-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 19-

Keiji walked behind the taller man, it had been easier to get just get his brother permission for the print out of the contracts for each of their own personal records, everything was signed and dated. Yet he had noticed that Susumu was a man beyond even his own capabilities, Keiji prided himself on how his mind worked but even he couldn't deny that he could learn a few things from Susumu.

Keiji looked down at his phone 'Guess time to move things along' his eyes trailed up towards Ren for a moment. He almost regretted what he was about to do but not enough not to do so. The e-mail was simple and mostly just the video attachment of what Amanda and David had done to get Kyoko and Ren to date. Not that Keiji expected anything to happen but he also starting to believe that this man was pretty much clueless about his affections for her, 'Better he remains that way seeing as he will be leaving and no longer a part of her life once he does' after sending a little email for Lory with the video attachment.

Ren couldn't help but try and figure out the relationship between "Doesn't it bother you at all?" he stopped to face Keiji as he looked down at him.

Keiji looked up at him for a moment, "Not really." he said with a shrug of his shoulders, "I mean you are leaving soon enough, she won't fall in love with you she's pretty against romantic love altogether."

Ren stared at him for a moment "But she's your partner?"

Keiji smirked, "For life."

Ren narrowed his eyes, he clearly didn't know how to take this at all. "That doesn't seem like a good relationship for either of you."

Keiji looked down at his phone as it buzzed, it was Lory. He quickly texted a message before looking back up at Ren, "Here's a question for you. Everyone you ever dated, did you love them as your other half?" he said putting his hands in his pockets. He watched the older man nod his head, "So you are still friends with them as friends?"

Ren wasn't sure what he was getting at, "No, not really."

Keiji gave a small nod of his head, "Yeah I think you would have been." He gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, "No matter who comes in or out of our lives. Kyoko and I are partners for life." he smiled softly at him, "She's my other half, we don't need romance for our relationship to remain." he said with a shrug, "So our relationship is the best kind if you ask me." Keiji knew he wasn't telling this man exactly the truth, yet it was for the best that no one knew exactly the truth between them. Besides, it wasn't anyone's business and it would help protect Kyoko who just wasn't ready for such relationships. When the time comes and the right guy comes along then they can let them into their world. 'A soulmate...' he thought as he narrowed his eyes 'That's Amanda and David for sure, now that I understand that people just misunderstand what a soulmate, what someone's other half really is.'

Ren highly doubted that was the case, no matter how close you are to someone. When it ends it ends. His own life experiences have taught him that, people like his parents' relationships were just rare in his eyes. They had true love and even his father showed jealousy, his mother likely would if his father wasn't so devoted to her. The fact remained 'maybe he's more like her' he said looking up towards the ceiling slightly as his phone went off. Ren pulled out his cellphone frowned at the name flashed across the screen before sending it to voicemail. Keiji shook his head.

"I wouldn't have done that, he is her father." he said moving pass Ren "Not that it matters, we have to hurry before we are late anyway."

Ren stared at the younger man, "You told him?"

"Nope, I just showed him what happened," he said looking over his shoulder, "Come along now Ren-chan before Yashiro starts to get worried. You can't be tardy after all."

Ren couldn't help but glare at the younger man. 'He's as bad as those twins.'

To say that Lory was unhappy would be an understatement. It wasn't even the fact that it was all an act that bothered him, not that it didn't bother him. It was the fact that Kuon nor Ren knew what love was. Kyoko she knew what love was, she had chosen to throw it away. His fingers tapped on the limo's door as he waited for Kuu to finish making a show of himself to his fans here. Not that he wouldn't be doing the same thing if he wasn't so bothered by the updates. 'Kyoko has something planned, Amanda and David are planning something it would seem too... and Keiji...' his eyes dropped to his phone for a moment 'Is not really giving me information either' he sighed as he stared at the very short statement from him: It's work-related, in a way.' It also bothered him that Ruto had not said anything but then that just showed that there was nothing really to be worried about right? Lory sighed heavily.

The door opened and Kuu slid into the car seat, Kuu took one look at him and knew something was off. "What's wrong?" he figured maybe some drama he was into didn't end the way he wanted.

"Your son is going on a date..." he said bitterly as he looked out the window.

