-Oxford - Friday: Part 8-

Kyoko couldn't help but stare out the window as they sat in the restaurant. It wasn't that she wasn't happy, no she was just worried. Worried about her plans, what if she couldn't be made to look more mature? She sighed heavily as she turned back towards Maria who was of course not eating her vegetables, it was odd but it seemed to be a normal thing, at least that's what she had been told by Aunt Mary, apparently every one of her children but Charles had gone through it, Charles biggest problem was making him put down whatever he was reading. Then she had told her about how Kouki had been just as bad if not worse than Maria when he was younger. It wasn't until he got older did he come around to the fact he couldn't survive on sweets alone. He still had apparently an awful sweet tooth but he managed it far better than he did as a child. In that way, she supposed Maria was truly like her father. Which made her wonder where Daiki got his eating habits from.

"Aunt Kyoko?" Maria said stabbing a carrot finally as if it was her deadly enemy.

"Yes, Maria?" The girl chewed her lower lip for a moment before sighing heavily.

"Can you really not come back with us?"

The sound of her voice cracking broke her heart and she recalled that at the end of the month her Easter Holiday would begin. She also had that bloody dance she had to perform with Keiji, in a dress she seriously didn't want to imagine at all. 'Besides what would it look like with all those bruises' she mentally sighed, that would not be appealing to any judges and at most might make them take pity on her and not really see her for who she was. Keiji's partner. 'Then again, that's assuming I get out of this mess alive' her eyes darken slightly and she knew her dark children were out, swirling around her even if she could not tell them. Maria, however, seemed to have taken it wrong and looked quickly down at her hands.

"I'm sorry Aunt Kyoko..." if her voice before sounded like heartbreak, this one was far worse.

"No Maria, sorry I was thinking about... well everything that's happened." She took the little girl's hand in her own, much like her father did with her earlier, "It was nothing about your question. My Easter Holiday will start soon, I plan to spend some time with you and Daddy." She smiled softly, "If you don't mind me coming for a visit that is."

"Of course I want you to come!" Maria said almost jumping up and out of her seat before recalling where they were and quickly settled, she looked down sheepily at her own hands, "I mean I'll need a poppet..." she said softly. Kyoko tilted her head slightly not fully understanding why she would need one, "For your protection Aunt Kyoko."

Kyoko couldn't help but smile, "Remember what I told you when I left?" Maria nodded her head some, "I'll be fine, you trust me on that right?" she could see the little girl wasn't very sure about it before sighing softly, "Besides I wouldn't know how to make one of myself."

"Why not?" Maria asked and that really was the question wasn't it? The more she thought about making something in her image the more it bothered her. There was nothing really all that special about her, she wasn't pretty, she was just a plain and boring girl. Sighing heavily she looked back towards Maria and smiled.

"I don't know Maria," she said her cheek leaning against the palm of her hand, "I just wouldn't know how." The little girl frowned heavily at her but slowly shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright, then we need to stop at a Witchcraft store. I need to get supplies." She said simply before picking up her fork glaring at the carrot that was still stuck to it.

Kyoko couldn't help the warm smile that played across her face. Her mind thinking back to how she without much temping from Mister Tsuruga was able to eat her vegetables, including the carrots, more so she had been truly happy. 'He's very important to her' she pulled out her phone for a moment looking at the time and nodded her head before looking back towards. "Maria, why don't you call your Ren-sama. He shouldn't be to busy right now." She said thinking about it some, "I mean they would have to break for a lunch. Better yet, we can see if he will do a video call with you." She watched the little girl's face brighten up.

"Can I really?" Kyoko watched as she seemed to come to life once more, a little ball of energy.

Kyoko nodded her head, "Yes I don't see the problem with it. Let me just text him to make sure real fast alright? We don't want to bother him while he's working hard now do we?" Ruto leaned in having been quiet the whole time, she nodded her head slightly before turning to contact Yashiro instead: Yashiro is Mr. Tsuruga free for a few?

Yes! Of course. Hold on I'll tell him to turn his phone on! - Yashiro

Kyoko stared at the text message wondering why for some strange reason he seemed overly happy about it and more so why he wasn't asking why she wanted to know if he was free. Shaking her head she figured that the poor man was having a hard time getting him to eat. What else could it be? After all, Daiki was a pain to get to eat as well. Blinking slightly she texted Daiki really fast: Have you eaten a proper meal.

Yes. - Daiki

Liar. - Kyoko

Proper for me. I'm busy. - Daiki

I'll make dinner for you tonight. - Kyoko

Fine. - Daiki

She smiled softly. 'Well that's one down' she said looking towards Maria who was still staring at her stabbed carrot with disgust. 'Should have been enough time right?' She shrugged her shoulders, and found herself cringle inside at the fact before dialing Tsuruga's number, it bothered her that she had it but right now she reasoned as Keiji told her that she had a contract with him. It was important that she had his number to contact him when needed. Sighing heavily at that fact she held the phone to her ear for a moment to make sure it connected.

"Hello, Tsuruga"

She flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, almost as if she could see that fake smile of his. 'He's not happy' she wondered if it was wise after all but she already called him and wasting his time was out of the question.

"Are you still there?" She relaxed at once, almost as if the anger, no perhaps it wasn't anger but annoyance she mentally shook her head realizing it didn't matter at the time because it was no longer there. Truthfully he sounded more worried at the moment.

