Kuon didn't hear the knock at his door. He was too busy plotting Fuwa's death to hear his door open and shut. He didn't notice the girl until he turned to leave with his bag.
"I don't have time to lecture you again." He sighed and Elizabeth held up her hands.
"I promise to keep my clothes on and my hands to myself." She said taking half a step back. "I was just worried. Kevin said you got confirmation that your girl has been sleeping with a friend."
"He's not my friend and my girl would never let him touch her." Kuon said.
Elizabeth nodded pitying him. He was obviously in denial or maybe he hadn't heard that Kana and that Fuwa guy had announced they were in a relationship.
"I'm sorry could you open the door?" Kuon asked and followed it with a stern, "now."
"Yes, of course." Elizabeth said opening the door and leaning against it so anyone outside would see they were nowhere near each other. Her eyes darted around the room wanting to find a way to console him. She looked at a photo on his table and wondered how she hadn't seen it before. Though it wasn't like she had been looking around the trailer. She had been scared and panicking before he came in.
"That girl is, was that Sho guy's girlfriend." Elizabeth said. She recalled seeing Kyoko being slapped. "He wasn't very nice to her."
"Is there a point to you being in here or did Melissa send you to try to seduce me again? If that's the case, then save yourself the time and just leave." Kuon said snatching the photo and hiding it behind a lamp. He shouldn't have had it out after finding Elizabeth in his trailer. If she could get in then anyone could and then they would be able to find all his secrets.
"I don't get why you don't just sleep with Melissa. Your girlfriend cheated on you and dumped you through the paparazzi while you were over here being decent and loyal. Don't you just want to say fuck it and have some fun with someone?"
"No, I don't. Especially not when my choices are a misguided child and a nuisance who can't accept no for an answer."
"I am not a misguided child. I like you." Elizabeth said earnestly. "I understand that you don't like me and that's fine. I was just hoping to cheer you up some, but I see you don't need it. You don't even seem to care that your girlfriend has been sleeping with your friend."
"I told you he's not my friend."
"No, his girlfriend was. The one you have a picture of. That day while you were scolding me you received a video message. It was of that girl yelling at her boyfriend and him confessing to cheating on her. You ran out so fast I was impressed. On set everyone was abuzz about how your girl said she'd been sleeping with him, but you dispelled it as a misunderstanding. Kevin thought the subtitles had been translated wrong. Until we saw that video and he confirmed it." Elizabeth smiled shaking her head. "I was actually worried about you because you are a really decent guy, and she was cheating. Now I get it though, you didn't run out to go to Kana. It was that other girl you saw in the video. She's the one you want."
"She's my friend. I saw my friend being hit and I wanted to go to her. It's what decent people do." Kuon said. He needed to convince her that Kyoko was just a friend before she tried blackmailing him. Though there was a voice in his head that asked why. He was single now and so was Kyoko, publicly. Couldn't they be together now? No, he answered himself. His fans wouldn't accept her and what's more she wasn't twenty yet. He couldn't risk rumors from here getting back to Japan.
"You like her." Elizabeth deduced and found herself smiling. She was forming a drama in her head. One in which Ren, dashing gentleman and overall decent human being found himself entangled in a love square. One in which he was in love with a girl he could never have. A girl who had been with the same guy since childhood if the subtitles on those videos could be believed. Elizabeth swooned finding it both tragic and romantic.
Not for the first time Kuon thought her and Kyoko could be friends. He shook his head wondering what Kyoko was doing. Had she landed already? He hated to think she was so close to him and yet so very far away. There was no way he could sneak off set to be with her. There was no excuse he could give as Tsuruga Ren to suddenly visit Kuu.
"She is my friend, and I was worried about her."
"No, I get it now. Mr. Tsuruga is really pure hearted and loyal. That must be why Kana cheated because once you met this other girl your heart became hers. There was no room for anyone else in your heart or your bed."
"You deduced that from me running to my car after watching a video of her being slapped?" He asked genuinely concerned that he was too obvious.
"And the picture you have of her. Also, the way you turned both Melissa and I down. You were never even tempted to look at me."
"Well, that's because you're a child. You get that right?"
"This other girl doesn't seem much older than I am." Elizabeth pointed out.
