I hope you like this installment of Love is Immortal! This chapter is a bit Kyoko-centric since she's finally getting some answers as to what happened with Ren and encouragement!
Lory was sitting in a boat, fishing on the clear and iridescent blue lake of LME that day when he was surprised by another boat joining him on the water. Usually he would expect Kuon or Maria to visit him, but he was surprised to see the Crown Princess and her daughter in the small rowboat.
"Good afternoon, High God," Kyoko smiled.
"I haven't seen you for a few hundreds of years, Mogami-kun. Is this Princess Mogami Hana?" Lory asked, smiling at the cute little girl.
"Yes. I am Princess Mogami Hana of the Sky Kingdom! It's nice to meet you, High God Takarada," Hana bowed her head politely, not wanting to stand and risk tipping the boat over. Lory couldn't help but chuckle under his breath in amusement at the little girl who had seemed to pick up her mother's overly polite tendencies.
"Is there a reason you've come to see me today, Crown Princess?" Lory wondered.
"I've yet to thank you for saving my life," Kyoko bowed her head. Lory nodded his head, taking his fishing rod out of the water and setting the rod down in his boat to give his full attention to Kyoko.
"I wasn't expecting you to thank me. Although I saved you 300 years ago, it was you who woke up even when you were disheartened with no will to live. Since you had no will to live before, I didn't expect a thank you, but it seems you've found something to live for now?"
"Yes. It was unwise of me to risk my own life like that before, especially when I had just given birth. I was disheartened at the time, but I was able to remember Hana and knew I needed to be there for her," Kyoko smiled, putting a hand on Hana's shoulder.
"I'm glad that you realized that. Is there any other reason why you came to see me today?" Lory wondered, knowing that there was a high probability that Kuon and Kyoko had met at the banquet.
"I have some questions about Hizuri Kuon, your godson," Kyoko replied, confirming his suspicions.
"Ah, have you met him? I didn't think either of you were interested in the other when the engagement was set 300 years ago. What questions do you have about him?" Lory asked enthusiastically, generally curious as to where this conversation would head.
"Is there a reason why he is so averse to bright lights? Did he injure his eyes previously?" Kyoko wondered.
"Yes, he did. 300 years ago, he underwent a trial to ascend to High God and returned injured and unconscious, both of his eyes missing. What's your next question?" Lory answered immediately. Kyoko widened her eyes in surprise at his eager willingness to answer her questions before continuing her line of questioning.
"Did he ever forget something?"
"Yes, he has. In the many years that he was in seclusion and undergoing his heavenly trial, there were many events that deeply saddened him, so he took an amnesia potion to forget about them. But how would you know about his memory loss? Is it possible you had something to do with it?" Lory challenged her to answer with a narrowing glance. Kyoko audibly gulped at the sudden seriousness to Lory's tone.
"Do you know exactly what kind of heavenly trial he went through 300 years ago?"
"I never heard any specifics, but from what I was able to learn before he decided to erase his memory of it, the experience was traumatizing enough that he never wanted to remember it again. Kuon's gone through a copious amount of grief in his life, and it truly amazed and saddened me that he decided to take the memory potion since even in his darkest times before, he refused it. One has to wonder what that boy could have gone through that would cause him to want to forget everything that happened. I have a hunch, and I assume you do too, Crown Princess. I've never seen Kuon in that much pain, and I will not hesitate to protect him from reliving it. He told me that his heart was broken beyond repair, and I personally will see to it that the one who caused him such heartbreak doesn't come near him ever again," Lory narrowed his eyes menacingly at Kyoko. He needed to know what exactly happened 300 years ago, and he hoped that his menacing act sufficed to crack Kyoko under the pressure. Lory thought that he would have to pressure her more into revealing what had happened but gaped his mouth open as Kyoko went into a dogeza in the boat, shaking it back and forth dangerously at her sudden movement.
"I deeply apologize, High God! I should have protected Ren! It's entirely my fault that he had to experience so much pain at the Sky Palace, and I never should have let that stupid emotion override my common sense! He would never have gone through so much if I had never fallen in love with him! If you insist, I'll accept if you break off our engagement together. What I did was unforgivable, and even though I still love him, it doesn't make up for the torment that he went through because of me," Kyoko wailed. Lory sighed as he realized that his suspicions had been correct. At the beginning, he had believed that Kyoko had played with Kuon's heart and broke it, causing him to experience a heartbreak that ravaged his soul to such a degree that he chose to forget he ever fell in love in the first place. But hearing her apology now, it sounded like she had really loved him and still loved him to this day. It really had all been a misunderstanding.
