Author Note: First, thank you so much for all of your support for this story it means a lot. Secondly, thank you Shizuhoe for letting me know about the embarrassing typo in this chapter :) I've been under a lot of stress recently and I guess I typed it without meaning to.

Chapter Seven – Going Away, Why is it Sad

Kuon nervously watched his wife as she looked over a script from an old shoot she had brought with her. He knew that she liked getting into character when dealing with something like this, he just hated that it was because of him she was shutting herself off from everyone else. He looked down as he made his way over to where his parents were in the dining room. He stood there shakily, "Do you two have a moment?" he asked as they both turned to him.

"Of course, son" Kuu nodded as Juli looked at him apprehensively.

"I refuse to let you go just yet, you promised me three weeks," she said quickly. "Kuon, you keep coming up with things that…"

"Juli," Kuu said quietly before nodding, "We're listening, Kuon," he tried to assure his son.

"I wanted to ask you two for a favor," he said, "it is presumably a huge inconvenience for you two, so please feel free to say no immediately. I know that you have your lives here, I know that you are happy with how things have been going and it is extremely selfish of me to ask for such a thing. It is extremely selfish because of what you gave up for me when I was fifteen years old."

"Well, I want to know what it is" Juli demanded. "I refuse to not care about my son, especially when he's going through this cancer with a baby on the way. I can say no all I want," she argued as Kuon paused and looked down.

"I've decided to go to a hospital in New York to receive treatment, I'm still an American citizen and a Japanese national," he felt bad that he wasn't a full Japanese citizen yet. It made the most sense for him to become a Japanese citizen and surrender his American citizenship, but for some reason he had been scared to do so, "I feel I can afford the cost of the treatment and hopefully when it is at a safe stage to go back to Japan to finish treatment there. However, I don't think that Kyoko should go with me."

"I see," Kuu nodded as he thought about how his daughter in law must be feeling. To not be allowed to accompany somebody that she loved through a hard illness was almost as if someone had prepared for her to be executed. He knew, from the removal of his son from his life for such a long time, how it must feel like.

"I wanted to ask you for your support. I feel like I'd be fine doing the treatment myself, but I'd like you two to help Kyoko in my place," he said awkwardly. "Kyoko knows a lot of people in the acting community, but none of her closest friends have ever been pregnant. She even stayed with a couple that were childless so the idea of pregnancy isn't one she knows well. However, you," he turned to Juli, "you were pregnant and I want to know that you can help her through this. She'll be stubborn and want to do it herself, but if you could make trips back to Japan and…maybe some Skype calls," he said.

Juli looked at him, "I…I'm thrilled to help Kyoko, but Kuon…I don't want you to be alone. You're not honest with people, if I can't see you then how will I know that you're doing alright. How can I make sure that, if you're alone, you're not dead."

Kuu thought deeply about this and closed his eyes. If he said no to Kuon then that wouldn't mean that Kuon and Kyoko would be together, his son's mind seemed to be made up on the fact that they wouldn't be together. As foolish as his son was being, he was also headstrong and stubborn. If they didn't agree to it, then Kuon would probably leave in the middle of the night and make things worse. If he said yes though, that was allowing Kuon to be alone in New York with a terminal illness. Somebody needed to take care of him even if it wasn't his wife.

"I need Juli's support on this," Kuu said as he looked up at his son. His concern was showing but also his resolute feeling on the matter. "We'll do it on one condition. I can understand that you want Kyoko to finish her projects and are worried about the pregnancy, but she must be terrified of losing you. We all know that you like to keep things hidden and try to take care of things yourself even if you shouldn't. I do not agree to let you go to New York alone."

"I don't see how Kyo-" Kuon started but was caught off guard by his dad's eye roll and sigh.

"I'm not saying that you should take Kyoko," he said. "I'm saying that the only way we'll agree to this is if I come in her place." Kuu looked at the expression of surprise and confusion that fell upon Kuon's face. "You need somebody to take care of you because you sometimes fail to take care of yourself. If you don't want your wife there then I'm going as long as Juli is okay with that."

"That's good," Juli nodded, "If your father is with you then I know you'll be alright. I know you'll be safe."

Kuon stared at them before sighing, "Those are your terms?" he asked, "Are they negotiable?"

Kuu shook his head, "Not really," he said. "Don't forget what I told you when you were Ren Tsuruga, I still love my son. I will always love my son no matter how the world sees him."

Kuon sighed before nodding. "Deal," he said before looking at them again and gave a weak smile, "Thank you." He turned back to the bedroom and wondered if Kyoko would talk to him again.

….

….

"Who's asking that?" Kyoko argued, "because that sure sounds like Ren Tsuruga instead ofmyKuon Hizuri."

