AN: Thank you for your patience in the writing/updating of this fic. I really hope you enjoy this chapter 😊 Thank you for supporting this story.
Chapter Fourteen - LAX
A few weeks later, Kyoko sat at the airport a little nervously whilst she watched Kuon try to check in. Despite the fact that he had offered her a ride and that she knew that he was still early for his planned activities, Kyoko had wanted to make her way to the airport herself. She knew that it was one of her strange feelings of not wanting to be a bother on him but also to assert her independence. He didn't seem to mind.
Kyoko watched as the Japanese-American girl that Kuon was talking to at the check in kept flirting with him and examining his first-class ticket. She could see Kuon pulling back a little as she touched his arm and then all of a sudden, he had turned to her and was calling her over. Kyoko's eyes widened, she had already checked in her bags and taken her ticket. Why did they need her over there?
"(So, this is my girlfriend,)" Kuon told the girl, Naomi, in his Californian accent.
Naomi smiled, "(Oh, okay)" she turned to Kyoko, "May I see your ticket," she said thinking that Kyoko didn't speak much English despite Kuon being raised in America and therefore being an American rather than a Japanese citizen.
"Ye-Yes," Kyoko said as she passed forward her plane ticket and passport, she glanced to Kuon, "Is there something wrong?"
"(she just wants to check it,)" Kuon smiled to her as if there was some kind of secret setup happening here. Naomi took the ticket and then seemed to punch something into the computer which caused Kyoko to feel very nervous. She wanted to know what was happening. When it came to Kuon sometimes secrets were very serious things.
As Naomi handed her a ticket back, Kyoko's eyes widened and she stared at it before looking between Kuon and Naomi. This was a first-class ticket and hers had been business class. She had even tried to reject the business class level ticket at first thinking that LME had spent far too much on her ticket. She had told them she would be happy flying economy but now she had a first-class international plane ticket to LAX.
"It's a free upgrade," Kuon said quickly as he read Kyoko's mind, he gave her a look which was trying to tell her that the most polite response to this would be to accept it with a thank you. "It's the seat next to mine," he grinned.
Kyoko's eyes widened, "Shouldn't Yashiro-san sit next to you?" she asked and Kuon kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arm around her.
"Trust me, Yashiro-san will be comfortable in business class. He always is." He told her and then looked at Naomi, "(thank you very much,)" he told her before dropping down into a bow, Kyoko quickly dropped into a lower bow. "(I look forward to seeing you during the flight.)"
"(Yes, thank you)" Kyoko said in English and looked at Kuon as he held her hand.
As they walked away from the counter, Kyoko looked up at him. "Did you have a plan to get us those seats or …" she looked at his face as he gazed at her confused and sighed. Of course, people would just give him these things, he was probably used to it ever since he was a child. In fact, if she heard some story about how LME had given him the best accommodations because Kuu had been secretly sending large amounts of cash to the president, she wouldn't be surprised.
Now all it took was charm and the fact that he was the actor formerly known as Ren Tsuruga.
"I think there were just open seats on the flight and she saw that I was flying business class anyway so she gave me a free upgrade, it happens a lot when I fly," he confessed as Kyoko paused and then raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm," she said as she stood back and looked at him. Today he looked especially cute, he had a long-sleeved emerald shirt on with a designer hooded jacket and he had blue jeans that really made him look like a fashionable and exotic model. Plus, the fact that he was Kuon Hizuri made a lot of people around them continue to stare at him. Just looking at him made Kyoko think he was going to be on a private yacht or private plane rather than flying with everybody else.
"You look so different with blond hair," she said as she saw Kuon run his fingers through it and give her a questioning look.
"Interesting time to say that today," he said to her as Kyoko froze. She had to deal with the fact that this was a merged person and that it wasn't completely the previous Kuon but it wasn't Ren Tsuruga either. This was the guy who had played around with her when he pretended to be a fairy prince.
"Come on, you're probably leaving Yashiro-san behind," Kyoko giggled as she slipped her hand into his. "I brought some mochi and cookies for your dad and I bought your mother that tea set," Kyoko thought aloud, "Do you think those are good gifts."
Kuon nodded, "They're great gifts, but the best gift they'll get is you coming to visit them. They are really looking forward to it," he told her and Kyoko laughed.
"They are excited because they get to see their son who they haven't seen for a very long time," she grinned up at him. "Don't tell me that you're not excited about seeing them. I think that if you said that to Father it would break his heart."
"Of course I am," Kuon told her. "Also very nervous," he admitted, "but I know that they're looking forward to us staying there. I just…haven't been back since," he bowed his head and closed his eyes not wanting to sigh loudly. It was just a lot to take in.
"So, did you mean to flirt with that woman?" Kyoko asked as she looked back at the check in desk and waved to Yashiro, holding Kuon's hand so he wouldn't leave without him.
"No, I didn't." Kuon grinned playfully, "I only want to make you feel the effects of my so-called charm," he said which caused Kyoko to turn a deep shade of red.
….
….
