AN: I hope you enjoy this 😊 The last part was especially fun for me to write.

Chapter Eighteen – Fish Out of Water

Kyoko grinned as she took a picture on her phone of Kuon watching some of the tropical fish with a smile on her face. She knew that he was taking pictures of her before she could realize that he had, but she wanted some pictures of him too. It was strange how she kept thinking about her thoughts of 'Tsuruga-san looks good with blond hair and green eyes' but she did. He was after all Ren Tsuruga as well as Kuon Hizuri whether he wanted to think of himself that way or not.

She came over to him and let her hand slip into his as she grinned at him happily. "You really love animals, don't you?" she asked as he smiled and nodded. "You know, I keep thinking about when we were filming Dark Moon together and we went on location shooting. You were so protective of me," she said as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"Well, I knew who you were and I've always wanted to keep you safe," Kuon told his girlfriend as he wrapped an arm around her.

Kyoko smiled, "I now and I appreciate that. I was thinking of that morning though when we were both in the woods. I saw you looking at the birds and you even pointed a couple out to me, do you remember?" she asked as he nodded and smiled at her with such a peaceful expression. "A lot of celebrities are only involved with animals if it improves their image, but I've known that when you were Corn, you still loved animals. It's one of the ways you show your kindness."

"Wow, I'll have to remember that," Kuon chuckled as he looked at the fish.

"You know, maybe it won't happen but I really hope it does. Maybe if we ever settled down together," she blushed as she said this and Kuon looked at her, first there was a little surprise in his eyes but it swiftly changed to affection. "We could get a puppy."

"I'd love that," Kuon admitted before he gave her a playful smile. "So, you've really been thinking that there's a chance of you settling down with me."

"You can make fun of me if you want, but I've never known anyone like you. You can call me inexperienced if you want," Kyoko blushed as she looked down. Was this as bad as telling Shou that she wanted to be his bride? Was she just slipping back into her old ways? She couldn't allow herself to get hurt or taken advantage….but Corn wouldn't do that and Ren wouldn't do that. She trusted that Kuon wouldn't do that to her. He wasn't an arrogant jerk like Shotaro.

"I think you are very sweet and very adorable," Kuon grinned to her. "I love you, Kyoko."

"I love you too," Kyoko smiled as she allowed her head to rest on his chest. "However, I'm not going to become a housewife and I don't know if I want kids. I want to continue my career as an actress."

"I would never stand in the way of that." Kuon smiled, "I mean, maybe that's what Japanese guys might be like but I doubt that. I don't think anyone who truly cares for another person would force them to sacrifice their happiness. Plus, I like the idea that the two of us could star in the same projects together."

"You know you can't control me with your acting anymore," Kyoko teased him and Kuon laughed.

"I wouldn't want to. It's rare that I meet someone on my level of acting and sometimes I think your skills in certain areas are beyond my own," he smiled to her. "Shall we go and see the dolphins now?" he asked and Kyoko nodded as she took his hand and walked by a few more tanks to get to where the dolphins were.

Kyoko grinned at her boyfriend and came nearer to him. "I'm so lucky," she told him as he gave a questioning look. "I found my prince."

…..

…..

After they had finished at the aquarium, the two lovers had found a small bookstore with a café inside it. Because they had some time to spend before the Hizuri parents were expecting them back, they had both decided to look inside. Kyoko was eager to get a book in English that was hard enough for her to continue testing her skills but not so hard that she wouldn't enjoy it. She was also getting a little hungry and she knew that it was best to point out if she was hungry to Kuon because he never really noticed it by himself.

As she looked at the different fiction books, Kyoko could hear a story being read to a group of children who were looking up at woman with a book and wearing a princess hat made of paper on her head. She wished that she had been able to experience this as a child. However, she had adored the princesses and it was her fairy prince who had given her enough strength and support to know that even if princesses didn't exist in the way that a fairytale would show them, there was always the dream of a Disney princess life.

"The prince was so handsome that the young girl couldn't resist gazing into those emerald eyes. Not only were these eyes gorgeous but they had a lot of kindness in them. Maybe this prince could understand her and make her feel as beautiful as any princess. He looked strong and noble and the girl found herself wishing that he was her prince – oh no, that was just silly of her…or was it?" the woman read to the small children as Kyoko closed her eyes.

"Mogami-san, are you alright? Did something happen?"

"Hello, Mogami-san. How are you today?"

"Are you really going to let something like that bother you. I thought you had more guts than that."

