AN: I hadn't expected to update this one so quickly but I got excited for this chapter

Chapter Forty Two – A Change in Gang Leadership

Kuon moved slowly towards the gang headquarters that he had been tortured in. He knew where this was from his escape and however scared he was here, the truth was that this would protect his friends and family and even Cain. He had been hiding for too long. Rick had pretty much sold him out but he wasn't going to be like Rick, he was going to let them kill him in exchange for his loved ones being alive.

With a deep breath, Kuon stood outside the headquarters and laughed as a couple of men moved towards him. These men were probably going to threaten him, tell him he had made a mistake in coming there and then try to bind him and take him to the boss.

So, this was goodbye then. Kuon looked to one of them, "I'm not here to fight," he said in a hollow manner. "I'm here to surrender. It's me that you want to kill and so I'm offering you that. You have no fight against Kyoko, no fight against my parents, I'm here to surrender."

The guards looked to one another in confusion. One of them took the opportunity to strike at Kuon but he didn't do anything to protect himself. That's how they knew he was serious. He was willing to be killed for the sake of others, few people ever did that despite claiming that they would.

Grabbing each of his arms, the men took him in after searching him for weapons. The boss would want to end Hizuri's life himself.

…

…

Kyoko went into LME feeling as if her world had ended. With the finality in Kuon's voice, she knew that it was over. He was handing himself over to people who weren't even in law enforcement. Changing his face and identity would be better because at least he'd be alive. All of this had been for nothing. His return had only made her see how much he loved her but she wouldn't be able to get married to him. She was a Hizuri in heart but she would never legally be part of that family.

"Kyoko-chan," Yashiro said as he rushed over to her. He was in pain as well but he still wasn't sure of the story and of Kuon's return and now death. He had heard things, been informed of some things like the fact that he was alive but he hadn't known the details of the new identity for everyone's safety.

"He's gone," Kyoko whispered as she turned to Yashiro. "I can feel it."

"I thought that it was only a rumor that he was still alive," Yashiro told her and Kyoko laughed bitterly. She pushed a hand through her hair. She had felt the pain upon seeing the pictures of the car murder and that had almost pulled her under but this time she felt no joy in her life. He had committed suicide instead of fighting.

In the past she had felt nothing but anger. He had been murdered but it had been all because of somebody else. Now he was killing himself and she was one of the reasons. Kyoko looked down. "After my current jobs, I want to take a break from acting," she said and Yashiro nodded in understanding. "I'm going to go down to Kyoto for a while, clear my head."

"I understand that but I'm sure Kuon would have wanted you to continue the job that you love," Yashiro attempted to reason with her. Kyoko felt her breath shallow. She knew that she could stay here and that things between herself and Shotaro had improved but that wasn't what she cared about. She wanted to be in the place where she had met him, remember the precious stories of her prince Corn.

"Thank you for everything," Kyoko told Yashiro who nodded slowly. "It's just that I can't stay here. I have a commitment to the work that I'm doing now but after that…I need to be by myself and reevaluate my life. I want to make Kuon proud."

Yashiro nodded slowly and looked towards the young woman. He wanted to make things so much easier for her but it was going to be hard – impossible even. He nodded. "Good luck," he whispered and Kyoko felt the tears in her eyes. Luck was what she needed.

…

Three Months Later

…

Kyoko sat by the lake in which she had once held Corn with Kuon standing behind her. They had just been kids at the time. She looked into the ripples of water as she tossed a pebble into the water and then felt the tears in her eyes. She must have gotten pregnant in Hawaii without realizing it because as soon as she had some time to think, she realized that something was wrong and two months ago, the doctor had confirmed it. She was pregnant. She wasn't married to him and the child would never know him but she had Kuon's baby inside of her.

As she closed her eyes and felt the brush of the wind against her cheek, she felt someone approach her and she flinched. She had often felt the presence of other people here and a few times it was the same two teenagers wanting to make out and have sex. She wasn't going to move for them.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head with tears streaming down her cheeks as she felt the person approach her. "Please leave," she requested, "Leave!" she barked back at the person. The height was bothering her. She bowed her head and flinched as the man sat down next to her. She didn't want another man around her. Maybe the fact that she was four months pregnant would scare him away.

"Hey," he turned to her and she tried to ignore him. The man was wearing a hooded leather jacket. She didn't want anyone flirting with her and so she tried to turn away. He reached out a hand for her and she froze as she studied the cuts and burns on this man's wrist and the way it looked like he was either heavily into self-injury or he'd been through some things.

