AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊
Chapter Ten – Ripped by Photographs
Kyoko looked down at the camera in her hand which she had somehow managed to break internally as well as have it explode and crack open so it was in pieces. She felt glad that she had found it before too late but she wasn't sure how to deal with the photographer who was looking at her stunned. "Why do you always do this?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow whilst standing near the register. She looked at the cashier, "Can you please have security escort this man out of the store. I would appreciate it and consider it a personal favor," she smiled as the cashier nodded.
"So," the paparazzi said as he smiled at her thinking that he could still get the information that he wanted. "Are you going to tell me the name of your new boyfriend? Japan wants to know if who you chose to replace -"
Kyoko saw security, threw the camera on the ground, and walked off.
She heard her phone beep and looked around and over at the men's shoe area. She didn't see anyone wearing a hood so maybe he was looking for her. She had at least been able to get him a temporary phone to use until they got him back onto his own cellphone plan.
She pulled her phone out and looked upon it. She could put pictures in her texts again because there were only a few people she felt that she could do that with and none of them were men. She often used them with Moko and Chiori and Maria but that was about it. As she looked at the screen, her eyes widened.
One of your followed keywords has a new update: Ren Tsuruga.
She froze as she opened it and her eyes widened as she saw that someone had put a shirtless photo of her husband onto social media. She paled before walking as fast as her feet allowed her to the dressing room where there were other people rushing too.
Oh god.
She saw a couple of men gathered around a closed changing room and stood there. She felt her body shaking as she had her fists by her side and a dark aura looming around her. She stared at the reporters who had come to the scene already – what the heck were so many doing at a clothing store? – and lifted her chin.
"Back off," she growled, the anger in her eyes. "If you want the LME agency to help you in the future and not ban you from our press releases, you will back off now." She felt her anger boil to the surface and hold the men back. She looked at the door, not wanting to open it and so stepped into the stall beside it, forcing out a couple of people who were standing up to get a better look and take pictures with their phones. Fortunately he had the hooded sweater back on.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she saw him pushed against the door to stop anyone from coming in. She could tell already how hurt he was. She sat down on the bench in the room and placed her hand on the wall separating them. "I'm so sorry," she said with tears in her eyes. She should have thought more on it. She should have figured there would be people watching her. The way that they were treating him as if he was a caged animal on exhibit. Her precious Corn. "I'm sorry," she apologized again as the tears filled her eyes.
After what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes, she heard the security start pulling people away and once she knew everyone had left, she stepped out of the changing room before knocking on his. "It's me, sweetheart," she whispered with tears in her own eyes. She hadn't wanted this to happen. She had just wanted him to be safe.
She heard the door open and stepped inside to see Kuon facing forward and just sitting incredibly still. He looked as if he had just suffered through a trauma. Kyoko sat next to him with her hands in her lap though the tears were still flowing down her cheeks. She didn't understand how difficult this was for him because it was too hard to imagine but she knew he was hurt in such a way that he had only gone through a couple of times before.
She looked at him and reached out for his hand. When he took hers she felt a chill through her body from the touch. He was freezing. He didn't look at her and just kept staring forwards and because of the hood, she wasn't sure what expression he had on his face.
"I am so sorry," she apologized before trying to hide her own tears. "Corn, please talk to me? Can you talk to me?" she asked as she just saw him sitting there and looking forward into the open air. He wasn't even moving. "Can I look at your face?" she asked and he nodded. She knelt in front of him and felt her heart break. This was worse then when he had been in the car during the Dark Moon filming. This looked like those photographs after Rick's death.
"Sweetheart," she whispered as she placed a hand on his cheek and he held it there. Having his touch, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. She looked at the clothes and made a mental note of them before pulling back. She stood and offered her hand out. "Let's go home, okay?" she asked and he nodded nervously.
She saw him stand and saw how awkward he even was doing that. His body movements were so slow and she didn't know if she had ever seen him this depressed before which worried her greatly. She didn't know how to make this better.
"I love you so much," she tried to remind him as she wrapped an arm around him. In her mind it was as if she were trying to hold him together so that he didn't completely shatter. She saw him flinch as there were people taking pictures of them and as they got to the car, she was very relieved that they could just go home.
…..
…..
It had been three hours since they had gotten back home and during those three hours, Kuon had just stayed in bed and stared off into space. He hadn't said a word to her and he hadn't moved much. Kyoko didn't know how to help him. She didn't know what he needed because this was a strange situation. It was so alien to the two of them.