"She's nineteen and she's graduated high school. Next year she'll be enrolled in Uni…" Kuon stopped talking seeing the eager glint in Elizabeth's eyes.
"I knew it!" She jumped up and down. "It is exactly as I imagined it. You like her but you couldn't have her before. She's single now though it's your perfect chance. Swoop in and snatch her up while she's sad from the breakup. It always works in the movies."
"Elizabeth," Kuon began to lecture her. He felt like a big brother with an extremely naïve little sister. "A guy who swoops in when you're vulnerable cannot be trusted."
"But you don't have bad intentions. You want to comfort her, right? If a friend swoops into comfort, you with no expectation that you'll look their way then they are a trustworthy person. I don't think you intend to trick her into a relationship, but I think you should call her. You could bond over your mutual heartache. You'll probably have to act like you're actually heartbroken though." The girl said forming a movie in her head.
Kuon rubbed his temples. Why was it so cute when Kyoko jumped to conclusions and strange fantasies but annoying when anyone else did?
"I am going to ask you to leave my trailer now." He said and the girl pouted up at him.
"Fine, I'll go but I need to warn you first. That's what I came here to do in the first place." She said with a suddenly serious look.
"Warn me about what?"
"Melissa intends to tell everyone we slept together." She said then held her hands up when she saw the anger enter his face. "I told her it didn't happen. I swear I told her the truth. You put your jacket around me and gave me a lecture. You said that I should have more respect for myself and that I needed to find better friends. One's who don't convince me to wait in older men's trailers with nothing but a towel. Melissa doesn't care about the truth though. She just wants revenge on you for rejecting her."
Kuon groaned.
"I told you; you should have just slept with her. That's all she wanted. It might not be too late. You could give her what she wants and then your girl would never have to know. Mel said she's going to find a way to spread the rumors to Japan."
"Then we'll both deny them. Publicly." Kuon said. Elizabeth wasn't a bad person, but she shook her head no.
"Melissa will run me if I go against her. She has influential parents, and her boyfriend is…"
"Fuck don't say it." Kuon moaned. He should have guessed that this would somehow lead back to that man.
"Prince Ceddy. You may never have heard of him but he's Hollywood royalty. You can't go against Cedric. Even Mel is afraid of him." Elizabeth looked behind herself suddenly afraid that someone was listening then she whispered, "For some reason he wants you out of the US. But you didn't hear that from me." She looked around again before shrugging looking back at him. "I think it would have been smarter to has sex with Mel or me, but I also wish more people in this industry were decent like you. I wish I could help you with your girl."
Elizabeth rushed off and Kuon heaved a large sigh. What was he supposed to do? There was no way he would go to Melissa and beg. He knew exactly what she would ask for and that wasn't happening. Besides if Cedric was behind her harassment, then they would spread the rumors anyway. He had to tell Kyoko, but she was already upset he couldn't add to her worries with his own problems. But if he didn't tell her then she would be upset that he didn't tell her.
"Argh!" He messed up his hair cursing the day Cedric was born. He couldn't tell her because then she was likely to go confront Cedric and get herself in trouble. Everybody thought he was the overprotective one, but she would literally curse Cedric and all his descendants. He had an image of Natsu torturing his cousin and couldn't help but chuckle. He wanted to see her.
"Where is she?" Shotaro asked Yashiro. He had come to LME to check on her but was told that she had left. In truth he didn't know what compelled him to visit her. He knew she was angry and didn't want to see him, but he needed to see her. He needed her to yell at him and call him an asshole. Then he would know that they would be alright. The he could confidently say that he hadn't lost her.
The older man adjusted his glasses giving the younger man a stern look. "Don't you think you've done enough already?" They were seated at the café inside of LME with tea in front of them getting cold.
"I want to apologize." Sho mumbled looking down. "I shouldn't have hit her. She shouldn't have shoved me, but I still shouldn't have hit her."
"You can submit a written or recorded apology to me, and I will pass it on." Yashiro said. He sipped his tea for something to do.
"I want to apologize to her face. You can't deny that this is the kind of thing that should be said to someone's face." Shotaro said careful to keep his jaw from clenching in annoyance. "Where is she?"
