Chapter 9

To say Lory was stunned at the declaration of his top star, would be a slight understatement. The boy had already made all of the arrangements and taken all of the necessary tests. Not to mention the fact that he'd already spoken to the counselor's of the school he'd enrolled in already. He never even dreamed it. The boy had enrolled in college and made arrangements to take the proper courses that would lead him to go to one of the most prestigious colleges of the arts in the world.

Of course Lory knew that Kyoko had initially been accepted for music, but once she actually went to speak to the counselor's and informed them that she preferred acting and film, they looked over her extensive resume and accepted her application for what she truly wanted. Was it a strange coincidence that Kuon would be attending a year ahead of her? Lory shook his head at that strange thought. He knew specifically that she decided to put her education first. Nina and Steve kept him updated on her personal life, and Kouki kept him updated on her professional advances. He didn't really hear much from Yukihito, because he was managing Kuon from afar while taking over Kotonami-san's agenda.

So, when Kyoko decided to rent an apartment during her second year of her four-year degree in Fine Arts, no one really suspected much. She did the same when she went to school in Florida. The fact that she didn't have the apartment in her name, really didn't raise any eyebrows. Not once did they think to look for the name Kyoko Hizuri. Had the pair actually lived in Japan, such a change would have instantly been noticeable to Lory. He had connections that alerted him to everything. In New York, not so much. He didn't have access to marriage license applications. He didn't have access to the private name change request records for the Social Security Office.

The fact that nothing was forwarded to him yet, really wasn't that much of a surprise, she'd been an American citizen for two years already and to keep something like that private was her prerogative. As far as notifying her employer of her marital status for her tax returns, well she kept that one marked single as it took out more money for her during tax season, giving her more money back in the end. It was the same for Kuon. Of course, he didn't need to change his name, Kyoko had decided to take his. At the age of 25, Kyoko Hizuri was given her diploma for her Bachelor's Degree in the Fine Arts, and everyone attending her graduation knew when they called her up. If they didn't believe their ears the first time, their eyes confirmed it when they saw Kuon pick her up and twirl her around, while kissing her, after the ceremony.

The pair had rekindled their friendship while Kuon attended his first year of college, and Kyoko finished up her classes that prepared her to attend Juilliard. Her first year of college, they dated. They dated like a real young couple, not celebrities. They went to movies. They enjoyed nights out dancing. They spent holiday breaks together, and they took road trips on long weekends together. Her second year, they eloped. Not even Kuu or Juli knew. Only one knew of their sneaky little trip to the courthouse during Spring Break, and the quick little one week honeymoon that they spent in the Caribbean at a high-end resort that was on its own little island, and Maria would treasure those photos. It blew Kyoko's memories of Guam completely away. Well, for more than just one reason, of course.

~fin~