Chapter 10
"And in other news, there is no new developments in the search for child actor and prodigy Hiou Uesugi. His family still hopes their youngest family member will be found safe and sound as soon as possible. Burglary, Kidnapping, and Blackmail Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau has declined to comment. A similar response was given in regards to the multiple murders that took place at the Kotonami residence two days ago—"
Setsuka ignored the blaring radio. Her seat on the back of a small sedan was comfortable, and from her position she could clearly see Kuon driving and Yashiro staring at the radio from the passenger seat, listening studiously to the news.
Rain clouds glowered down over the city, coloring the many skyscrapers of Neopolis with a solemn grayish hue. The chance of a thunderstorm was surely not something that could lift up her low spirit.
Seijuro and the nurses assigned to her had thrown her a small farewell party as she had been officially discharged from the hospital. Before Kuon and Yashiro escorted her out towards their car, the doctor had told her with a warm smile that she could come see him anytime she wanted, no matter what the reason.
He had even told her that going out and seeing the town might be able to jog her memories. So far, as she stared at the passing view of buildings and pedestrians, she still got nothing. Her still not being able to remember anything irritated her. Maybe leaving the hospital wasn't really a good thing. The girl did not feel entirely safe outside the confines of the hospital.
It had not been 15 minutes since she had left the hospital, and Setsuka already found herself missing the father-figure of a doctor. The only safety anchor she had at the moment was Kuon, and she herself wondered why she felt so peaceful and secure around him.
Her amber eyes unconsciously shifted towards Kuon, and she took note of his features. His jade eyes, focused on the road, sometimes glinted with the hint of something she did not recognize. His face was small yet masculine with sharp chin and high cheekbones. She already knew he was amazingly tall compared to her, and he easily towered over other men – apart from Rick – and dwarfed her when they stood side by side.
The next second, the girl was staring at the lean muscles of his arms hugged by his slightly crumpled white shirt. They flexed a little as he gripped the steering wheel, bulging tightly against the cotton sleeves. She remembered being held in those strong arms, and she could feel heat rushing towards her face in embarrassment.
"We're here," said man's voice startled her from her internal musings, and only then she realized that the car had stopped.
The detective had opened her door and was offering his hand to help her get out. Setsuka grasped the offered hand and stepped out of the car. She lifted her head to see her surroundings and her jaw immediately dropped.
Kuon had briefed her on his family, which consisted of Koo, his father — who was currently still bedridden in the hospital more because of his wife's insistence rather than the severity of his injuries; Julie, his mother whom she had met and spent time with a few days ago; and Shimona, his cousin and someone the young girl had caught a glance of.
From his description of his family and her time with Julie, Setsuka had pictured the Hizri family to be one living in a small brick house or cottage, with a warm fireplace and filled with laughter most of the day, and a front yard with a dog as a pet. It was a bit disappointing for her when she found his house to actually be—
"It's huge!" she let out loudly without thinking as she stared wide-eyed at the large two-story Gablefront house before her.
The wooden walls were painted soft yellowish cream while the roofs and window shutters were of a light charcoal color against pure white window sills. The stone front stairs led to a very spacious front porch that wrapped around the front and right sides of the main house. as another flight of stairs was situated near the semi-detached garage. A large, white bay window with dark panes stood at the left corner of the house, the paint stood out against the green from the lush grass of the front yard. A chimney made of stones peeked out from behind the roofs.
Kuon scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Is it?" he asked with a wry grin. "Mom inherited this from her grandfather, and my parents had planned to have as many kids as possible, so they kept this house."
"So you actually have a lot of siblings?" the girl asked with a small excited smile.
"No, unfortunately they are only blessed with this rascal," Kuon joked as he pointed at himself. "But Rick used to live with us before he went to college. Shimona moved in with us permanently as well after her parents passed away; that was when I was a high school sophomore. So I won't say that the extra rooms were wasted."
Setsuka hummed in comprehension and a little disappointment as she looked back at the mansion. Kuon went back to help Yashiro with her rather large bag — only god knows what had been packed inside for the amnesiac girl.
The front door of the house was suddenly opened with a bang to reveal a very excited Julie. "Setsu-chan!" she squealed loudly as she ran towards Setsuka to engulf her in a warm, welcoming hug. "You're finally here!"
"Hello, Julie-san," she greeted the gorgeous woman timidly with a small smile.
The older woman then dragged her by the shoulders towards the house. "Let me show you your room," she told her with a wide smile. "I'm sure you'll love it."
