Chapter Eight

Fortunately Kuon had fallen asleep again in the karaoke room and Kuu had managed to carry him to the car as there was no chance of him not panicking about going in there when he was awake. He had also helped the half-awake Kuon into the house. As Kyoko thanked him for helping to find Kuon and Yashiro for once again taking care of Aurora, she walked into the living room where Kuon was sitting on the sofa, his head bowed. She paused for a moment in the doorway just looking at him. He was completely drenched and according to Kijima didn't even seem to realize he had been walking around outside. She couldn't help but to think of him as some special being who was more than human. The way he looked was one thing, he looked more like a fairy than a person and he always had, but it was his heart and how much he loved people that made her want to protect him. She just wanted to lock him up where he would be safe and protected. She wasn't as old as him, she wasn't as strong as him, and though people had said she was as gorgeous as him she didn't believe in those words. Kuon had been Corn. Kuon had been Tsuruga Ren. Most of all though, Kuon was special.

"I was really worried about you tonight," she told him as he sat there with the heavy jacket which Kuu had bought him. "Do you want to take a bath? You must feel really cold and wet after walking outside for so long." She came over to him and knelt in front of him, holding his hands and seeing his distanced look. She didn't want to tell him this but it terrified her when he went away like this where she couldn't follow him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and Kyoko sighed as she nodded.

"I know. I know that sometimes you can't help it. I know that it's a part of you. I'm not angry at you, Corn," she said as she watched him. People didn't realize how broken of a person he truly was and how he tried so hard to keep himself as intact as possible. She had thought that even before this incident happened that people had recommended he take some drugs for his mental health but she had said that it was his decision and she wasn't going to push either way. Maybe they would have helped him now.

"Kuon, did you want to talk about it? I'll listen to you. Even if you just want to vent and for me to just sit here and listen then I will. You know that I love you more than anything. After all you did for me as a child, it's my turn to help you now," Kyoko tried to reassure him and he still stared in front of him as if he had trouble accessing his emotions.

Kyoko was surprised when all of a sudden he leaned forwards so his eyes were on his shoulder and his body started shaking as he cried. She slowly positioned herself so that she could hold him and let her fingers run through his blond silky hair. As he seemed to continue to cry she let him put his head on her lap and use it as a pillow as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"You don't need to be strong all the time," she whispered to him as she let her hand run down his arm. "It's okay if you feel weak now. Let me take care of you this time, all right?" she asked and Kuon closed his eyes, his body shaking. "Corn," she said softly before kissing the top of his head. "You have no idea how special you are to me, how important you are to me. I know you might think you do but…I have never met anyone so beautiful as you inside and out. I love you more than anyone and that includes Moko. You have always been important to me ever since we were kids. The best thing in my life was going to Tokyo with Shotaro and him treating me like a maid because if he hadn't done that then we wouldn't have met, if I hadn't dropped that stone you gave me and if you hadn't picked it up, then we wouldn't be here right now. I was crying over my mother that day. For every bad situation I've been in, you've always been there for me. You've never deserted me. You have no idea how much I love you."

"You don't understand how much I love you," Kuon replied as he allowed himself to be comforted by her lap. He turned his head and looked up at her and she gave him a weak smile.

"Maybe," she told him, not wanting to argue with him. "You might not think so but you're my fairy prince, you always have been. You would never have wanted to cause anyone pain and everyone who knows you understands that. You are the most important person in my life. I love you more than anything. I want so much happiness for you even more so than anyone else. Maybe I sound like a bad mother and Aurora is a very close second to me but without you Aurora wouldn't be alive. She's the most beautiful and precious gift you've ever given to me but she wouldn't be alive without you. You're too good for this messed up world, Kuon, and I'm not going to change my mind on that or how lucky and blessed I am that I have you in my life."

Kuon reached for her hand. "You gave me Aurora. You carried her in your belly, birthed her, gave her so much love," he said and Kyoko smiled.

"I love her." Kyoko nodded, "and I'm her mother and I understand what a mother's love feels like now but whenever I looked at the sonograms or whenever I held her in my arms, even now, I know that she's our baby. She's our daughter. She wouldn't be alive today if her father hadn't been born into this world. I know that I'm always safe and that I always have a home where I'm loved and cherished and valued and protected because I know that you're going to be there. The world would be a lot darker and colder without you with us. Again, I don't think you know how important you are to me because I don't have the words to really express it deeply enough."

"If I had died in the accident," Kuon asked and felt one of Kyoko's tears slip onto his forehead and looked up at her.

"Then the light would have vanished from the world taking with it my belief in the goodness of life and the magic that exists. I would only be able to move forward for Aurora's benefit but I don't know if I could really ever live again." She stroked his hair back again. "If I saw myself now when I had first entered show business, I might have been disappointed with myself. Once again I am in a relationship where the most important parts are that my husband has enough food to eat, that he's healthy enough or if he's not well that he sees a doctor, that when he works late I want to stay awake so I can see him before I go to sleep, that the times when he's away from us all I hope for is when he comes back home and I can hold him. Yes, all of that, I might have thought that it was pathetic and that I was letting myself be fooled again but that's not true, it's not true when my husband shares this mutual love and care and respect and the want to make me happy. Love can be beautiful when it's reciprocated and unconditional."

Kuon slowly sat up and hugged Kyoko again before standing up. "I think I'm going to take a warm shower and get ready for bed," he told her and Kyoko nodded. She tried to brush away the tears from her eyes but found Kuon to lean closer to her, he lifted her chin and kissed her passionately and as he pulled back she saw he had the tiniest smile on his face and some life in his eyes.

As he left she sat there for a few moments and then went upstairs. She sat on the bed before deciding to dress in some more comfortable fleece pajamas. As she heard the door open from behind her, she turned around and her eyes widened as she noticed how Kuon was clean shaven again. She smiled at him and her body relaxed. Had she gotten through to him?

"Kyoko," he said as he started to pick out his pajamas since he was only dressed in a bathrobe. "Is it selfish that I want to go back to acting?" he asked and she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"No. Let's work towards that goal," she said as she closed her eyes. "I am so proud of you. I am so proud to be with you."

"Can you help me figure out how to make it up to the boy's family?" he asked and Kyoko took a step backwards. It wasn't his fault at all but she didn't know how to convince him of that. Instead she nodded.

"We can think of something," she told him. She looked up at him and grinned seeing the ten-year-old boy who had saved her from some of the more painful times in her life. Even just thinking of him had helped her deal with pain which seemed unbearable. "Corn…" she breathed again before walking into his chest and just smiling. Maybe today had panicked her beyond belief but hopefully it was the start of him healing.

End of Chapter Eight

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