"Corn?" Kyoko tried again as she rubbed his back and placed small kisses on his shoulder. "Corn, can you tell me what's going on? Can you speak to me? I can dress up as a rooster if that helps," she tried to joke but he just lay there as if catatonic. "Kuon, can you please nod your head if you're okay?" she watched and he didn't move. "Okay, can you please nod your head if you're alive and you don't need me to get you anything?" she asked before seeing him nod.
At least he was responding to her.
"I'm going to call your dad, is there anything that you want to say to him?" she asked and Kuon shook his head. She kissed him again before getting up and walked out of the room, her body shaking once she had stepped outside. He wasn't alright and as the news articles and blog posts were coming out she wondered if he would be okay.
She picked up her phone and called Kuu who immediately picked up the phone.
"Hello, Kyoko?" he asked as if desperately. "What's going on?"
"We were shopping and they - it doesn't matter how it started, Father. I'm calling because I wanted to ask if you could bring Isabella back home. I don't want to leave him alone," she sobbed. She wasn't used to seeing him like this and even before his "death" she wasn't used to it. He was usually so strong and he had guts, he could be brave and achieve things that other people couldn't. Now it was as if he was a broken shell. Kyoko tried hard not to let the tears be heard on the other end of the line.
"How is he?" Kuu asked nervously.
"I –" Kyoko took a few more steps away from the bedroom and lowered her voice so that he wouldn't be able to hear her. "Remember those photographs that were taken just before he left American when he was fifteen? It's just like those," she said. "I just need you to bring her here. I want to be with him so that I can make sure he's okay and he doesn't starve or get dehydrated."
Kuu was quiet for a moment before sighing, "I understand. Please tell me if there's anything that I can do. Are you sure you want Isabella to come back tonight?"
"I think that's for the best," Kyoko told him before looking down and had an idea. "May I speak to Julie for a moment?" she asked.
"Of course, I'll get her. She's playing with Isabella right now but we can always switch," he replied.
"I'd be very grateful for that," Kyoko smiled as she tried to brush away a few of her tears.
"Kyoko?" Julie asked as she took the phone from Kuu. "How is he? Is he okay? He's breathing and everything?"
Kyoko nodded before realizing that she was on the phone, "He's alive and he's responding to me with nodding and shaking his head but I wanted to ask you for a favor." She waited for a moment before sighing, "Julie, do you remember the clothes that Kuon liked to wear before the plane crash?" she asked.
"Of course -" Julie said before Kyoko cut her off.
"Could you get some new clothes and some hooded items, preferably a mix of neutral colors and maybe some brighter shirts or jeans but definitely we're going to need some blacks or dark greys and shoes and maybe bags," she said as she tried to think of what they needed. She had wanted to pick out the clothes with him but maybe Julie could do this for them.
"Are you asking me to create a wardrobe for my son?" Julie asked with hope in her voice but also respect for the situation. "I'd love to do that. I'll buy some things and bring them over once I'm done."
"Thank you," Kyoko sighed relieved, "Do you need his sizes? I still remember them."
"So do I," Julie said. "Tell him that I love him, okay?"
"I promise that I'll do so and Julie, thank you," she said before looking back at the bedroom door. "I want to go back to him so is it okay if -"
"Yes. I'll see you later. Take care of yourself as well. I love both of you," Julie told her and Kyoko smiled before saying goodbye to her mother-in-law. Maybe a new wardrobe would help him heal.
…..
…..
Kyoko had tried to prepare a loving environment for their daughter and had tried to stop her own tears so that it didn't upset Isabella. She knew that Kuon had promised to spend time with her but after what had happened that day she couldn't bear to force him. She just had to make sure that Isabella understood that her father loved her even though he had to deal with his own sadness.
As she heard the doorbell, she went immediately to the door and opened it. She crouched down and hugged her daughter before looking at Kuu sadly. She made sure to look happy when Isabella pulled out of the hug.
"Where's Daddy?" the little girl asked innocently.
"Daddy is - he's -" Kyoko said before looking down and trying to find the best words. "I know that Daddy said that he'd play with you but -"
"I'm excited to do so," Kyoko heard a voice behind her and her eyes couldn't get any wider as she saw Kuon wearing clothes they had taken from LME and with his hair washed and still a little wet. However, he had that smile on his face that was so reminiscent of Ren Tsuruga. "So what are we playing?"
Kyoko looked completely stunned at Kuu who was studying his son.
Isabella let out a squeak as she ran up to him and threw her arms around him. "Hi, Daddy!" she smiled.
There was no way that he wasn't feeling pain and sadness, but he was pushing all of that away for the sake of his daughter. He really was as strong as he used to be.
End of Chapter Ten
Thank you for reading
Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Nine
Brennakai, Crazy4Animation, Kris, minmouse21, paulagato, RichkeyZero