and how delicate his body was. "Get out! I don't want you anywhere near my baby!"
"I would never hit him like that, "Kuu said as his worry for Kuon outweighed everything else and Kyoko felt she could read that on his face. "Kuon, I am so sorry," he said as he went to the door.
Kuon looked after him, now with both his mother and his wife trying to make sure that he was alright. Kuon opened his mouth and stared after where his father had just left, "Dad!" he tried to call out, "Please don't go!"
It was too late to stop him.