"That's wonderful news!" Kuu could only hope, after all as Ren had hadn't dated in some time, perhaps far too long which had worried him slightly, if he didn't date then he couldn't fall in love, if he couldn't fall in love he wouldn't realize or understand that he didn't have to be better than him. That all he needed was that one person who was always with him supporting him and he would truly shine. Which was why Kuu couldn't understand why Lory was so upset. Lory held up his phone and played the video, Kuu watched in silently as a young man and woman teased or maybe it was more correct to say that they were playing with Ren like a piece of meat. Though he had to admit it was slightly amusing at how uncomfortable that his son looked and how unbothered they were all by the way he looked at them.

"I'm not sure I see the issue."

"Close out of the video attachment" Kuu did what he was told and saw the message to Lory: AD hired Ren Tsuruga to date your daughter tonight. He agreed papers were signed already.

Kuu frowned slightly, "Why would they do something like that?"

Lory looked back towards the window, "I have an idea why but I need to talk to those two first..." he frowned before sighing, "and then I need to make sure to talk to your son, because if he hurts her or makes her feel like she stands a chance for his heart with his history..." his eyes narrowed as he looked back towards Kuu, "He'll no longer have a place in showbiz I'll destroy his career for good."

Kuu looked at him before narrowing his eyes, "She was hurt that bad huh?" Lory gave a small nod of his head before taking his phone. Kuu mentally sighed before leaning back against his seat, 'must be something really awful for him to take the only thing that Kuon cares about anymore away from him... more so when it comes from the man of love himself.'

Amanda and David sat across from Lory. The fact the had requested the hotel to place a desk in his hotel room said something. Lory took the only other family room on this floor, that gave multi rooms, the fact that Maria and Kyoko had been moved out of the room with Amanda and Laura likely meant he was unhappy with them if nothing else would have. The fact that Lory was sitting across from that desk having had Amanda and David sit across from him gave him a sort of extra power. His fingers were tapping against the desk as he stared not really at them, it only adds to the discomfort in the room that they were feeling. Finally, Lory looked towards them.

"What the hell were you think?" he asked them.

Amanda and David looked at each other, David shrugged and Amanda leaned back in the chair she said looking at her nails instead of looking at Lory, "What is the issue?"

"I think you know what the issue is that I have." the tone of anger was clear in his voice but she didn't seem bothered by it all.

"So that's the only issue you have?" David asked crossing his leg so it rested on his knee, his hands folded in his lap. "I don't think you need to worry about that, her heart is pretty closed off when it comes down to that. Unless the worry is that he will fall for her."

Lory sighed, "Not a problem..." no when he thought about it, the idea of Kuon or Ren falling in love, in general, has not happened. The fact she was fifteen years old would likely add to him not wanting to be with her in any matter, still, he was more worried about Kyoko or how this could look. "What is the real reason behind this date?" he might as well change the subject.

"We were bored." Amanda said looking up at Lory as she said it, "What else could it possibly be but we were bored?"

Lory couldn't argue with that, yet normally that didn't go to such extremes, the fact that there were paper signs screamed to him that there was something a whole lot more going on. "Then why the papers?"

David, "Your daughter told her lawyer to draw them up." he shrugged slightly, "Wasn't our idea for that but works out for us." he smirked, "the payment will be so easy..."

"...if we don't burn down the kitchen in the process," Amanda said looking at her brother.

"Yeah if we don't burn the kitchen down," he said nodding his head.

Lory looked between the two of them before rubbing his temples as he leaned on the desk. 'These two... how does Mary deal with them?' his eyes turned to look at them for a moment. Lory frowned, "I still don't like it."

David looked at the man, he seemed really bothered by the whole thing and he couldn't really blame him. Kyoko would tell him sometime soon, they both knew that much but that didn't change the fact right now what they knew didn't matter. "Doesn't matter if you don't like it though." No, it would help with her desire and goal in the end not that Ren really knew that either, as far as he knew they were playing a game with him. They were bored and they would keep it that way for the time being. "Besides you can't protect her, she's more than able to protect herself." That was beyond the truth of the matter, they hadn't actually been there for her prior to a few months ago, not that they didn't feel like she always been a part of the family, she fits in perfectly for them all. "She's growing up faster than a normal girl her age would..." he said softly as he leaned forward looking at Lory. "All we can do is support what she wishes in the end." he said standing up and holding his hand out for Amanda, "Even when it makes us unhappy."

Amanda looked towards the man sitting across from them, she could tell he understood what they were saying but he wasn't happy about it or want to accept it at all. No, he wanted to keep her safe, to never allow anything to hurt her anymore. Yet Kyoko was putting herself out there, she was the one who wanted to play this dangerous game. She placed her hand in her brother's hand and stood up, "If you are worried about her heart, then talk to Ren. He has to listen to you, you are his boss after all." she said looking towards her brother for a moment before looking back towards Lory. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath, "She'll talk to you soon. When she does listen and... help her the way she needs you to help her."

