Chapter 17

Honestly? This little trip that she took him on, because she wanted an actual break from traveling and shopping, had to have been the best idea ever, even though Kuu pouted, ranted, and railed against it, due to the fact that he had yet to spend ample time with the pair. It had been years since Kuon had taken a real vacation or at least something that could be considered a vacation, and it was her first that didn't involve some kind of work on the side. So, they had made a quick trip up to the Timberline Lodge in Oregon, at the base of Mount Hood, to ski, play in the snow, and just generally goof around for two weeks, in 180 inches of perfectly packed snow for doing exactly just that.

Needless to say, because of her literal exposure, for the past three months, they were getting the A-Lister's treatment and getting quite a few looks from others in their age range. He would be lying if he said it didn't bother him, but he'd also be lying if he said he wasn't proud as hell to be the man she was with. It was almost as if his arm was permanently wrapped possessively around her any time they were out, sending out a vibe from him that said "That's right, she's mine. All you can do is look.".

At the moment, she was soaking in a hot tub, surrounded by a high wall of snow, snuggled next to Kuon, and completely relaxed. He was a bit surprised, but not too shocked when she'd pulled out her phone earlier and took a couple of selfies with him. He'd asked what happened to her old phone and she told him. She explained that Juli got her a more durable replacement, yet wouldn't allow her to use it unless it was for entertainment or calling her friends. She wasn't allowed to do anything work related on it, because it was her private phone. She could get a new one for work when she got back to Japan. It really wasn't like she couldn't afford to now after all of the modeling jobs she'd taken over the past months.

He laughed at her little story and could only agree with his mother on the subject. Perhaps Fuwa would stop calling her at all hours of the day and night if she kept it that way. That idiot was still a bit of a sore subject for him. However, she did make it crystal clear to him that she only saw that jackass as an annoying brother at the very most and a pain in the ass that she was forced to grow up with at the very least. He could live with that explanation, especially now that she was wearing a matching ring with him and she considered them to be officially dating. Yes, no more of that seeing each other on the sly or hiding from the media. It would be officially announced to the world, at some point soon, when they got back. He seriously doubted that anyone would refer to her as just his girlfriend or someone that had used him to get to where she was. Nope, she was able to stand on her own two feet without his help; although, it would have been nice to be a little bit needed. Well, he would settle for being needed in other ways. Oh the ways in which he would like to be needed by her. Easy Hizuri… all good things come to those who wait. Just keep her a virgin for a little longer. Just a little bit longer. He reminded himself as he tried to keep from gaping like an idiot at her luscious bikini-clad form, snuggling comfortably in the hot tub, with his arm around her.

Lory groaned. "Say's here that she's in Copenhagen right now… What the hell is she doing in Denmark?" He complained not knowing that all of the photos were well over two weeks old. The next set would be of her and Juli's trip to Russia, then the ski trip, and finally Los Angeles wrapping it all up.

Ruto cleared his throat to get Lory's attention. "Isn't that where Hans Christian Andersen originated from, Sir?"

Lory gave him a confused look, forgetting how Kyoko and Juli were with fairy tales.

"The Little Mermaid." Ruto reminded.

"Ah! That's right!" He exclaimed in a moment of epiphany.

"Hmm, well they've already been to Germany so… I suppose that would make Russia next?" He guessed. "Although… I'm not sure which princess it would be."

"The Frog Princess…" Ruto announced in a monotone voice.

Lory gave him a strange look, wondering how and why he knew that. Was it because he was a very thorough person when it came to the people he protected or was it just something that he was curious about? He did have the strange hobby of measuring people rather intrusively when Lory had given him permission to do so, so the idea wasn't really that far-fetched. "Ah… Yes. I suppose we should check there then." He declared.

"Which city, Sir?"

Lory deflated. Which city, indeed. There were so many and by the time they figured out her new travel plans, she would probably be on her way to her next destination, thereby completely wasting his resources and time of trying to figure out where exactly she was. It seemed as though Kuu wasn't going to spill the beans any time soon either. "I guess we should just be patient and wait then." He pouted, finally giving up the idea of going on yet another wild goose chase.

Where is she? Where is my little diamond? Lory sighed out and spun his pen on the large world map, that lay before him on his desk, not noticing that it had stopped spinning after a few times, leaving the tip of the pen to land on the state of Oregon in the US as its final resting place. Yes, when it came to some things, he could be quite clueless. He had still not figured out the subtle little gift that Maria had bestowed upon him and Ten on Halloween. All of the unusual happenings around him, mixed drinks, finding items that he'd lost years ago, being able to pull plans off perfectly when they didn't involve Kuon and Kyoko's love life, and many other random little things went unnoticed or he at least didn't contribute magic to any of them. As far as his favorite pair were concerned, if he'd actually been aware and put in the time to study, as Maria did, the results most likely would have been astounding. Instead, when he discovered a little black book, titled The Grimoire of Love, he stored it away in his desk, thinking it was nothing but poppycock, and promptly forgot about it. Maria would have surely scolded him for it if she knew.