AN1: Wow, it's been about a month since I last updated this so I'm really thankful that you guys have been patient with me. Recently I've found myself exhausted by my school work (I'm studying court reporting and have to spend a lot of time on my machine) and by my work work (I get given about 25-30 hours a week in retail sales and sometimes this can be some long and strange hours).

I've really been trying to do my best at both but thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter 😊

Chapter Sixteen – Date at the Beach

Kyoko was amazed as she walked down the street with her hand in Kuon's. She smiled up at him and attempted to avoid the girls who were sneaking looks at him and some who even delivered envious looks to her. This was America and she was already starting to love it, or maybe that was just because this was where Kuu and Julie lived, this was where Kuon was brought up.

"So," she said as she looked at him, "Where did you pick for us to go?" Kyoko gave a curious smile. Kuon knew America so much more than she did, well California at least, she wanted to have him experience home again.

"I thought that you'd want to go look at the makeup and fashion stores," he told her as Kyoko paused. She tried to keep her inner fairies from dancing around at the idea of seeing the luxurious makeup and fashion shops that Rodeo Drive was known for. No, she had to control herself. She wanted to do whatever would make her boyfriend feel happiest.

"I don't want to go," Kyoko said stubbornly as Kuon looked at her in shock. "I want to learn more about you, this is where you grew up. I want to see your favorite places."

"Well, there's a lot of LA to see. We don't need to visit some of the places that I like, it might not be as exci—" Kuon said as Kyoko gave him a stern look.

"When we met and you were Corn, you told me that what you really loved was being one with nature. Now, most kids don't say that so that's probably what convinced me you were a fairy. You seemed to know all about the plants and trees in Kyoto and you pointed out all the birds and could talk with me about them. Surely you have some places that you'd want to revisit."

Kyoko's look was one that Kuon wouldn't be able to get away from no matter how hard he tried. He kept gazing at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tried to find some way of getting things the way that he'd like them to be.

"So," Kyoko said as she looked around, "What is your favorite thing about this place, what is something that you've really missed?" she asked with a warm smile and Kuon couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I guess I've missed walking along the coast," he said as Kyoko nodded with a grin on her face.

"Then we'll go to the coast and we'll take a walk. I know that I joked about you getting into the sea with all your clothes on, but if that's what you want to do then we can do it. I think that my outfit would be alright," she said as she pulled her shirt out so that she could take a closer look at it.

Kuon's eyes widened and he reached out for her, "No. If we're going to the beach, we're going to get you into something else," he said as Kyoko smiled seeing that expression. She knew that Kuon was in love with her, but that protective expression on his face only showed her how much he really did love her.

"Well then you're going to have to wear something else too, so that I can take a look at your body," she grinned before blushing. She was still getting used to being his girlfriend and she wasn't used to saying things like that. Maybe it was more of the thing that Setsu or even Natsu would say. Still, it wasn't those two who got the honor of being with Corn, it was her.

"That so?" he smiled as he came over to her, "Well, you just tell me when and where and I'll let you take a long look at my body at any time," he said as Kyoko turned a deeper shade of red. Was he making fun of her? She wasn't sure but she suddenly felt as if he was. He had promised to take things slowly with her, but was slowly defined differently in America than Japan. He touched her waist and sent shivers through her body.

"Well I hope I'm the only one you say that to," she said as she attempted to match him, but Kuon could tell that she was pushing through the blush that had seemed to take over her face. He hummed and gently pressed his lips to her cheek seeing her start shaking with a smile.

"Of course, I am yours Kyoko-hime for as long as you want me to be," he smiled as she turned and placed a hand on his chest before seeing him tilt his head to the side in a very adorable manner which caused her to scream inside about how cute he was. She had thought her heart was ready for this, but not only was her boyfriend sexy but he was adorable as well. How did she get this lucky?

"So, we can go back to the house and then swim at the beach?" she asked him and Kuon nodded.

"That sounds like a fair compromise," he said as he took her hand and started to walk in the direction of the rental car.

…..

…

Kyoko smiled as she stood in her swimsuit, which was a white lacy two-piece with little tiaras sewn in and a fabric that glittered in the sun. Kuon was expecting her to have a one-piece on due to her modesty so he had had a mixture of surprise and delight when he had saw what she was wearing. However, he could hear some idiots talking about her and how they wondered if she was underage or not. As he watched her, Kuon had to think about how beautiful she was and how he was very lucky that he had had found her before anyone else.

