Chapter Twenty Five

Kuon has a new list of obstacles that he has to overcome. The doctors have confirmed that he is now legally disabled but it doesn't matter. He's awake. He's alive. Disabilities can be treated and recovered from to some extent. He's only made monosyllabic sounds but it's to be expected. He can call me K'oko as much as he needs to. The way his head was hurt is seen physically, they had to shave off his head to further treat him but they only shaved it off in the part where he has the dent. They'll do more later. I can't believe that Kuon has a dent in his head.

"He won't be able to have hard food for a while," the doctor tells me and I nod. I wanted to enjoy our holiday together and there are going to be sweet things around. Although it's not Kuon's favorite, I don't want to seem cruel to him. "He'll have to stay in the hospital for a…"

"Will he be able to come home for Christmas?" I ask with wet eyes. I don't want to say that it's my birthday because that doesn't matter. I hold onto his hand, taking comfort in his breathing through the respiratory mask. It's a miracle that he even survived.

"We'll see," the doctor says and I know that isn't a definite. It's very selfish of me. "We're thinking about monitoring his breathing but we might have to do some work on his throat," he gestures to me the mark of where the bat landed on his collar bone. He's been having a lot of difficulty moving that side of his upper body due to the breaking of the bone. I look him over before nodding. I've never seen anyone survive this type of damage before even in the movies or dramas. "If we do have to operate, it might affect his voice, the way he speaks. We're hoping he would recover but it might change his voice."

I nod, feeling my eyes fill with tears. I won't be hearing his voice either in Japanese or in English. I won't hear that sweet Californian accent when he tells me that he loves me, I won't hear him call me his princess, I won't be able to recapture those memories and what if his voice fades? I know it won't because of all the work he's done as an actor but…no the way he sounds isn't important. His breathing is more important and if they need to operate on it then I want them to operate on him.

"Has he stabilized?" I ask which is probably the most important question to ask, the doctor nods.

"Right now, he's stable so we have to be patient for recovery to start. It truly is a miracle that he wasn't dead at the scene. His probability of survival was in the single digits. It's…only one in I would say a few hundred people would have survived this." As the doctor says that, I take Kuon's hand to my lips and kiss it. He's fighting for us. I don't care that I look like trash. Kuon is fighting for us despite how much damage he's been through.

I hear a knock on the door and turn to see the attorney we've worked with before. I know that Father requested he come but I'm not sure what to say. I look to the doctor. "Can I have a little time alone or are there further examinations for Kuon. I want him to have as many as he needs. Don't worry about the cost." I feel glad at least that I have medical insurance to cover us if Kuon can't keep hold of his due to the fact that he can no longer work.

"We have to wait for him to recover a little more before we test again," the doctor says and I smile, thanking him. I can't believe how bad he looks. He didn't do anything wrong and he couldn't defend himself. There is absolutely no way that he chose to fight.

As the doctor leaves, I turn to our lawyer and take a slow breath. "Thank you for coming," I tell him as I kiss Kuon's hand again. I just want him to be okay. "Is it possible? The attempted murder charge? Is it possible?"

"Yes," Eric says and I look to him with a cold look in my eyes as I think about Shotaro. "This counts as a charge for murder in the first degree. However, the fact that he is not a US resident or citizen is the complicated factor."

I look away, "Charge him with whatever you can," I say wanting to rip out his heart with my bare hands. Kuon could easily have died. Everyone is surprised by the fact that he hasn't passed away already. I take a slow breath. I don't want to ask this but maybe it'll help, "Are the charges for attempted murder very different for the charge of murder."

"It depends on a case by case basis," Eric says before shaking his head. "However, in this case, no. Everyone has thought that there was no hope and so it does constitute a capital murder charge which means life imprisonment at the very least."

I smile weakly. That's where he belongs. That's where that dirtbag belongs where he can no longer hurt us. I want him dead but being locked up for eternity is also punishment I can support. "Good," I nod before seeing Kuon's eyes flicker and I kneel down beside him. I ignore everything else around me as I concentrate on those gorgeous eyes. "Hi, sweetheart," I say as I continue to hold his hands.

