AN: Please enjoy, yes more flashbacks next chapter. Also there is a time skip of a few weeks here.

Chapter Twenty Three

I can't believe it. First of all, Kuon doesn't know about what happened at the fashion show but after about four and a half weeks of being confined to the bed, Kuon has been told that he can go out in public for an afternoon. It's amazing. He's been making short trips around the house but tonight he is allowed to leave in a wheelchair and of all the events and places he could go, Kuon wants to meet Rose's teacher with me.

As we enter the classroom, I put a hand on Kuon's back. I don't want to be seen as overprotective of him but I'm nervous. People are of course gossiping about him being there and commenting on the scars on his ace and the physical wounds over his body. They know what happened but Kuon isn't having a seizure or anything.

"Daddy Daddy!" Rose sings happily as she rushes towards a drawing that has some birds and squirrels on it in all sorts of different colors including polka dots. "This one is mine," she says and Kuon takes it in his hands. He looks it over and smiles.

"It—tt's..gg-gre-re-att" he says slowly and Rose beams with pride. I kiss the top of his head and go over to Rose's teacher to talk with her. Rose starts telling him about her love of drawing and coloring and how she likes to be outside just like him. Kuon sits there listening to her and I watch the two of them. Please don't let this happy memory get destroyed and replaced with something more dark and painful.

"Hi," I tell her before gesturing to Kuon, "We're here for Rose. I believe we were at the six forty-five time slot." Rose's teacher nods to me and I turn back to Kuon. People are still watching him and gossiping but they have enough respect to leave Kuon and Rose alone. We did choose a school where people wouldn't be stunned by a celebrity even though Kuon's condition has been mentioned in the media a lot.

"It's good to see you and your husband, I expected or his condition to be worse, I'm glad that he's doing okay," Rose's teacher says and I smile to Kuon. It's the week before Thanksgiving and Kuon improving will mean having a family Thanksgiving with friends as well. It'll be a lot of fun and something that I've always been fond of.

I nod and walk over to Kuon and Rose, "We've still got a little time. How about we look at some more art pieces," I ask them with a grin and Rose nods eagerly. I turn to Kuon. Is something wrong? Something's wrong with his medication isn't it? He has to go home? Did I push him to get out of bed too early on in his recovery?

"Kuo-" I begin but he laughs weakly and shakes his head.

"Th—th re-s-stt-r-rr-o—" he says and I nod. I slip down next to him. I don't want to baby him and I don't want for him to feel conspicuous or as if he's on show.

"Do you know where it i-" I begin to ask but Kuon nods and smiles to Rose before wheeling himself away. I should follow him, right? What if he has trouble relieving himself or standing up or what if he falls down or has a seizure? I should go with him right? I panic about this but just decide to check the time on my phone. I have to trust him at least a little. The doctors have said that he needs his independence. Besides, there are a lot of adults and teachers and this would be a safe place if he does need help. I just hope that if he needs help, he'll call out for it.

…

….

"This is the perfect school to take Rose," Dad tells Kyoko and I look around. It still feels the same as when I was a kid and went here. Maybe they've updated the furniture, put new art work on the walls, but the layout of the classroom, the way that the sun goes through the window, the trees outdoors. It's the same as when I was a kid here.

"It really does look nice," Kyoko smiles and I am still in disbelief at how I am standing in my old classroom and there have been so many things which have happened. I've lived through my teenage years and become a father who has his own kids to look out for and care for. "What do you think?"

"It feels…it's wow," I admit as I take in the feel of this place. It just feels safe and secure and like a second home. I used to be very social with people and I wasn't afraid of trying new things or talking to people whom I never thought that I would be talking to. "I loved this place growing up, I'd love to share those memories with the girls when they are growing up as well. I want this place to help us bond."

"You don't need help with that," Kyoko teases me but nods. "Yes, it seems important to Kuon and I like it. Yes," I tell Dad and he smiles.

"Good, I've already saved you a spot in the list," he winks and I laugh. I just hope that Rose loves it as much as I do.

…

…

I know that she's worried about me but I've managed to come this far by myself without any problems. I think that I can handle using the restroom by myself. It's amazing how people will look like they want to talk to you and then at the very last second decide against it and take a step back abandoning the idea. Am I that unwelcoming? Am I that unapproachable? I sigh as I roll the wheelchair to the disabled bathroom stool and notice that it's empty. It makes me think of my own school when I was a kid and things were simpler and people didn't make fun of the fact that you were mixed ethnicity.

