o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

Lory stared at the words on the page, or more importantly, the blank space underneath them.

o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

It had been a simple idea really. Or as simple as his ideas go.

His idea of a prize trip to Egypt had been thwarted in part by Kyoko's simple lack of a passport. Which also meant that all his grand ideas of what he could do with his first Love Me girl were bound by the shores of Japan.

And that simply would not do.

Lory, as his wardrobe would attest, was not a man bound by many things. Certainly not something as simple as a piece of paper.

So it was settled.

Kyoko was getting her passport.

But Mogami Kyoko was still a minor. But no problem there, as she had listed her mother's address on her application form. All it would take was a quick signature. He would just send Sebastian and –

"She doesn't care where I am or what I'm doing. Do I still need her permission?"

No.

This was something he couldn't delegate. He had to see with his own eyes what could be responsible for the naked pain he saw in Kyoko's face when she said those words.

Did they fight? Was that look simply the result of a childish misunderstanding blown way out of proportion? After all, Kyoko could be overly dramatic at times.

Lory grinned. Perhaps he could not only get Kyoko's passport sorted out, but reconcile mother and daughter!

o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

The trip itself was uneventful. He planned to be there and back within a few hours, after all, what else were private jets for? Ever reliable Sebastian had called ahead to arrange a meeting with one Mogami Saena at her home to discuss the future of her daughter. Lory was even showing up in one of his least flamboyant costumes of all. The Schoolteacher.

He knocked on her door, giddy as a boy on a blind date.

But the woman who answered could not have possibly been Kyoko's mother.

Oh for certain she was related to the girl, her cheekbones and the arch of her brows could have told him that much, and he would even believe she had physically given birth to Kyoko.

But Lory knew mothers. His mother. Friends who had become mothers. Actresses portraying mothers.

This was not a mother.

Still stunned, Lory followed Saena inside, and soon found himself sitting at her table for the traditional cup of tea.

What he noticed disturbed him.

There was no evidence at all of Kyoko's existence. No photos of her growing up. No slippers that would fit her feet. And most telling of all, no questions from Saena.

Is Kyoko okay? Where is she? How is she doing? Do you have her phone number? Will she be coming home soon?

Nothing.

"She doesn't care..."

It was Saena who broke the silence, calmly asking what business had brought him to this meeting.

Business.

Gone were Lory's exuberant praises of Kyoko, his embellished yet proud accountings of her adventures. All he could manage was to stammer out the basics, that Kyoko was his employee and he needed parental consent to get her a passport.

Saena was silent for a few moments, then excused herself from the room.

o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

It was a counter offer.

Rather than sign the passport application, Saena proposed signing over Kyoko's legal guardianship to Lory. For a fee of course. Her reason? So he wouldn't be troubled by coming over here next time he needed other paperwork signed.

To Lory's left was a written transfer of guardianship and a dollar amount less than what he paid for his last car. To his right was a plain brown folder containing Kyoko's life. Birth certificate. Health records. School photos. Report cards. It was like some twisted pedigree.

It reminded Lory too much of another situation, when he had purchased a puppy from a breeder.

It was then he realized the awful truth.

Saena was willing to sell her daughter to a virtual stranger, and wash her hands of being a mother.

o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

He didn't know how to tell Kyoko. She was standing in front of his desk with that perfect posture of hers, eyes bright and curious. But as he watched a little worried wrinkle appeared between her eyes, and she asked if he was all right. Apparently he'd been silent too long.

What a precious child. But what could he tell her? She couldn't possibly believe –

"Even a parent can hate their own child"

In the end, Lory didn't say anything. He just handed her the paper that awful woman had him sign.

He had thought he couldn't feel any worse. But watching her heart break as she read... He braced herself for the inevitable questions. Doesn't she love me? How could she do this? Why?

But Kyoko surprised him yet again. She asked if she could pay him back in instalments.

It was then he realized another awful truth.

That as sad as Kyoko was, she wasn't surprised.

o-o-o Signature of Parent or Guardian o-o-o

Lory signed his name below the now hated words with almost his usual flourish.

Then he grabbed his wastebasket and was promptly sick.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Author's note:

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Saena is the antithesis of Lory, a black hole to his love, and I often wondered how the two would interact. It was hard. I tried to get Lory and Saena to speak, oh I tried. But it just sounded so forced, so fake, and Lory kept going off on tangents so I decided nobody gets to speak, and I like it.

The sudden appearance of papers? Saena dresses like she works in an office, I'm sure she could whip something up. Oh, and Egypt? Chapter 170.