AN: Thanks for your patience with updates. I'm going to try to figure out a system to juggle all the things that I'm doing right now 😊 I've got two classes, work, and then I like reading as well. I have to get better at my speed for my stenography classes but I'm going to do my best 😊 so please keep reading!

Part Four – Chapter One: Important Friends

Kuon stared across at the other boy sitting opposite him. He had known this boy for two weeks now and somehow it was giving him similar feelings than when he was with Kyoko. There were differences sure, but it felt good. Maybe he could even call Rick a friend of his. That would be nice, it wasn't as if he was particularly close with anyone.

"So, what does the girl think?" Rick asked him and Kuon smiled at him whilst blinking now that one of them had actually started a conversation.

"The girl…you mean Kyoko?" Kuon asked and Rick nodded, "I think she's happy that she wasn't hurt," Kuon said. He thought back on the last email that the two of them had sent where she had overloaded it with emoticons and images telling him to fight and that they were best friends forever and how she believed in him. Although he had felt special to receive so many emoticons, it was the pictures of her and Kanae that he had enjoyed the most. She had a friend. Maybe he had a friend too.

"That's good. I've always been popular with the ladies," he said as he spread his arms out whilst sitting on the sofa in the Hizuri home, "but I've never risked my health saving one of them." He leaned forwards and grinned, "You know, most guys out there consider me more of a threat then a friend," he said as Kuon looked at him confused.

"A threat…because of the girls?" he asked and Rick looked down.

"Because of one girl, she's completely clueless though, we've been friends forever but…" Rick laughed again, "I don't think she gets that I like her. That's great though, she has time to mature and then I sweep in and make my move and she never gets another guy on her mind again, see that's called strategy," Rick told him as he tapped on the side of his head and Kuon smiled.

He didn't know how to tell Rick that that plan sounded a bit too complicated. He was still attempting to get Rick to be his friend and to accept him even in a wheelchair. It was so much more difficult then it was with Kyoko. He didn't believe telling Rick that he was a fairy prince would get the same reaction.

"Is this Tina?" Kuon asked and Rick gave him a thumbs up, "Okay, now I see why the other boys consider you a rival," he laughed, "You know you're twelve right? Most twelve year olds….do most twelve years olds actually think about this?" he asked starting to shift in the chair. Maybe as an eleven-year-old he was abnormal. He knew that girls liked him and he could probably get a girlfriend if he put his mind to it but acting outranked relationships for him and that's what he wanted to concentrate on once he got out of this chair.

"You haven't been attracted to an older woman before? You know, seeing them on all those TV shows especially the movies where they show things…" Rick said with a playful grin and Kuon sighed with a smile. He heard the front door getting unlocked and looked at Rick whilst shaking his head.

"I've grown up with two actors as parents, my parents have introduced their friends to me. It would feel weird if I was ever watching a movie and thought about them that way," he said honestly before seeing his father enter the room. Even after a short time, his parents trusted Rick which Kuon was happy about. Rick had informed him how there weren't a lot of people who did trust him so earning the seal of approval from the Hizuri family was like a gateway into freedom. Still, even with how much Kuu and Julie trusted the twelve-year-old, Kuu had taken a lot fewer jobs so to spend more time with Kuon. Hopefully it wasn't guilt motivating him.

"Hey," Kuu said as he stood in the doorway and looked between the two boys, "How are you, Rick?" he asked as he protectively walked over to Kuon and set a hand on his son's shoulder, smiling down at him with such love and warmth that Kuon was reminded of Kyoko.

"Great, Mr. Hizuri, I was going to head home," he said and Kuon looked between the two of them. "I'll see you tomorrow," Rick said as he started to get his things together. Kuu looked at him in shock and then sighed. The Hizuris knew that Rick wasn't very happy when there was an adult in the room. There was a problem with authority in his family, no child abuse but sometimes Rick's father put too much pressure on him to perform well. Being around Kuu made him feel more awkward.

Kuu walked over to the brunette, "Did you want a ride home?" he asked and Rick grinned back in his charismatic way.

"No need, I've got my own ride," he said before gesturing to the bike at the side of the house. "Later, Mr. Hizuri," he said before leaving and Kuon smiled. He watched as his father approached him and Kuu sat down on the sofa opposite him, taking Rick's place.

"Did I disturb something between the two of you?" he asked and Kuon shook his head, "He's a nice kid. We're always happy for him to come over," he said before sighing. "Are you doing okay?" he asked and Kuon rolled his eyes but then nodded. He had really messed up his time in Japan so he could understand how overprotective his dad was. Even before the accident, he had been overprotective.

"I'm doing well, it was a good day," Kuon said before seeing his dad grin. Kuon shifted a little. "Dad, does having a son in a wheelchair….is that…"

"Don't even think about asking me if it's any trouble or inconvenience. You're my kid," Kuu said proudly, "I love you. So, how about we do something together tonight, maybe play that video game you got," he said and Kuon shook his head. "Okay, a movie? Or we could even go out or…."