Kuon looked at her, "Does it matter?" he asked, "I'm not trying to sound harsh, but you agree to act in some projects and if you break those contracts," he told her. He put a hand to her cheek and she flinched away. "You know I love you. I don't know who it is who said those words, but I think it's me saying them instead of Ren. Ren would probably be saying them more out of professionalism, I'm saying them because I love you. I love you and I want to protect your dreams."

"How is this protecting me?" Kyoko argued back at him, "I told you that you're more important than the other things in my life, Kuon. I told you that my dreams, my career, I can get that back. If you were to die then I couldn't get you back."

"I'm planning on fighting and winning," Kuon said to her with the same confidence as he had when getting to the best part of his scenes. "I just want you to not miss out on anything because of this. I'll promise that I'll be okay, I have to take good care of myself, right, for the baby."

"If, and this is only if, Kuon. If I decided that to go back, I'm not taking any new roles. I will finish what I promised to do and follow your superior professional work ethic, but as soon as I'm done, I'm going to New York and at that time you are not allowed to argue with me."

"By that time, I will be back in Japan," Kuon argued with her.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow knowing that it might take two years or longer for Kuon to beat this, "Uh huh," she said as she detected his lies. "Well let's say this. I will consider going back to Japan but only if you promise that after my roles are done I can be wherever you are."

"Even into outer space," Kuon argued playfully causing her to smile.

"Even into outer space where you eat roasted frogs, yes," she said before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and using those as support to get to his lips. Kuon immediately lifted her as he had his arms around her. "I love you," she said. "You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you if I agree to this."

"I know," Kuon nodded, "because I'm sure it's the same as how much I'm going to miss you."

….

….

"So," Kyoko looked up as Kuon entered the room. "You asked your parents to take your side and persuade me to go back to Japan alone," she said as she saw his rather confused but guilty expression. "I'm annoyed at you, but I understand," she commented. "You didn't become a first rate actor by just letting anything personal stand in the way of your roles. You are really the best Japanese actor that…"

"an American can be?" he asked with a tired expression. "I'll tell you that it didn't turn out how I was planning, but maybe it's for the best this way."

"So, they convinced you to let me come?" Kyoko asked hopefully. Maybe this way the president would be able to say that her pregnancy was a reason that she didn't have to complete the roles that she had accepted. Maybe they had talked sense into Kuon.

"No," he said as her hope shattered. "However, they told me that the only way they'd agree to this is if my dad came in your place and I have the feeling that my mother wouldn't want to be alone so she might go to Japan with you, if you're alright with her doing so."

"Well, I'm alright with Juli coming to Japan, but I still would want to be with you," Kyoko said honestly. "Father really said that he'd follow you to New York. He promised to do that?" she said looking at her husband nervously as he laughed.

Kuon put a hand to the back of his neck and sighed weakly, "Yes. My father is going to make sure that I take care of myself. I saw the look in his eyes, it proves that he's going to do it. How long do you think that your roles in Japan will take?" he asked as he reached out to hold her hand. She smiled and led him to sit back on the bed.

"So, are you saying you want me to join you two in New York?" she asked trying not to show her pleasure at how the worst wasn't happening just yet.

"Of course, but first I need you to do these roles," he said as he placed a gentle hand on her stomach. "I need the two of you to be with me but only once you've finished with your acting commitments."

"It shouldn't take longer than three months," Kyoko said thoughtfully, "I can still fly during that time. I might have to have the baby be born in a hospital in New York, but I don't mind that. Of course, the person who I fell in love with, married, and now am unable to live without is an American citizen. I think Shou's parents would be disappointed in me for marrying a foreigner," she laughed.

"Wouldn't they be disappointed in you for marrying anyone other than that jackass?" Kuon commented. He pulled his wife close to his chest and almost onto his lap. "Thank you for understanding what I'm trying to make happen," he said as he kissed her cheek and then trailed his nose down her neck. She felt his breath on her skin and blushed. "You're perfect," he told her.

"Nobody is perfect," Kyoko tried to argue. "Nobody except you," she giggled. "Hold out your hand," she joked before going to her bag. She had no idea why she had taken these with her, she guessed it was because they were in the same bag as she had Corn in or maybe she was just trying to hold onto her past, hold onto the entirety of her relationship with her husband.

She smirked as she held something behind her back and looked at his outstretched hand.

With a playful grin, Kyoko placed a stamp down on her husbands hand and watched as his eyes lit up in surprise and then he started to chuckle.

'100% - Full Points'

Kyoko took a pen and added to the Love Me stamp mark, 'I love you, my Kuon'.