"Aren't you going to join me, Kuon?" Kyoko called out as she saw Kuon at the edge of the water, just watching her with a blissful expression. "It's not too fun on my own."

"How can I not gaze at beauty?" he asked her as Kyoko came over to sit beside him.

"Isn't it more exciting to interact with the beauty in the world rather than just watch me?" she asked as Kuon smiled at her and pulled her close to his chest.

"Yes, the sea is beautiful, but it's not the true art I was referring to," he smiled before shaking his head with a grin on his face. He took her hand and led her back to the water. "You know, the sea creatures in Guam were ones you could get close to. I do appreciate the water though, I spent a lot of time playing here as a kid...well when I wasn't attempting and failing to become an actor."

"You admitting that you're human so easily is one of the things that let me like you so fast," Kyoko smiled as she felt Kuon wrap his arms around her as a wave came towards them. He lifted her to him as the wave came and Kyoko was surprised that instead of the water she was sinking into his kiss. "You know, my lips are going to get dry, is that right for an actress to have to endure that?"

"Yes," Kuon nodded. "Any actress who is my girlfriend will have to live with it, you wouldn't want to be punished, would you?" he teased her and Kyoko let her arms drape over his shoulders.

"I know you wouldn't punish me too much, you don't do that to people you love," she told him as Kuon smiled at her. As he had his back turned to the water, he wasn't able to see the wave until it hit him in the back. He managed to keep his balance though but moved Kyoko a few steps backwards without her noticing.

"Does your filming start tomorrow? I was thinking maybe we could go to an aquarium like the dates you see in the media all the time," she grinned as Kuon gazed upon her with such adoration in his eyes.

"We can definitely do that," he said as a wave knocked Kyoko over. Instantly, Kuon was holding her and placing his head against the sand so he could catch the back of her head. He gazed upon her with the eyes of the emperor and let his tongue slide over his lips. He gently cupped her cheek.

"Do you know from this angle you look just like a mermaid?" he asked her and Kyoko allowed herself to touch both his cheeks and kiss him.

"Only if you're my merman," she said with a playful grin. She knew that being here in America, the place where Kuon had grown up, this was going to be an adventure that she would hold in her heart for a long time.

…..

…..

Today had been a good day, or at least Kyoko liked to think so. It was strange thinking that you could have so much fun with a man who truly loved you, but then Kuon was so different than Shoutaro had ever been. Shou had never loved her, he had never prioritized her, he had never said the words which filled her heart with light in the way that Kuon had.

After their day at the beach, Kuon had been able to persuade Kyoko to come shopping with him and he had even taken her to a beauty salon and sat with her despite not having anything done himself. Shou wouldn't have done that, he would have complained about it being boring but Kuon had sat with her and they had had a fun conversation. If this was what love was like then she really regretted swearing it off for so long, but then maybe if she had looked at love more favorably, she wouldn't be with Kuon at this moment.

She turned to look at her boyfriend and her eyes widened as she saw him turn a deathly white, his hands were shaking on the wheel and he kept muttering under his voice, his eyes wider than she had seen them all apart from one time.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone. It's not going to happen again," he repeated as if saying a mantra and Kyoko watched him turn paler and paler. "The blood is gone. It's gone."

"Kuon, pull over," she tried to instruct him but he was too far gone for that, he seemed to be spinning in circles within his own head. "Kuon," she said, "Ren?" she asked as if that would help him maintain control. Kyoko sighed and made sure there was no traffic around before she guided him to the side of the road and turned off the engine.

He wasn't moving.

"Kuon," she asked as she touched his upper arm. He seemed to be spiraling out of control and she took his hand feeling the same iciness as the last time. "Tsuruga-san?" she asked as she tried to click her fingers in front of his face. She looked at him before her heart jolted as he leaned forwards and his whole body started shaking as if he was under some type of seizure.

"Kuon?" she asked as she kissed the top of his head, sniffing the blond strands and placing what was meant to be a comforting hand on his back. "Corn?" she squeaked as he completely broke in a way that she had never seen before. She kissed him again before pulling out her phone. What on earth had happened to him? She called Kuu whilst still attempting to hold to him and making sure that nobody was watching them.

What had just happened?

End Chapter Sixteen

AN2: Again thank you to everyone who reads and supports this fic and thank you again for your patience in the upload. A special shout out to the reviewers of Chapter Fifteen: brennakai, Emma Lasagna, and paulagato