"Dad," Kuon said as they made eye contact with each other, "Can you teach me how to cook another meal?" he asked and Kuu smiled excitedly.

"Of course, let's do that…it sounds like a blast" he said with his smile growing, "anything you want to cook?"

"How about hamburger with egg on top?" Kuon asked, "There's somebody that I'd really love to impress."

…..

…

Kanae looked at the doll that she had in her hand. Why had this always felt so stupid to her? Maybe it was because dolls had elaborate outfits and seemed to have endless financial resources so they could do whatever they wanted without thinking of the consequences? Maybe it seemed foolish to attach a personality to something that looked like this, this weird sexualized play thing, but she had to admit that she was enjoying it. Or maybe she was just enjoying her time with this excitable girl opposite her.

"I love your new dress, where did you get it?" the doll that Kyoko was playing with asked Kanae's doll.

"I thought you made it," Kanae said in a monotone as she looked across at Kyoko with a blunt expression on her face. "I'm not sure if you should say that you love it when you personally created it," she told her honestly and Kyoko shook her head.

"No… it's because I made it to be beautiful," she said with a whine and fake tears, "You're so mean, Kanae-chan," she grinned and Kanae smiled. She had to admit that Kyoko had been able to get used to her and with this fake emotion directed at her, Kanae knew that she hadn't actually insulted her best friend. When Kyoko got upset she didn't talk so any kind of emotional response showed that she wasn't too upset.

"Oh," Kanae said as she made the doll look around, "There's a fashion store in this neighborhood. You wouldn't think I'd try to wear anything cheap would you but look at this uhh…this nice print and the texture of this uh…fabric?"

"Oh yes, you look so beautiful in it," Kyoko said with a grin as Kanae looked at her more than the actual dolls that Kyoko had begged to play with and then told Kanae that it was acting practice and Kanae couldn't help but to want to practice acting no matter the stupidity of the form that it took.

"You look more uh…beautiful in yours?" she tried to state but it came out as more of a question.

"Oh, you're so nice to me," Kyoko said as she made the doll twirl, "Thank you so much. What a great friendship we have, let's go and get some cake to celebrate our friendship."

"I don't want to get fat," Kanae made her doll say and then looked at Kyoko, "Sorry, yeah uh…let's go get some…" she said and Kyoko put the doll down with a sigh.

"Did I not do it right?" Kanae asked as Kyoko looked at her and put her hands down flatly on the surface. "I don't know, don't you think that dolls are too…."

"It's okay, it's not about the dolls," Kyoko said as she looked at her friend. She smiled happily and Kanae exhaled in relief, she hadn't screwed this up. "I was just thinking that Kuon didn't stay here very long but even if we couldn't spend much time together as friends, he sent me a picture of a new friend he made already."

"That's good," Kanae shrugged not knowing what else to say about it. "I mean, I'm very glad that I've got you as a friend even if we do play with dolls," she said and Kyoko pushed her playfully.

"That's cruel, dolls are so much fun to play with," she said before she looked down. "Kanae-chan, have you ever had a crush?"

Kanae blinked back, her face blank and she raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I mean, I think that I love Kuon and I want to be his bride someday," Kyoko said and Kanae stared at her again. What was this girl thinking about? She had never experienced these thoughts of her own. She looked at her before sighing, she should really work on her interpersonal skills. She had never really been the best at those.

"I think you shouldn't worry about things like that," Kanae shrugged, "Thinking about guys now is only going to cause you to fall into stupidity. Focus on yourself and then maybe in ten years think about guys again…or maybe never."

Kyoko looked down before nodding, "Do you think he thinks that way, that he won't get a girlfriend?"

Kanae continued to stare at the other girl. What was she supposed to do with this information? How was she supposed to respond? These were thoughts that she had never had. They were too young to be thinking about things like this right?

"I have no idea," she told her, "but maybe get him a gift?" she shrugged and Kyoko jumped up excitedly.

"Yes! I'll get him a gift and then every time he thinks of it, he'll think of me," she said before throwing her arms around Kanae who wasn't sure how to handle this. Still, wanting to be a good friend, she patted Kyoko's back. Some girls, including her friend, were crazy but she couldn't help but to love her anyway.

End of 4.1

Thank you for reading

So, people who review another of my fics have told me that they like responses to the reviews so I'm going to try that with my other fics. I hope that you'll consider it a positive thing

Brennakai: There's going to be more exploration of their friendship in part 4 especially with Rick and Kanae there for them as well

Erza: We'll have to see but I'm going to have fun writing him

Kris XD: Yep, he deserves the wrath of Lory Takarada indeed

Mainaru974: Hope you enjoyed

MetroNeko: Yes, but he has some other things to go through right now before he can be Ren again

Misherokuro: Yes, all set up for part 4

MuraKaze: I hope I don't make you cry too much and thank you

Renkyokocanon: We'll have to see. At least she's not drugged and on a railing 😉