Chapter 5: Interlude

Aiko could not bring herself to respond to the first email she received from Kyoko and Kuon. They asked her what sorts of things she liked and told her about themselves. They seemed nice, but she also didn't really want to email them back because that would mean...

No, she wouldn't think about that.

Her grandparents tried to talk to her, to get her to talk about what she was feeling, but instead she tried to focus on schoolwork and drawing.

Which really meant mindless doodles. It was hard to focus.

Her daddy would be ok. He would get better and they would go back to Tokyo together and she could go back to school.

She didn't need to respond to any emails.

Everything was fine.

Two weeks after visiting Kyoto they had still not told anyone about Aiko. Kyoko had filled in Lory and Yukihito about Sho so they wouldn't be surprised if she left for Kyoto again, but she was not ready to really talk about anything to anyone except for Kuon. And Kuon wasn't going to talk to someone else before Kyoko was ready for others to know.

Kyoko tried talking to Kanae when they met for lunch one day. She was able to talk about Sho's cancer - Kanae would never forgive her if Lory knew something that Kanae did not. But Aiko was something different. Kanae did have experience with the kids in her family, but she didn't have any of her own and Kyoko didn't really feel like Kanae would understand what she was thinking.

The thought of being parents has always been something Kyoko and Kuon pushed aside. When asked they always answered that it wasn't the right time, and as they got older it really seemed like the time would never be right. And now, whether it was the right time or not, they would be taking care of a child, And neither were sure what would come of it, or how Aiko would fit into their lives.

One evening after they had finished cleaning up after dinner, Kuon tried bringing up talking to someone else. "You know, Maria would probably be the best person to talk to. Her childhood is probably the most similar to Aiko's, and she's one of the few people we are friends with that actually has children. Maybe she can give us a suggestion of how to reach out to Aiko."

"You're right. But what if Aiko doesn't want to live with us? Then we have to tell everyone that we won't be her guardians."

"It's just Maria." Kuon responded. He gently rubbed Kyoko's hand. "We can tell her to not tell anyone."

Kyoko stared at their hands. She was not alone, and Kuon probably needed to feel like he could talk to someone else too, but was hesitating because of her. "Ok, let's call her." Kyoko said as she picked her phone up.

"Now? Are you sure?" Kuon asked.

Kyoko nodded. "If I chicken out I can always talk about seeing her when she comes in a couple of weeks."

Kuon smiled. "Ok, let's call Maria."

Kyoko put the phone on speaker while the phone rang... and rang. At first they were not sure if Maria would pick up until they finally heard her voice. "Onee-sama! Sorry for not answering right away. I was in the middle of something. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. We're just calling to talk."

Kuon added. "Actually we're calling for advice from you."

"What has grandfather done this time? Do you need me to talk him down?" Maria replied.

Kyoko laughed nervously. "No, that's not it. He's been great lately. You're going to have a hard time dragging him away."

Maria laughed. "I have my secret weapon, Lina. How could he resist a cute 3 year old? What did you need?"

Kyoko took a deep breath and looked at Kuon. He squeezed her hand and she responded quietly. " We're about to become guardians to a child. I'm thinking if anyone knows what she will need it would be you."

"Really? Is she the daughter of your friend Sho? Grandfather told me about him."

Kyoko looked to Kuon, and he nodded to her, understanding what she wanted, that she needed his help. "Yes. That's right." Kuon responded. "What we wanted to talk to you about was what did you want from adults in your life after your mother died? Do you have any advice for us to reach out to her? We sent an email telling her about us - we haven't seen her since she was three, and she doesn't really remember."

"Right after my mom died, I wanted the truth from adults. I felt like they were all lying to me to spare my feelings. It really wasn't until I met you Kyoko that I finally felt like an adult understood me. The best thing you can do is don't try to protect her with half truths and lies, especially you Kuon."

"Me? What..." Kuon started, but Maria continued, interrupting him.

"You were one of those adults when I was a kid, just saying what you thought I wanted to hear. Plus she'll probably think she can manipulate you. I don't think she'll feel the same way about Kyoko, as long as Kyoko says exactly what she thinks."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Aiko may be different than you were as a child."

"If she was a normal child, that may be true, but her father is very famous - even outside of Japan. I'm not sure about her mother. I think being close to the entertainment industry has a way of making children grow up quickly. She probably will never be a normal child being with you two - you are both too well known. Just be yourselves. I need to go, if you still want to talk, feel free to call me tomorrow. "

"Thank you Maria. One more thing, don't tell your grandfather about Aiko yet. We haven't told my parents and we would like to avoid the drama."

Maria giggled. "Of course. I love knowing things he doesn't. I'll see you in a couple of weeks ok?"