"I believe that canceling the engagement is a drastic plan of action. I would only consider doing that as a last resort, but I'll allow the engagement to stand for now. If what you say is true, Mogami-kun, I hope you show him that you truly love him because it seems as if he believed you were in love with someone else before."
"What? Who would he have believed I was in love with? It was only ever him!"
"I believe you Mogami-kun since I saw how you acted around Ren when I visited the Sky Palace, but Kuon's never truly fallen in love before. He mistakenly believed that you were in love with someone else due to his inexperience. I should have followed my gut and not let him take that memory potion. Unfortunately, there's no way to get his memories back now that I know of. The only thing I can do for you two now is to let you build a new relationship with Kuon. But I warn you, Kuon is not the mortal you fell in love with. There's a possibility that you'll realize he's a completely different person, and you won't accept him because he's not the man you fell in love with," Lory explained.
"I lost him once, but I won't make that mistake again. Even though you say he's different, there has to be at least some part of him that's still the same, and I can learn to love whoever he is now," Kyoko assured him. Lory smirked at her determination.
"If you need to find him, he's probably returned to the Fairy Kingdom by now. Have you ever journeyed there before?"
"I haven't, but I should be able to find my way. Thank you for answering my questions, High God," Kyoko bowed her head. Lory bowed his head back at her as she rowed her boat back to shore, leaving Lory alone in the expanse of water with his own guilt eating away at him for inadvertently creating more problems for the couple than before.
...
"Mother, is this where Father lived for hundreds of thousands of years?" Hana asked, her eyes sparkling at the scenery of the Fairy Kingdom. It was as though the trees glistened with natural lights, and the light on the clear stream seemed to be dancing as it slowly trickled to the quaint palace in the middle of the picturesque landscape. Kyoko's eyes also shined as she went into a dreamland of her own, only waking up from her dream when she saw a man with spectacles approaching her. He immediately bowed to her. Hana and Kyoko bowed back as well.
"Good day, Your Highness," Yashiro greeted her.
"Good day to you too. I was wondering if Hizuri Kuon has returned to the Fairy Kingdom yet? I would like to speak with him."
"I'm sorry, but if you were wishing to speak to Kuon, he's not here right now," Yashiro apologized.
"I figured there was a chance he would hang back at the banquet for a while, but that's fine. Could I ask who you are?" Kyoko wondered.
"My name is Yashiro Yukihito. I'm Kuon's political advisor and assistant. You're welcome to stay here until he returns if you would like to, Your Highness."
"There are some matters I must attend to first, but I'll be leaving Hana here for now," Kyoko smiled, putting her hands on a smiling Hana's shoulders.
"Wh-what?! You're leaving the imperial princess here by herself?!" Yashiro asked, bewildered.
"I'm really easy to look after, Yashiro-san! I can even help around the palace if you need! Mother taught me how to cook simple dishes and set the table for meals. Please can I stay here? All I need is some yummy snacks and a few books that Father likes to read!" Hana smiled.
"I apologize, Princess Hana, but I've never ventured that much out of the Fairy Kingdom. I'm afraid I wouldn't know what your father likes to read," Yashiro apologized.
"High God Hizuri Kuon is my father. I can read what he likes to read," Hana giggled.
"Oh, you meant Kuon! My apologies. I thought you were speaking about your biological father, Princess. If you would like to get to know your future father better, then I would be happy to help you," Yashiro replied. Kyoko bowed to him in thanks, content that Hana would be fine staying there for a short period of time until she returned. Hopefully Kuon would be back by the time she was done with her little visit.
…
Kyoko teleported herself back to the Water Kingdom to the front of a gigantic palace shrouded in water lily leaves cascading down tall marble walls. Two guards were stationed at the front of the palace, but they bowed to her and sent a messenger inside to tell the inhabitants of Kyoko's arrival. Shortly after, the door was cracked open to reveal a plump raven-haired beauty.
"Kyoko? Is that really you?" Kanae asked. Kyoko smiled at her and ran to give her a hug, being careful not to squeeze too tightly around Kanae's pregnant belly. Kanae decided to accept the hug since it had been a while since she had last seen her friend.
"I see you're doing well, Moko-san! When are you expecting?" Kyoko asked excitedly.