Julie steered Setsuka through the mud room, where she showed the girl where to put her shoes in; the large kitchen and the adjacent dining room, and up the stairs to the second floor.
"And here's your room," the blonde woman told Setsuka as she opened the first door at the end of the stairs.
The room was not very wide, but Julie had managed to fit in a twin-sized bed, a bedside table, a wardrobe, and a vanity table with a mirror while still providing a lot of space for Setsuka to move around. The windows had flowing white curtains, and Setsuka could peer through them at the large back yard.
The girl turned around to look at Julie, who was looking back at her with an expectant grin. "Julie-san, this room is," she gasped with a smile. "It's beautiful."
Julie's grin turned into a dazzling beam. "See? I knew you'd like it," she said. "I was actually worried about what color I should get for your bedspread, but I figured pale rose would be perfect for you." She gestured towards the pale rose bedspread and quilt that blended nicely with the white wooden bed frame.
"Koo and I are next door," Julie informed her, "and Kuon is on the right side at the front of the hallway. The left one is Shimona's. Unfortunately you'll have to share the bathroom with us, so—"
She was cut off when Kuon reached the second floor and put Setsuka's belongings onto the floor with a little huff. "Yashiro invited us all for lunch before he has to go back to the precinct," he informed them before focusing his warm gaze at Setsuka. "Is everything alright? Anything else you might need?"
The girl shook her head with a small smile, which earned one back from the blond detective.
"Kuon," Julie suddenly spoke up, "I'm going to the hospital to see your dad; can you please help Setsu-chan settle in?"
Kuon did not reply; instead, he immediately brought Setsuka's bag into the room and closed the door behind him.
The Hizri matriarch stared at the closed door with a knowing snicker. Kuon and Setsuka might not have noticed how he had flushed every time he caught her eyes, but Julie had.
Suddenly the phone rang.
"Who could be calling the landline at this hour?" she asked herself. Normally people would just opt to contact their mobile phones during business hours. Julie walked down the stairs and picked the phone up. "Hizri residence."
"Aunt Julie, it's me," Shimona's voice was panting with excitement. "Who gave you that hair?"
"It was a present from someone dear to me," Julie replied, a bit perplexed by the sudden question. Realization suddenly hit her, widening her eyes. "Is there anything wrong?"
"Nope," Julie could hear the younger woman smirk victoriously. "In fact, thanks to you, we've hit our jackpot with the investigation. Now tell me, who is she?"
Setsuka sat on her bed, taking her new bedroom in, while Kuon unpacked her bags. She had no problem with the room — in fact, she loved it — but looking at the room, she could not help but thinking that the room felt familiar.
Her fingers grazed the pale rose duvet as she looked around. She found comfort in the mahogany furniture and the sunshine. It made the wooden floor sparkle through the white curtains while reflecting the shadows of the big oak from the backyard. All of these things encased her like a warm embrace.
Like a home.
She closed her eyes, letting the feeling warm her depraved heart and soul. And for an instant, she could swear she heard bouts of joyous laughter from a boy and a girl somewhere far away yet near at the same time. It brought a smile onto her lips, and she focused her hearing and mind, trying to hear more of that laughter and find its source.
"You know," she heard Kuon talk and reluctantly opened her eyes to look at her current guardian. "It's been ages since I last set foot in this room."
"Really?" Setsuka replied absentmindedly when numerous photo frames on the bedside table suddenly piqued her interest. She shifted on the bed to have a better look at them. "Why is that?"
Kuon shrugged lightly. "They always kept it locked. Don't know why."
"Kuon-san," Setsuka suddenly spoke up. "Who's this girl?"
He frowned in confusion. "What girl?"
She took one of the photo frames and showed it to him. In the picture stood a boy and a girl. The boy was blond with jade eyes and looked so much like Kuon, so she assumed that it was him when he was younger. The little girl beside him, though…
… looked so much like her now with black hair and amber eyes.
Kuon's eyes widened in recognition. The girl he was currently looking at was the one that had been haunting his childhood memories for the past few days. She was—
"—Kyoko…"
Setsuka perked up. "Kyoko?"
He nodded stiffly, his face overwhelmed with many expressions. "Yes, Kyoko," he mumbled. "She used to live with us when I was young for about a year before her father came for her."
Kuon reached for the photo frame with slightly trembling hands, and Setsuka gingerly gave it to him. He caressed the face of the little girl with one gentle finger. "Kyoko," he rasped as tears brimmed on his eyes. "Poor Kyoko, how could I forget about you?"
