Chapter Twenty-Four

I feel like crying again and I don't want to burden Sho-kun. I feel sad because my mother has locked me out again and she left town without buying food. Sho's mother was fortunate enough to provide me with food but the parents were supposed to go to the cram school day to talk to the instructors but Mother didn't go, she said my B-grades weren't good enough. Corn always said that I was smart and that he believed in me. Corn made me happy but now he's not here.

I look out at the lake as I hold the stone that he gave me. Corn is my very precious friend. Corn believes in me and I hope he's playing up in the sky and that he has his wings. Still, it's sad on the ground, it's sad being so lonely.

"If you didn't believe in me then I wouldn't believe in me," I whisper to the stone as I hold it closely. I cry again. I know that Corn had to leave me but that doesn't stop my sadness. I miss you, my dear fairy prince.

….

….

"Please don't leave me Corn," I whisper as I hold onto the stone he gave me so many years ago. It's one of my most prized possessions and Father knew what I needed. I think even Father is starting to lose hope in the situation. Kuon is dying and people are saying it's a miracle that he's not already dead but maybe it would be easier if he was. I understand what they are saying but I don't think it's a waste of time his fighting, if he can win then I want him to do everything in his power to win.

His body is motionless in the bed, his wounds are visible and he looks more like…as much as I hate to say it…a corpse. I hold onto his hand but he doesn't react. I hear a tap on the wall next to the door and look up feeling absolutely exhausted. I blink in a very tired manner, "Father," I whisper and Kuu nods.

"Can I sit with you?" he asks me and I can see the way he's looking longingly at Kuon.

I pull a chair out beside me and turn to Kuon, I blink back tears. "Your dad's here," I tell him although I know he won't respond. He's hooked up to so many machines. He's lost so much blood and…I turn back to face Kuu and see the bandages around his arm and how pale he is. He gave up more blood for Kuon.

"Of course," I tell him quickly realizing I haven't verbally responded. "Kuu," I whimper, "Who would do this to him?"

Kuu stands in front of Kuon and cups his face with his hand, he smiles as he looks at his little boy and I feel the pain that he's trying to hide from me. He lets him rest but doesn't say anything. I look between them and bow my head. "You have to know what happened," Father tells me and I freeze. I nod slowly. I know it was Shotaro somehow but I don't know if he got someone to do this for him or if he found a way to do it himself. However, Kuon hasn't done anything to Shotaro, it's been Father and I who have attacked him.

"Can you stay?" I ask as I turn to Father and he nods.

Father turns towards Kuon once again, "Hang in there for me, son, we'll do all we can to help."

…

…

I look across at Kuon as we sit with our lawyer in his office. Today we're doing the important task of updating our wills in order to include Rose and Ana in them. Since we have three different wills it takes a longer time despite them saying the same things. Whoever dies first will leave the money and property to the other one of us and then after we both pass, our money and property will go onto Ana and Rose. If they are still young though, the money is transferred to Kuu and Julie with the understanding that we want it to be used for Rose and Ana.

My will says the same thing, that my property goes to Kuon and a portion to be saved for the girls' futures. I thought that Kuon's would say the same thing but he keeps looking down as if something is wrong. I look to him and he shakes his head. "Corn?" I ask and he finally turns to me.

"Kyoko," he says finally and I nod, listening to him. "Please don't take this as an insult, princess but there's someone else I need to take care of with my finances if anything were to happen to them and I need you to promise me something because I don't think that it needs to be written down."

I pause unsure what he is talking about. He's not going to tell me he has some kid from a hookup he had as a teenager, right? He's not going to tell me that he's got a mistress. I don't want to think these things but I'm not sure who he is referring to. I open my mouth to ask and the attorney leans forwards.

"Can I have the name of the individual?" the attorney asks and Kuon looks at me and bows his head.

"Two names," he tells me and my eyes widen. He has a second family that he's hiding from me? He has a secret mistress and a - "Kuu Hizuri and Julienna Hizuri."

I pause. I feel stupid thinking that he's hiding a secret family from me when he's really just speaking about his parents. He loves his parents and I know that they have a lot of money and savings but that doesn't mean that they won't get hurt. I take his hands in mine and smile to him. "Kuon, listen to me, if you die and your parents need help with anything then I'm not going to say no to them. I love both your father and your mother as if they were my own parents. We're a family and they helped me realize the importance of that. If you were gone and they needed money or help or a place to stay or anything else then they are not going to suffer, I wouldn't let them suffer."

"We don't need to put that in," Kuon says to the attorney and I look down.

Of course I would help Father and Julie-san. Even if I had to spend a million or so dollars getting them out of danger I would do so without hesitation. I am just glad that Kuon thinks so much about his own parents when my mother still doesn't give a damn about me and my father doesn't even know I'm alive.

…

…

It's been forty eight hours. The girls have to understand at this point why I can't leave the hospital but Father has been supportive. Julie has already taken them to see their dad and it was heartbreaking hearing them tell him how much they love him and want him to come back home. I know that the chances don't look good. He's fading but there has also been no change and whereas one might say no change is bad, he hasn't gotten worse, he hasn't died yet.

"Kyoko," Kuu says in a slow pace and I don't want to hear it. I don't want him to have given up on Kuon already. "Kuon would want you and the girls to be happy and safe even if he wasn't here. I know that it'll be hard to ge-"

"Father," I speak sharply. "You've never questioned Kuon before, don't start doing it now. We don't know what is going to happen. He still has a chance of waking up."

