The first moment they met Kyouko brought forth many questions. Who was this little girl, and why did anyone abandon her? Taisho and his wife watch the bright child run around exploring her new home. Taisho tried unsuccessfully to ignore the inquisitive spirit as he worked in the kitchen, but found he was unwittingly distracted bu the chaos that followed her. One moment she'd be frolicking and singing while the next she was poking her head in places it didn't belong. Once, when she had successfully took one of his knifes, he had to stop in the middle of cooking and retrieve the dangerous object. The resulting mess was a charcoaled mess and a firm lecture.

The President Lory, who was often known for being eccentric and over the top, personally visited the family. When his informants searched for a suitable home for little Kyouko, the old couple was one of the first ones that made the list. They were looking to adopt a child and were in the process of doing so until tragic news hit; the child they were going to adopt came down terminally sick and had died. Lory gave th small restaurant a visit with little Kyouko-chan hiding behind his cloak.

The first few days were a horror; Kyouko was always out greeting the customers and trying to sneak into the kitchen. Taisho, one day, needed to leave the room unattended for a bit and when he came back he was startled at what he found.

"Kyouko, come here."

A little girl sprinted out from the corner of the door where she had been hiding, but he caught her shirt and tugged her backwards. "Yes, Jii-tan." The little girl spoke trembling violently. Taisho released his hold on her clothes.

"Kyouko, did you chop the vegetables I left on the counter?"

"Hai, you're always busy; I want to help you but I'm always getting chased out."

Taisho nodded his head; the little girl had been so persistent. He was nervous she'd end up cutting herself but when he inspected the girl's work, she actually did pretty well. "Do you want to help me in the kitchen, then, Kyouko?" Kyouko nodded and beamed a bright smile at him. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that he wanted her to walk before she could run. "Good. You can go play for now but after I close up, we can clean up the restaurant together."

Bless Kyouko's lovely heart, she only smiled brighter. Anytime before in the past, if she displeased or frustrated the Fuwa's in anyway, she'd be smacked. When she had moved in with Taisho and his wife, she never expected to be treated any different. The little girl was happy that Taisho wasn't mad at her but still promised herself that she would never displease him in anyway. Once she'd grown up, she would repay his kindness.

Meanwhile Ren was working hard to become an actress. He always made good on his promise to visit Kyouko, but when he had received more work from his job, Ren stopped visiting her so frequently. The little girl barely talked to him during the times that he had spent with her; she kept silent when he asked if she had any problems. He never realized that Kyouko was behaving that way so that she wouldn't trouble him, she felt that she was only bothering Corn by asking him to stay with her. Kyouko wanted him to like her but he was slowly disappearing from her side. And an even more horrible fact was that Sho Fuwa, the boy who had lived with her while growing up, moved to Tokyo. One day they met up and Sho asked her to help him chase his dreams.

Taisho employed Kyouko by that point and watched her while she grew up; however, everything changed one day. It was a few months after Kyouko turned fifteen that a dark cloud seemed to pass over her. Kyouko moved out suddenly not long after and started working several jobs. She couldn't afford to buy herself clothes, food, or even keep up on appearances. Taisho wanted to send some allowance to her so that she could get by, but he only communicated to her through letters; furthermore, the mail she sent never had a return address. Kyouko didn't smile as much but one thing that she would always respond questions that people asked was, 'I'm with my prince now, and I need to work harder than ever.'

Ren returned to the Taisho's to visit her just in time for Valentine's Day. He was shocked to find that she was gone; the wife was crying saying that something was wrong with Kyouko. That their child had left and started making annual payments to their household, trying to cover her previous expense fee's. She still lived in Tokyo, but she couldn't afford to come visit them much between saving up money and her extreme-busy work schedule. Ren heard that she had her prince and wondered if she needed Corn anymore. He missed her but it sounded like she was working hard for the love of her life, and who was he to question that…

It was a fateful day that happened that broke the chains that bound her and set her free. After working a long shift she went home to see her prince. It wasn't often that he came home and when he did it was like a sunny day; there one moment and gone the next. They lived at an upscale apartment together, all her neighbors adored Kyouko, but rumors spread like wildfire about the mysterious stranger who would visit. Kyouko didn't pay attention to their gossip, she fled upstairs to meet Sho. When she opened it, what lay inside broke her heart.

