Chapter 14

They say it takes at least 66 days to form a new habit or break an old one, and that was well under the amount of time that Juli had kept Kyoko with her as they traveled. Juliena Hizuri had kidnapped her new daughter for three straight months, introducing her to various aspects of the entertainment world and giving her the connections that she would need in the future to survive successfully. By the time they had meandered back to LA for a rest, before Kyoko had decided to return to Japan with a completely full portfolio, her face was practically everywhere and directors, and producers of all kinds were chomping at the bit to include her in their projects. Needless to say, Lory had a veritable mountain of offers waiting for her when she finally returned, along with a stern lecture about keeping in contact. Although, the lecture may or may not happen due to the phenomenal results of Juli and Kyoko's hard work of molding her new image.

BZZT… BZZT…

His phone buzzed wildly in his pocket as he finished up his scenes for his latest drama. "Cut! Great job everybody. It's a wrap. Hold on a little longer and I let you know if we're completely done." The director announced. Kuon was hoping beyond all hope that this would be the last of the filming for this one. He was expecting a call from Kuu to let him know when Juli and Kyoko would be returning and hopefully that call that he'd just missed was The Call.

"Any news?" He asked Yukihito in a quiet voice.

Yashiro smirked mischievously and held up his phone and nodded. "Kanae just called to let me know that they're flying in from Moscow to LA today." He paused. "If we leave right now, we might make it there before they do."

Kuon nodded with a big boyish smile. "She is not getting away this time." He told him with determination.

Yuki nodded. "Okay then. Grab your stuff and I'll take care of everything here. I'll meet you at the car."

"Do you need to grab your bag or anything before we go?" Kuon asked.

Yuki shook his head. "No. I had everything packed up and ready to go when you first told me what you wanted to do. It's in the boot of the car with your stuff." He informed him.

Kuon nodded. "Alright, see you in a few." He then headed off to his dressing room while Yukihito spoke to the director. Kuon would be taking a bit of a hiatus to take care of some personal affairs and they weren't sure if it would take a week or a month.

"So, what do you plan on doing when you get back to Tokyo?" Juli asked in Russian as they enjoyed their quiet little moment in First Class, while they waited until the rest of the passengers boarded their flight to return to Los Angeles from Moscow.

Kyoko smirked. "Everything."

Juli giggled. "That's my girl. I know you can do it." She encouraged. "And if Bastard #1 says you can't or bothers you again?" She asked.

"Who cares what he thinks? I taught him practically everything he knows anyway. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have made it out of Kyoto." She laughed.

"And Kuon?" Juli asked a little slyly with a smile.

Kyoko snorted a little giggle. "We are going to have a long talk."

Juli squeezed her hand. "Good girl. I'm so very proud of you Honey."

Kyoko practically glowed with the compliment. "Thanks, Mom. I know I couldn't have done it without you."

Juli shook her head. "You could have. It may have taken you longer to figure it out, but you would have definitely been able to on your own. I'm just happy I could be here for you." She kissed her temple and hugged her.

Kuu was having a little crisis of his own on whether he should call Lory and let him know the girls were coming home or not. He fluctuated between calling and not calling for an hour after he'd finally been able to reach Kuon. They would really be cutting it close. Kuon's flight would be 11 hours and Kyoko's would be 13, barring any delays. They would probably only have about an hour after Kuon got there before they picked up Juli and Kyoko.

Knowing the girls, they would have a ton of luggage to go through customs and Kuon would would only have a carry-on. Kuu smirked at that thought. That would give them plenty of time to get mentally prepared to lecture their ladies on the finer points of letting their men know that they were safe and sound.

Kuu put his phone down. Lory didn't need to know quite just yet. He decided to wait a couple of days before calling him and letting him know the girls were in the house, in LA.

"Should we tell Shachou?" Yuki asked as they settled into their seats.

Kuon shook his head. "I'd like to have a little time there with her before he gets involved."

Yuki agreed. He hadn't seen Kanae in a few weeks and wanted to spend some time with her without Lory's meddling. They were taking this time with their girls under the guise of taking care of a few LA prospects. They had allotted two weeks for it. If they needed more time, they would then need to tell him. "How do you plan on taking care of things?"

Kuon leaned back in his seat and sipped on his drink that had arrived to calm his shattered nerves. He sighed out heavily. "Firstly… Tell her the truth. Tell her everything I told you and a bit more." He answered honestly. "It's what I'd planned on doing when she left, but I just never got to it." He explained.

Yuki nodded. "If you need anything, I'm here with you." Yuki encouraged.

"Will you have anywhere to stay?" If not, he would have him stay with him at the house.

"Kanae's got everything covered. I'll be staying at her apartment while I'm there." He told him as he turned off his phone for the trip, and pulled out a magazine.

Kuon looked over at the cover and groaned a little. "Is that the new one?"

"Yeah, why?" He closed the cover and glanced at the cover model. His eyes went wide. "Oh… That's why. When did she…"

Kuon chuckled wryly. "She's been really busy. Hasn't she?"

Yuki handed him the magazine before it got him into trouble. A lingerie and bikini clad Kyoko was not for his eyes at the moment.

Kuon appreciated the gesture, but had realized as of late that it was something that he would just have to accept as part of his woman's career. However, it did make him realize that he would need to put a ring on her finger very soon, and announce to the world that she was his alone before anyone else got any ideas about her.

"Is she going to recognize you like that?" Yukihito asked referring to the blond hair and green eyes.

Kuon groaned a little as he turned the pages of her photo spread in the gentleman's magazine Yuki had given him. "Oh, she definitely will." He commented. She looks good in those black lace panties. He thought, unable to tear his eyes away from the tasteful lingerie photos.