AN: Thank you for choosing to read this, I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Eleven – Who I Care For Most
Kyoko looked up at the president as she sat with the kitten Kuon on her lap. She didn't think that the president would hurt him, but convincing him might be more difficult now that there was an imposter Kuon walking around. She let her fingers go through his fur.
Lory sat opposite her and poured himself a cup of scotch before sighing and placing two fingers on his forehead. "Kyoko, I know that isn't the real Kuon. Could you please give me more credit than that? I've been watching over that boy for years and I know his mannerisms and how he speaks. I just have to pretend to get closer to the situation."
"So, you're willing on damaging Kuon's reputation for that?" Kyoko asked before seeing the kitten jump down and approach the president who scooped him up and pet him after he had set his drink down.
"I'm also willing to put my energy into making Kuon human again," he said as he looked at the kitten. "Although, he might be easier to get along with in feline form," he teased and saw the cat offer him a grumpy expression. "You know that I'm just teasing you, right?"
Kyoko sighed as she looked at the kitten and her eyes filled with tears. "Am I supposed to do the same? Kuon and I have always been very public about our romance. I can't kiss an imposter. Any move I make might cause some kind of pain to the man that I really love despite how he's a cat."
"What about if you considered it an acting assignment?" Lory asked as he pointed at her as if offering her a new role in a hit drama. Kyoko bowed her head and shook it.
"I can't do that. You saw all of those things that they did to him and they turned him into a cat because I went to see my biological father and he followed me," Kyoko tried to explain. "I didn't know that he would follow me."
"You've known Kuon for how long and you didn't guess on such a predictable outcome?" he asked before looking up and sighing. "I have half a mind to -"
"I tried to tell him that I didn't love him. I tried to push him away though I was planning on apologizing with a dogeza afterward. I didn't want him to get hurt. He's always tried to protect me and now look at him," she said as the cat looked down sadly. "I don't even know if he's big enough to defend himself from other animals. If he can't defend himself from a larger cat then there's no way he can stand a chance against my father."
She saw Kuon bow his head again before he walked back over to her and she picked him up as a couple of tear drops fell into his fur.
"I'm sorry, I have to go and I'm taking him with me," Kyoko said as she looked at the kitten and then slipped him into her bag. "I love you," she whispered and as she closed the bag she wrapped an arm around her stomach and started crying silently so that he wouldn't hear her. She was scared to see the imposter waiting for her but she was more scared about the fact that Kuon was a defenseless kitten. He had claws but they weren't sharp like an older cat's and he was still slow when it came to walking. She had to keep him safe.
As she came down the elevator and stepped out, she felt her hand get taken by the imposter and she felt her back straighten and tried to stop herself before she shivered. She didn't feel safe with him. However, if she made a scene then, the president thought, it would only endanger people around her.
"Hey," he said as his voice didn't sound right, "How did it go?"
Kyoko pulled her back closer to her body. "It went well. There were some things to discuss with my latest drama. Are you free today? I know that Yashiro tried to clear your schedule."
"I am," he nodded and Kyoko froze. She didn't like this. As much as she was happy that he wasn't going around and destroying Kuon's carefully built reputation, she didn't want to spend time with this creep whilst pretending he was the man who was emperor over her heart. Her fiancé was special but this man wasn't. "Can I take your bag?"
"Oh no, I'm good," Kyoko said quickly with a smile. She didn't want this fake Kuon to get anywhere near the real Kuon.
"What kind of a fiancé would I be if I didn't carry your things for you?" he asked and Kyoko looked around. She could feel him tugging at the bag. Maybe if she created some reason why a total stranger wouldn't want to touch her bag then she would be safe and, more importantly, he would be safe.
"I'm on my time of the month and there was a trash problem with the lady's room so I have some used things in here and I don't think you'd -" she knew that even if she said this to the real Kuon, he would still smile and take her bag and ask if she wanted to get anything either at the drug store or to eat. It grossed most men out though. Kuon was different.
"I've seen you naked so I'm sure I'm used to sharing a bathroom with you," he said as he yanked her bag and Kyoko felt herself pushed back. Her heart started pounding in her chest. She had to get it back. She couldn't - her heart stopped as she saw the imposter pull out the kitten Kuon from the bag.
