Chapter Twenty-Five

It had been a few weeks since that fateful day on the beach when she had witnessed Kuon coming up out of the water. Yes... Kuon. Kuu Otousan had come to visit her courtesy of Lory Takarada at her apartment that she shared with Reino. They had had a nice long discussion about all of the things that were going on her life. He had even taken her on a nice long hunt. The forests and beaches of California were breathtaking, especially the nice little spot of property that Kuu owned. She felt like she could stay there forever.

"Otousan... you aren't going to tell Kuon I'm here are you?" She asked in a small voice.

Kuu shook his head. "Not unless you want me to Sweetie. If you want to stay here with me and Julie, you are welcome." He offered.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "Won't Kuon come back and find me?"

Kuu gave her a somber look. "I wouldn't worry about that Sweetie."

She was taken aback by his answer. Why would Kuon not visit such loving parents? Didn't he realize how lucky he was?

Kuu gave her a loving look. "Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"I don't want to go back to Japan. Will you help me?" She said in a small voice.

A wide smile crossed his lips. "I think since you're a multi-talent... It won't be hard to get you a work visa until your citizenship goes through, but we need to do this quickly before they claim that you're here illegally. I'll have my manager make your appointments for it and I want you to come in to work with me tomorrow. We need to get you working again. I don't want you sitting around with nothing to do, but think of everything that's happened."

"Thank you Otousan." She hugged him tightly.

The next few days would be spent in meetings, filling out paperwork and enduring several talent auditions. Kuu and Julie encouraged acting, music and modeling. Her citizenship application was now filed and on its way to being reviewed and approved. Her sponsor was Kuu and the fact that he knew extensive information about her father and her father's status as an American citizen, helped immensely. As luck would have it Kazu had been born in San Diego California and he had been very close acquaintances with Kuu before his death. He had met Saena in Kyoto when he was young and visiting Kuu when he had been killed.

"Thank you Otousan. I'm glad you told me all of this. At least I know that my father wanted me." She told him as he held her in his arms, comforting her.

"Kyoko... You have lots of people that love you and want you. Don't ever believe otherwise. Julie and I think of you as a daughter." He told her.

"What about Kuon? Isn't he your son?" She asked in a small unsure voice.

"Kyoko... After all that has happened, you turned to us. You will always be our daughter. It doesn't matter what Kuon thinks or, feels about the situation. Do you understand?" He told her in a firm voice.

She nodded quietly into his shirt.

"Now... Reino told me that Vie Ghoul is going back to Japan next week and they'll be packing up your apartment and sending your things to you. I would feel better if you stayed with me and Julie instead of here when that happens. I don't like the idea of you being alone in LA by yourself." He told her with the authority of a true father. "It's the only way they will allow you to stay behind. They agree with me."

Kyoko sighed deeply. Overprotective Nii-san's. "Alright..."

Knock... Knock...

Ren answered the knocking at his apartment door to be greeted by Reino shoving the bedding into his arms that he had given Kyoko weeks ago.

"I think these belong to you." He snarled at him.

"Why do you have them? What are you doing in her apartment?" Ren stepped out into the hall to notice the moving boxes with address labels on them. His heart fell into his stomach. "She's not... coming back?" He felt like a knife had just been plunged into his chest.

"No... she is not. She wants nothing to do with Japan." Reino turned to walk away. "Thanks." He told him sarcastically.

"Where is she?" Ren asked in an almost pleading tone.

Reino stopped, turned and glared. "If she wanted you to know... She would have told you herself. Stay away, you've done enough damage to our pack. I already warned you once. She's under the protection of another pack now."

Ren slammed the door behind him and fell to his knees. "What do I do now?" He asked the empty apartment filled with her scent that had permeated the bedding that had been shoved into his arms that now lay discarded on the floor before him.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." He repeated over and over as he curled up in the mess of pillows and blankets with her scent and fell asleep between the sobs and tears of regret.

"Hmm, have you thought of a work name yet?" The happy, bouncy little blonde that she now called Mother asked. Julie was ecstatic that she now had a daughter. A child that doted on her that she could spoil. Her very own daughter. One that would not leave her of her own free will.

"I think I will use Chouko but, I also think I will use my father's last name. It feels right somehow." She pondered. Chouko Misonoi, it sounds right for some reason. Very right.

"He would have been very proud of you." Julie smiled gently as she helped Kyoko unpack her things that Reino had sent to her from her apartment. "Oh! What's this?" She asked as she held up the necklace containing Princess Rosa.

Kyoko's eyes went dark. "I was a gift from Tsuruga-san." She answered. "You may leave it in the box. I don't want to see it right now."

Julie sighed. Her son had done a bit of damage to this girl. "How about I put it in the safe for you and when you decide if you want to wear it again, it will be there for you."

Kyoko sighed. "I guess it's better that throwing it in the garbage like I had thought of doing."

Julie patted her gently on the back as she passed her. "It's okay Sweetie. It will get better with time. I promise." She then kissed her on the forehead and left to put away the necklace for safe keeping.

Kyoko sat on her queen sized canopy bed that Kuu and Julie had placed in the room they reserved and decorated in pastel colors for her and silently broke into tears. I really hope you're right Mother. It sure doesn't feel like it will get any better.

Three months had passed and Ren was getting no closer to finding out where the sweet little alpha had gone. Had he bothered to simply ask his parents, he still would have come to a dead end. They weren't even telling that information to Lory. Lory had finally lost track of her. The only individuals that knew of her whereabouts for certain, were her brothers and former pack mates. He had noticed that they frequently traveled to the US and would stay for days at a time, particularly Los Angeles. That really wasn't any indication of where she was. They would work and record in that area anyway. He had heard of a new talent out of Hollywood that was making a name for herself, Chouko Misonoi. It could be her but her hair was waist length, platinum blonde and her eyes were emerald green with little flecks of gold in the center. He supposed she could be Kyoko but, this girl really looked American. He couldn't find any background on her except that she was staying somewhere outside of LA with her parents and that her birthday was sometime in the winter. Her agency's web page on her was very vague with her details and unless you wanted her for an acting project, modeling shoot or, music collaboration, they were not going to release the information. Not even Lory had been able to get the info. Every attempt he had made, had been refused by the girl's agent.