Chapter 12

A nice relaxing day out with Juli and the boys was just what she needed. It had taken her mind off of all of her troubles and put her in the proper frame of mind that she needed to be in before the filming for her first Hollywood movie started. Certainly it was a antagonistic part again, but she really had no choice. She was well aware she was just starting out in the US. She knew she would have to work her way up from the bottom; although, she did have the extra boost of all her past roles behind her now. She was glad that she did step off that plane as Kyouko, instead of Isabelle, otherwise she would have been cast as an extra in some low-budget B movie.

"Here Kyoko, let me carry the boys in. You just gather their things. You look exhausted." Juli told her as she carried the two infants in their car-seats, by the handles.

Kyoko nodded and grabbed their diaper bag and a few of the shopping bags from the boot of the car and followed Juli into the house, opening the door for her and allowing her to go in first. Not once did she notice the tall, young blond in the hallway that stood staring at her as she placed the bags down. She did notice how Juli went silent and she looked up to find Kuon standing there, staring at his mother and his sons.

Kyoko looked at Juli, Kuon, Kuu and then her children. Her legs felt weak and her heart felt like it was going to stop. Only one single sinister thought entered her mind. He's here to take them. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she looked at the grandparents. "That's why you wanted the DNA test..." She whispered in fear. "You wanted to take them away from me." The tears started streaming down her cheeks, she grabbed both boys from the stunned Juli and ran up the stairs with them safely in her possession, wondering how she was going to get out of there after she locked her bedroom door behind her and shoved the dresser in front of it for security, effectively blowing things out of proportion as she was wont to do.

Kuon turned an angry look at both of his parents. "A DNA test? Wasn't her not wanting anyone to know in the first place indication enough? Now she thinks I'm here to take them away from her! It's already bad enough she doesn't trust me, now she thinks I'm enough of a monster to take them away from her!"

"Kuon! It's not like that! We just wanted to make sure! We didn't know." Juli plead.

Kuu sighed and shook his head. "Look, we all know what it's like being a celebrity and all of the rumors that go around. I'm sorry, but initially we only did it to protect you." He placed his hand on his shoulder.

Kuon jerked away from him and laughed wryly. "Protect me... You were protecting me by doing more damage. That's rich. Oh, I have an idea! How about you stop protecting me and let me run my own life for once without having to put an ocean between us? Kyoko isn't the type of woman that would just sleep around and claim paternity for personal gain! She's not a whore or a gold-digger!"

Both Kuu and Juli flinched at the mistakes they had made. Initially, they had doubted that he was the father, but as time went on and they got to know Kyoko more during her pregnancy, their doubts had been eradicated. "Kuon, the test was only to prove that they were yours so that we could register them properly in Japan as Hizuri children. After we got to know her better, we knew she wasn't that way."

He turned to his father and sneered. "Just... don't... I don't want to hear any more of this right now. I have enough to deal with." He told them as he headed up the stairs where her room was, taking the steps two at a time. He shook his head. One more log on a very big fire that he needed to put out and he had no clue how to begin doing it.

He gently rapped on the door, not wanting to wake the babies or make her think he was a threat in any way. "Kyoko..." He knocked again. "Kyoko? Can we talk? Please? I'm... I'm not here to take them. I came to tell you..." He took a deep breath and swallowed his nervousness. "I came to tell you that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She sat next to the dresser she had shoved in front of the door, crying. How could he say such things, when she knew damn well he didn't? He had someone else he loved. "Liar..." She muttered to herself, but his ears were attuned to pick up anything that she could have possibly said at this point.

He sighed. "I'm not lying. I mean every word." He countered. "I've loved you for a very long time."

He groaned. "Since Dark Moon at least... God, I wish Bo were here." He grumbled, wishing that he had at least someone on his side to convince her. "At least he could tell you I'm telling the truth."

She furrowed her brow. "Bo?"

He chuckled wryly and sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Yeah... He's that chicken on Kimagure Rock. He's the one that pointed out to me that I was falling in love with you."

She pressed her fist to her mouth and bit down to stifle the sobs that were escaping. "Y-You told Bo you loved me?..." She whimpered at the implications. Wasn't he talking about Kimiko Morizumi or, another girl, any girl, but her?

