AN: I really hope that you enjoy this chapter 😊 I'm hoping to not make Kuon so annoying but show a change in characterization. I'm sorry if he's an annoying brat to you.

Chapter Six – Parental Influence

Lory sighed as he poured himself a drink. He knew it was late in the evening but two years ago he wouldn't have thought that he'd be in this situation. He had always thought that when Kouki grew up that would be the end of his role of a father in the sense of needing to be there for your child. As much as he adored Kyoko and as much as he cared for Kuon, he hadn't thought that this would be his life in later adulthood.

There were so many things to consider and he felt as if his mind had shifted between them too much. He was trying to be the president of an agency which involved far more paperwork than he liked. Everything that happened to the top performers in the agency was reported to him and that felt like even more children that he was responsible for. Even his actors in their twenties needed guidance.

Then there were the secrets. He knew that because of the amount of time that Kuu and Julie had dedicated to their work, Kuon was always keeping things from them. It wasn't a malicious thing and it really was because he valued them and their work as much as they valued their careers but a child should never be responsible of taking care of a parent. As much as the eleven year old protested his childhood status, he was a child.

Kuon's secrecy might also be affecting Kyoko and he didn't want that. After knowing about the way she had been treated by her mother when she had been growing up, he didn't want to see that repeat. It was important that she spoke her mind and allowed other people to help her even if that seemed impossible for Kuon.

He sighed and leaned back, he was really having difficulty with all of this.

He heard his phone ring and sighed as he reached out to take it. The role of an agency president was never done.

…..

…..

Shuuhei Hozu had never been someone who Lory Takarada found it easy to argue with. Despite his loving and optimistic attitude, he had always been stubborn in his opinions and actions. He had the work ethic of a true Japanese man but there was also that aloofness that he had from his Americanized upbringing. He was somewhat of a nightmare sometimes because of his stubbornness and inability to listen and Kuu Hizuri was, in many ways, even worse.

That was why Lory had expected that Kuu would be jumping onto a plane if he knew the attitude that Kuon had. He was somewhat irritating and especially with the way he wouldn't take in the Japanese customs. If he wasn't going to be open and honest about what was going on then Lory had no chance of teaching him how to work in the world as a person.

Kuon had to acknowledge the accident that had happened in Kyoto. It had to be respected that he wasn't going to let the injury affect him in how he looked at the future and what possibilities he had for carving his own life but he had to at least consider the fact that it would take a longer time to heal.

Lory heard a knock on the door of his office and looked over to it. He nodded to his assistant and sighed as he saw Kuu enter the room. "I hope you were able to schedule the time off without much conflict," he said as he turned back to his old friend. "Listen, about Kuon."

"Thank you," Kuu said with a grateful smile. "I know that Kuon has a lot going on and I'm sure that sending him over here has had some negatives despite a want for him to heal so I'm really very thankful to you, Boss." Kuu looked up and took some deep breaths, "If I had been able to see the warning signs then I wonder if I would have been able to sort it out at home."

"So those classes that you're taking are doing you some good?" Lory asked. "I can't understand children. I realize now that there were a lot of things that Kouki was going through that I didn't realize. I respect you learning about the problems preteens and teenagers have. I respect you both as a man and as a father, I hope you know that."

Kuu sighed as he looked up and then closed his eyes, "It's relieving to know that someone feels that way. I think that I'm doing well with learning these things but Kuon is a tricky one to understand. I think that he has given himself some unreasonable standards to try to match."

"You mean the fact that he's trying to be like you despite your childish adulthood," Lory teased him as Kuu laughed and shook his head.

"I believe that my maturity is at least on level with yours, Boss," he said with a smile as he turned to his friend. "Do you think that sending Kuon here has done him any good?"

Lory leaned forward, "I'd like to say yes but nobody truly knows. I think that he's only been here for a short time but he's getting more confidence in himself and he's able to think more clearly. Hollywood is a hard community for someone to grow up in and even more if they have two successful parents. However, as mature as you think that Kuon is, he has a lot of problems. He ignores his youth and I don't know how to fix that. Nobody can force him into a state of childhood dependency."

