AN: So this fic has definitely gone off the rails from the acting drama that I wanted to show so I'm trying to steer it back towards the drama since there are a lot of good things I can still do from that angle. I did toy with having three other characters show up in the end but tried to go with a new choice. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter Thirty – Destinations

Is this nice guy thing all an act, who is the true Kuu Hizuri?

Do you think that your son deserved to get abused at such a tender age?

Did you ever help out with the abuse or is that something that you'll lie about so we don't know who the real Kuu Hizuri is?

How were people so damn disrespectful! Kuon couldn't sleep, he felt helpless but this was more than when someone would bring up Rick or America. He had been responsible for that secret being kept for so many years and he had held it in because he wanted to be an actor and he didn't want to hurt the Hizuri name but after all of these years, the pain and sorrow and anxiety and withholding, they still had to blame his father for this.

Kuon could see his father fading each time he was asked one of these moronic questions and Kuon wanted it to stop. His father was so well-liked in this country and he had no idea what the small Kuon had gone through and Kuon had never wanted it revealed and it was coming to show exactly why that was.

His father was, and always would be, his hero but he wasn't worthy of being his son.

He needed to go somewhere, go away from people so they didn't feel hurt. It didn't matter if he got hurt, they didn't need for him to be around so that they could continue to get hurt. He would do his job but he could close himself off to others. He wasn't good for anyone anyway, everybody just got hurt. He felt sick and nervous and closed his eyes trying to steady himself.

Before he knew it, a pair of arms had draped over his shoulders and he paused before seeing Kyoko with her head resting on his back and he reached out to squeeze her hand. She shouldn't be worrying about him. They only had a few more scenes of the drama to shoot and everyone was working on it well, his father wasn't hearing a lot of questions about that, well apart from asking if Kuon trusted him as a director because of his past.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he squeezed her hand, "Was I keeping you up? I couldn't sleep."

"It's okay," Kyoko hummed as she continued to hug him hoping that just by being beside him she could give him some comfort. "You want to talk about it?" she asked him and Kuon shook his head. "If you're worried about Father, he says that eventually people will get tired of asking questions."

"Once they've minced him to bits and baked him in a pie, some sort of final death or something," Kuon replied as he stared in front of him haunted. Kyoko frowned before taking his hand. She looked at the time, it was two in the morning but it wasn't something long that she wanted to show him. It was an old interview that she had been sent on her phone and she could plug the link into his expensive new TV set.

She sat down and gestured for Kuon to do the same. On the screen was a much younger Kuu and beside him was Julie with a baby in her arms. The baby must have been only a few months old and as exhausted as Kuu looked, he was happy. He was so happy.

"So, tell us Kuu-sama," the male host said, "This is your first time to Japan with your child?" he asked and Kuu grinned at the baby that Julie held. "Well with your gorgeous wife, the talented model and actress Hizuri Julienna and your boy, his name is…"

"Kuon," Julie said as she saw Kuon reach out for her finger.

"Quite a charismatic charmer isn't he?" the host said and Kuu grinned. Julie passed him Kuon and Kuu held his son with such a protective and loving hold, the light in his eyes shining as he beamed with pride down at his son.

"I think that the day Kuon was born was one of the two happiest days of my life," he said as he brought Kuon towards his chest and the small baby gave out a tiny laugh. "This is his first visit to Japan and we've already seen a lot of people that have welcomed him into their hearts. I think he might be too young to remember this trip but I know that people will remember him. I'm truly honored to be his father."

"I can see that," the host said, "Now, when you were la-"

The video stopped and Kuon looked at the TV screen where it had been showing. Even when he was a baby, his father had shown him such love and had been so happy and he had ruined that for him. He wasn't the typical son and he definitely wasn't the type of son that Kuu or Julie deserved. They had been planning on a happy family life and he had taken that from them.

Kyoko looked at him curiously, she tilted her head to the side before reaching for his hand. "Moko invited me round to her house tomorrow, she wants to watch the promo for The Lake in the Park together. I don't think that she'd mind if you came with me," she attempted to comfort Kuon and he shook his head.

"You should go back to bed," he told her, "I'll come and join you if that's okay or you could sleep b-"

"You can come and join me now," she said with a blush as she turned off the TV. "I'd feel better if I was beside you, I wouldn't be worrying that you weren't acting any longer. I do think I'll have to get used to being in your arms when I sleep but it shouldn't be too hard," she said and Kuon nodded. He stopped outside of the bedroom and looked at her, tilting his head to the side.

"Kyoko?" he asked and Kyoko hummed, turning to look at him. "Thank you."