He groaned a little. "Yeah... A little pathetic, aren't I? I had to get love advice from a complete stranger in a chicken suit. Kyoko, you're the first woman I've ever fallen in love with. I didn't know what was going on or why I was feeling the way I did." He confessed.

Her breath hitched and she sniffled while wiping the tears with the sleeve of her sweater. "I-I'm that girl? The one that's four years younger than you? Not Morizumi-san?"

"God Kyoko, how could you even think I would have feelings for that troll? Of course it's you. It's always been you. Wait... How did you know that I told Bo about the four years?" He asked a little confused and heard a large piece of furniture scrape across the bare floor and the door click open.

The teary little ravenette stood before him now, staring at the floor, occasionally wiping the tears from her eyes and sniffling. "I... I was Bo. I didn't tell you, because I didn't want to embarrass you. You really disliked me and I wanted to help you. I was so worried about you when Ogata-san sent you home... and then... (sniffle) and then no one could reach you. I knew something was horribly wrong and people were saying bad things about you and it just made me so angry. You were trying so hard and they just expected you to be perfect. As if you didn't have feelings or... something like that." She wiped the tears again.

He sighed and quickly pulled her into his arms, feeling her stiffen. He kissed her crown. "Thank you..." He murmured into her hair. "You helped me as Bo. You brought me back after the accident. You chased away the darkness as Setsu... Kyoko, you are my light. Please don't leave me. I do love you. I love you more than anything. Please let me take care of you and the boys." He snuggled his face into her hair and she wrapped her arms around his chest. "I don't know everything that happened that night, but it made something very beautiful between us and I just can't let that go."

"You told me everything, Kuon..." She murmured.

He sat on the floor and pulled her into his lap. "Everything?"

She nodded shyly.

"I love you Kyoko-chan." He tightened his hug a little.

She glanced up at him and sighed. "I love you too, Kuon... I have for a long time."

"Can you forgive me for not remembering everything? Can you let me make it up to you?" He whispered to her softly.

He felt her nod into his neck.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. I never meant for it to happen this way. I wanted to marry you first. I'm sorry for everything being so out of order. Can you forgive me?" He murmured his apology.

She nodded again and sighed. "It wasn't all your fault, Kuon. I should have noticed something was wrong that night. You were acting strangely. I shouldn't have let it go that far." She confessed.

He shook his head and kissed her hair. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't have those two beautiful babies in the bedroom behind us." He gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me." He told her, remembering what he'd heard of their birth. "I'm sorry I didn't try harder to find out. I really wish I could have been there for you." He told her sadly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It wasn't all your fault, Kuon. I should have said something. I should have realized that you weren't like that. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I ran away."

He kissed her hair again and stroked her back. "Hmm, how about we forget all of that... It's in the past and it doesn't matter anymore. All I know is, I want to be with you and it wasn't anyone's fault, but Murasame's. You didn't know and I didn't know. How about we just start all of this all over again, fresh? I want you and the boys in my life and no one is going to change my mind about all of that. I love you, I always have, and I want the mother of my sons to be my wife. Kyoko, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He hugged her a little more tightly.

She glanced up at him shyly. "A-Are you sure? I don't want you doing this because you feel forced to take responsibility or, obligated to be with us."

He sighed. "Kyoko, if anyone would feel forced by something like this, it would be you. After everything you went through, the fact that you don't hate my guts is a miracle. Please?"

She pouted. "I don't hate you, Kuon. I tried to and there was a point where I was very angry with you for everything, but I never really hated you. I was just really hurt. I understand now that I know everything." She paused and then a look of extreme worry fell over her.

"Kyoko? What's wrong?" He asked a little worry by her state.

"I-I was so rude to Mother and Father..." She groaned and started to get a little emotional from her reaction to Kuon's presence. "I was so terrible to them and all they wanted to do was help." She moaned in distress.

He gave her a small smile. "I think they'll understand. I think I need to apologize to them too. I wasn't exactly very nice to them either."

"D-Do you want to meet them? The boys, I mean?" She asked in a small voice.

He chuckled softly. "You don't mind?"

She nodded. "I would like for them to meet their Papa."

He smiled. "Their Papa would like to meet them too."