Chapter 32: The Sleeper Awakens!

When she finally awakened from her unwanted slumber, hours after the initial incident, she found herself being practically mauled by her lover and her familiar. Her boys had been so worried about her that entire time. During the few hours that it took to remove the temporary tattoos, she had completely forgotten to ask Kuon about the man that had taken her from her dressing room. It would later be assumed that it was just a passerby that had brought her to Cedric.

The perk to this ordeal had been the ancient spellbook placed in her care. The other perk was the no-longer strained relationship that Kuon shared with Cedric and a somewhat reunited family; however, Juli's sister chose to stay far from the Hizuri home, and Cedric had no problem with it. His mother had made his life rather difficult with her scheming and hateful behavior and he'd decided minutes after Rick's death, he wanted nothing to do with her. He still loved and cared for her, but he just didn't want her in his life in such an overbearing way. When Kuon had left for Japan, Cedric left to live with his grandfather.

The ancient tome was amazing. It not only just contained the spells and musings from the three sisters, but all of those that came before them. It was a rich tapestry of history. The oldest pages were bound carefully and written on papyrus that had been preserved through a spell. A spell that was also included in the book, one that would not need to be altered to use. There had been several of the older spells that way, mostly healing spells and spells that would only benefit others and the user. It saddened her a bit to know that the book, that had been bound in alligator skin, had been tainted with the malicious spells of the three sisters. So, Kyoko had decided that once she had gone through the book thoroughly, she would bind the pages with a spell that would keep them from prying eyes. Only the person that knew the proper release would be able to ever read the harmful information. Aine and the coven agreed, and the book would remain in Kyoko's protection until it was passed to another responsible owner. Anyone that wanted to see it or study it, was more than welcome under supervision.

The discovery of the grimoire, alerted many covens to the problem of average, non-magical people dabbling and taking things into their own hands; therefore, for safety's sake a trusted few would be appointed. One from each coven would be assigned to research anything out of the ordinary and retrieve any artifacts that could potentially cause problems. They would then hold a special council and make a decision on whether the item would be preserved or destroyed. Those were the changes that the intensity of the three sisters' spells had caused. If the book itself in the wrong hands could do damage, what would happen if it were in the right hands? It would be one of the few dangerous items that would not be destroyed, there had been too much history and helpful things in it.

A few months before the release of Kyoko's first movie, Kuon's first Hollywood movie was released. Not as Ren Tsuruga, but as Kuon Hizuri. He had long since told Kyoko everything about what had happened to bring him to Japan, and he had finally come together with his cousin and repair the damage between them. It was strange to him at first, getting to really know Cedric and both had sat down for drinks on more than one occasion to put the past behind them. Both had grown as people and as men. Both had matured beyond the street fights and explosive insults. They discovered that when it came to certain things in life, they were very similar.

Finally awards season arrived. Both Kyoko and Kuon were anxious about it; although, for vastly different reasons. Her anxiety was fitting for the occasion; his however, was for many reasons. From the moment she awakened in his arms, after having those sinister markings removed, he'd vowed to himself to ask her to marry him. Awards night was the appointed time for that. Awards night was also the night that he would find out if he felt worthy enough be his father's son. His name had been revealed in the credits of his movie, but to have that cemented on an award would be a bigger accomplishment for him personally. However, the award was not what was burning a hole in the pocket of his black silk tuxedo. It was a beautiful diamond and sapphire engagement ring that would hopefully be placed on the finger attached to the most beautiful woman in the world to him. The very same woman that would be wearing an exclusive design of Juliena Hizuri. The dress itself on Kyoko's body made him a very insecure man, but dear lord she looked like a glorious little phoenix in all of that red silk and sparkling crystals. His mouth went dry and his pants became uncomfortable with the very low-cut back and cleavage-baring front. The dress itself was a floor-length, but it had been cut and sewn in such a way that made it look like tattered feathers separating to reveal her luxurious long legs to her hips with every step. He honestly and truly wanted to kill his mother for the night of torture he would most assuredly have to endure. After all, this was not a small affair. The world would see her in all her glory as he saw her.

~xoxo~

"The nominees for Best Supporting Actor are..." He heard the voice start, but heard nothing until Kyoko gasped and her eyes went wide.

"The winner is Kuon Hizuri!" His mind was in a haze and he didn't realize that they were talking about him until his table stood, congratulated him, and Kyoko hugged him fiercely, then pulled him down for a quick kiss on the cheek before shoving him in the direction of the stage.

When they announced the nominees for Best Actress, Kyoko's name was announced; however, she didn't quite make that achievement, but her film did win the award for Best International Feature Film. Although, the biggest spectacle at their table, that included family and friends, was during the break between announcements when Kuon dropped to his knees next to Kyoko and brought out the stunning, shiny new bauble and proposed to her in front of the world. She accepted with tears and a flung herself into his waiting arms. The only thing that would rival that proposal and bring even more joy to Lory Takarada and the Hizuri Clan, would be the wedding that would rival one of royalty less than a year later.

~fin~