AN: This was originally going to be a simple dating chapter with some cute scenes but I promise that will come later. I had a little bit of excitement when I came up with this new plot twist. I really hope that you enjoy it 😊

Chapter Fourteen – An Interrupted Date Night

Kyoko grinned as she stared at herself in the mirror. She wished that she had been able to practice real magic on herself so that she could look beautiful enough for Kuon. She wanted to make sure the date went as well as possible, but without proper makeup was she pretty enough for those who would be watching them. She sighed. Maybe she should pick a green shirt to wear so that the cameras would catch Kuon's eyes. Well, green did look good on her but did she want to dress in something just to make her boyfriend look better.

She smiled before putting on a green blouse and floral skirt with a white cardigan and white shoes she had found at a great sale price. She should really try to make an impression because not only was she dating Kuon, she was also playing a lead in the latest drama he was acting in.

She knew that Kuon would try to talk about her in a positive way that would highlight her talents, but at the same time, wouldn't the reporters talk about her as if she was an extra appendage that Kuon had. She hoped not. She had been trying so far to leave personal drama out of her career, she didn't want for them to zone in on only Kuon. Was this a bad idea?

Kyoko hadn't noticed the knock on the door straight away, but after the knock got louder her attention was pulled away from her appearance and to the fact that there was someone who wanted to speak to her. Gathering her courage, Kyoko made her way over to the door and opened it to see Okami-san standing there.

"Kyoko, Hizuri-san has been here for a little time," Okami said before putting a hand to Kyoko's shoulder. "I'd go down now, I think he was trying to be respectful by bringing my husband a fish but now that he has done that, my husband is putting him through another one of his fish tests."

Kyoko sighed but gave a small smile. He was most likely only doing this because of how much he cared about her. Apparently, if you ate fish the right way that made you a worthy person. It was a little silly though because Kuon had grown up in America with food stuffed into his mouth whilst Shotaro had grown up in Japan where he had had to eat fish. Between Kuon and Shotaro, Kyoko knew who was a worthier person.

She quickly grabbed her bag and came down the steps to see Taisho standing there trying not to show how impressed he was with the way that Kuon had mastered the fish-eating technique. None of them would expect the fact that Kuon had sat in front of videos on how to eat fish the correct and traditional way so he could practice for his second chance.

Taisho turned trying not to show the fact that he was impressed but Kyoko managed to see it. She came over to Kuon who was wearing fashionable designer clothes and grinned to him. "Sorry to put you through that again," she apologized. "I didn't know you were already here, I would have been down sooner."

"It's alright," Kuon smiled to her, "You look beautiful and I've been really wanting a second chance at this. You know that eating isn't one of my strong points but I thought with a little walk, I might be able to still take you out to that restaurant."

Kyoko smiled before sitting down with him. "Whatever you want to do is good with me," she said before taking his hand. "I get to be with my prince for the night, I can't think of anything that I'd rather be doing." She grinned to him before looking up at Okami-san who was watching her. "So, I'm going to be going. I'll make sure that Kuon doesn't bring me back too late," she bowed and noticed that behind her Kuon was bowing respectfully as well.

"I'll take the best possible care of her," he promised and Kyoko smiled back at him before taking his hand and walking with him to the outside of the restaurant. She froze as she saw that even there a paparazzi's camera flashed and Kuon pulled her close to him.

"I didn't think they would find us so soon," he apologized to her, "I will deeply apologize to your…landlords," he said, picking that over voluntary guardians. "I just hope that they do not have to deal with negative press affecting their business. I will make sure to guard it with my life."

Kyoko looked up at him and nodded. She wondered why there would be someone there already. Had they followed Kuon?

It was when they arrived at the main street that Kuon saw an interviewer there and he took a deep breath in, placing two fingers in his forehead and hoped he could get through this. This wasn't fair. They hadn't even had a chance to enjoy ten minutes as a couple and he couldn't understand how they had managed to find him so fast.

Kuon paused before his eyes caught onto the reason why the media was already attacking him. His blond nemesis and Kyoko's childhood friend.

"Sho," she growled out with her hand squeezing onto Kuon's. She looked up at her boyfriend and saw his fake gentleman's smile.

"It will be okay," he told her before seeing another group of reporters swoop up to join them. Kuon looked at Kyoko and pulled her close so that the cameras wouldn't be able to get a close look at her and intimidate her. He could tell that he was the one that they wanted, but this was far too many just to report on a first date even with a celebrity status such as his.

It was one specific question among the others that made Kuon realize why so many people were here.

"Hizuri, what can you tell us about the LA street gangs especially in relation to the death of Rick Warren."

Kuon paled and looked over at the reporters wide eyed. How had they known that? Hadn't his father hired a lawyer who could erase web history and make it seem that he had never existed. Hadn't they tried to make sure that something like this was kept from the press at all cost?

"Is your girlfriend only with you because you raped her?" another reporter said, "Is that why she's underage?"

