AN: So first of all, I'm updating this because of the change of plans and new idea that will be in this chapter. Also this is going to be a rare chapter that doesn't have Ren/Kuon in it so I hope you enjoy.

The next three fics I plan to update are: Study of Life, Parenting Firsts, and The Lake in the Park

Chapter Three – Discoveries

I know that my son wants to be alone right now and it completely breaks my heart. He should have someone there who can make sure he's taking care of himself okay. He's entered a very difficult part of his life and he shouldn't be facing it alone. It just devastates me that my presence in my son's life is causing for him to have these feelings. I sigh as I sit in the waiting room with people staring at us. Julie is absolutely devastated.

"Hizuri-san," the doctor approaches me and I shake Julie a little to wake her up. Fortunately people have started to leave us alone though I imagine that they are taking photos on their cameras due to the little respect that the young ones have. Oh god, I've started to sound like my father, "Can you follow me?"

"Come on," I tell Julie as she looks up at the doctor, "We have to go talk to the doctor, okay? We have to listen to see if there's anything that we can do."

Julie clutches to me, "What about him? Does he want to see us yet? Is my baby asking for me yet?"

Kuon is far from a baby these days but I don't feel it right to break Julie's heart all over again. I shake my head and she shakily stands up. I know that she just wants to be near Kuon. I want to be with him too. I don't think he can handle this alone.

We follow the doctor to a generously-sized office and he looks at us gravely as we sit down opposite him. Julie's hand is freezing and she's clutching mine as if she's afraid of me leaving here. I won't leave her. "I wanted to talk about…how do I refer to him?" he asks and I look at Julie.

"Kuon, please refer to him as Kuon," she says and I have to bite my lip. I'm not sure if he's still trying to preserve his identity but I think the fact that we're both in Japan and that the hospital knows makes it far more likely for him to be found out.

"Kuon's condition," the doctor continues. "His sight is gone for right now, however the damage wasn't as bad as we originally documented. Now, I'm not saying that he can ever get his sight back but there is a chance."

My eyes widen and I feel that spark of hope in my chest. Kuon might be okay after all. It will probably take maybe even a few years for him to properly heal but he might be able to return to acting before he's twenty-five or thirty.

"However, the chance would be for an experimental treatment that is being worked on. Now, the thing about the treatment is that it's very costly and only has a twenty-five to thirty percent chance of working."

I blink. That's still something. That's still more than something. Julie looks hopeful as well but then there is still that seventy to seventy-five percent chance of our hopes for him being only false hope. I have to believe in it though.

"It's very expensive," the doctor responds, "so a lo-"

"Are you kidding me?" I laugh bitterly, I stand up and place my hands on the desk. "Nothing is more important to me than my family. It may have taken some sacrifice to learn that but I don't care about the expense. I don't care what it costs, I'm more than willing to pay it."

"We'll do anything that we can for Kuon," Jules agrees, "Can it be done immediately?"

"The pre-operation time would be about four months, he has to heal first but there are certain things that would need to be done during that time, certain treatments, certain precautions," the doctor continues. Okay. Fine. He won't be able to see for at least four months but if him seeing again at all needs those four months before the operation then we're going to be there to take care of him.

"Again though, it is expe-"

"I don't give a damn how expensive it is," I tell them again, "Seriously, if you want the money transferred to you right now write me a damn amount. I'll even give you a blank check if that satisfies you. I'm paying for my kid to get that treatment."

"How much is it?" Julie asks and I stare at her shocked. It doesn't matter. If they want to overcharge me, go ahead. I've got more than they can imagine in savings accounts in multiple banks. We also have holiday homes that we could sell. "I know that we'll pay whatever it is but it doesn't hurt to ask."

"In total it would be about forty million yen," he says and I stare at him as if he's an idiot.

"You want cash, check, or credit?" I ask as I stare at him and he looks at me surprised. "Seriously, lump sum or did you want to do it in installments because I can arrange for that amount of money to be delivered to you in suitcases as early as tonight."

"You do understand that it is the same price as a hou-" the doctor says and I don't think my disbelief could climb any higher.

"And do you understand that this is my son?" I ask him. Yes, that amount of money is a lot but it's more than affordable for us. It sometimes makes me feel guilty our shared assets but this amount of money won't really affect us but it will have some effect for him, or it hopefully will have.

After signing some papers and learning that there will be six installments of the payment, I leave the hospital room hoping that this hope will do some good for Kuon and raise his spirits. As I hold Julie's hand, our eyes widen as we see somebody who though I love, it's impossible to hide things from.

"Father?" she asks me with wide eyes, "What are you doing here?"

….

….

