AN: As I've written on other chapters and/or other fanfics that for my own peace of mind I'm trying to do one large update at the end of each month but I have a problem with being patient so sometimes I might break it like today. I have a master list of chapters that I'm going to be updating based on information collected on an Excel document and updated at the end of each month. So therefore the number of unique views for each of the latest chapters of my fics determines which fics I write and what order (with a few exceptions). Anyway. I hope you enjoy either way.

Chapter Six

6.1

It wasn't wrong to want to return to acting, was it? Was he just being selfish? Kuon bowed his head as he sat in his office and looked over at the closed computer with the tablet resting on top of it which he hadn't touched for a long time now. He sighed as he sat faced forward on the sofa. He was trying to get himself back into a position where he could be a father for Aurora's benefit but it just seemed so difficult and he felt as if the lead that had once fixed itself to his body after he had watched Rick's death was appearing.

No. He was older now, he was stronger, he could think about his actions a little more and figure out what to do. He didn't know if there were more people like Fuwa out there who were blaming him for this or if there were people who supported him. He didn't want to get a biased view from the people in his life when most people hated him.

He could hear the sound of the rain from outside and closed his eyes attempting to breathe naturally. He should really put on a jacket or something, it was getting cold enough to not just sit here with a shirt and pair of pants on. He heard a beep coming from his phone and placed it down on the desk beside him before his hand slid over to his tablet. It was worth looking, right?

As he opened it and saw the news articles on things other than himself, it made him feel a little more grounded. What were huge problems to him weren't such huge affairs to the rest of the world. He was being selfish and focusing on his own self-interests, how was he so blind to others things that were happening in the world.

He went online and searched up his own name. There were websites with people saying that they wanted his return to acting or that they had seen him, there were fan pages and, he sighed, yes, hate pages as well. Well, they had their own opinions and he should give them slight consideration.

Kuon clicked on a link which took him to a page where there was a petition hosted. There were so many people who wanted to tell him to step down from acting, that he was a disgrace to those fans who had believed in him and supported him when he was Ren Tsuruga, there were people saying that he needed to give up his Academy Award since other people should have deserved it. Some of these petitions had over a thousand signatures whereas others only had a hundred or less. He skimmed through the site knowing that the more fame you built for yourself, the more people hated you. He had had to face that already in life and so had Kyoko. It was something you had to remember as an actor.

Kuon was almost at the last comment when he looked to the side and said, similar posts that might get your attention. His eyes widened as he saw a picture of him and Kyoko with Aurora. It was a recent picture taken at the airport by a paparazzi when he had just arrived in Japan. He had Aurora in his arms and they were all smiling. It wasn't the picture that grabbed his interest but the writing underneath it.

Child Endangerment: Petition to have CPS look into Aurora Hizuri.

Kuon felt the iciness spread over his body as he read the words over and over in his head whilst waiting for the page to load. He knew about cancel culture and had expected there to be other people who wanted for this to be the last time they saw him. Still, what did this have to do with Aurora. Shouldn't people have better things to do than bring in an innocent child to this situation. He stared ahead at the screen as he read the petition which had nearly two hundred signatures.

Following the recent news about Kuon Hizuri's reckless stunt driving which led to the tragic fatality of a young, hopeful, and innocent boy in Tokyo, I find it important to say that Hizuri should have no right to take care of his own child. There are few pictures that are easily found of Aurora Hizuri and this is because I believe in the harm that Kuon Hizuri causes her to go through. We care about hundreds of unknown unnamed children through charity sites, why not take a look at an innocent child we can name. I am saying that childhood protective services take away Aurora Hizuri from Kuon Hizuri on a temporary basis whilst they look into whether he is abusing her either emotionally or physically. Please sign this to let Kuon Hizuri know he has no right to be called a father when he has taken the life of somebody else's child.

Kuon looked at the screen before feeling his world closing in on him again. Once again he couldn't breathe, he stood up but didn't really know what he was doing. The awareness was lacking but he had to go somewhere. He had to go to some place where they all would be safe from him. He didn't even notice that he was putting on his shoes or even walking out of the front door. He had to go somewhere. He had to find somewhere to go.