"He'll be born in two more months. I can't believe how you fought a war with this thing stuck to you. I didn't even feel up to attending the banquet at the East Sea. But how have you been, Kyoko? I haven't seen you ever since…" Kanae began to say before trailing off, not knowing if it would sadden Kyoko if she mentioned what had happened 300 years ago.
"I know. I've missed you so much, Moko-san," Kyoko said sincerely. Kanae couldn't help but smile back and led Kyoko inside to her private quarters where they wouldn't be disturbed and could talk openly.
"Mo, I would never have expected you to be in this kind of mood ever again after seeing your state 300 years ago. What's happened since then?" Kanae wondered.
"I found him, Moko-san."
"What do you mean? Did the Soul-gathering Sheep Pillow work?"
"No, I really found him! It turns out that the reason why the Soul-gathering Sheep Pillow wasn't working was because Ren's soul was not destroyed. He only forgot about me," Kyoko explained.
"How is it possible that his soul was not destroyed after jumping off Korosu Terrace, especially since he was a mortal? If he was an immortal, then I would see a small chance of his soul surviving, but Ren clearly had a mortal aura."
"Ren was mortal, but Hizuri Kuon of the Fairy Kingdom isn't. His celestial aura was hidden when I met him in the mortal realm, and he's forgotten about me, but I've found him, Moko-san!" Kyoko smiled brightly.
"Hold on a second, are you telling me that Hizuri Kuon is your Ren? If what you're saying is true, then why did you two go through so much torment in the past for nothing?! If it was really Hizuri Kuon the whole time, you could have married him with the whole world congratulating you!" Kanae frowned.
"I'm still not sure why his powers and appearance were hidden back then, but you're right. Everything that he went through could have been avoided," Kyoko affirmed, tearing up as her guilt over what had happened 300 years ago surfaced again.
"Have you thought of asking High God Takarada Lory why he was in that state? He might know since he's Hizuri's godfather," Kanae suggested.
"I went to visit the High God just before I came here, but he was only able to tell me that Kuon had thought I didn't love him and chose to take a memory potion to forget about me," Kyoko sniffed, the tears falling down her face. She tried to wipe them away with her sleeve, but more tears immediately replaced those that had been wiped away.
"Mo, why would he think that? Everyone around you two could see how truly you loved each other in secret except for you two yourselves," Kanae grumbled.
"I don't know how Ren came to believe that, but all I can do now is try to get along with Kuon. I think he hates me though. He has a high regard for his job and was hostile towards me because of the rumors that I tried to escape my duties as Crown Princess by jumping off Korosu Terrace with Ren. What should I do, Moko-san?" Kyoko cried exasperatedly.
"Mo, all you have to do is be yourself and show him that the rumors aren't true. I know you truly care for your kingdom. You're lucky that you're getting another chance to fix things. He can't truly hate you. Who knows, maybe he'll even regain his memories one day," Kanae soothed her.
"But what if he hates me forever, and I can never change his opinion of me?"
"I don't think that's possible. He'll see the true you in time," Kanae assured her. Kyoko smiled at her, glad that she had a friend like Kanae to help her through these situations.
"Thank you for the advice. I should probably go now though, Moko-san. Kuon might be back at the Fairy Kingdom by now, and I have to get a start on fixing this whole mess," Kyoko said, throwing herself onto Kanae one more time in a hug before getting up to leave. Kanae returned the hug, hopeful that Kyoko would get her happy ending this time.
Thank you for all of your support on this story!
Ivy401- I'm glad you're looking forward to my releases! Thank you for always being a huge supporter!
Erza- Now both Kyoko and Lory know another part of the truth of what really happened. I'm happy you liked the Kuon and Hana moment because we're going to have lots more of those cute father-daughter moments! Thanks for reviewing!
H-Nala- I agree. To be a fan of Skip Beat! you must have an extreme amount of patience. I can't tell you an exact number of chapters remaining, but there's still at least 10-15 chapters since we have some conflicts to solve. This is just a prediction based on the pacing though that I've decided so far and a flimsy outline that I have in my mind XD. Thank you for your review!
Paulagato- Hana is very honest and hopeful, and we'll have lots more father-daughter moments in the future. After talking with Lory and Kanae this chapter, Kyoko's determined to fall in love again with Kuon and to try to get him to love her back! And Kuon will see the statues and dolls of himself as Ren eventually ;). Thank you for your review!
