Chapter 30: Keeping A Secret
"How did you find her?" Kuon asked, completely worried and focused on his fairy queen laying on the small sofa.
"I-I... didn't." Cedric sputtered out and the fur on Sho's back bristled. "I think it was some guy from another set that knew Tina. I was honestly so freaked-out seeing her like that, I didn't get a good look at him." He confessed, partially lying and partially not. Truthfully, the only thing he could remember about Sho were those icy-blue eyes that looked like they wanted to rip him limb from limb, and only tolerated him because it was convenient. Then there was the fact that he truly believed that the man had been just as he described to Kuon.
Kuon nodded, picked her up and looked back at Cedric after a contemplative sigh. "You need a ride?"
Cedric looked up at his cousin a little shocked and shook his head stiffly. "Nah, I'm fine. Besides, you need to take care of her. I don't want to be in the way." He told him after grabbing her bag and attempting to scoop up the little bitey dog following Kuon.
Kuon heard the pup growl and slightly turned. "Come on Tomo, we have to get her to Aine. She'll know what to do." He coaxed and Sho sped up to a quick trot.
Cedric watched how the pup followed, almost as if he knew exactly what Kuon was saying to him and quickly followed Kyoko's guardians. "Who's Aine?"
Kuon was silent for a moment as they reached his car. Kuon placed her in the passenger's seat and Tomo quickly jumped in the back, and centered himself in his doggy car-seat. He took Kyoko's belongings from Cedric and motioned for him to get in the backseat with Tomo through the driver's side, behind him. "I don't have time to really drop you anywhere before we reach Aine's place, but I can take you where you need to go after I know she's safe." He explained as they exited the parking lot. "How long was she part of the crew?" He asked quietly, kneading the steering-wheel until his palms became sweaty.
Cedric swallowed a little thickly. He'd pushed Kuon to the edge many times when they were younger, but this was a side of him he'd never experienced. No amount of bullying had ever induced the level of hellish murderous intent that was rolling off him. He could swear that he could actually see a thick black storm rolling off of him. "I didn't realize who she was until last week... I swear Kuon, if I had known that she was there… I would have said something. When they investigated, they found out that it was one of her boyfriends that was driving that car…" He froze a little at mentioning it. The images of everything were flooding his mind. "I swear to god, Kuon… I wish I could take it all back. I am so sorry."
Kuon could hear the distress and sincerity in his cousin's voice. A small little gruff bark quietly came out of his tiny canine friend and snapped him out of his dark thoughts, reminding him of his unconscious mate. He sighed tiredly as they sped down the Pacific Coast Highway to their destination. "Were you driving the car?"
Cedric's head popped up in confusion. "Wh-What?"
Kuon shook his head. "You know, until recently... I had the same thoughts, but lately I've developed because of someone close to me. I don't want to hold a grudge. Regardless of what we thought as children, we are still family."
"I really am sorry, Kuon." He continued. It almost reminded Kuon of the car ride with Kyoko when he'd first started speaking to her.
He chuckled inwardly, thinking of Kyoko doing a dogeza as Boh. "One apology is enough. You don't need to keep doing it. Like I said, we were both young." Cedric's eyes went a little wider and he nodded. "Ah, were here." He told him as they turned into a driveway of a property that consisted of a very cozy little home on a very large parcel of land that was mostly woods and flower gardens. "You stay in the car. I'm not sure how Aine will react to strangers, she's mostly reclusive." He warned, getting out of the car to retrieve Kyoko from the passenger's side.
"No problem." Cedric said a little absently. He was still blown away completely by Kuon easily forgiving him. He needed time to absorb what had just taken place.
~xoxo~
"What happened? Where am I?" Kyoko called out into the darkness.
"I-I just want to help her…" She heard Tina whimper after Tomo growled and snapped at the woman.
Kyoko heard the door slam and lock. There was Tomo's warm body next to her, then there wasn't. She heard a rustling sound and felt Tomo move away from her.
"How do you get into these messes?" She heard in a sigh after the owner of the male voice stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. The voice sounded familiar, almost like Sho's, but deeper and more rough. It wasn't a voice close enough to mistake for Sho's. This wouldn't be the voice of a renowned singer of Japan, but there was something in it that reminded her of him when they were children and she thought that he actually cared for her like a true brother would. It was the tenderness in the voice and the scent of her rescuer. She felt her body being lifted and carried safely in someone's arms.
"Rick says hi, Bitch..." The voice growled. "By the way, if you ever touch her again… I will rip your throat out with my teeth."
Kyoko heard the woman gasp and then moments later, the ding of the elevator. She heard the conversation her savior had with Cedric, the phone call, and later the discussions between Cedric and Kuon. She also felt as Tomo diligently tried to remove the henna markings the only way he knew how. Even though it was out of his paws, he was still protecting her the best way he could.
"My sweet little baby... you will definitely get a steak dinner when I get out of this." He'd even gone so far as to brave Tina, and find someone to take me to Cedric so he could call Kuon. She didn't know who he had gotten, but one day she would thank him if she could. She was so proud of her little pup, that the reality of her situation completely slipped her mind.
Meeting with this woman always unsettled him. She looked entirely too much like Kyoko's former stalker, Reino and she was just so cantankerous most of the time. Not the attitude at all that one would expect from a fairy, yet an understandable attitude if one were to take into consideration that for many generations they were treated as monsters and demons.
The irritable fairy woman brusquely opened her door at the sound of Kuon's knock, ready to give an earful to any door-to-door person that dared to disturb her quiet. "What do you wa..." Her eyes went wide when she saw the worried man with Kyoko in his arms, completely unconscious. "Quickly, come in!" She flung the door wider and stepped aside. "Put her on the lounge." She gathered a few odds and ends that would assist in removing the offensive markings on Kyoko. "How long has she been like this?"
Kuon raked his fingers through his tousled dyed hair. "I'm not sure. My cousin told me that one of the crew found her and brought her to him. That was about..." He glanced at the new watch that Kyoko had bought him, to replace Rick's old watch. "about 40 minutes ago."
She looked up at him as she prepared a strange concoction to dissolve the markings. "Where's Tomo?"
Kuon looked up at her. "Ah, he's in my car. I'll go get him." He told her, rushing out to retrieve the pup, without questioning as to why she needed him. Tomo was Kyoko's familiar and protector, he didn't need to know why the little hero was needed at this point.
Cedric looked up from his phone when the passenger door opened. "Is everything alright?"
"Tomo, Aine asked for you." Kuon told him in a hurried voice, and Cedric watched the small dog leap from the car and bolt into the small house.
"He's well trained." Cedric commented.
Kuon nodded. "Sorry, I need you to wait a little longer."
Cedric nodded back. "No problem..." He held up his phone. "Already taken care of. You go do what you have to do."
"Thanks." The door shut and he watched as his cousin hurried back into the house.
Cedric sat and wondered exactly who they were visiting inside that small house. Didn't Kuon want to take her to a doctor? He shook his head at that thought. Perhaps this person was Kyoko's personal doctor and Kuon brought her here to keep the police and media out of the situation for the sake of the movie. It did make sense. Tina could be easily dealt with outside of the authorities. Not in a violent way. More of a "You'll never work in the entertainment sector again as long as you live." way. Something like that was far more effective as a punishment than a slap on the wrist and a ruined multi-million dollar project. This way the parties involved wouldn't be labeled as a risk either. He was impressed with Kuon's forward thinking on the matter. Kuon had certainly matured, in his honest opinion. Even he hadn't put much thought into something like that.