Assignment
Ren couldn't believe what he was hearing. "This is a...Love Me assignment?" He asked the pink clad girl in front of him. Kyoko ducked her chestnut colored head in embarrassment, a blush spreading over her cheeks as she stammered an explanation.
"Well, technically, the president was the one who asked me and Yashiro-san gave me your schedule, but actually..."
Here Ren threw up a hand stopping her progress. The girl jerked in surprise that her fellow actor would interrupt anyone so abruptly. He then ran the same hand through his hair, a look of exasperation on his face. He had been so thrilled when Kyoko had shown up on his doorstop carrying multitudes of bags, fully intending to cook him a week's worth of food. Then, as they were arranging the various groceries in the kitchen, she had uttered those hateful words.
"I was sent." Meaning she wasn't here of her own accord. That she was around him out of a sense of Duty, rather than friendship. Ren could handle friendship. Not everything they did together had to have romantic implications, despite what his manager thought. Friendship was progress.
Duty was another thing altogether. This was the dreaded senpai-kouhai relationship that he'd been struggling against since he first discovered he was in love with the No. 1 Love Me girl. Everything had been an uphill battle with multiple backslides and obstacles, but Ren had really thought that their stint as the Heels had finally cracked that final barrier.
Apparently not.
The tall actor sighed heavily and leaned against the kitchen counter. He glanced over at Kyoko to see her wringing her hands and fretting. Pulling back his disappointment, he managed one of his gentlemanly smiles, knowing she would be able to tell that he was angry. 'Good,' he thought only a little vindictively. 'Maybe one of these days she'll catch on.'
"Mogami-san," he started, holding back his anger as best he could. "I really don't need you to look after me tonight. You can tell both the president and Yashiro that I'm perfectly able to take care of myself."
"But, Tsuruga-san," she tentatively replied. "Yashiro-san said ...'
That was when he cracked.
O.o.O
Ren slammed his fists on to the counter, making Kyoko jump about a foot. His anger was no longer hiding behind his gentlemanly mask. It hung over him like a dark cloud. It actually terrified the poor girl. She had seen Ren this angry before, mostly when he was Cain, but this was the first time it had really been directed towards her. She was 100% sure he wouldn't hurt her, but she was scared nevertheless. Kyoko reached out a trembling hand to try and calm his rage, but was surprised when Ren let out a deep sigh.
He rubbed his hand over his face, covering his eyes. "Mogami-san, I'm tired," he said after a moment. Somehow Kyoko knew he wasn't just speaking about tonight. Something was weighing on the actor, something heavy. "Could you please make your own way home?"
"But," she tried to protest again. "Yashiro-san said that..." Then Ren did something she'd never thought he would do, especially with her.
He yelled at her.
"I DON'T CARE!" He shouted, whirling to face her. He kept one hand on the counter, but thrust the other out in a slashing gesture. Seeing her shocked face, his outstretched arm fell to his side. "Please, just leave me alone tonight."
Kyoko swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to hide her hurt behind her okami-san façade. "Alright, Tsuruga-san, if that is what you wish." She made to move towards the groceries. "Just allow me to put these away."
A strong hand grasped her wrist, not roughly but enough to stop her movement. "No." Ren's voice was firm and unyielding. "Please just go." He released her and moved away into the living room.
She stared after him, wondering what had brought on the unusual outburst from the normally calm and collected actor. Nothing about their encounter had seemed out of the ordinary. She slowly followed, grabbing her bag from the counter.
In the living room, Ren was slouching on his couch, a glass of some liquor resting on his knee. Judging by the color and the scent, Kyoko guessed that it was scotch. Having worked in restaurants and hotels, she was familiar with most types of alcohol even if she hated the stuff herself. She bowed lowly to Ren with a murmured "sorry to have bothered you" and made her way to the door.
She slipped her sneakers on and, with one last glance over her shoulder, proceeded out the door. As she walked to the elevator, Kyoko thought over the conversation between Ren and her. 'There wasn't anything unusual, was there? I just told him that I'd come over to fix him dinner.' She reached the lift and pressed the call button. 'I mentioned that the president had sent me, so why...'
She realized that Ren's attitude had changed after she'd spoken of the president.
"This is a... Love Me assignment?"
Then it clicked, just as the elevator dinged its arrival. 'He thinks I was there only for an assignment?' She thought desperately, ignoring the opened elevator door. 'But that's wrong. I cook for him because I... Has he always thought that?' She cast her mind back to other encounters. As she considered some of the other instances when that scary mask had come out, Kyoko realized that this miscommunication had been happening for some time.