"Pai-" he struggles. Again a single syllable and I hate seeing the tears in his eyes. I look over at the IV drip he's on before pressing the call button. I know that he's in a lot of pain but I don't know how much else we can do. I kiss the back of his hand a few times.

"Let's get something to help the pain," I speak slowly hoping that he can still understand me or at least find a source of comfort in my voice. I raise my hand to push the hair on the other side of his head back but he flinches as he sees me about to touch him. I pull back. I have no idea what he's been through but the doctors did suggest he would have post traumatic stress. I shouldn't push him too much.

I continue holding onto his hand. His condition seems so much worse than Nate's and it breaks my heart. Still, I have to focus on the positives. He's alive. He's alive and that's most important. Eric excuses himself and I see Kuon attempt to sit up but he's too weak to do it by himself. I look at him remembering how his body has moves in his movies and TV dramas. I help him up, trying hard not to show how painful it is seeing the man who once played BJ having such difficulty.

He smiles weakly, it's kind of lopsided but it's not as if I won't get used to it. "Ta..K'oko" he struggles and I nod. I hate seeing him this way. He's always been so strong, so athletic, so able to do everything without experiencing problems but now…I kiss his cheek and he doesn't flinch. I look to the side where there are some large markers and coloring books. I blink back tears. He's trying so hard but his abilities seem to be similar to that of a small child.

"Father brought your shee—p" I say hating that my voice has broken. I had him the large pillow of the golden sheep I bought him before and he brings it close to his chest. He's so different from when the first accident occurred but this wasn't an accident, this was someone attempting to kill him and only very very narrowly missing.

Kuon looks away from me and stares out the window. He takes my hand in his and I look at it, watching him. He slowly tries to….is he taking off my wedding ri-I snatch my hand back from him and make sure that the ring is secured.

"Don't," I whisper through tears before I get to an empty part of the bed and place my hands on each side of his face so he won't look away from me. "Corn. I am still your wife. I can't stop loving you. Do you hear me? I care about you. I want to be with you. I'm proud to be with you. Don't ever try to take my ring off," I tell him sharply. I don't want to be angry with him when he's suffering so much but I need for him to know that I am still his wife. "Kuon, please," I whisper as I place my other hand over the one on my heart. Even if he is as disabled as he seems that doesn't change anything. I don't care what anyone else will say. He is the person I love, the man who made me believe in love again, my most important person. No matter what people will gossip about, I am proud and happy to be with the person I love.

I lean down next to him and smile as I remember when I was his little sister who loved him. I place my lips over his neck and suck down in order to leave my mark on him. I see him smile weakly as he looks at me and I smile back. I know that he's going to recover. It won't be to the point that it was before but I'm going to be right there beside him.

He closes his eyes but gently shifts me off of him, I follow his lead. I know he's having trouble and anything that I can do to help, I want to do. He holds to my hand and then gently wraps his arms around me. I snuggle closer to him, being careful of the cords and wires and sob into his chest. "I love you," I tell him because I can never say that enough.

….

….

I can't believe this. I have been contacted by the police and they have told me that I am a suspect, a prime suspect in what happened with Hizuri but don't have a warrant for my arrest yet. I know that they have to contact other people, the Japanese embassy or something but I could have travelled outside of the US if only they hadn't told me that I wasn't allowed to fly. Pathetic.

I need to clear my head and so leave the hotel room, I sigh as I see the police officers around me. Hizuri's treated like a god damn prince in this country. You would have thought that I'd attacked some royalty or the emperor not just some celebrity with a stupid award. I leave through the front of the hotel and see someone get out of a car on the other side of the street.

It's just some stupid customer for the store they're parked in front of. Just someone stupid, not worth any of my time. I think I've seen a vending machine or something around here. As I walk down an alleyway the man follows me and I walk faster. Okay, now I'm lost and isolated and….

The stranger grabs me by the back of my neck and slams me into a metal box. I freeze. Was that on purpose? Who the hell do they think they are messi- I feel an elbow going straight at me followed by someone kneeing me in my balls and then my body gets tossed like a play toy by the man's feet. What is this? A ninja? Are you expecting me to believe a ninja is attacking me?

