Chapter Eighteen

I feel guilty. I agreed to go to America but I'm scared and I don't think that that's okay. I have had enough time to adjust and both Father and the president say that they'll help me with whatever they can. I don't know if I'm prepared to do this, what if I fail? I spent so long a time thinking that love was a stupid emotion and wishing that I wouldn't be foolish enough to fall in love and then I did because someone loved me and then I began dating him and we got engaged and…and now my life seems to be spinning out of control. They didn't tell me about this part in the fairytales.

Still. I fell in love and he has treated me like a princess. We've had arguments but we've worked through them, apologized to each other, listened to one another. I'm just scared that I'm going to be someone's wife in America and I'm not going to have an escape route. I hear someone chuckling behind me and blush. He's still able to do that even as my fiancé, maybe especially as my fiancé.

"You do know a celebrity will get hassled if she sits on the dirty ground outside the agency," he teases me and I freeze. He's had his natural hair color for a few weeks now but it catches me off guard each and every time. I smile as I watch him and he raises an eyebrow at the way I'm just staring at him. "Well, I suppose I can't own the I am totally in love with you, expression."

"No. You can't," I tell him and hear people whispering. Why am I cursed to go into the background unless I'm with Kuon? One look at Kuon and everyone is talking about us, he gets twice the attention that Ren did. Still, since he grew up in that type of environment it doesn't get to his head. "Besides, nobody noticed me until you came."

"I doubt that's true," he says and I look up at him, he's not wearing his contacts and my cheeks warm again. How in heaven's name did I ever manage to find my fairy prince again? It should have been impossible but we've been fated to be together. Still I see people gathering towards us and I grab his hand. I pull my bag to my shoulder and yank him up, he blinks surprised before I turn to him. It's a way we've come up with being a celebrity couple without being harassed.

"Are you ready to run?" I ask him with a smile and I see the excitement in his emerald – so damn cute – eyes as he meets my challenge. He nods and we run off holding each other's hand whenever we can. We've done this so many times but with all the running away I've done in my life, I'm very glad I've met someone who can run with me.

…..

…..

The doctor stares at me and I look back at him. I'm not going to let my marriage fade or even dim without a fight. Yes, I will still remain loyal and married to him even if he has to go and be with Nate but I'm going to do whatever I can to keep him with me. I didn't go into marriage thinking it was going to be easy. Yes, I didn't think that sickness would mean this sick but I would never have agreed to it were I just to bow out when it got more difficult than expected.

This isn't even a boyfriend or fiancée or man I've just married though. Kuon and I have been married for eight years, coming up to nine years. For five nights a week on average, I have been going to bed with his head on the pillow next to mine and for six mornings a week, I wake up and look at him before he has to go to work and comment on how gorgeous he is. Maybe other people would say that that was lacking time but when you're one of the A-list actors internationally, he gives me all the time that he can.

More than even that though, more than the fact that we're soulmates, is the fact that he risked his life for mine just as I would risk mine for his because I was right when I was younger, being in love makes you idiotic but I don't care if it's for him.

"Regardless of whether you want to take him home or not, he has to remain in the hospital until his body has reached a status where we feel he is able to leave," the doctor continues and I know this. Kuon got sick and I didn't catch it in time and it's because he's some higher rank of human that he survived. I know that Kuon has super powers even if he denies it. "We don't want to risk him getting sick again."

"I understand," I nod before reaching for the pad of paper and a pen, "May I?" I ask and he nods as I write down on the paper. "What kind of equipment is available to purchase? I know that there are professional masks to ward away infection but there have to be other types of equipment or suppli-"

"I would estimate a home care treatment to cost close to si-" I pause. Does this man not know how much Kuon is worth financially? How much I'm worth financially? We have plenty of money. Money doesn't matter. "Not to mention all the time com-"

"So maybe hire a home nurse or at least someone who can come visit our home," I tell him before writing down on the paper. I know home remedies and I know how to stretch money when needed but I don't care how many useless things he or anyone else pushes me, I'm taking Kuon home and keeping him there. "Does he need a special type of bed?"

The doctor's jaw drops and he looks at me the way that a lot of people have done so my entire life. He's underestimating me. I'm not going to let him stop me from trying. I'm a human Daruma when it comes to giving up, I can wobble but I won't fall down. "You can't be serious," he says, "You have children, right?"

"We're a very close family," I reply. I don't know what Ana and Rose have to do with this. They might not be old enough to fully understand this but they love their father and Kuon adores them. I just don't know how any of them would be with a lack of contact to one another. "My mother and father in law are both supportive of us as well. We have a great support system."

The doctor sighs and looks to me as if he's going to say that he doesn't believe I can take care of Kuon but I'm going to do all that I can to try and one thing is for certain, I will get a restraining order against Shotaro. I want to wring his neck but maybe I can charge him with assault. I don't know how Kuon would feel about that though but definitely get him to never come near us again.