"Yes, sorry. Hello Mister Tsuruga. I do hope I'm not bothering you too much but do you have the ability to video chat?"

"No, you aren't bothering me and yes, of course."

She paused for a moment judging the sound of his voice before nodding. Feeling he was being honest "Thank you so much," she said bowing her head slightly as she said the words, "Hold on for a moment," she said flipping the phone to go into a video call instead before turning it over to the beaming little girl. "There you go, Maria."

The little girl burst into happiness "Ren-sama!" she said happily.

Her eyes turned towards Ruto who seemed to smile as he leaned towards her. "Killing two birds with one stone are we Miss Kyoko?" She placed a finger to her lips as she watched the little girl asking the actor what he was eating and wanting to see it before showing her own. "I do not think it will work twice with that boy though."

"No you are most likely right," she said softly. "I'm glad she has him though." Her mind thinking about what would happen to Maria should she not make it out of this mess alive. It eased her mind knowing that he would still be there.

Boris stared at the man hanging upside down from the meat hook, the Japanese man standing off in the distance while he had worked skinning the man alive, didn't seem all that bothered. Then again Boris knew that the Yakuza did much worse to those who crossed them. They were a bunch with a set of honor codes, that had changed in some decades. Yet from what he had experienced the very few times he had traveled they were actually pretty good people and strange enough they didn't tend to care about anything outside of their own country. That wasn't to say they didn't have power and sway elsewhere because they did but it was different than how they ran things.

His eyes turned back towards the man hanging upside down. 'Chinese' he ran a hand through his hair. His eyes turned back towards the Japanese man, "What the hell is the Chinese doing here?" The Japanese man who shrugged his shoulders. "Not a very Japanese gesture" he grunted before turning back to the man in front of him. He closed his eyes leaning back against the metal table as the man whimpered, but he had learned to stop begging it only made things worse, and only answer when things were directed towards him. 'Chinese... able to lure people in' his eyes opened and he grinned 'Is he one who had been awoken?'

"Tell me Izmennik, where is this Chinese man of yours?"

Ren sighed as he hung up the phone, today was going to be a long day and his stomach was already unhappy with him. 'Breakfast and now lunch' he couldn't even rest assured that he wouldn't be stuck having dinner tonight with him watching her for the next two days, which meant he was going to have three square meals a day. Years of training himself to not need to eat too much, because of his mother's cooking and her habit when he was a child of trying to make him eat half of what his father ate had screwed with his stomach or perhaps it was as Lory had said, all in his head. In a way, he could understand that being the case, he was pretty sure anyone who ever had his mother's cooking would want to train themselves to not eat. 'Well, Father does eat her food... rather unhappily.'

He paused in his thoughts, wondering if he should see his parents seeing as that they were there and the chances were high that should it get out that he was walking around as his true self. 'I'm not ready' he closed his eyes shut, 'I'm not ready to face them' and the fear that he might never be ready whispered in the back of his mind before he slowly opened his eyes.

Taking a deep breath he tried to focus his mind elsewhere, like how that blasted woman had tricked him into eating his lunch. He was sure now that had been the reason for contacting Yashiro, the man was just so quick to jump the gun thinking that perhaps Kyoko had been charmed by him finally. Why his manager has so insisted on this one girl was beyond him though. 'Maybe because she's Lory's daughter?' His eyes moved towards his manager for a moment before mentally sighing 'No, I doubt that. So why her?' Normally Yashiro tried to push him to see someone, a co-worker or whatever but it always had to be for work. He always ended up tagging along with an then he realized it 'He wasn't forced to come with me' he mentally groaned at that thought. 'That's why I have been willing to follow her like some lost little kitten, worse I been wrapped around her damn pinky.' He wanted to slam his head on the table in front of him but he knew that would only cause Yashiro to start questioning him.

Tonight was going to be a nightmare he was sure of it. There was no way he could be her Corn, how was he supposed to convince the teenager that he was her Fairy Prince and not Ren Tsuruga. There was also the fact that he had no idea how Lory was going to introduce them, was he just supposed to show up at her hotel room? Was he to watch her from afar? He groaned realizing that he really didn't have the details he needed to make this little act of his believable, he pulled out his phone and texted the man.

President, exactly how are we meeting up tonight? - Ren

Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out! I faith in you my boy! - Lory

Right, and did you think of how she's going to react to me? A total stranger, following her around? - Ren

Hm. Good point. Well, no worries I'll think of something. - Lory

This time he couldn't hold back his groan as Yashiro head turned towards him, "Stomach bothering you?" He shut his phone before looking up towards the ceiling.

"Not really." He said with a sigh, "I'm just debating how much we actually need the President around."

"Don't joke about that Ren, what would Maria-chan and Kyoko-chan do without him?"

Sadly he knew his manager at a point, that didn't make it any easier at the moment and him wanting to strangle the man for thinking one of his latest schemes all the way through and worse of all, it was one dealing with his daughter. 'Well it is something she wanted to do, so maybe he was just taken by surprised by it.' He frowned slightly. 'Too much alike' he sighed as the knock on his door told him it was time.

A/N: Kinda yes, kinda no but indeed closer to Guam.

Izmennik is Russian for Traitor.