6.2

Kyoko finished putting away the dishes after she had made sure they were fully cleaned. All her life there had been some importance given to food and providing a meal for her family. Whether that family was with the Fuwa household or whether it was at Daruma-ya or with her Hizuri family, making dinners and meals was something which she had been taught.

She looked at the soup that was left and tried to think of what to do with it. Maybe Kuon would eat it. He had been eating even less than usual these days and it was easy to heat up but maybe he would need something more filling the next day. He could always have the soup and maybe she could make something to go with it. She just had to figure out what was best for him. The Hizuris all ate in unexpected ways and sometimes balancing family dinners with her in-laws would be interesting to say the least.

Kyoko heard the sound of heavy rain and took a step out from the kitchen, looking around and wondering if she had left a door or a window open. Her eyes caught onto the front door which was opened and she quickly rushed to close it before stopping. Why was it opened? She looked around to figure this out before spotting a pair of Kuon's shoes were missing. Maybe he went for a walk around the house but it wouldn't be good to be out in this type of weather and it didn't look like his coats or jackets were gone.

Kuon had been in his office. Maybe he had changed his mind and not taken his shoes off. He was American and he had been spending a lot of time working and acting in America and he wasn't fully present these days. She wouldn't reprimand him if he did have his shoes on in the house but it did lead her to be concerned.

"Kuon!?" she called out as she walked towards his office and knocked on the door. Maybe he would open it and say that he felt he needed to be outside for some reason. It had happened before. Kuon preferred the outdoors anyway, he always had since she had known him as Corn the fairy prince.

She couldn't hear an answer so opened the door and poked her head in. "Kuon, are you here? Corn, are you feeling okay?" she asked and there was nothing but an empty and still silence. She saw his phone on the table and looked at it before seeing that the tablet had been positioned in a different way. She walked over to it and put in the code which Kuon had told her. She had felt proud that he trusted her with it but she had heard from Moko that most men didn't tell their girlfriends or wives their password for their technology because they didn't want to be caught cheating and Kuon had waited such a long time for her that she didn't think he had it in him to be unfaithful.

As she waited for it to load, she froze as she saw what he was looking at. Tears came to her eyes as she read the description for the petition and looked at the photos. Of course if Kuon had seen this, he would have started to doubt himself. They were talking about how he wasn't a good father to Aurora. She put it down and looked around. She hadn't heard the sound of a car or anything like that but Kuon still had a fear of being in a car. Maybe he would be in the garage in that case and she could help him calm down and remind him of how lucky she and Aurora were.

She rushed out to the garage knowing that if he wasn't there, she would have to try to make some phone calls. Hopefully Kuu could take care of Aurora whilst she searched or maybe he had tried to contact Yashiro or even the president. As she got into the garage she saw nothing and felt her inhale was sharp and prickly in her chest. She took some deep breaths fearing that a panic attack wasn't far away before she called the man who had always felt like a true father to her.

"Fa-Father," she whispered as she heard Kuu pick up. "You haven't heard from Kuon in the last hour, have you?" she asked trying not to cry but Kuu could hear the urgency in her voice.

"No. I haven't. Did something happen? Are you sure that he's not in the house?"

"No, I…I don't think he's here and he doesn't have his phone and I don't think he has a coat or jacket or anything and -" Kyoko said as she tried running into the side garden and back yard. Where would he have gone? What was in his mind right now? Where was his mind? She didn't want to think about what might lead to him being hospitalized.

"What happened?" Kuu asked and Kyoko tried to catch her breath.

"He saw a petition about people thinking he might harm Aurora. Father, Kuon would never ever ever hurt Aurora." Kyoko said quickly. "He loves us. He loves us so much. I know he does," she tried to tell him but it was as if the world was drowning her out.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Kuu said and Kyoko nodded even though the rain was getting onto her clothes and hair. Kuon couldn't be trusted if he suddenly had a moment where he wasn't connecting, she knew that. Kuon wasn't grounded and it wasn't in the cute and fun way like when he was a kid and said that he wanted to fly in the air. There were so many things that were complicated about Kuon and that is why Kyoko always felt proud in knowing him but he was that special and that fragile that he might one day break as if he were made out of glass and shatter into fragments which she couldn't put together again.

End of Chapter Six

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