"Away. Which is where you should be. Go away Fuwa-san. Go far away and leave her alone." Yashiro said placing his teacup down and frowning at it to keep himself from glaring at Shotaro.
"Where is she?" Shotaro asked again with venom in his voice.
Yashiro wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by the musician. "She went to see her parents. She needed a break after you tricked the Takatsuki couple into breaking her heart."
"What parents?" Shotaro asked and Yashiro shrugged.
Fuwa would probably find out soon enough that she was visiting with Hizuri Kuu and his wife. They had made sure that she was seen boarding Lory's private plane and she would be seen being picked up by Kuu. Still Yashiro didn't want to give Fuwa any information. The boy had pestered Kyoko enough.
"You are the absolute worst manager if you let her go to Seana. That witch would only make things worse for Kyoko." Shotaro said but then he thought for a moment. Maybe she had gone to Kyoto. His parents were closer to being her parents than Seana ever was.
"I am well aware that Mogami-san has been lacking as a mother towards Kyoko-chan. She even went as far as to sign over custody of that girl to LME. I would never permit her to see Kyoko-chan even if she begged, though we both know she never would." Yashiro said.
"Then where is she?" Shotaro asked again growing more and more irritated. He should just call Yayoi and ask. Then again would his mother tell him the truth? She was always taking Kyoko's side over his. Ever since they were kids it had been obvious to Shotaro that Yayoi preferred Kyoko. Even his dad was nice to her and freely praised her for the smallest accomplishment. As though slicing things perfectly was a useful skill outside of the ryokan. "Pft. Whatever I'll track her down wherever she is."
"Kyoko-chan!" Julie sang her name as she walked out to the pool where Kyoko sat despondently moving her feet in the water. "I brought you a drink."
Kyoko took the drink and sipped it politely. Julie could not make drinks. She mixed different juices and sodas together then for some reason Julie insisted that Kyoko couldn't have alcohol. It confused Kyoko to no end to learn that though she was considered an adult at eighteen and could do just about anything any other adult could apparently that didn't apply to alcohol. Which was the excuse she gave Kuu when he made her drinks that tasted like pure alcohol. Maybe he had added a dash of orange juice, but Kyoko doubted it. Of course, she wasn't allowed to make her own drink as she was a guest. She bet Kuon was allowed to make his own drinks because he was their real child.
"Thank you." Kyoko said setting the drink beside herself.
"Don't you want to take a swim?" Julie asked. "It's heated."
"No, I'll be cold when I get out." Kyoko said wiggling her foot in the warm water. She wondered if Kuon used to like laying out by the pool. Then she wondered how many girls he had brought to the pool, and she pulled her feet out. "I think I'll go to my room. I'm still tired from the flight."
"Kyoko…?" Julie wanted to hug Kyoko's pain away, but she knew she couldn't. There was no erasing the scars from a lifetime of neglect. All she could do was gently and patiently give Kyoko love.
"Yes, mother?" Kyoko asked wringing her hands together.
With a gentle smile Julie said, "I put some bath bombs and oils in your room bathroom."
Kyoko nodded and stood up to bow before taking her leave. She toweled her feet off and left the towel by the door as Julie had told her she had to. It would have taken little time and effort for her to carry it to the hamper in the laundry room, but she wasn't allowed to clean. Guests weren't supposed to clean. She walked with her eyes down not wanting to see the reminders of the happy family who lived there. The family Kuon had abandoned. She didn't want to be mad at him for it and she knew he had good reasons to leave, but she couldn't help the twinge of resentment. He had everything she could only ever read about. He was the handsome prince in a castle with loving parents. He had everything and he had taken it for granted.
She walked into her room which was actually Kuon's room and locked herself inside. His bed was freshly made with a fluffy comforter and silk sheets. How many girls had been pressed their bodies against his in that bed? She ripped the comforter off and perched laid on the daybed by the window. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't help it. Tired and cranky she closed her eyes and dreamed that Corn was there telling her a story.
A/N: Sorry that was short and kind of jumps around but I have a work function to get to and my boss is literally waiting in her car for the hour drive while I post this. So disrespectful of me but I have to spend all night working on the one day of the week the salon is closed so she can wait a moment.