AN: Thank you so much with your patience on the updates of this fic. I hope that you like this chapter as it's mainly around hobbies and shared interests which will come into future chapters as well.

Chapter Nine – Musically Driven

Kyoko took a deep breath in as she stood outside the building where the acting lessons were conducted. She hadn't meant to think that Kanae was inferior to Kuon and she had definitely not wanted her friend to feel that she didn't believe in her dreams. Both Kanae and Kuon were very important people to her and hopefully the ice cream treat she had sitting in the dry ice bag would help her explain her case to Kanae. However, there was still a wait before Kanae finished with her classes.

"I support your dream too, I really want to see you succeed and maybe work together with Kuon," she practiced saying as she paced the hallways. She had spoken with her father and told him that she wanted to spend some time with him when they went to America and maybe she could spend some time with just Kuon as well, she barely got to see her friend and she wanted their time together to be as special as possible.

Still, Kyoko knew that she would never feel comfortable getting onto the plane without Kanae's understanding and friendship. Since she had been bullied and left alone in Kyoto, friends were something of great importance to her and she never wanted one of her own friends to feel that they weren't worth very much to her when it was the opposite, her friends meant so much more to her than anything else.

As Kyoko paced outside the building, her ears picked up a melody that was being played. She looked at the clock on the side of the building and then went over to where she heard the music. She could spend some time trying to find the source of the sound whilst she waited.

Kyoko wandered over to where there were music rooms and paused as she waited again. The song sounded like how the fairies would when they flew through the air, it was a magical sound that wasn't like a drum or a piano or a guitar. Kyoko stopped still as she found the source of the music and then hid so that the girl who was playing the instrument wouldn't see her.

It was a flute, an amazing instrument that before Kyoko had always overlooked.

Kyoko smiled as she watched the flutist in wonder, this was such a beautiful melody. She grinned before seeing the girl stop and as the instructor came into the room, Kyoko headed back to the acting classrooms. She was still grinning with that music caressing her heart. She wondered if she would be able to make music that sounded like that.

Kyoko's eyes soon caught hold of her friend and she rushed over, holding the ice cream in front of her, "I'm sorry," she apologized, "Kanae-chan, I am so so sorry," she said again and Kanae paused before tilting her head to the side. "I want to see your dreams too," she said with a wide smile over her face.

"Yeah," Kanae smiled as she tilted her head to the side, "I'm sorry too. I should never have doubted you, I think I was just a little jealous. I thought that we were friends."

"We are friends," Kyoko said quickly, "but I'm friends with Kuon as well and I wouldn't even be here with you and living my good life were it not for Kuon. I owe a lot to the Hizuris and…and I really like Kuon, there's a lot that I can talk to him about just like there's a lot that we can share together too, Kanae-chan," Kyoko attempted to explain.

Kanae sighed, "I guess I can forgive you then." Kanae took the ice cream from Kyoko and smiled. Kyoko really knew the best treats to make her feel special, Kanae just hoped that eating these treats wouldn't make her gain too much weight. "You want to walk home together?"

"Yeah," Kyoko nodded excitedly, "Yes. I'd love to walk home together, thank you," she grinned and Kanae raised an eyebrow.

"What's put you in such a good mood. I doubt it's just that we made up because you were grinning like an idiot before we even started to talk so what's on your mind?" Kyoko blinked back and Kanae sighed as she watched her. Something was going around and around in little Kyoko's mind and Kanae was just hoping that it didn't have anything to do with her crush.

"I want to learn to play the flute," Kyoko said and Kanae paused.

"Why?" she asked and Kyoko looked down with that smile still on her face.

"It's such a beautiful instrument and I want to play the beautiful music I feel in my heart when I go about my life, like the music that I hear when I'm with you, Kanae-chan," she grinned and Kanae shrugged with a weak smile, "What's the matter?"

"Why would you want to learn an expensive hobby if it won't take you anywhere," she asked and Kyoko shook her head.

"It's not so that I can get a job or work but I want to be able to create something beautiful, that's why I love fashion because there's so many beautiful colors. Playing the flute would be like turning all that beauty into sound," she said and Kanae shrugged. Kyoko closed her eyes, feeling confidence in what she wanted to learn, "I'll ask Dad about it tonight."

….

….

Kuon looked up from his homework to find that there was a good smell in the air, how long had he been concentrating on his advanced-track algebra work. He looked up as he finally managed to put the papers away and concentrate on his script. Had he been too focused? He wheeled himself to the kitchen and grinned as he saw his dad chopping up an onion whilst also looking over his lines.

"You look so happy doing that," he commented and Kuu grinned.

"I am happy," he turned to Kuon with a smile, "I would have asked you if you wanted to help but you looked quite serious. Any problems with the homework, you know I really wasn't considered an idiot when was in school just…distracted," he grinned.

"Dad, are you…is it okay that you're here?" Kuon asked nervously and Kuu stared at him.

"I think a man should be allowed in his own house, don't you?" he asked and Kuon shifted again. He felt nervous that his father was taking so much time off to be with him. They had both seen that he was allowing Julie to take as many jobs as he wanted to but after everything that Kuon had been through, Kuu had tried his best to work on his priorities.