Spinning on her heel, Kyoko dashed back to Ren's apartment.
O.o.O
As his front door closed after Kyoko, Ren released a heavy sigh. That girl was going to be the death of him. Gingerly, he flexed one of his hands. The deep ache he felt indicated he would soon have an impressive bruise where he had hit the counter.
'It's been awhile since I lost my temper like that,' he thought, taking a sip from his glass as he examined the side of his palm. He could already see the tell-tale blue all along the fleshy part of his hand. 'Like a child throwing a tantrum over not geting what he wants.'
He'd never actually thought of himself as spoiled, although considering his upbringing, he really shouldn't be surprised. Doting parents, a privelged lifestyle, and an only child? That was enough to turn even the most down-to-earth person into a spoiled brat.
Ren supposed that all the tormenting and rejection he'd received outside of his family and friends had curtailed the worst of his spoiledness. But still, deny him what he most wanted and he regressed to tantrums.
And what he most wanted was this one girl's consideration. Not necessarily her love, though if she offered it, he would be hard pressed to refuse. No, he wanted her to think of him as more than just an obligation or an assignment.
He'd thought that, after Guam and the situation with her mother, that maybe she'd come to think of him as more than a senpai. That maybe she considered him a friend, someone she could take comfort in, a confidant.
But as tonight showed, it was all just wishful thinking on his part.
He slugged back the remainder of his Scotch and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. Staring down at the now empty glass, Ren contemplated grabbing the rest of the bottle and drowning his thoughts. It didn't matter that it was a rare and expensive 20 year old Scotch, he just wanted to stop caring for one night.
God, he was tired. Tired of struggling so hard for even the smallest amount of advancement. Tired of being shot down at every attempt to prove himself. Tired of her seemingly indifferent attitude towards his feelings.
In a sudden fit of anger, Ren launched his empty glass at the far wall. The tumbler smashed spectaculary, sending shards in every direction. It would be a bitch to clean up whenever he could work up the energy to care.
For now, Ren felt his tiredness as a heavy weight around his neck, pulling his head forward until it rested in his hands. All of his conflicted feelings were swirling around his head and a few managed to leak out in the form of tears.
In fact, he was so mired in his thoughts that he didn't hear the soft click that indicated his front door opening, or hear the soft pad of stockinged feet. He didn't hear the gentle voice calling his name.
He only looked up when two feminine hands grasped his own.
O.o.O
Kyoko had heard the glass shattering from the hallway. As she reached for the doorknob, she prayed that he hadn't locked it behind her. Miraculously, the handle turned easily, allowing her access. She breathed a sigh of relief that perhaps she could fix her mistake.
Entering his apartment was easy. Finding him on his sofa, hunched over in apparent agony, was difficult. She glanced around and saw where he had obviously hurled his glass. Shards of glass were everywhere. She would have to tread carefully, both literally and figuratively.
"Tsuruga-san?" She called softly, attempting to gain his attention. He didn't respond except for a slight hitching of his breath, which sounded more like crying than recognition. She padded forward, intent only on easing his suffering.
Upon reaching this man that she loved, Kyoko realized that her promise to herself, to never let Tsuruga Ren know of her feelings, might be broken tonight. She took a deep breath and reached out with both hands to comfort him.
At her touch, Ren's head shot up, surprise and sorrow written across his features. Tears fell from his lashes, unnoticed by the man. He gaped at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "Mogami-san. What are you doin-"
Kyoko placed a finger to his lips, silencing his question. Summoning Setsu's courage, she asked her own question.
"Are these for me?" She trailed her thumb over his cheek, wiping away the tears.
He blinked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "What if they are? What would you do with them?"
A gentle, caressing smile formed on her lips. "This." With that, Kyoko lowered her lips to his cheek and pressed a kiss there. Then she transfered to the other side and repeated her action. Pulling back revealed a shocked look on the actor's face. Kyoko almost giggled. She was sure this must've been the expression on her face last Valentine's when Ren had pulled a similar stunt on her.
However, now was not the time for laughter.
"Tsuruga-san," she started a moment later, when it became obvious that he wasn't going to say anything. "I have something to confess to you."
That got his attention. Kyoko suddenly found herself at the mercy of an intense gaze. She settled herself on the sofa next to him and took one of his hands. Noticing his slight flinch, she turned over his palm, searching for his injury. She saw bruising on the outside of his palms and quickly made the connection with his earlier actions. "You've hurt yourself!"
