Chapter 11

Honestly she really did want to know where she stood with him, but there was still this insecure little girl lurking beneath her skin. The same little girl that believed everything that Sho had said about her. The one that never felt good enough for anyone and was genuinely surprised whenever she was praised for anything at all. She was terrified of what his answer could be. If he still liked her in that way and wanted to actually start dating her, would she be up to his expectations? If he didn't, did she actually wish hear him politely let her down or rip her apart like Sho had done those years ago or perhaps not at all and just lead her on like he did when they came to Tokyo? Those were the thoughts that were tearing her up inside.

She'd already talked to Kanae, but this was a subject that her best friend seemed to hate the most. The thought had crossed her mind to call a person more experienced in this field of knowledge, but she wasn't quite sure that that particular person would appreciate a call out of the blue in the wee hours of the morning or randomly during the day, depending on whether she was at home or work. Not that Juliena Hizuri would mind hearing from her 'adoptive daughter' more often. In fact, Juli would be over the moon over it. Not that she didn't want Kuon, but she'd always wanted a daughter that she could dress up like a little princess, do girl things, and share makeup with. She couldn't do that with that bone-head son of hers that was completely clueless to how women actually 'worked'.

Not truly knowing the intricacies of Juli's inner thoughts, Kyoko merely thought that Juli was an enthusiastic friend that had similar tastes. Well, that was actually part of the truth. The other part had been that Juli honestly wanted Kyoko for Kuon, and wanted Kuon to wake up and see that the beautiful girl that clearly had feelings for him was more ready for a relationship than either of them had initially thought. So… at this point, Kyoko reluctantly dialed her number and pressed the send button on her cell phone as Kanae showered and started her nightly routine before settling in for their evening of watching old scary movies and eating air-popped popcorn, surrounded by stacks of fluffy pillows and a thick comforter.

"Mom?…" Kyoko breathed into the phone timidly.

Juli's attention immediately focused on her fellow fairy princess. "Kyoko? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Juli was inwardly frantic, thinking of everything that could have possibly happened to her to make her use that tone when calling. Not to mention the fact that the girl had absolutely no problem whatsoever in calling her 'Mom' at the moment. It had to be something big or devastating for her to drop all formalities to do something like that. Juli was genuinely worried for her.

Kyoko decided to tell her everything. Well, except for the part about being cursed. She was honestly sure that no one, other than those who were involved, would believe her and not think she was completely insane.

"Does he not trust me?" She sniffled, almost in tears. She really hadn't realized that him not telling her he was Corn bothered her so much.

Juli was completely stunned. Never did she think that Kyoko would come to her after finding out about Kuon. Maybe come to her and be seriously pissed at her for not saying anything, but certainly not come to her as a mother and trusted female. She could honestly say that she felt honored. Juli sighed. "Oh Sweetie, you know that's not the case at all." She was quiet for a moment to gather her thoughts. "Honey, I just want you to know that he has a lot of things to work through. It's not that he doesn't trust you. From what you've shared with me… about you and him, about now, about all the times you two have met… I'm sure he trusts you more than you'll ever know… If it were me, I would probably be worried that you would be upset with me. He's probably trying to work of the courage to have an honest talk to you." Juli explained, hoping that it would help her son in some way.

Kyoko sighed, a little relieved. She wasn't sure how Juli would react to her knowing Kuon's identity without him telling her. It was more of a load off her heart than she had anticipated. "You aren't mad at me?" Kyoko asked with a bit of trepidation.

Juli giggled. "Kyoko, why on Earth would I be mad at you? You are my precious daughter."

Kyoko smiled softly. "Thanks Mom. I'm glad I could talk to you. It helped a lot."

"Good… So, when are you coming to visit me?" Juli asked slyly, then gasped sharply. "I know! You can come and visit for your birthday. I'll send you a plane ticket and you aren't allowed to refuse."

Kyoko had stopped haggling over the gifts that Kuu and Juli sent her long ago. She had learned to just gracefully accept and bite the bullet when it came to her frugal nature. "Okay…"

"Great! I'll talk to the kidnapper to clear your schedule. All you have to do is make sure your cute body is on that plane when Lory tells you." Juli instructed. However, Kyoko didn't realize that her trip would come only a couple of days later and she still hadn't been able to talk to Kuon. Both had been so busy with interviews and photo-shoots, that neither realized how fast time was flying.

Her birthday was only two weeks away and she would be spending it with Juli and Kuu this year. Lory had come personally to pick her up from work in his limo. She was a little shocked until he told her that she had less than 3 hours before her flight to California. It was fortunate that she always carried her ID and passport with her in case of emergencies. As a birthday gift, Ten and Maria had banded together and packed a set of luggage for her. Kyoko had been a little worried about not knowing what was packed, due to the questions that the airport always asks when traveling, so Lory had no problem with making a quick stop before they arrived at the airport in order for her to take a look. Well, she had an ulterior motive for that too. She would certainly not travel blindly with anything that had been randomly packed by anyone by the surname of Takarada or Woods. Heavens only knew what she would end up having to wear at her destination.

After making sure that there was nothing in that hideous shade of pink, they were on their way and she was soon in the air, waiting for the okay to send Kanae a text message to let her know that her trip had finally started and she wouldn't be back until the second week of January. She would be spending a whole month with her Mom and Dad, completely unaware of the mischief that would be had by her best friends and her boss while she was away, relaxing, and being introduced to Hollywood by Juli and Kuu Hizuri, but she really didn't need to know that last part. That was just between Juli and Kuu. Mainly Juli's idea to get even with the kidnapper for stealing her son all those years ago.