Sho was inside with another woman again; Kyouko blushed and slammed the door closed. She had nowhere to go but back to Taisho's for the night. Although this meant relying on them again, she promised herself that she would pay them back. She managed to collect enough money for a bus ride there.

Kyouko returned to them and although the couple could see the surrender in her eyes, they never asked a question. They set Kyouko up in their old room and let her sleep till morning. When she awoke, Taisho and his wife had closed Daruyama for the day, the couple sat around the table and motioned for her to join them.

"Kyouko, we need to talk with you."

Kyouko didn't know what to say; she sat down and remained silent. The couple looked at each other and slipped something across the table.

"We were left unable to contact you. We hardly knew whether you were safe; We waited day by day for the next check you sent with a small note attached which would tell us if you were still alive or dead. Kyouko!" Taisho's wife snapped out. Her hand slunk around her husbands trembling shoulders and paused to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Kyouko, you are my daughter. I've checked the news everyday just waiting for them to release your name. Whatever you're going through, please let us help you end it. I can't go through another day wondering whether some man will come walking in to tell me the news, that you're-,that would break my heart." Taisho fell silent again.

His wife turned her eyes once again towards Kyouko, "We've bought you a cell-phone; keep it on you at all times." Kyouko was crying and the old woman walked over to her, not in anger, but with love and adoration. "Kyouko, I know you want to say that you'll pay us back. But we don't care about the money; we could retire wealthy right now and spend the rest of our life happy. We work this job only because we enjoy it; so as our daughter, we want to provide for you. Please accept this!"

Taisho had collected himself enough to rejoin, "Kyouko, I don't know who this man think he is, but you've sent me letters saying you're working two to three jobs so that he can live in a fancy condo. I think he's using you; I don't give a damn about this man, but to put my daughter through this just so he can live in style…" his voice trembled with anger, "Kyouko, I want you to put an end with this relationship. I'm not sure how much more of this your body can take. "

Kyouko nodded at the floor silently; she was tired and never had a day off. She was probably fired from most of her full-time jobs for not showing up today. "I'll go talk to him…"

Taisho hugged Kyouko and kissed her on the forehead. "That's the girl I know and love, how about I cook you a meal to take to his job tomorrow. You need to do this; I want my daughter back." He cooked a huge meal for dinner; the couple hovered over their daughter constantly. She had changed so much in the past few months. She looked emaciated, ratty, and exhausted. The first thing they could do to help her was to get some food into her.

After dinner Kyouko ran off immediately. They tailed close behind and sat stunned while she puked up her stomach contents into the toilet. She flushed and walked outside to see a very concerned husband and wife.

"I'm sorry," Kyouko shivered violently, "I just-haven't eaten this much in a while."

When Taisho stepped forward to hug her, he couldn't help noticing how she cringed away. An anger boiled up inside him like never before. "Kyouko, tell me where the Hell this Bastard is!"

Kyouko widened her eyes in surprise as she lifted her hands appealingly, "He's never hit me." It was true, Sho never had hit her, sometimes it came close though. He often raised a hand but never followed through; instead, he would leave, sometimes for months at a time.

His wife stepped forward and touched his shoulder, shaking her head when she spoke, "Not now. We barely have her back, and we don't need to frighten her into leaving again." Her voice got a little louder now so Kyouko could hear her, "Kyouko… Honey, I'm sorry that you threw up. I'll make some tea for an upset stomach and cook up something light for you. Go take a bath, I'll bring it to you when you're finished."

Kyouko padded away and the couple gave each other a long look. Something frightened them, Kyouko needed help, and they weren't sure if she would accept it from them. They needed a miracle, Ren seemed as close to one as they could get. For emergencies only they had his number; they phoned him and told the young man to come over as soon as he could.

"Ren, please when you get this message, come. Save our daughter; she might die if you don't. We know something is bound to give in either direction. We know she'll be here tomorrow, but anything beyond that, we have no answer for."