…

…

Kyoko had felt that Kanae had wanted her to watch the promo at her house and so had been excited to get to sleep over with her best friend and do the kinds of activities that she felt that she had missed out on as a little girl but Kanae had decided to watch the show in the Love Me office. A little strange and definitely more uncomfortable for Kyoko.

Kuon had been able to persuade her that it would be a little intrusive for him to go to Moko's house without her inviting him and had promised to wait at home but this was just the office, she wasn't going to be spending the night here and it would be more comforting to her for Kuon to drive them both home. She felt strange though, she didn't want to upset Moko by saying that.

"You know, the interview questions that they asked me in this were definitely shallow," Moko sighed and Kyoko gave a half smile. "You received some better ones being the lead, right?"

"I suppose so," Kyoko said nervously, "They asked me about the outfits a lot. Kuon got more questions about his character on the show whereas they asked me if I had to do any special makeup for Pandora. However, we did do some great interviews together where Kuon made sure I got to talk about how I feel about acting and what my plans are."

"To be an actress worthy of representing Japan?" Kanae asked and Kyoko nodded happily. "I think that's a kind of typical answer, well…I don't want to be an actress worthy of representing Japan. Japan's too small. I'd rather be known as one of the best international actresses," she shrugged as the show started and Kyoko felt her stomach tense.

Something didn't feel right and she didn't want to worry too much but it felt that something was wrong with Kuon. No, it was just guilt right? Guilt that they should be watching this together. Moko wouldn't have minded him being here, would she?

"Moko-chan?" Kyoko asked quietly as she saw Kuon on the screen talking about how it was to work with his father as the director and the numerous things such as his arrest that had happened since he had started the project. He was speaking about how he and his father were getting a lot closer during the filming. Kyoko looked down, before peering at Kanae again. "You don't hate Kuon, do you?" she asked and Moko looked at her.

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "I don't hate him," she said honestly and Kyoko let her body calm in relief. "I just don't think he's good enough for you especially with the stuff the media is reporting on. I think it'd be in your best interest as an actor to leave him until this whole thing blows over."

Kyoko gasped and Kanae looked at her with wide eyes, she twitched, maybe she shouldn't have said that. "And what if Kuon means more to me than my acting career, Moko-chan?" she asked and Kanae looked at her before nodding.

"I don't agree with that but I guess I can support your relationship, that's what the best friend does, right?" Kanae asked and Kyoko nodded.

She felt unhappy. It was true that the best friend should care about her other best friend and support a relationship that made the second best friend happy but on the other hand, did a girlfriend leave her boyfriend alone when it looked like he was being dragged into his depression?

…

…

Kuon looked out the window of the bullet train. He had boarded a while back but he wasn't telling anyone where he was going. As unprofessional as it was, he needed a break from the world and he needed to figure out a way where his Dad could remain happy and keep his acting legacy intact. The last episodes still needed to be shot and Kuon hadn't felt himself ever being as unprofessional to leave and break his contracts.

It could have been more planned out, more thought out unlike a chapter coming out here and coming out there and for the writer to start losing control of the story and have it show less of the acting that they had originally wanted to write and more drama. He sighed as he saw that he was soon going to be leaving Tokyo.

It was here that he felt a man standing behind him. He turned around expecting for it to be for someone to see his ticket, heck it could even be just somebody wanting an autograph. What he didn't think he would see however was a man that might know his pain a little too well.

"Ogata-san," he said with a weak smile and Hiroaki looked out the window and then at the seat next to Kuon. "It's a surprise seeing you. Were you filmi-"

"I'm going down to Kyoto for inspiration but I thought that maybe I could pay you back for what you did to me," he said and Kuon tried to think through all the things that he had messed up for that week. He thought about Dark Moon, he hadn't thought he had done anything to cause destruction or dislike for the work. He looked at Ogata confused.

"When I was struggling with what to do when we were filming, you helped me out by telling me that I'm my own person. That advice helped me a lot and now I know how you knew what would help," Hiroaki said and Kuon took his bag off the seat gesturing with his head for him to sit.

"And you feel that you know what to say that will help with the world seeing my father as an abusive liar?" Kuon asked and Hiroaki nodded before taking a seat.

End of Chapter Thirty

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Nine

Brennakai, Erza Tsuruga, evilteddybear, First Lady Riza, Guest, Kaname671, Kris XD, ktoll9, miel04, misherukuro, PaulaGaTo, RedtheWolf2

Author Response:

Have to make this quick since my body is telling me that I can't write very much more tonight. Thank you all for the support and sorry it took me so long to update. Kuon needs to remember that he is loved and supported. I like the idea of the reporter being a part of it and I guess my stories always get tragic. I really do need to work on my comedic skills because I do have them but I prefer great pain and tragedy which has been said is easier to write as well. Maybe I'm just one of those non-skilled writers, lol.