Setsuka could feel her heart ache. In that instant she wished he would find the girl this gentle man shed tears for.
His heart ached when he stood before Kyoko. Her small body was curved inward under the canopy of the great old oak and heaved with sobs, her face hidden by her tucked knees.
She had been crying nonstop since Koo regretfully had told her that he had finally found her family, and someone was going to take her back home. In fact, her father, who had introduced himself as Misonoi, had arrived just half an hour ago.
Kyoko had refused to go with him, to even acknowledge him as her father, and from the genuine hurt look on Misonoi's face, Kuon had known that this man truly was Kyoko's parent.
Not knowing what else to do, Kuon crouched down and patted her head comfortingly before drawing her in for a hug, letting her cry onto his chest, while he struggled to not cry as well. He had to be strong for her in this situation, for he knew that she would be happier with her own family.
"Kyoko," he murmured. "Everything's going to be alright."
She shook her head and her grip on his polo shirt tightened. "I don't want to go. The uncle looks scary."
"But he is your father—"
"But I want to live with you! And Papa Koo, and Mama Julie…" And her tears started anew.
At his wit's end, Kuon reached into his pocket for a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Instead, he found the small piece of rock his mother had given him several birthdays ago.
An idea struck him.
"Kyoko," he pushed her away gently while taking the stone out of his pocket. "Open your hands." And he put the stone in her small opened palms. "Move it in front of the sun."
And a purple streak flashed among all the blue, bringing an astonished gasp from the girl. Kuon chuckled.
"Just now, that was magic," he explained with a smile, repeating what his mother had told him when he had received the stone. "When the color changes, it feels like it takes away your sadness, right? With this magic, you won't be sad anymore, even if we're not with each other."
"But Kuon," Kyoko cried pitifully, "I still don't want to go!"
"I don't want you to go either, Kyoko," Kuon admitted with a sad frown as he hugged the girl again. "But he is your father, and he wants you to live with him. And I know you'll be happier with him. We can always see, call, or S-Skype each other—"
He could not finish his reassurance for the girl — a reassurance meant for him as well — as he could not hold his tears back.
The adults found them minutes later crying their hearts out onto each other's shoulders.
Suddenly reminded by his last memories of Kyoko, Kuon reached for the forgotten blue stone in his pocket.
Now he knew why the stone was familiar.
It was the same stone he had used to possess, the one he had given to Kyoko.
And after 10 years, the stone had returned to him through Chiori, who had claimed it to have belonged to Setsuka.
He lifted his head from the stone in his palm to Setsuka, who was staring at him in confusion. Could this girl be…? And he realized something. Amber eyes aren't common.
"Setsuka," Kuon began carefully, showing the blue stone to Setsuka, heart fluttering restlessly with hope, "do you somehow recognize this stone?"
She eyed the Iolite curiously, and was suddenly washed with unfamiliar recognition. "I'm not sure," she said, taking the stone from Kuon's hand and put it gently in her own hands with the widest, prettiest smile Kuon had ever seen on her face. His eyes widened once again.
For Kuon, when she smiled like that, it was like seeing Kyoko in front of him again.
"But I feel like this stone has been with me forever." She walked towards the window and slid the curtain aside, allowing more of the sunlight to bath the room. And then, she lifted the stone the exact way he had taught Kyoko years ago. "It's weird, right? Even when I can't remember any single thing about myself."
The blue stone flashed purple, and her smile widened into a cheerful beam. "Did you see it?" she turned to Kuon. "This stone must be magical! I have the feeling that it just took my sadness away—"
She had to stop when she was abruptly drawn into a tight embrace of strong warm arms and chest, and a scent that felt so familiar for her. She could feel Kuon's body tremble.
"Kyoko," he murmured, tears falling down his cheeks and onto her hair. "I found you…"
Disclaimer: I do not own Skip-Beat!
Beta-read by [rsrdiall]
It has been long. I especially thank [Alfwyn], [Mike Kromer], [Tsukasa], [Silent Uke Fuu], [Sara Dotty], and [wendy1903] for pushing me to write this chapter as soon as I could, and [chocolaty], [Beauty's Black7], and [LittleChomper] for the reviews. Working full-time while doing a subject at school was not pretty, so all your encouragements are well-appreciated.
And to answer your question: yes, I somehow got the idea from "Tokyo Crazy Paradise", but that is it. To be honest, this work is more influenced by other sources. Any other similarity with "Tokyo Crazy Paradise" is coincidental.
Thank you for reading! See you next time.
-Reggie