AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter, it is the final wrap up of Maria for right now 😊

Chapter Thirty-Six : Maria – Part Three

Kyoko felt her breath catch in her throat once she heard Maria call her that. She smiled softly as the memories of the time that the two of them had spent together came back to her. Kyoko waved to her 'young' friend. "Hi, I'm so sorry about before and -"

"Please don't apologize," Maria smiled, "It's been a long time and I have changed but I don't think that still changes how I feel about you. You'll always be a big sister to me and I'll always remember when we went to spy on Kotonami-san," Kyoko's eyes opened wider for a moment hearing that name being used, "and when we arranged our thankful parties. If it wasn't for you then I would never be who I am today so thank you."

"You're welcome," Kyoko said as she tried to think over what was said and Maria looked away guiltily.

"I just can't call her Kanae after what happened," Maria attempted to explain and Kyoko watched her curiously, "I'm sorry. I know that nobody needs to know this but I'm Team Kuon 100%," that made Kyoko look at her even more surprised, "The guy has his problems but he's my big brother."

"Are you talking about what she said about him murdering me?" she asked and Maria looked at her with her own surprised expression.

"Oh, I didn't….I didn't think that Kuon would have ever told you about that," she hesitated as she tried to think through it. Was Kuon still angry at the way that he had been treated? She hadn't believed that he had been angry in the first place. Had he changed during the time she was in college?

"Kuon didn't, it was Moko-chan who did," Kyoko said as Maria nodded and looked down guiltily.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't want to say anything but I have a problem with her and I've never been able to forgive her. I'm a bit stubborn sometimes," Maria admitted and then looked at Kyoko with a weak smile. "Especially with someone who has helped me so much even though he's struggled himself for six years, Kuon feels like my big brother and I had some moments that he's helped me with."

"Kuon's like that, everyone keeps telling me how helpful and devoted he is," Kyoko replied before gesturing to the restaurant, "Like tonight, shall we go in and use that reservation that he booked us to catch up?" she asked and Maria nodded.

"Sounds good, this place has really nice food, when Grandfather came to visit Kuon's dad, all six of us went out to eat and Kuu really does eat a lot," Maria giggled and Kyoko laughed too. She was well aware of Kuu's superhuman stomach capacity.

Kyoko walked into the restaurant to see that it really was swarming with activity, as Maria went to the front desk though there was a look of recognition as she gave Kuon's name and before Kyoko knew it, the two of them were being shown to a private room. Kyoko thanked the hostess and sat down at the private table.

"Just so the two of you are informed, Mr. Hizuri has already taken care of the cost of the meal and any drinks, sides, or desserts you two lovely women might decide to order. Please feel free to ask for anything you'd like," she said and Maria nodded.

After the hostess had left, Maria put her elbow on the table and slid down in a manner she used to do as a child as well, "I thought that he'd do something like this," she commented sounding slightly annoyed. Kyoko turned to her and hummed. "He always tries to give other people the world but has a problem when people try to do the same for him. It's hard having such a selfless big brother."

"You mean a selfless husband in my case," Kyoko smiled. She sighed, "He thought I wanted to move back to Japan so tried to change our whole life to do so even though I knew that he'd created this whole world for himself and Bella here and I want to try living in the home that he earned."

"He does that," Maria said as she looked down thoughtfully and Kyoko watched her. "Take care of him, okay. I have a feeling that he's more messed up than he thinks he is and I'm still worried about him. I have these dreams some nights where he's no longer here and," Maria tried to brush the tears away that had just come into her eyes as she picked up a menu, "The soup is really good but I think I'm going to have a house salad for tonight."

Kyoko looked at the menu again and then looked up to Maria who was trying to get over the thought of Kuon, Kyoko didn't know whether to bring her husband up or not. She was really worried about him but she wanted to learn more about what Maria was doing and how she was getting on in her life.

"So, you're in college?" Kyoko said as she looked at the steak dishes.

"I'm at Parsons," Maria smiled, "It's a design school in New York, currently I'm living with my dad but he did offer to pay for an apartment for me. I don't think that's necessary though, we have guest rooms but I do have to be taken by a driver since Dad's a little worried about me on the subway. New York is amazing though."

"You like it there?" Kyoko asked as a waiter came into the room. Both Maria and Kyoko ordered and the waiter left telling them that he'd have their drinks back shortly. "Is your grandfather upset that you're not going into acting?"

"Grandfather loves it, he says that he will only get me to make his costumes from now on," the younger woman replied as she smiled nostalgically. "As strange as he is, both Grandfather and Grandm-oops, she'll hunt me down for saying that," Maria said as she put a hand to her lips and Kyoko grinned.

