AN: As I've written on other chapters and/or other fanfics that for my own peace of mind I'm trying to do one large update at the end of each month but I have a problem with being patient so sometimes I might break it like today. I have a master list of chapters that I'm going to be updating based on information collected on an Excel document and updated at the end of each month. So therefore the number of unique views for each of the latest chapters of my fics determines which fics I write and what order (with a few exceptions). Anyway. I hope you enjoy either way.

Chapter Four

4.1

As Kyoko entered the house, she saw that the hallway light was on and so was the kitchen light. She grinned as she looked down at her copy of the contracts which Ogata had her sign. As she opened the door, she grinned as she saw Kuon waiting for her. "I know your secret," she winked and he paused as he tried to think about what she was telling him. He would get really flustered if he heard that at the start of their relationship but now he didn't keep those kinds of secrets.

"Which one?" he asked and Kyoko paused.

"Wait, what are you keeping from me?" Kyoko asked and Kuon tried to think about this but he laughed and shook his head.

"This time nothing. There's some warm tea in the pot," he gestured to the kitchen and Kyoko raised an eyebrow as she watched him. "Something…that happened?" he asked and Kyoko laughed softly. "I have something that I have wanted to tell you but I got distracted," he laughed as he pushed his fingers through his hair.

"Something about a new role that you were offered by Ogata-san?" she asked and Kuon laughed and then nodded in a guilty and slightly humble manner. "Well, guess who gets the honor of being cast opposite you," she said and Kuon laughed softly. Kyoko followed him to the kitchen and leaned forwards to see that he was happy about that.

"And now I know that I'm going to have to bring my A-game. I'm sure that if you were actually born in America and most of the roles didn't immediately go for a certain…look…that you'd be a much more successful actor than me," he claimed and Kyoko stared at him.

"You're still four years older than me, Kuon. Give me four more years and I'll see what I can accomplish but no…even then I don't think I'd be as great as you. I mean, you did make the world care about and get obsessed with Ren Tsuruga. I'm really happy that you're Kuon though."

Kuon laughed softly again and poured out two cups of tea. He passed her one and then raised an eyebrow.

"I can still remember having the honor of playing against Mio Hongo," he said and Kyoko shook her head. That was her first major acting role and she had definitely relied on him to have enough strength to tackle that part. He had no idea how much he meant to her. They had done many other roles opposite one another and more than a few which had them as a couple. This time she would have to deceive him.

Kuon gestured with his head for them to go sit down at the dining room table. "I'm really excited to be working with you. It's going to be a lot of fun but you heard what your role is, right?" he asked and Kyoko nodded. "I'm just…I don't want you to get hurt from anyone who might hear about this."

Kyoko watched him and took a deep breath in, "You're referring to my mother?" she questioned and he nodded as a concerned expression appeared on his face. Kyoko sighed and looked down. Despite her mother's story about her father, this was a role that she would be playing. Surely her mother wouldn't feel that it was a slight against her. People didn't know about the story of her parents or how she might not be here without people stopping her mother from certain things. It wasn't like spitting in her face.

"It's just that sometimes when you're looking at our wedding album," Kuon said weakly and Kyoko knew that there were a lot of pictures of just them or them with Yashiro or Kuon with others or her with Moko and the other bridesmaids but all of the family pictures had the Hizuri parents behind them. Yes, they had positioned it so that Kuu was standing next to Kyoko and Juli was on Kuon's side and they had always said they were proud of both of them.

Still, it hurt her much the Hizuris wanted to be involved or at least show their support and love compared to her mother who had stood up in the back of the hall where they were married. Juli and Kuu or Sara and Shuuhei were always there whenever they might be needed by anyone but Saena Mogami just kept reserved and didn't comment much on them and seemed to alienate Kyoko still.

"You have wonderful parents," Kyoko said and she looked away, "Yes, sometimes I'm a little jealous but your parents are so amazing that they have extended their love to me. Both of us might have parents who were absent and just because yours are trying to make up for any damage they feel they caused, it doesn't mean I get angry at you or at them. My mother won't care about this movie. She's rarely commented on anything that I've done."

Kuon reached out for her hand not sure whether or not he wanted this to be the case, he let his fingers curl around hers and squeezed them as he watched her. "I love you," he told her, "I hope that I can love you enough for -"

"I love you," Kyoko smiled. "All I need is you and Aurora but I'm so happy that my in-laws are amazing and that I have Moko and everyone else who loves both of us so much."

4.2

Kuon's eyes widened as he looked at the table as Kyoko served up breakfast. He had heard that his parents were going to come over to see them but this was just like a horror movie to him. He backed away and into the kitchen before going over to the sink. He twitched as he started to wash up the plates for Kyoko. She looked over at him as she finished the cooking.

"Did you want to eat in here?" she asked as she saw Kuon twitching as he remembered how his parents had always expected him to eat as much as they did when he had been a child.

"Food. There's so much food. Where does it go? Where does it all go?" he asked as he turned towards Kyoko with wide eyes. Kyoko laughed and cupped his cheek before kissing him.