I try to get up but feel the man laugh bitterly before grabbing me up by the collar of my shirt and slamming my body into a wall. Damn it. I don't want to admit that this hurt. As I look at the man I see that he's wearing glasses and a hoody.

"I don't have any 'American' money?" I say in English with a heavy hint on the word American so that this thief knows how uncultured I. The man puts his elbow up and across my neck as he pins me to the wall. I see the glint in his eyes.

"I don't want any of your money," he says as he puts the sunglasses in his pocket and I realize that the person opposite me is HIzuri's father. This man is the one who tried to ruin me, no he did ruin me, telling people that he's better than me. I attempt to strike out but he blocks me, in fact he's blocking every attack I make as if he's some martial arts master. He's just an old guy who is too old to be working in the entertainment industry.

He throws me on the ground and I taste the blood in my mouth but laugh. He puts his foot on my chest and turns it to put more pressure on me. "I'm not gonna be like Hizuri," I tell him in Japanese now that I know he can understand me. He looks at me. His eyes are showing a deep level of hatred and fire. He looks just like a demon but he's too old to be a real threat.

"So you're admitting that you hurt my son?" he growls out before kicking me in the groin again. Damn it. It's obvious that that hurts. He leans down so I can smell his breath and see the hatred in his eyes that only comes from hell. "You're not worthy of breathing in the same air as my son."

"I mean," I pant and he slams my head back down, he stares over me as if he's a wolf or vicious animal. "I'm not going to beg and plead with you not to hurt me," I laugh and see the anger in this man's face reach a level I don't think I've ever seen before. "Please not the head. Please. Please hurt my body but not my precious head. I only wanted to be there with Kyoko and my family. Please show me mercy." I say and he grabs my neck, digging his nails in as if they are claws. He looks as if he's going to reach down and rip out my heart with his bare hand.

I brace myself expecting a deep pain that I won't recover from but he stands up and kicks me so I roll once more before getting onto his phone. Who the hell is he calling? A mob? A gang? He's going to leave the murder part to somebody else. "Hello," he says in a very calm manner. "I need to request an ambulance. There's someone in the Hotel Paradise parking structure who looks like they've been attacked. They need emergency medical protection and please bring them to the nearest hospital. The nearest one."

Is he saying that because he doesn't want me to be in the good hospital with his stupid asshole son? He gets off the phone and kicks me again.

"You'll survive," he mutters before walking away. What the hell was that?

…

…

Okay. That was stupid. I could have messed everything up for Kuon by not relying on the police to handle the situation but I needed to kill him. That's all that was pushing me to do this, the need to kill and hurt and destroy his life. He didn't give a crap about Kuon but I went too far. It was when I was looking down at him seeing that fear in his eyes that made me realize that he's an asshole but he's also a person and I don't need to be a murderer and I don't need to lose it all for him. He's not worth it.

I feel my heart aching as I think about what he said about Kuon begging for his life. Of course, he would be begging for his life but to know that he hadn't done anything and his head had been bashed in anyway, I don't understand why Kuon has to suffer. I want to protect him. As his father, it's my responsibility to protect him.

I'm also certain that in those moments when he believed he would die, his thoughts weren't about saving his own life but staying alive so that he could be with Kyoko and Rose and Ana. I know that what Kuon wants most is what I want, to be a good husband and father and be with my family. I wanted to hurt that man in the same way that he hurt Kuon but he's a person and I do not want to take a human life.

I feel sick knowing how close I came to my demons awakening. I don't think that's what Kuon wants either. No. If Kuon were at his best with no injuries, he wouldn't be spending his time wanting to physically be causing people pain who caused him pain. I'm very glad that I stopped where I did. I go back to my car and drive off.

As I start the car I turn the speaker phone on and call Jules, "Hey," I say sadly and I know that she can detect from the tone in my voice that something is wrong. "I did something stupid."

"You beat him up didn't you?" Jules says and I pause, "Don't worry. I'm glad that somebody treated him the way that he deserves."

End of Chapter Twenty Five

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Four

Kaname671, kyoko minion

AN: I do have scheduled updates for my other fics. They are not forgotten about but I have to get my butt to go back onto schedule. Most of it is school work but I'm hoping for a huge update before the end of either this month or next month. - Fay