"Did he and Jelly finally get married?" she asked excitedly, "I know that they were dating for a while."

"Yes, but she refuses to be called mother or grandmother, so both Dad and I call her Ten," Maria replied as Kyoko smiled hoping that both of those people who had helped her in the past were happy.

"I'm happy for the two of them, are you seeing anyone?" she asked and Maria grinned.

"I am. My boyfriend's name is Tyler, he's a very nice guy who is studying business management. He's the American CEO of a video game company but he's more interested in the logistics of business than playing video games. I still have some tests that I have to put him through before we discuss moving in together," Maria smiled as she gave a wink to Kyoko who remembered her tricks when she was a kid and didn't want people getting close to Ren.

"Do you have a photo of -"

Maria took out her phone before Kyoko could even finish her question and she showed Kyoko a picture where she was sitting on a brunette guy's lap who looked eerily similar to Ren. Kyoko didn't know whether anyone had ever pointed this out to her or now and Kyoko didn't want to be the one to do so.

"He always looks a little familiar to me," Maria said as Kyoko tried to hide her surprise, "but I can't place it. If we're still dating the next time I come to visit, I'd love for you to meet him. I think that you'd approve."

"I'd love to meet him," Kyoko smiled happily, "He looks like he's taking care of you well. How old is he?"

"Twenty, so only a year older than me," Maria said as she looked back at the phone again and laughed. "You sure you won't judge me for falling in love?" Maria teased and Kyoko shook her head.

"I would be a hypocrite because I can't foresee a way of me falling out of love with Kuon," she said as she thought about her wonderful husband.

…

…

Kuon turned to look at his wife as she came into the house, he was putting away the pots that he had used in making his and Isabella's dinner and had been staring at his hand. He hoped that what he thought was happening wasn't actually happening, well he had a lot of experience with contacts if it did.

Kyoko smiled at him before seeing the way that he was looking at his hand and tilted her head to the side, putting a bag of food on the kitchen island in the middle. "Sweetheart, is everything okay?"

"How would you feel if I got contacts?" he asked her and Kyoko froze.

"What color?" she asked and Kuon laughed as he put the dishtowel back on the hook.

"I'm just thinking that my eyesight is fading and I might need to have them for distance. Maybe I'll get glasses as well or would that be -"

"I think that you would look sexy and smart and sophisticated with glasses," she grinned before he could finish what he was saying. "Would I get to help you pick them out?" she smiled to him and he nodded before gesturing to the bag.

"I take it that you and Maria had a good time at dinner and had a chance to reconnect?" he asked her and Kyoko nodded as she put her leftovers in the fridge.

"We managed to catch up and you were right, there was nothing to worry about but I did see a dessert that I was hoping we could share together tonight?" she said as she put a vanilla cupcake in the fridge as well. She hoped that she could give that to Bella after school the next day.

Kuon smiled as he watched her, he was always so mesmerized by her, so incredibly lucky that he was the man who she chose to be with. He sat down as he saw Kyoko pull two forks out of the drawer and then set a pear panna cotta with a glaze of port wine gelee in the middle of them.

Kuon smiled nostalgically as he looked at it, "Is this because you missed Valentines Day this year?" he asked and Kyoko took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"This is because I love you," she said as she brought his hand up to her lips.

…

…

"Are you sure that you're okay taking Bella tonight?" the thirty-one-year-old Kuon asked Julie as he put down the bag of Isabella's things on the shoe rack. "It's Valentines Day. You and Dad should be celebrating. I know how the two of you love -"

"We love seeing our son and taking care of our granddaughter," Julie replied with a stern look. "Your father and I have had many Valentine's Days where we've had to spend time apart due to scheduling contracts."

"Which means that it's more important for you to spend the time together when you can," Kuon protested but Julie came over to him and put a hand on her son's cheek whilst seeing her husband and granddaughter come back into the house. "I really don't want to intrude."

"Are you going to be okay? I don't want you to be alone tonight, stay here with us. It'll be….a celebration of the love that we have as a family and after last year."

Bella tensed as she heard that, "Please stay, Daddy?" she asked, "You can be my Valentines."

Kuon looked back at his mother's and daughter's concerned faces and then sighed, "I don't know if it would be okay with Grand-"

"Of course it is," Kuu said, "You still need to share your recipe for wine gelee with me."

"It's her recipe, Dad" Kuon replied and Kuu nodded. He knew it was Kyoko who had made that dessert for Ren many many years ago, a decade to be exact, but he also knew how important that memory was to his son. Kuu had the suspicion that even when Kuon was old and grey, and hopefully he would make it to that point, Kyoko would always be his Valentines.

End of Chapter Thirty-Six

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