"Will you let g—go o" Kyoko said as she pulled her hand away from him. She turned to look at him and maybe throw some more abusive words his way but she paused in disbelief as she looked into those amazing emerald eyes. How was this possible? "I'm hallucinating," she stated. "I thought that I was over these damn halluci-"

"You're not hallucinating," he stressed and she stared at him.

"Kuon Hizuri died," she tried to stress and he laughed weakly before looking forward. "He was living in Hawaii under the name Yuusei. He died. You can't be him."

"Kuon Hizuri didn't die," he said before Kyoko could see sadness in those emerald eyes, "He did kill somebody though," Kyoko looked at him with a truly shocked expression. That couldn't be true. Those words he was saying just couldn't be true. Kuon would never kill anyone.

"Kuon was gentle, he was kind, he would ne-"

"I know that's what you want to think," Kuon told her before seeing her belly and he had questions of his own. He bowed his head. "They didn't kill me. They told me that since I was submissive, they'd start me off as a low ranking member because they could use me. They tried to control me using drugs but you know, it was different this time. The first time I was fighting because I had hope that I could get home. This time though. It's funny how much you can accomplish when you've already given up everything."

Kuon bowed his head with a weak laugh. He hated himself for the measures that he had taken to be free but after finding himself without bonds tying him down, his first thought had been to come here to her. He knew that she had left Tokyo and this was the only place that seemed to make sense.

…

…

Kuon had played along with the gang for three months. When they had said jump, he had jumped. When they had told him to kill he would contact a target's family and falsify his death whilst providing an escape like he had. He had always made sure to appear to follow anyone's orders who ranked above him. However, all of that had led to this moment. He had realized two and a half months ago that they didn't have a plan to end his life. He just had to wait long enough to make his move.

Kuon looked at the blade in his hand. He had wounded the two guards who were outside the room in which the boss was taking a bath. They had been easy to bring down and he had made sure that they didn't make a sound whilst he was doing it. He couldn't risk the boss finding him and he hadn't ended these men's life even though they deserved it. The police would come to them.

Kuon entered the bathroom where the gang leader was soaking and silently pushed himself to the wall. He had done this during acting scenes and he had to rely on his stealth and tactical planning. His body was surprisingly even more toned than it once was and he felt that a fight would be in his favor. A gun and line of body guards wouldn't be in his favor.

As he managed to climb up the wall using his back and shoulder muscles, he slowly managed to move over to behind the bathtub. How could this man be so relaxed? Didn't he realize the danger that he was always in? Did he really think that much of his body guards.

Kuon managed to drop down and as his feet hit the water, he grabbed the gang leader from behind and shoved the knife into his neck, pulling the blade across in a swift motion and before the man could reach for a weapon, he was dead, blood spurting from his nearly decapitated head.

Kuon stared at him for a while before getting out and using the towel the gang leader had put aside to dry his face and the sweat off of it. With another towel, he grabbed the gun so that his fingerprints weren't found on it and stepped out of the room where the men still hadn't gained consciousness.

Maybe he'd receive the death penalty for this, the electric chair but this man didn't have a chance of hurting anyone else. He was a ghost and this nightmare was over. He heard the police sirens as he slipped from the location. As much of a thrill as the murder had caused him, he couldn't afford to feel the desire to kill ever again.

He just wanted to apologize to those he had hurt. Kyoko would be first.

…..

…..

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked as Kuon stared off into the distance. It might have been better for him to have stayed around for police questioning and explained his side of the story before other people did it for him. He had really wanted to see her though. He nodded before looking at her belly.

"You're pregnant?" he asked before bowing his head, "The father?"

"Impregnated me one night in Hawaii," she said and Kuon looked forwards with a smile. He deserved to be happy, right? The gang wouldn't catch up with him or would he spend the rest of his life in a jail cell and be unable to hold his kid.

"I'm sorry if they have to put me away," he told her and Kyoko hummed, tilting her head to the side. What did he mean by that?

"I murdered someone, Kyoko," he said in a chilling voice. "You usually don't get to see the light of day once you've done something like that."

"You could stop saying it, pretend that it never happened," Kyoko advised and Kuon shook his head. He had to own up to what he had done no matter what consequences came from that.

End of Chapter Forty Two

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Forty One

Guest (x2), H-Nala, Kaname671, PaulaGaTo, SpiritedRanger