"You should know, you've known them si-"

"Where though? I've never figured that out? I think since I've known them my whole life the fact that I don't know that answer is even weirder?" he said before drying his hand and pushing his hair back before taking a fork to his own much smaller plate of food. "I mean, I've never had a good appetite but…maybe I'm just in shock and that shock has never left." He looked to Kyoko and reached for her hand. "Are you still open to helping me today, princess?" he asked and Kyoko smiled and nodded.

"Of course," she replied.

"Go and make sure they aren't trying to cram food down Aurora's throat, please?" he winked as he tried to get Kyoko to join his parents with a grin. Kyoko went to the table and saw Kuu look over at where the kitchen was.

"Kuon?" he asked and Kyoko laughed.

"Is thinking back over past memories of family dinners," Kyoko said and Kuu sighed. "He's okay. He just prefers cleaning up to eating. He's eating in the kitchen," she said and Kuu nodded as he shared a look of regret with Juli over how he had never come to understand that just because they had bottomless pits instead of human stomachs that Kuon would be different from them.

"I wanted to ask if I could take you three to D-I-S-N-E-Y with me," Juli said and Kyoko grinned. She turned to Kuu.

"You're not going to go, Father?" she asked and Kuu sighed.

"I'd love to, I really would but I have too much work to do for my current project," he said as he felt his shoulders sag a little. "I think that it would be good for the four of you to go and I want to see pictures, of course."

"I think it would be great for the three of you to go," Kuon said with a smile as he dared himself to come and sit down with only a small amount of food on his plate. He saw Juli He saw Juli lift a spoon and gave her a warning look as he covered his plate with a napkin to say that he didn't want her to add to the empty plate. She put the spoon down.

"You don't want to come?" Kyoko asked and Kuon looked at her sadly.

"I would draw too much attention," he said although it was true that Kyoko had her own fan sites and a lot of people would be looking out for her as well.

Kyoko took his hand, "I want to go with my prince. We need more princes in the world, Kuon," she said and Kuon sighed before nodded.

"Okay. I'll go," he said as he saw everyone looking at him. He bowed his head. It felt good to be with his whole family. He just wished that there was the same thing for Kyoko. His parents always made her feel welcome but she had that block with her mother. He just hoped that the drama wouldn't affect her negatively given the role she had.

4.3

Kyoko held Kuon's hand as they stood in the garage next to Kuon's car. He had always been such a capable and confident driver before the incident, the accident that had taken Rikuu's life. Now he seemed to have a panic attack when there was even the thought of driving. "Okay. We're going to go one step at a time," Kyoko said as she tried to send Kuon her own confidence, "Just like Maiko-san says," she said referencing the therapist Kuon was seeing. "Can you open the door?"

Kuon took a deep breath in before nodding and slowly reached for the door handle but he froze as his fingers touched the car and his eyes widened. Kyoko leaned forwards so that she could register all of his facial expressions. She saw his anxiety and smiled.

"We can stop at any point you feel uncomfortable, okay? All we're doing today is having you sit in the seat with the door closed and if that's too much then we can stop at any point before we get there."

"You think it's stupid," Kuon said as he took a step away from the car and Kyoko watched him, waiting patiently for him to finish what he was saying. "I don't blame you. Most kids learn at fifteen."

"Kuon, different people are scared of different things and this is a legitimate fear but you're not going to hurt anyone. Nobody is going to get hurt but we'll approach this slowly. If today isn't good then we can try again another day." Kyoko saw Kuon approach the car and she smiled at how brave he was being about this. His entire body was shaking but he slowly opened the car door. "You're doing amazing," Kyoko tried to encourage him.

"I'm just si-si-sitting in the seat?" Kuon asked her showing a lot more fear than she usually saw. He seemed genuinely upset and it was breaking her heart. He very carefully sat in the car and put his hand on the steering wheel. Closing his eyes he reached for Kyoko's hand whilst the other lay flat against the wheel. "One, Two, Thr-Three," he said as he started shaking at that point.

Kyoko squeezed his hand, bringing it up to her lips as she listened to him.

"Fo-four, fi-fi-five," he said before trying to pull his hand away from her although Kyoko saw how cold and frozen he looked. What she was not expecting was the next part and that was for Kuon to pass out. She carefully moved his body, putting the seat back all the way so that he would be able to rest before stepping out.

She sat in the front passenger seat and leaned over to push his hair back and kiss him. "Maybe we'll try for six seconds," she whispered as she smoothed his hair. "I love you so much. You are so incredibly strong," she told him as she saw his eyes start to flicker. She jumped out of her seat and came along to his side to help him out.

"I…I need something, water or tea or something," Kuon said as he took a few steps away from the car and Kyoko hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her keeping her as close as possible to him.

"Let me make some tea and then I'll make some tea for you to take with you as well and I'll get you some water and I think you should sit down. You did so well. Do you think you'd want to try again tomorrow?" she asked as she led him back to the kitchen and he gave a weak smile and nod. She handed him a cold water bottle from the fridge.

"Let's try for six seconds without fainting tomorrow," he told her and Kyoko smiled since they had the same idea. It would be a slow build and it could take months for him to get the courage to drive again but she would try to encourage him as much as she could. She smiled as she put the kettle on. "Kyoko, thank you."

"You're welcome," Kyoko smiled to him. "I believe in your abilities, Kuon, I always have."

End of Chapter Four

Thank you for reading

Thank you to black neko hime for leaving a review on Chapter Two

I appreciate it