"Kyoko, everyone is saying that a normal person would have died instantly in only a matter of seconds," Kuu tries to reason with me and I sharpen my stare which is directed at him. Yes, a normal, average, every-day type of person would probably die but when has Kuon ever been normal? Even when he was Tsuruga Ren, he was never to be considered normal.

"Kuon isn't dead. He can keep fighting," I try to persuade Father but he looks down.

"Kyoko, if it isn't a fatality then there is the possibility that Kuon could be brain dead," I look forward. The doctors have said that to me as well. I know that Kuon would hate to be in a vegetative state but I can't just pull the plug on him and walk away. He's far too important to me. He wouldn't give up on me.

"I doubt it," I whisper knowing that I'm in denial here but this is Kuon, I can't just let him die and I'll never be okay with making that decision.

"Kyoko, the needs for a person in Kuon's condition might not be able to be things that you or I can do for him. I would do anything for my son but if he has lifelong disabilities then -"

I stare at Kuu, I know that it's not coming from a mean and cruel place but Kuon would be alive. It would be an adjustment for him and for me but after some time getting used to his disabilities and how to handle them we can work on getting back to normal or at least somewhere where the four of us are happy and together.

"I appreciate the fact that you tell me this and that you will be there for Kuon," I emphasize that and stare at Kuon. I want him to wake up so badly. I don't care that I have only changed my clothes once in the nearly three days I've been here. I don't care how my hair or skin is. I just want to be here for him in case he needs me. I close my eyes and take hold of Kuon's hand again. "I am going to be with my husband. I am going to stay with him and I'll just have to hope for the best."

Father looks at me with a little apprehension but eventually nods with a sigh. I'm not stupid, I know what Kuon's chances are but then I can't stop loving him. I just really hope that he will get better. "Have you asked the president about getting some security?" I ask and Dad nods. Hopefully having bodyguards and private health care people nearby will help because I will rip the heart out of anyone who comes near Kuon with anything other than good intentions.

….

…

I don't understand. The last thing I remember was pleading with Fuwa for him not to kill me by bashing my head in with a baseball bat and feeling completely terrified before I lost consciousness. Now I'm here in what appears to be a waiting room with a single chair and just white. Am I dead? Did they make a mistake and send me to heaven? I don't think I deserve heaven. I don't want to be dead but I hope that Kyoko will forgive me. As I look around, I see a pool with water in it and go over. I get down next to it and see my face at thirteen before life took all the innocence away from me.

I'm not thirteen anymore. I'm thirty-one. Still that's the face that is staring back at me. I look around before hearing footsteps and I try to steady myself. Is this the grim reaper to take me to hell. They have made a mistake haven't they?

"Kuon," I hear a familiar voice say and my back straightens. I turn and my eyes widen before I get to my feet. My jaw drops as I see him there, fifteen and without all the blood that I caused. I open my mouth to speak but I don't know what to say. I'm reponsi- "You're not responsible for me," he tells me and I look down guiltily. "Kuon, you're not responsible for me and I'm not even sure that you're…dead…"

I look at him. What is he talking about? If I'm not dead then he is some really weird psychological hallucination.

"Rick, have you come to take me with you?" I ask before closing my eyes painfully. I haven't been able to speak normally in months, I missed being able to complete sentences. I look around. I feel like I should be at Kings Cross for some reason.

"It depends, do you want to come with me or do you want to spend a little more time on Earth?" I blink at him, he's offering me a choice? I open my mouth to speak but the words don't come out.

I guiltily look away. "Rick, you've always been so important to me," I tell him but he grins.

"Then you should go back to Kyoko. You'll have plenty of time to be dead later on but if you're willing to fight for it go be with your wife and your daughters."

I open my mouth to speak but I just can't understand how he knows so much about my life. I feel as if I'm floating outside of my body but as soon as I realize this feeling, Rick pushes me backwards and I feel a strong pull back down to the hospital bed. I can't see the light any longer. What does that mean?

…..

…..

I can't breathe. It's as if my lungs aren't working and I can hear sobbing in the room. I feel very afraid and alone and I can't move very well. I just feel so weak. None of this is connecting. I hear the sobbing again.

"Please, sweetheart. I know it's hard," Kyoko. I want to look at her but I can't open my eyes, I can hear her though. "Corn. I know it's asking a lot of you but keep fighting, please?" she begs again. Am I dead? Am I haunting my wife? I try very hard to open my eyes but I can't do it. "I'm sorry. Please, Corn, I'll do anything," she says and I feel my thumb tapping the back of her hand very gently. She gasps and I try to open my eyes again. "Corn?" she asks again and I squeeze her fingers. I've never felt so weak before.

"Oh my god," she says excitedly, "Kuon." I feel her very gently push my hair back, kissing my forehead. "Kuon, sweetheart, you can do it, you can do it my prince," she tries to encourage me and my eyes flicker open and I can see her for a moment but I can't get my eyes to stay open. I try to breathe again before feeling a respirator mask on my face. "Corn," she says as she holds onto my hand with both of hers.

"K—Kk" I try to say but I can't get her name out. I feel like I'm losing her name. Kyoko. Her name is Kyoko. She is my Kyoko, my wife. "Ko…" I can't get onto the next syllable without my brain stopping. "Koko?" I whisper and she squeezes my hand, kissing the back of it.

"I'm here, Corn," she tells me and I feel a sense of fear around me. I hold her hand tighter and she squeezes back before holding my hand to her heart. "I'm here, Kuon," she repeats. I hear the doctors coming into the room and it's too much, it's all too much. I need to be here with Koko-Kyoko. I need to stay here with Kyoko. She is my Kyoko.

End of Chapter Twenty-Four

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Enigma, H-Nala, Kaname671