"It's no more than I deserve." He spoke softly, his voice filled with shame. "I'm sorry, Mogami-san, for losing my temper earlier." His eyes flicked to hers then away. "Can you possibly forgive me?"
She studied his features, which were creased into a desperate expression. Closing her eyes to the sight, Kyoko took a deep breath and made her decision.
O.o.O
"Kyoko."
Ren's brows knit in confusion. "What?"
"I want you to call me Kyoko." The girl smiled shyly up at him, making his heart constrict. "And of course I forgive you."
'Oh thank God. She doesn't hate me. There's still hope.'
Her next words blew his mind. "After all, it's what friends do."
'Friends. She said friends.' Ren knew that his happiness over this one little word would make Yashiro laugh at him, but he didn't understand Kyoko the way Ren did. For her to drop her ideas of propriety enough to call him 'friend' was a miracle in and of its self.
His happy daze lifted slightly when he noticed her standing and retreating into his kitchen. He heard her rummaging around and moments later she returned with his first aid kit and an ice pack. She resituated herself on the sofa and proceeded to unpack the kit. After pulling out a roll of bandages, some medical tape, and scissors, she set the box aside. Turning back to him, Kyoko pulled one of his hands into her lap and began doctoring his injury.
Ren watched as she focused solely on her task. Her chestnut bangs drifted into her eyes, causing her to huff at them. When they fell back a second later, she used her wrist to try and swipe them away, to no avail.
Using his free hand, Ren gently reached out and tucked the erant strands behind her ear. Kyoko glanced up and gave a little smile of thanks, a blush dusting her cheeks. He thought she had never looked more beautiful than in that moment.
Clearing his throat and glancing away in order to preserve what little sanity he had left, Ren asked the question most on his mind. "So, what were you going to confess?"
Kyoko switched out his bandaged hand for the other and continued to play nurse. "Well," she finally began after a moment. "After I left here, after your-" she paused here, uncertain what term to use.
"Call it what it was. A tantrum."
She giggled at the look of petulance on his face. "Alright, your tantrum. After that, I realized something that has been miscommunicated for a long time."
Having finished the bandaging, Kyoko reached for the ice pack and placed it on his knees. "Here, put the bruises on that for about ten minutes." As he complied with her orders, she began cleaning up the slight mess she had made.
Ren could tell she was using the task to gather her thoughts and she would speak when ready. She packed up the unused materials and closed the box. Setting the kit aside, Kyoko finally leaned back onto the sofa's arm, facing him. "I want you to know, that anytime that I have come over here to cook you dinner or help take care of you, it has always been of my own free will." She paused and took a shaky breath. "It didn't matter if Yashiro-san or the president or anyone else asked me, I would've come regardless. Because you needed my help and because I lo- care about you. And I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san, if I ever made you feel that you were only an assignment." Here she bowed deeply over her knees, begging for forgiveness in silence.
O.o.O
After her confession and apology, Kyoko waited patiently for Ren's verdict. She'd managed to clearly say everything that she had wanted to say.
Well, almost everything. She had stumbled over that tricky little word, but perhaps that was for the best. She didn't think she was truly ready for the consequences of speaking that phrase aloud.
She waited a few moments more before raising her head. Ren still hadn't said anything to her speech and his silence was unnerving her. Glancing up though revealed, not a look of anger or disappointment, but one of such breathtaking beauty that, if she'd had any left, would've disintegrated all of her little grudges. Rather, it gave birth to a new fairy, Hope.
Hope that maybe her one-sided feelings might not be so one-sided after all.
"Tsuruga-san?" She dared to ask.
"Ren."
She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Huh?"
"If I can call you Kyoko, then surely you can call me Ren." He flashed another of his brilliant smiles, coaxing an answering grin out of her.
"Of course, Tsuru- ah, sorry. Ren-san."
"Not at all, Kyoko-chan."
Her face flushed at the unfamiliar sound of her name on his lips. Deciding that action was better than nothing, she gathered up the first aid kit and made her way back into the kitchen. "Well, now that that is cleared up, what would you like for dinner?"
O.o.O
Ren watched as the pink clad girl traipsed into his kitchen. For once, he was glad of the stubbornness of one Mogami Kyoko. It had allowed a significant barrier to be finally broken down.
He released a sigh of relief. Tonight, his dreams for the future seemed much closer than they ever had before. For he had caught the small slip that Kyoko had made during her speech and it gave him cause for hope. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.
"Ren-san, tell me what you want."
He chuckled at the innocent statement that floated out of the kitchen. He would tell her, and soon, but for now he would simply enjoy this moment.
"Coming, Kyoko-chan."