As soon as they had made it through security and to the arrivals desk. Yashiro was already going over the schedule for the next day. Since during this time, Kyoko was going to be under Kuu's training, Yashiro would only do manager duties for Kuon but once they got to the next stage he would be doing it for both of them.
"I'm so excited to see everything," Kyoko said as Kuon nodded looking at her whilst taking the bags. "I think I'm excited to see Fa—" Kyoko was about to continue before a whirlwind of blond hair, designer perfume, and fashionable clothes suddenly coated her boyfriend.
"You're here," the woman sobbed happily as Kyoko's eyes widened as she saw the height of the heels that the woman had just run with. "You're here. I can't believe you're here," she said as people had to step around her.
"Hey, mom," Kuon said weakly as he wrapped his arms around the woman as well. "Sorry that it took so long."
"You're here and you look healthy and happy and…and you're here," Julie said as she continued to hold her little boy. She pulled back after she had held him for a good five minutes – which gave Kuu enough time to take away the bags so that he could be responsible for them – and tried to dry the tears from her eyes. "Oh my - don't tell me this is a dream or you're not, please tell me you're really here."
"I'm here, mom" Kuon smiled to her. "You still look as beautiful as ever," he said looking a little nervous and self-conscious which Kyoko wasn't used to seeing from him and neither was Yashiro. This was the look that any beloved son would give their mother upon returning home.
"You're here for a month, right?" she wanted to check as he nodded and she wrapped her arms around him again, this time only for a minute before she pulled back enough to look at the two other people that her child was with.
"Hey, Dad" he smiled to Kuu who was beaming with pride as well. "So, I'd like to introduce you to my manager, Yashiro Yukihito," he gestured, "He's the best in the business and has been with me for a long time. I don't think that I would have been so successful in Japan if it weren't for his talents at being my manager and this is Kyoko Mogami, my girlfriend and I don't think I need to introduce her to you," he grinned to Kuu.
"I'm so happy to see you, Father" Kyoko bowed as Yashiro tried to control his fanboying at being in the company of the legendary Kuu Hizuri. "I'm honored to meet you as well, Hizuri-san."
"Julie," Julie smiled, "I'm so glad that my son has such a beautiful, kind, and talented girlfriend. I've heard a lot of good stories about you from my husband," she told Kyoko. "Please take care of my baby."
Kyoko nodded, "I will. I'll definitely make sure that he eats," Kyoko grinned to her boyfriend.
Julie turned to Kuu who was looking at his son with such happiness in his eyes. "Okay, let's get back. I wasn't sure if the two of you wanted to share a room or if you wanted different rooms so I set up two rooms and I've set up a third for you, Mr. Yukihito," she said with such a lovely and graceful manner. She smiled happily before turning back to Kuu. "Our son is back," she told him as if Kuu couldn't see that with his own eyes.
"If there's anything that you'd like us to set up," he told the group, "I have the connections to do so and would be happy to use them. Kyoko, we'll start our training the first day that Kuon has to go to set, would that be okay?" he asked and Kyoko nodded.
"Yes, definitely. I know that the two of you will want to spend some family time with Kuon, I'm just honored to be here and I'm looking forward to spending more time with you, Father," she grinned as Kuon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"I think we should get out of the way of the arrivals gate though," Kuon commented as Julie looked around, somehow realizing where they were as if it was the first time. Kuon kissed Kyoko on the top of her head as the group headed towards the Hizuri's car.
"So," Kuu said as he walked next to Yashiro so that Julie could have her time with Kuon and Kyoko. "I've heard you're a fan of mine, but please just think of me as an everyday person who is the father of your client."
Yashiro nodded, "You do know though, even if you weren't the Kuu Hizuri. I don't think a person like Kuon could be raised by just an everyday person."
Kuu grinned, "Neither do I. It's because my son sparkles so much, like a newly cut and polished diamond."
….
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AN2: Thank you everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this fic it means a lot to me 😊 Special shout out to those who reviewed the previous chapter: brennakai, Crazy4Animation, DreamIdol
Sorry for this advertisement for myself 😉
A New Fic of Mine
I know that everyone likes particular fics and particular storylines, but I just wanted to take a moment and talk about a new Skip Beat fic that I've been writing because I'm super excited about it and I feel that the small summary space isn't big enough.
The Cold Body of the Law
Kyoko is relentlessly stalked by a man who claims to be in love with her. Due to this, Kuon gets extra protective of her which leads for Kyoko to try to escape to have a little time for herself. However, this is the time when the stalker finds her and Kyoko is part of a rape. Kuon tries to protect her but is killed whilst trying to do this.
However, since he died of a heroic act, Kuon is brought back into an identity and body created just for him. He is now Takeshi Chiba, both a legacy and a prodigy in the legal world who is physically unable to say who he was in his past. With Kuu's help, he is able to maneuver it to get close to Kyoko again by being the lawyer on the Kuon Hizuri case. Will Kyoko recognize him through actions or will Kuon have to try as Takeshi to win her affections all over again.
This is all juxtaposed with flashbacks of the early part of the Kuon-Kyoko relationship.
I really hope that I've interested at least one person enough to check this new fic out.