My gut feels horrible, the image keeps on playing in my head and how I was so helpless and so useless that I just couldn't stop it. Right in front of me was Ren Tsuruga, my friend, my mentor, the man I love and he was bleeding heavily whilst being burnt in front of me and all because I had lost my awareness that a light was just about to shatter and kill me.

I keep remembering how they had immediately gotten to his face and seemed to peel something from his eyes before putting a damp cloth over it. I was too scared of what was before me to really do anything of value and for a man who has always helped me.

They had insisted that I go to the hospital as well for a check up because they weren't sure whether anything cut me or burned me. The doctor said that I was in shock and though there was nothing wrong with me at that point, he wanted me to stay for observation. As much as I told him it wasn't necessary, he had insisted.

At least, I had hoped, I would find out more information on Tsuruga-san but nothing. What I did find was a bit more interesting and much more surprising. Father and a woman that I'm assuming is his wife, walking through the hospital in Japan. Is there a movie being filmed with them that I don't know about. Is Father playing a doctor or something? However, they both look worn out and as if their bodies are close to breaking.

"Father?" I ask confused, "What are you doing here?"

For a moment, he just stares at me blankly as if asking me the exact same question. That's when he opens his mouth and takes a look around trying to figure out what best to tell me.

"We were visiting….a friend in the hospital," Julie says before looking between me and Father. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Hizuri Juliella. Do you know my husband?"

"This is Kyoko, that I was telling you about," Father says and Julie smiles weakly.

"You told me that you thought Kuon was in love with her," Julie says and Father looks between us awkwardly. I'm confused. From the way that Father was talking about Kuon, it was as if his son was dead? He said that he wished he could have seen him older but if they were keeping him in this hos-

"Is it to do with cryogenics?" I ask and Julie-san stares at me confused, Father opens his mouth but quickly closes it without saying anything.

"No, it's…" Father says before looking down. "My son is alive, our son is alive but he's…we were separated for a long time. Those important people that I was telling you about, well one of them was him," he says and I blink confused.

"So, he agreed to see you, that's great," I smile though I wonder where he would be. How can someone who looks like Father hide out in a country where they honor him and respect him so much. He must have some kind of hidden skill that Father hasn't mentioned."

"Well, he's in bad health right now," Father says awkwardly and my gut twists for him. It's obvious how much he loves his son.

"He would be about the same age as Tsuruga-san, right?" I ask them and then get a text message from the president, he wants to see me in the morning for a new assignment.

"Yes, he's exactly the same age as Tsuruga-san," Julie says and I can see the awkward way in which Father is looking at her. It's as if she's trying to tell me something but my brain isn't registering. "Did you know that Tsuruga Ren is just a stage name?"

"I did know that, I do know that…is that why nobody is telling me anything, is he in here under his real name?" I ask before stopping. Why are they so interested in Tsuruga-san all of a sudden? Why is Kuon Hizuri in the same hospital as Ren Tsuruga? My heart starts to beat faster as I think of how Father reacted to what Tsuruga-san said about my portrayal of Kuon.

My eyes widen as it starts to click in my mind, "Tsuruga-san is Hizuri-san?" I ask. I don't understand this. Somehow logic is failing me. Tsuruga-san….Hizuri-san….are they truly the same person? Ren is Kuon? Well, it would make sense. He didn't know Japanese phrases, I had guessed that he was from America before but he shrugged it off. He always acts as if he was brought up in a rich family who spoiled him materialistically especially with how he dealt with food.

"Yes," Father says solemnly, "but it's his secret. I was hoping that he would tell you himself but in his current condition," he says and I freeze. His current condition?

"How is he?" I ask nervously and Father shakes his head, Julie-san starts sobbing. Is he dead? Dying?

"He's blind," Father tells me and I stare at the two of them in horror.

"Blind?" I ask and Father nods.

"They say that there's an operation, a procedure that they could try which has a slight chance of restoring his vision but it's only a slight chance," he tries to explain to me and I want to throw up. Because I didn't react to my environment in time, Ren…Kuon…Tsuruga-san…Hizuri-san has lost his vision. He might have even lost his hope.

"Can I see him?" I ask and Julie-san looks at me.

"You don't have more of a reaction to his identity, you don't feel hurt or betrayed?" she asks me and I look at her.

"I want to see him. I….I love him," I don't care if they tell him that because he probably hates me. I still want to help him though. I want to make sure that he's okay and that if he is hurt, I can help. I feel tears fill my own eyes. He won't be able to see the girl he's in love with despite how she's using him. I'm just hoping with all my heart that the operation is a success.

End of Chapter Three

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two

Kris XD, PandashipsCS,

Response to Reviews

Kyoko really cares for him so it'll be hard for her when she sees him. Hopefully you guys aren't too upset by the twist of the operation. Hopefully Kuon can see a lot more once he's gone through the healing process.