As I'm about to open the door, I hear a thud from behind me and then hear the locking of the door. I look up and I hate to admit that I'm a little frightened by what I'm seeing in front of me. I try not to let him bother me but what the hell is he doing here of all places?

"Fff-u-wa?" I ask in disbelief.

I mean, of course I'm in shock. Sho Fuwa has just entered the bathroom of my daughter's school where he has no kids of his own enrolled. No, he has no kids period. How has he broken through security and why the hell follow me here? Has he been spying on me, waiting for the first time when I'm out in public to approach me.

"You think it's all a game, don't you?" he says and fortunately he's speaking slow enough for me to understand the Japanese he's using. I blink at him. What is he talking about? "You wanted to ruin my career. Now my own parents won't talk to me."

I stare at him. It's unfortunate that his parents won't speak to him, it's a feeling of loneliness that I've been through before and would never wish upon anyone. I try to observe him but I'm very confused.

"You want to make me suffer. That's what you wanted to do, it's what you're planning on doing tonight," he accuses me and I stare at him because that's the craziest thing I have ever heard him say and that's saying a lot. "You want to hurt my career even more, that's your grand plan."

"Mmm-yy wh—at?" I blink. I've spent the past month confined to a bed because I got sick. I'm only able to leave the house in a wheelchair and the only place I've come is to this school. Is Fuwa on drugs or something? I didn't come to my daughter's open house in order to ruin his career. Why would I come to my daughter's open house to ruin his career!? Can't he see that I'm trying to be supportive of Rose? That's all that tonight is. Being with my family. Talking with my daughter's teacher. It's nothing to do with him and that's why it's so bewildering that he's here.

"You're going to die tonight, Hizuri," he says in a somewhat crazed way and I don't understand any of this. I know that he's been trying to get to Kyoko in my absence but why is he saying that I have some grand scheme of ruining his career. I don't give a damn about his career. I've spent the last month in bed trying to recover a little from my illness.

Fuwa pushes me against the wall and I feel a little disoriented as the wheelchair rolls back and forth, it's at this point that I feel a needle pierce me and a cold liquid getting put through my body. Poison!? He's poisoning me!? What the hell is he…it starts to go blurry and I feel as if I'm on some strange drug that's not going to be in any medical book. He's actually drug-it's at this time I see him take out some type of weapon but my vision is blurring, I can't quite work out what is happening.

At this point I feel him smash something down over my throat and feel the pain in my collar bone. Did he break it? What the hell is he doing? It's at this point I get a moment of clarity and see that he's holding a bat and I see that it's aimed at my head. "Ppl-leas-se" I beg, feeling a childlike fear rush through me. I'm terrified. I try to reach up to guard my head. Please, not the head, not my head. I don't care if you break my body but…I sniff feeling like a child and then get an immense pain through my body and lose consciousness. Am I dead?

…

….

Something is wrong. Kuon has been gone for far too long. Something happened. I feel my fears gnawing at me and turn to Rose's teacher. "I need to check on something, do you mind if Rose stays here for a few moments whilst I sort it out?" I feel relieved when the teacher nods and after promising Rose that I'll be back shortly, I race out of the room. I can't help feeling that something is wrong. As I hear a couple of people on their phones to emergency services my body feels as if it's been completely dried out.

I go to where the crowd has gathered outside of the boy's restroom and I see the blood. I see that Kuon is on his side on the restroom floor, his chair has been tipped over but he's not reacting. I see that his head is bleeding, his body is bruised and also covered in blood but his head. His head shouldn't be bleeding.

I rush forward, pushing through the crowd and grab the towel from the hook, putting it under his head. He's not breathing well and his pulse is weakening and there's so much blood. I bow my head with tears in my eyes as I try to think through everything. If he loses too much blood he'll die. He has to stop bleeding. "Kuon, my love," I try to hold his hand but it flops down in my grip. It'll only be a few more minutes until he's dead. "Baby, listen to me, I need you Corn. I need you." He doesn't respond.

Why isn't he responding? Why is he here? Why did somebody hurt his head? I look to the side where there appears to be a wooden baseball bat. Did somebody try and cave in his head with a baseball bat. I am about to scream when I hear the paramedics. They're talking to each other saying that he could be dead at the scene or he might not make it to the hospital in time. I don't know what they are saying but this shouldn't be happening. I should have never agreed for him to leave the house.

End of Chapter Twenty Three

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Two

Kaname671, kyoko minion