AN: Hope you enjoy this chapter 😊 This has become a really fun fic for me to write. I didn't overlap a lot of the story this time.
Kyoko 7 – People Know
I glance over to where Kuon is with Yashiro, I'm glad that the two of them are able to talk together. Kuon really needs to know that his friends and his family still support him, our friends and family, but I can understand his hesitation. Kuon has changed on the outside so much. He looks strange to people who knew him and people wouldn't guess it was him, even I had difficulty with that. Still, as I see him talk with Yashiro and I see his body language, the types of expressions that he has on his face, I feel a strange sense of calmness as if everything is going to be okay.
"Kyoko," Father says and I turn back to face him, "I hope it isn't an imposition that Julie and I move back here?" he asks and I pale. I smile gratefully and bow my head with a smile. It's such an imposition to them to have them move back but I know that they are concerned about Kuon whether the news gets out or not about who he is.
"I hope it isn't too much trouble for you, Kuon and I truly appreciate it," I tell him and he looks at Kuon again before focusing on the large bowl in front of him.
"I wonder if he'll ever feel comfortable acting like himself, coming out to the public," Father thinks and I don't think that that's possible. Kuon wouldn't be able to do that, he's usually so self-sufficient and independent, this might cause others to have a different view of him. I'm also scared that there might be certain groups wanting to study him as if he were some test animal. Then again, if we told the truth that would be painful for the fairy kingdom.
"Maybe," I say quietly as I take a bite of my own food. I don't know what to say, this isn't my decision to make. I would love to be able to have some control over the situation but it's not that simple. Kuon is still finding his feet in this body and he needs time to do that, he needs to be comfortable at the rate things happen. I'm about to make my feelings known when Father's phone rings.
He pulls it out of his pocket and I catch that it's the name of the hospital. I freeze, wouldn't they have 'Katsuki's' phone number but no, his emergency contact is Kuu and what if there is something wrong. I nod to Father, telling him that he can answer it. They said that he was fine, right!?
I look at Father who is seeming to be listening intently on the phone and he chuckles, I see a little fear in his eyes. "That's impossible, you might have to run the tests again." My stomach is starting to contract into a heavy ball, my gut is painfully stretching around it. Is Kuon sick? Is he going to die…are they lying to me? "Don't DNA tests usually take two or more days to complete?" he asks and my eyes widen. They were doing DNA tests on him? Were they able to link it? "Why did you take his fingerprints?" he asks, "That's illegal to not tell someone that."
By this point Father is standing up, holding the phone in absolutely horror. I thought that Kuon going to the hospital was a good thing that benefitted everyone but for some reason they ran some tests or are…running some tests? What if they are - no, it's giving them too much credit if they could see through the years of aging and that this was Kuon. They must have found out something.
"It doesn't matter," Father laughs and I see him take a quick glance over to Kuon, "Patient confidentiality sta-no I'm not admitting anything." I see Kuon looking at him but he doesn't seem to have heard what Father is talking about. "I'll have my lawyers ready but that should be okay," he says before ending the call.
I know what this is about but Kuon still remains in the dark. I just want his mind to be steady and settled. I don't want him to worry about this. I sigh as I look over to him. I love him. Words can't really explain how much I love him. I walk over to their table and grin to Yashiro, "Hi, I just wanted to come over and say hi," I tell them as Father goes to pay the bill for us and leaves. I know that he's going to the hospital, I just hope that he's going to be okay.
"Is everything….what's going on?" Yashiro asks and I smile.
"It's going to be okay," I nod to them before looking to Kuon and take a look around, my hand slips onto his shoulder trying to comfort him. "It's all going to be okay."
…
…
My gut twists itself in knots as I sit in the car beside him. Kuon doesn't really know what is going on and if he did know then I'm afraid that he'll be more panicked about it, I'm afraid that he'd try to run from both me and from Father and go back to that house with the older women who are developing feelings for him. I don't want him to run. I have to admit that if I had met Kuon like this, I would have thought him handsome for his age but I wouldn't have been interested in dating him. Fortunately, I know the man inside and even if he was a blob monster, I would want to be with him.
"What's going on?" he asks as he looks at Father.