Kyoko smiled as she remembered her past interactions with Ren. He had always been looking out for her and though she wasn't sure, Kyoko had the feeling that he would still support her even if she had chosen another prince. She was so fortunate that she had a prince of her very own. Maybe there wasn't much of a chance that Kuon would come galloping in on a white steed, sweep her off her feet, and carry her back to his castle in an enchanted kingdom; but she had something so much more important: a mature relationship with the prince.

It was just as in Cinderella. The young girl had never felt herself worthy of such a prince. She had had to work for others her whole life and was taken for granted, she wasn't allowed her own freedom until the prince came along. Just like Cinderella, Kyoko felt very safe with her prince. He had a lot of problems that he was attempting to fight through and sometimes he would struggle, but he wouldn't give up on them. That was true bravery.

Kyoko looked through the books on the shelf as she continued to listen to the story, closing her eyes at certain points so that she could truly visualize that man who loved her and see him in the role. Was she acting like a little girl again or were these just the feelings that somebody had when they were in love?

…

…

As Kuon was casually flipping through a newspaper that he had bought whilst slowly drinking the black coffee, he found a woman approaching him. He looked at her and his eyes widened as he recognized her immediately, but she was so different and mature now. "Lorraine?" he asked with a laugh. "Hi," he said to her in English looking sheepish, "[How are you? It's been a long time since we've seen each other.]" He knew the reason though, moving to Japan meant that you didn't come across many of the people you knew when you were younger.

Lorraine smiled as she looked at him with no anger on her face. This was her ex-boyfriend who had let her walk away from him without a protest or a fight. This was someone she had cared for deeply and had just let her go out of his life as he told her that he wanted whatever would make her happiest. "[Are you here visiting your parents? Everyone thought you moved to Japan.]"

Kuon nodded, "[I did. I'm starring in a movie over her but I'm staying with my parents. How are you? How did things in high school go?]"

"[Other than you leaving a whole group of girls worried about you when you suddenly vanished into thin air?]" she laughed as she pulled out a chair and sat with him. "[It's good to see you again, Kuon. I'm glad that you seem to have broken into the acting field. You know, I never really stopped loving you but I found my happiness elsewhere. You were too kind for any of us.]"

"[The…uh-president of the agency I'm in in Japan pointed that out for me,]" Kuon smiled. "[I realize now that I was never really open to experiencing love when I was a teenager. Maybe it's because I kept myself isolated from the world, I am glad that there aren't any hard feelings between us. It's been a very long time.]"

"[When you leave for a foreign country that tends to happen,]" she joked with him before looking around. "[So, you didn't bring a girlfriend with you, maybe a fiancée. I'm not seeing a wedding ring on your finger so…]"

"[My girlfriend is around here somewhere, she's looking for a book so she can sharpen her English skills. She's proficient in it, but if she didn't work hard then she wouldn't be her,]" Kuon smiled. He looked around before seeing Kyoko returning with a book that she had just bought. "[This is Kyoko Mogami, my girlfriend,]" he told Lorraine. "[Kyoko this is Lorraine she's….]"

"[Kuon's-ex]" Lorraine told Kyoko in a straightforward manner, "[be careful with this one. He's too nice to his girlfriends, I don't think he's capable of jealousy.]" Lorraine attempted to tease Kuon who shook his head as Kyoko laughed.

"[I've seen Kuon jealous over who I text and who I spend my time with a lot. He'd definitely fight to keep me,]" she smiled before Kuon looked guiltily up at Lorraine.

"[Then I'm happy for you. Kuon doesn't love easily at least he never used to, but I'm glad that he's found someone who can be with him and who he cares enough about. I guess I never stood a chance,"] she winked at Kuon before holding up her hand with a wedding ring on it. "[I at least found my happy ending. Well, it was really good to see how you've grown up, Kuon. In more than one way,]" she winked again before leaving.

Kyoko laughed weakly as she sat down with him. "Let me guess," she said speaking in Japanese, "You were the kind of guy who would just let the girl do whatever she wanted and she would act like a drama queen to get her own way?" she smiled at him. "I can see why you would be soft spoken but if you never fight for me, I'm tell-"

"Always" Kuon smiled as he took Kyoko's hand in his and brought it up to his lips. "I will always fight for you, Kyoko" he said and Kyoko laughed as she gazed at him. That was all that she needed to know. She reached out and let her fingers slip through the blond strands of hair.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked and Kuon nodded, just watching her. "Your real….voice…is incredibly sexy," she blushed as he looked at her and spoke in the Californian accent.

"[Thank you, princess.]"

End Chapter Eighteen

AN2: Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this fic, I know I say it a lot but it really does mean a lot to me. A special shoutout to the reviewers of Chapter Seventeen: brennakai, DreamIdol, EmmaLasagna, PaulaGaTo, RichkeyZero