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably before her eyes widened and a police car pulled up. She tightened her hold on Kuon's arm as she saw all color drain from her boyfriend's expression.

What was going on here?

"Kyoko," Kuon whispered to her, "I want you to leave as quickly and quietly as you can, do not pull any attention to yourself. It'll be okay, but I need for you to get out of here."

Kyoko stared at him, "But, I…" she saw the way he was looking at her and that his words weren't meant to be a suggestion but a command. She weakly took her hands off of him and walked into the shadows.

…..

…..

Kyoko hadn't wanted to go back to the Daruma-ya. She knew that Okami-san and Taisho cared about her as if she was really their adoptive daughter and she didn't want them to have a negative opinion of Kuon. She was scared for him and she needed to find out what was going on, but she didn't want them to have the kind of feelings which meant they would attempt to prevent her from seeing him.

So she had come here, she had come to LME and she had wanted to head to the LOVE Me headquarters. She knew that she had already graduated here in the mind of the president, but she needed somewhere safe.

As she sat in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees and her head on top, she saw a figure pass the doorway. She wanted to stay still, she didn't want to be noticed. The only person that she wanted was Kuon and with the gossip she could hear, he was being questioned by the police.

She couldn't believe that he had ever done anything so bad that years after the events had taken place they would still be talking about prosecuting him for crimes. She had seen violence in him when he was Cain and BJ, she knew at that time that there wasn't a way for him to get complete control over himself, but that was then.

He had surely changed since then.

She heard someone knock on the door and she curled up into a tighter ball. She didn't want to have to deal with all of this right now. She wanted to be on the date that she was promised with her boyfriend. She wanted to be learning her lines for the next scene that she would perform in Kuon. She wanted to find comfort in something…anything.

"Kyoko-chan?" Kyoko heard a familiar voice say and as her whole body shook, Kyoko looked up at Yashiro. She could see the horror on his face too. She wouldn't be surprised if Kuon's popularity had plummeted to the bottom one-hundred actors already. She just didn't think that he'd do anything bad enough to deserve this. "That is you, right?"

"Yashiro-san" Kyoko squeaked out and looked down, "I'm scared. I don't know what to do. He didn't rape me and I wanted to tell them but he told me to leave him to sort it out for himself. I know that he meant to save my career but…" she looked up at Yashiro in the dark of the room. She could just make out his glasses and the shape of his body. "Yashiro-san, is this the pain that comes from someone you love being hurt. I feel like I'm going to die inside and I want him to be okay."

Yashiro came down to sit beside her, "Listen, making sure that Kuon is okay is the job of a manager and you should know that I am very good at my job."

…..

…..

"I don't understand it, Kuu" Julie said as she had the same horrified expression on her face as did all of the people who cared about Kuon. She didn't know what to think of the footage of him being accused for those crimes and then the image of him being handcuffed and put into the police car. She couldn't believe it.

She looked down with her hand shaking. If Kuu hadn't told her that her going down to the police station and yelling at the officers and making demands wouldn't make it harder for Kuon, then she would be there now. They had no right to do this. The police in America had already said that Rick's death had been an accident and yes, Kuon had taken on gangs but the police had cleared him of suspicion. They had recommended that he get psychological help, but they had also done their research and realized he hadn't been in any of the gangs.

The top attorneys that Kuu had hired if need came for his son to be represented had taken care of everything else. She looked up at her husband, "I thought Tina seemed like she had forgiven Kuon? I know that with her new job she's exposed herself to troubled youth, I thought she understood. Why would she need to destroy his career?"

Kuu sighed, "I don't think it was her. I mean, maybe I'm too naïve but I really don't think it was her," Kuu's body stiffened as he heard a knock on the hotel room door. That could only be Kyoko. The only two people he had given that information to had been Kuon and Kyoko and well…Lory but he didn't think that the president would arrive here and Kuon was being questioned by the police.

Opening the door, Kuu's eyes widened as he saw the singer that Kyoko detested. Shou Fuwa.

"Can I help you with something?" Kuu asked with a raised eyebrow as he stepped outside the hotel room to keep Julie from coming between him and this asshole.

"You're looking at the new lead actor for your drama," Shou said with a superior smile. "I bet you're looking for someone to replace Hizuri and it cost me a lot of money to make arrangements for me to be in your movie and for me to find you."

Kuu raised an eyebrow, he felt his suspicions were correct this time. "Are you confessing to the fact that you framed my son?" he asked as Shou took a step back. "Since you seem to have gone to such an expense I'll give you a little bit of information." Kuu glared in a way much darker than Kuon had ever did. "My son defended me on live TV but that ferocity was child's play when it comes to how far I will go to defend and protect my son and you're now placed number one on my hit list."

AN 2:

Kind of a dark chapter that I wasn't suspecting to write when working on the previous chapter but I hope you enjoyed it. Again, thank you for all the support you've all given me, I feel truly fortunate 😊 Special shout outs to: Beyhiver, DreamIdol, Guest, machi3663, and sailorrose22 all of whom reviewed the previous chapter 😊