"We've always tried to make Kuon someone who is self-reliant and -"

"Do you know that they say most psychopaths are both self-reliant and perfectionists and I'm not saying that Kuon is going to become one of those people but they…either they shoot themselves or they shoot somebody else. You should be careful when it comes to him. He's a good kid but good kids are often the ones who can be most easily pushed over the edge," Lory said and Kuu nodded weakly.

The actor lifted his head and sighed as he felt a gloom around himself. "Did you ever get a good look at his injury?" he asked and Lory shook his head. "Then I'll see if I can see how bad it is when I see him today. Julie and I used to think that we were the parents of the year but thinking that was a mistake. We're both trying our best to try to become better parents to him, to understand him."

"Kuu," Lory chuckled, "No good parent would think that they didn't have anything else to learn about parenting. At least you and Julie are trying now. I think you should have tried before when the accident happened, but you can't go back and change time no matter how much you would like to."

Kuu looked down before nodding. "I can still try though. I haven't lost contact with Kuon yet and I want to try. So, when do you think that I should see him tonight? Would going over to your place be the best option?"

"You should go now, I'll call ahead and tell them to expect you," Lory told his old friend and Kuu sighed.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to sit down with Kuon and really listen to him. He just hoped that his son wasn't too upset that he had taken some time off of work to spend some father-son time with him. In this world the acting roles came and went and your reputation might fall without you doing anything but no matter your social class or your prestige, you should always make time for your family.

…..

…..

Kuon was sitting and doing the independent study homework for the school his father had taken care of setting up for him. It seemed easier than he would have thought it would be which made him question just how beneficial it was to his educational improvement. As he was sitting in the library, he heard a maid come up to him.

"Master Hizuri," she said with a bow, "You have a visitor."

Kuon looked at her curiously before nodding and followed her into the entrance hall where he saw his father standing there. Kuon paled as he looked at his dad and then looked away. He didn't know what he had said or done that had made it so that Kuu was here. Kuu had taken time away from his work to do that and he was using one of his rare personal days for him when he hadn't even asked him to.

"Hey," Kuu said as he looked at his son, "I hope it was okay that I came."

Kuon nodded weakly. He tried hard to keep the smile that came from the happiness of seeing his father from his face. He didn't understand what he was doing there. He moved awkwardly before looking his father in the eyes, "Why did you come? Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I heard that my son needed me," Kuu said and Kuon looked at him confused.

"Did Boss –" he said but Kuu cut him off.

"It doesn't matter who told me, right? What matters is that hopefully I can be someone who you can trust with your problems and your worries. Hopefully I can be one of the only two things I care about being right now, your dad."

Kuon looked at him warily before sighing and walked forwards to hug his father. Kuu pulled his son close to him and then got down to his level to pull him into his arms. "Dad, I'm sorry that you came here. I'm sorry you -"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," Kuu said as he smiled in relief at how he could hold his son and realized how much he missed him. He ruffled Kuon's hair a little and grinned as his son smiled at him. "I'm only here for a few days but you're welcome to come home again with me if you want."

"Did Boss ask you to take me home?" Kuon asked and Kuu shook his head.

"As much as Boss doesn't like you concealing secrets, it's a part of you and he's just trying his best to give you a new start in life. Please don't feel as if we're trying to cast you out or get rid of you. We're only people Kuon and we can be stupid and self-involved but we care about you. I love you so much," Kuu told him and Kuon took a step back. "What is it?"

"Did Kyoko tell you that she was worried about me?" Kuon asked and he figured it out in his father's eyes that that was exactly what had happened. He sighed and shook his head but Kuu reached out for him.

"If Kyoko really didn't care about you or your friendship then she wouldn't have bothered telling me. I'm asking you not to get angry at her for telling me what was happening. I would have preferred to have heard it from you but if someone gets involved just to help you then you should take their help unless it really seems the worst option for you. You are so important to her," Kuu said. He didn't want his presence here to create a divide between them. Their friendship was important to both of them and he just needed Kuon to be honest with his emotions.

"I know, she's important to me too," he told Kuu before he looked down. "I just hope that this trip will be worth it to you."

"Hey," Kuu grinned, "I've seen my son and I've held him in my arms. Doing those things makes any action that led to it worth my time."

End of Chapter Six

Thank you for reading

Thank you to reviewers of Chapter Five

Brennakai, Kris, paedirt, paulagato, Someone2303, Undertheskys