Finally the doctor looks at me in a strange manner, it's as if he's found the winning piece to his argument. Why is he insisting on this? Is he getting a bonus on checking people into assisted care facilities? Is this his weird and illegal side project. "I would say that he will have to be bedridden for most of the next month," I look at him. What does that mean? More pillows? "He also might not have proper bowl fun-"

"Fine. We can treat that," I tell him and I wonder what the hell this man is thinking. Does he want me to give up on Kuon that badly? Does he have some sick obsession with me or is it Kuon, is it because of Kuon's celebrity status. Is it all in my head that this doctor thinks that he's competing against me here?

"I'm saying that we might not be able to tre-" he says and I stand up with my palm face down on the table in a strong position. I messed up once. I'm not going to mess up again. "—at it. Mrs. Hizuri, you know that this means that your husband might be…"

"Incontinence is a common medical problem especially following any kind of head trauma," I speak in a steady voice. Does he honestly think that I would care about such an insignificant thing as that? Kuon could have died, a couple of times at least. Loss of bladder control is not going to keep me from having the man I love with me. "Please tell me the rest of the information I'll need to know and whether anything has to be provided for Kuon at home." I stand up straight and get rid of my inner demons, bringing out my salesperson smile. I can't continue being angry and believe that it will get me everywhere. Kuon is able to make the anger not so strong, that's important to me.

"The moment that this becomes too hard for you please let us know, it's hard to take care of a loved one," the doctor tells me and I don't know if he understands how much I love Kuon. I nod slowly. I just want to be with him, I will fight for the right to be with him.

….

….

I blink sleepily as I look at the ceiling in the hospital room. How long have I been out? I hear a soft and sweet murmuring and I look to the chair beside me. Kyoko is asleep beside me. I feel like I've just made this harder on her. I can somehow think more clearly and I reach to hold her hand. She pulls back sharply and sits up. If I could have done it without waking her up, that would have been my aim.

"I'm fine," Kyoko says and I'm able to listen to her words again, "My father in law has the kids. He's back from Chicago. I'm staying."

I wonder if the doctors have been trying to persuade her to leave. I still have a respiration mask on but my lungs are feeling a little stronger than before. I squeeze her hand and she blinks before looking at me. I smile to her and she comes forward. I hate that I've made her worry so much.

"Corn," she says before pushing a hand through my hair, she gives a happy squeak and then bounces up and down with excitement. "Your fever's gone down so much. Corn, that makes me feel so happy." I look at her. She's been sleeping in an uncomfortable position and looks emotionally and physically tired but I know that she's going to put her own health at risk to make sure I'm okay.

"Hey," I mouth with the mask still covering my face. "Ll-ove…you."

"I love you too," she whispers before wiping away some tears. She moves forward and kisses my forehead before wrapping her arms around me. I watch her. I really do love her so much. I shift back before feeling that the sheets are a little moist. What the heck!?

"Don't worry about it," she says as she kisses my head. She looks around before guiding me back and getting in on top of the moist sheets. I stare at her. She's wearing jeans which she absolutely loves and I just…I just..not even small kids are supposed to do that. How can she be comfortable here? Still, her face doesn't show disgust, relief, but not disgust. She has to have realized what I've done.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispers before crying into my chest and as dirty and repulsive as I feel, I wrap my arms around her and she seems to calm down. Without her knowing, I move the oxygen mask off my face for a moment.

"Kyok—kko.." I whisper, "d-d-d-ddo—on—n'tt st-a—"

"Ssh," she whispers as she holds onto my shirt. She tries to reach up for the mask so I can put it back on.

"I'm s-s-s-so-rr—" I begin but start coughing a little, Kyoko's eyes open so she can look at me, she tries to put the oxygen mask over my mouth a little.

"Sssh," she nods. "I know, Corn. I know. Please get some rest," she begs me but I have to make sure that she knows the truth.

"I we-wett…my—ss-e-llff" I tell her before coughing and I have trouble getting the air in and out. She sits up immediately but stays in the bed. She takes the oxygen mask and helps put it over my mouth before rubbing my back so I can get my breathing rate back again. She looks at me and once again there's no disgust or shame or disgust, she's just looking at me with concern and understanding.

"It's okay," she tells me as she turns to me with that understanding nod. "It's okay. Remember when I was pregnant and peed a little bit?" she asks me and I sigh. When that happened she was humiliated and wouldn't even talk to me but I made her see that it was okay. She wasn't in control of her body and I'd just help her get changed and we'd go back to bed and that I definitely wasn't going to leave her over something so inconsequential. "Do you want to call the nurse?" she asks and I pause not sure what to say.

"Why don't you get some more sleep and we'll call when you wake up the next time," she suggests. She presses her forehead into my chest. "I love you, unconditionally," she tells me and I can trust in her words. Hopefully I'll be able to communicate with her at this level when I next wake up.

End of Chapter Eighteen

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Seventeen

H-Nala, Kaname671, kyoko minion

AN: In answer to the question of whether Sho's attack hurt Kuon. It hurt him a little bit but his mini coma was from infection from Ana's cold attacking the part of his brain where he was operated on so it was more from bacterial infection than the physical shove.