David and Amanda made their way towards the door before they both looked at each other pausing in their steps, they turned to look at the man who seemed more heartbroken, "She doesn't want to worry you..." Amanda said looking down slightly, "She doesn't want to worry any of us that's why she keeping things from us." David gave a small nod of his head.

"Yet she's doing that because she doesn't want us hurt." He looked back towards Lory, "Just remember that... trust her and know she loves us enough to want to let us live in a fantasy world." he said opening the door, "Even when we all know that world isn't real." he said before shutting the door. Leaving Lory for just a moment alone in the room.

Kuu opened the door to the bedroom that Lory claimed as his own, it was also the closest to where Lory had set up his desk before looking at the man for a moment. He crossed his arms looking at the shut door, "Want to tell me what is really going on?"

Lory looked towards Kuu before turning to face the balcony window door, he closed his eyes trying to gather his thoughts. "It has to deal with Heth," he said looking back towards the man turning to force him as Kuu sat down in the chair towards the right.

"Whose Heth?" That was the first time he heard that name.

"What I'm about to tell you can't leave this room, Juliena can't know. If you can agree to that, I'll explain more. If not then I'm afraid I can't tell you any more than I already have." He said looking at him through the reflection of the glass. Turning slightly so he could really see Kuu as he did so.

Kuu leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as he allowed his mind to think about what was being requested of him. "Kuon's being brought into this?" he asked after a moment.

"Not by her..." he said turning to face Kuu, "at least not at first..." he knew that much as well. "I can't be too sure now, but I'm going to guess that is the case," he said leaning against the desk heavily as he held his head in his hands.

"Tell me what I need to know. I won't say anything to Juliena for the time being. I can't promise that. I can say I can keep it to myself unless something goes bad though Lory." Kuu said leaning forward, resting his arms on his legs.

"Kyoko fell into a darkness unlike any other, it was caused by Shoutaro Fuwa," he said looking at him for a moment, "That boy threw her away like trash." His eyes darken, "That resulted in the darkness that should by all rights destroyed her. Yet she had the son a very powerful man on her side apparently. Won him over and that likely what saved her." He shook his head sighing, he couldn't say too much more on that right now. "Anyways, one of the men who she met because of Shoutaro is named Heth..." he leaned back in his chair as he looked at Kuu. "Heth is extremely dangerous, she bumped into him a couple days ago, Kuon... " yes he could say it was likely that it was Kuon who had been in that elevator at that time, "he protected her in the end." His eyes narrowed as he looked down, "Heth, however, convinced the cops that it was all Kyoko's fault."

Kuu stared at him, "How the hell could they do that with a witness?"

Lory, "They didn't take their statements. To my knowledge, Ren is a side note, as if they are doing everything they can to push him out of the picture as if he wasn't even there." He closed his eyes "Heth's being hunted of course, but he's hiding, apparently protected by the police, so that is the real issue." he said taking a deep breath, "the police protecting him."

Kuu frowned as he stared at Lory, "and what does this have to do with Ren taking Kyoko out on a date?"

Lory looked at his friend for a moment, "I think she's trying to lure Heth out of hiding." he looked down, "I think this is the twins plan anyway, likely with the way her heart has been closed up and her not wanting to get anyone in the middle of it, they are using this as a way to force Kyoko's hand to properly use the man she hired." he said holding a copy of the contract that he had gotten as her father. "The fact that Kuon seems to be willing..." he said showing him a second copy that he had edit and changed, the copy his daughter wouldn't see or know about he closed his eyes as he pushed it towards them, the lawyer was an amazing man to give him both copies. "Look at the last page... this is a copy of his contract, not the one my daughter has."

Kuu picked it up and turned it to the last page, his eye looking at the signature before looking back at Lory, "He signed it..."

"Kuon Hizuri" Lory said with a small nod of his head. "He wants to protect her..." he said looking down, "I can't understand him." he said leaning back as he looked at him, "More so when the contract clearly states there are no romantic feelings between either party, nothing sexual either." he said closing his eyes, "Why would your son go so far for my daughter Kuu?"

Kuu shook his head, "I don't know... what did the lawyer say?"

"Nothing to me," he frowned. "The only reason I got that copy is that Kuon wanted me to have it."