"Dad, you want to be an actor, that's really important to you, right?" he asked and Kuu sighed.

"Kuon, if I never acted again but I had you and your mother in my life, I'd be happy. If I was offered my dream role but one of the two of you wasn't here then I wouldn't be happy. By reducing the number of jobs I have, I'm still able to concentrate on work and spend more time focusing on the rest of my life," he told him and Kuon paused.

"You don't have to do all of this," he said nervously and Kuu walked over to him.

"I wouldn't be doing all of this if I had a problem with it, trust me, I've got my priorities sorted," he smiled and Kuon paused. He looked away awkwardly. There was something that he had wanted to ask of his father but he didn't want to inconvenience him any more than he already had. He was pretty sure that people were starting to talk about him being spoiled by Kuu taking the time to watch him mature.

"Dad…" Kuon said slowly and Kuu hummed, "There's something that I wanted to ask you about" he said and Kuu nodded as he washed up the knife very carefully. "The piano. I want to learn how to play the piano as well as you do."

"I'm certainly not the be-" Kuu argued but Kuon shook his head.

"When you played that role, Katsuki I think in the Moon…."

"Tsukigo no Mori," Kuu corrected him and Kuon nodded.

"Yeah, that one, you played the piano and you were amazing. Do you think that I would be able to do that one day, play as well as you do?" Kuon asked and Kuu grinned at him. It made his heart beat proudly as a parent whenever Kuon expressed wanting to be more like him. He smiled proudly and nodded.

"I'm sure that you could," he said, "If you want to then I can find you somewhere to take lessons."

"Yeah," Kuon nodded, "I'd like that. I'd really like to be more like my hero," he said as Kuu's jaw dropped, his face lighting up at how much he truly adored his son.

…..

…..

Kyoko didn't think her adoptive father would be someone who would turn down creative expression but Kanae-chan didn't seem to think that the idea of playing a musical instrument was a very good one. Kanae had told her that musicians were paid very little unless they were attractive guys who led women on and Kyoko didn't want to be someone like that. She still loved fashion but the way that the flute had sounded to her had put her emotions in the music for everyone to hear. She wanted to create something like that.

But was having that skill stupid, Kanae hadn't said it was marketable unless you wanted to be a music teacher and Kyoko didn't have that as one of her dreams in life. Maybe her father would give her better insight. As he arrived home and opened his arms to hug her, Kyoko flew into his arms and he scooped her up. Even though Lory Takarada wasn't related to her by blood, the chance that he had taken in adopting her had done both of them so much good.

"You seem excited today?" Lory grinned as he kissed the top of Kyoko's head, "I take it that you and Miss Kotonami made up."

"Yes, so now I can support both of them," Kyoko grinned before jumping onto the floor. "I wanted to ask you something and it's okay if you say no…I um…"

"I already have made arrangements for the two of us to go to California," Lory smiled, "I'm as excited to see our friends as you are. I think Shuuhei and Julie are going to be preparing for this. They've been wanting you to visit for a while and…"

"I'd like to take music lessons," Kyoko said and Lory paused before grinning.

"That's a great idea," he said with a thumbs up, "I whole heartedly approve. If you play the piano, I'll have to make sure you know the theme songs to all these good romance shows so that you can cheer me up if I feel down," he joked and Kyoko shifted. "Let me guess, the harp? Violin?"

"I'd like to learn to play the flute," Kyoko said nervously and Lory looked at her with a grin.

"I think that suits you and I have faith in your determination and perseverance. I think you'd be an amazing musician, I have pride in calling myself your father," Lory said as he stuck his chin in the air and Kyoko paused nervously.

"You're still my father, right?" she asked and Lory knelt in front of her.

"Kyoko, I promise that I am your father and I will always consider you my daughter. Ever since the day that I adopted you, I have been your father and I would want nobody to take that honor from me," he told her and Kyoko hugged him again. Lory wrapped her up in his arms. Even if they weren't biologically related in the slightest, this was still his little girl, his daughter, his Kyoko.

End of Chapter Nine

Thank you for reading

Thank you reviewers of Chapter Eight

A Musing Brunette, GeraniumGaranin15, KrisXD, Ktoll9, librosmysticos, Manga Ren, misherukuro, paulagato, zeynel,

Response to Reviews

Kuon's doctor was trying to push the drugs on him to get some of his money, I should have tried to make that clearer, sorry for any misinterpretations. Kuon is actually doing better and isn't really facing depression right now but he still wants to make his parents believe in him and has some self-doubts about his ability. And yes, Kyoko and Kuon will be meeting soon but they'll be doing something else together (kind of) in the next chapter 😉

I also think that drugs are a personal choice. I have been on my medication for borderline personality disorder since I was seventeen (which my psych still considered young). I think they help me with balancing the chemistry in my brain and I definitely can tell when I haven't taken it just by how I feel even if I thought I had when I went to bed. Kuu really just wants what is best for his family despite how he's also a workaholic Japanese man like his father. Also, I promise, more Julie soon and she's going to be telling Kuu that she wants time with their son as well.