"Bye Maria. We miss you." Kyoko responded before hanging up.

After the conversation, Kyoko and Kuon collected their thoughts for a moment. It was Kyoko that came to a decision first. "Let's send one more email to Aiko. Just to let her know we are here. I want to talk to Sho's parents too - to make sure Aiko is still ok."

Aiko stared at the new email she received, not sure what to do about it.

Hello Aiko,

I hope you are doing ok. If you want to talk to anyone, please don't hesitate to call us. Even if it is just to talk about things you think are insignificant. We are here whenever you are ready. If it becomes too much to stay where you are, our house is open to you, whether it is for us to become your guardians or just a short visit.

Please don't feel pressured to respond right away. We'll be here when you are ready and will listen. You don't have to be alone. We are going to talk to your grandparents about how you are doing and to offer for you to visit us, but if you want to stay there it is ok to tell us no.

We are here when you are ready,

Kyoko and Kuon

Daddy was sleeping more than he was awake. Her grandparents spent most of their time worrying about him, and Aiko was left on her own. It was getting harder to think that things could go back to normal.

Aiko sat on her bed and hugged her favorite stuffed animal - a large purple unicorn named Blueberry that she had since she was very young. She wasn't sure exactly where it came from, but it had always been her favorite because it was almost as big as a pillow and was very soft. She barely noticed when her grandmother came in and sat next to her.

"I just got off the phone with Kyoko. They are worried about you. What do you think about a short trip to Tokyo. Just to try things out?"

"You're not deciding for me?" Aiko asked.

Yayoi wrapped her arm around Aiko's shoulders. "I think it would be good for you to go, but you can stay if you want. Kyoko made sure that I knew that this had to be your choice. I think they are hesitating because your father, while very sick, is still alive."

Aiko sniffed. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave daddy but he's always asleep. I always feel alone."

"Then I think the best thing is for you to go to Tokyo. You can always come back to visit. Think about it ok?" Yayoi responded. Yayoi stood up and stopped in the doorway. "You don't have to decide right now, whenever you're ready tell me." She then closed the door and left Aiko alone.

Aiko curled up with Blueberry. She was scared to make the decision, but maybe if she went to Tokyo she wouldn't feel so alone. After a few minutes, she got up and started walking towards her daddy's room. She peeked in to see if he happened to be awake, but of course he was asleep. She sat down next to him on the bed.

"Daddy, what do I do? I don't want to leave you but I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm scared daddy." She lay down next to Sho and sobbed. Eventually, she fell asleep at his side. Something she hadn't done since she was very small.

Kyoko was at LME when she received the call from Yayoi. She didn't know how long she was staring at her phone. Her life was changing and Sho's life had officially ended - he took his final breath while he was sleeping with his daughter beside it was better this way, he was no longer suffering. His family, especially Aiko, will need a lot of support.

During the call, Yayoi admitted she wasn't sure she was able to give the support that AIko needed while grieving. Ready or not, Kyoko's life was changing. She got up, grabbed her things and went straight to Lory's office to let him know she was going back to Kyoto. Before leaving Lory's office she asked him a question, "Do you think I would make a good mother?"

Lory studied her face trying to figure out where the question was coming from. "Of course you would. Where is this coming from?"

"Sho has a daughter, Aiko. Her mother did what mine probably would have if she had the chance - she left Aiko as a baby and never looked back so now Aiko is left with no parents."

While listening to Kyoko, he understood why she was asking. "Are you thinking of taking her in?"

"I wouldn't say thinking about it. The decision is already made." Kyoko mumbled back.

"So that means.."

"Tonight Kuon and I are bringing Aiko with us to Tokyo. After today, we'll be her guardians. I don't know if I'm ready to call myself a parent."

"You know the love of a parent is something beautiful, but to take care of a child not even related to you I think can be even more inspiring. You will do fine. Part of me wishes I could be here to see you figure things out." Lory spoke seriously, and Kyoko appreciated the change in tone from his normal over the top way of communicating.

"Part of me is glad you are not here to interfere." Kyoko replied. "You don't want to miss any more of Lina's life right? I'm sure you'll be bothering Yukihito for information anyways."

Lory Laughed. "You know me so well, I still have eyes at LME, even when I'm not here. If you need advice, don't hesitate to call me, and if you don't I'll call you."

Kyoko sighed. "I know."

Author's note: I struggled a bit with this chapter. I'm not sure how many times I wrote paragraphs and then just deleted them because I didn't feel like they were leading the story where it needed to go. I think I have a clearer vision for the next chapter, but we'll see what happens once I start writing it. I think the story should get happier from here, and all my main characters will be living together.