Father of course knows what's going on. Some female doctor was working with the data and she found a surprising number of similarities between Kuon's two samples that he had given. She had been a Kuon fan for a while and whilst inputting the data she had found this. She had also studied criminology and was able to check his fingerprints. She met with father and they came to some kind of arrangement where she wouldn't alert the news to this because he didn't want gossip to be spread and she would be able to give Kuon his next checkup.
It feels like an awkward arrangement but we're both hoping that it works.
That's why we're going to someone who would be able to help with a secret this big, the only person that Father and I believe has that much power to help us and this means that we're putting Kuon into a trap though I'm sure that the president wouldn't hurt him. As eccentric as the president seems, he is very respectful and cares a lot with others. He wouldn't hurt Kuon.
"I'm so sorry," Father says and Kuon looks shocked to hear that, "I'm…there's someone who has been able to figure out who you are, they won't say anything though, certain legal precautions but whenever there are legal precautions needed, I always like to talk to Boss."
Kuon freezes and tenses up. I can understand why. He doesn't want for the president to see him this way and he definitely doesn't want the president to make random comments on his age. I don't want that to happen either.
"It's going to be okay, we can trust him," I try to assure him and I see the fear in Kuon's eyes. I know that the president isn't going to pressure him into anything and he plays so many of those romance games that he might be able to be convinced. Also, are there any fairies in his games? Some games have magical spells and curses in them so he might be able to keep that a secret as well. We arrive at the LME private parking reserved for the president's guests.
"Do you need some help getting out?" I ask him and Kuon shakes his head. He's nervous and his body is shaking so much. I just want to reassure him that it's okay and if there is anybody that we can trust it's the president. Father leads us to the private elevator and picks up the phone to talk to the president. He smiles as he turns to us.
"Boss gave us access," he says and we get onto the elevator. I place a hand on Kuon's spine in an attempt to comfort him. I know he's scared and I'm a little scared for him but the president isn't going to hurt him, right?
…..
…..
I take Kuon's hand as we follow Father into the room where the president is wearing a chillingly normal outfit. I pause as I take in the room, it looks as if he's in mourning and I guess he is. Kuon is like a child to him and now he is the oldest man in the room. I squeeze his hand as the president looks at Father.
"Kuon's alive, isn't he?" the president asks without any of us needing to say anything and I look at Father. Maybe it's because we're too happy, maybe this kind of happiness after a death isn't appropriate but no, Kuu would never be so happy if he had heard that Kuon had died. This makes me wonder whether we should go back to America for a little while. I rub Kuon's back. He'd be okay flying, wouldn't he? I freeze. No, the inside is healthy, it's appearance based.
"Well, yes, but Boss how did you know that?" Father asks as he looks at the president in complete surprise and the president turns to the two of us. He looks at Kuon, turning his face in various angles. He looks confused but he's trying to place the face and then he looks between us.
"Julie did a great job with the makeup," he comments and we turn to one another confused. Has he actually figured it out already? I mean, I knew he was familiar when I woke up but has the president really been able to break down the situation. The president faces Kuon and winks, "Too bad you can't look like an old man all the time, those teaching roles would come pouring in if they saw this work."
Kuon coughs as he looks between us, "Well, you're right," he says as he takes a step back. "Apart from it's not makeup, it's a curse." There's silence and if this was a comic book or an art piece there would be crickets heard and a tumbleweed in the background behind the president. He's trying to get his mind around it.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure that I heard you correctly," he tells Kuon and I know the kind of thoughts that are spinning around his head. It's a hard thing to come to grips with but the president's thoughts are turning from amazement and curiosity to shock and concern.
"You know who I am though?" Kuon asks and the president nods slowly. "I'm cursed, there was a curse. I gave up my youth, the appearance of youth, to save Kyoko but it's a secret that we're only telling people close to us but…I need your help."
"I'm so sorry to hear that but so glad that you're alive. I'm so angry that you didn't tell me that he's alive no matter how old he appears," the president pouts and I'm so surprised by how easily he was able to resolve the issues. The president is surprisingly knowledgeable about everything and even he was able to see Kuon despite those many years now added to his appearance.
End of Kyoko 7
Thank you for reading
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