"I thought that I'd like to adopt a kitten…to see what it would be like to have chil-" she said before seeing the imposter throw the kitten against a nearby wall and she saw as the limp body fell onto the floor. Her heart started to beat faster as she noticed that the kitten wasn't moving. She looked up at the imposter in complete fear and then looked around. He had led her to some place where nobody else was without her noticing.
"I don't like cats very much," he told her as if that explained everything and Kyoko felt tears wash down her face.
"Please don't be. Please," she begged as she rushed to the kitten's side. She very gently placed her hand on his body and then felt weak breaths. He was having trouble breathing but he was fighting so hard for her. She picked him up, cradling him in her arms. "Please, please, please, please, please" she begged as she tried to give him the most support possible.
"Isn't it just an animal?" the imposter asked and Kyoko felt her anger burning inside of her. She froze as she felt something move inside the cat and its stomach started to get bigger and rounder. In fear she held him as she realized that the cat was growing bigger and things like his tail and ears were moving into his body. She sunk down under the weight before seeing the cat become her future-husband again although now he was naked and still having trouble breathing.
"Kuon, I'm here," she whispered as she tried to turn his head so that he could breathe and wouldn't choke. She looked up at the imposter and pulled Kuon closer to her. He had always protected her. She wouldn't let him die.
"You're smarter than I thought, however you weren't smart enough to know that without more chemicals in his body he wouldn't stay that way forever. It's a shame that he chose to fight for you. I should have thrown him harder. If he had died, he would have died as a cat."
The imposter approached Kyoko before feeling somebody grab him and throw him onto the ground. He turned to see Kuu standing there with so much fire and hatred in his eyes. Kuu didn't have to say anything and so he just stood there, the anger radiating through his whole body. He looked angry enough to kill and Kyoko turned her attention away from him for a moment to concentrate on the man on her lap.
"Sssh, baby just concentrate on breathing, okay?" she asked as she pressed soft kisses to the top of his head. She pulled out her phone and dialed for an ambulance and medic team to come to LME immediately. "I can't lose you," she looked around and noticed that Kuu had thrown her his coat before starting the fight and so she placed it around Kuon's body. She felt Kuon cough and rubbed his back as she tried hard not to let her tears cloud her vision.
"Ky-o-kko" Kuon said weakly as he reached for her hand, "Th-an-kk you for" he coughed again, "pro-t-tec-ting m—" he looked at her as his breaths started to get more even. Kyoko pulled him closer and ran her fingers through his blond hair. She heard panting and looked around to see the body of the imposter on the ground.
"He's not dead," Kuu tried to tell her. He didn't want to comment on how much the idea that he had beat up his own son was making him feel weak. He didn't want to tell her how hard it had been for him to do that. "How is he?" he asked nervously.
"He's getting better," Kyoko said as she kissed Kuon's forehead, "Thank you, Father?" she asked and he nodded to her. He walked over and picked Kuon up in his arms, holding him protectively.
"Emergency services are going to be outside?" he asked as he made sure the coat was still around his son. Kyoko nodded nervously as she followed him, grabbing her bag as she did so. She looked down at her ring and brought it to her lips. She didn't want to marry anybody else. Despite how much she didn't deserve Kuon, she didn't want to be with anyone else.
"Kuon?" she asked as he tried to keep consciousness, "I want to marry you as soon as the doctors release you."
Kuon looked at her bewildered, "You want a wedding," he tried to tell her and Kyoko shook her head.
"I want a marriage. I want to be your wife. Can we have a wedding later and get married tonight?" she asked and Kuon nodded to her. Kyoko looked away and at the injured body on the floor that was starting to look like that damn Italian again. Like hell she was going to marry him but she knew that her father wasn't going to give up on her.
Maybe breaking Kuon's heart was the best option. Maybe turning him away, setting him free, maybe if they were separated it would be better for him but she was far too selfish to do that. He had always had a special importance for her and when she had learned that her fairy prince and the god of acting were the same she had felt so lucky to have him.
She just wanted to be with him.
Was that too much to ask for?
End of Chapter Eleven
Thank you for reading
Very Important Thank You to Chapter Ten reviewers
Crazy4Animation, daphne121, Kris, PaulaGaTo
