AN: I decided it might make the story more interesting to have both perspectives but this is still going to focus on Kyoko.
Chapter Two – Should I Sleep with Her Too?
I've already answered the phone numerous times today despite it being my day off. No, I don't think it'd be too much to get Kyoko flowers for her five year anniversary at LME, no I don't think that I'd be too much to throw her a party, yes, I do have to think that the idea of me skydiving into the event is too much especially when I look at Rikuu.
Rikuu is our son and I can't even begin to explain how much I love him. I'm scared of being one of those screw up dads and letting him down but that doesn't mean that I don't love him or looking after him. He's already shown that he's quite a character, Kyoko tells me that he's got my type of charm but it's all her. She's the one who is the princess in real life, I'm just the memory of a fairy prince.
"Shall we go to the park then?" I grin as I turn to look back at the small baby. I know that he can't really respond other than some babbles but that's good enough for me. I look around and find the carrier that you can strap onto your chest. Kyoko thought that this would lead to some bonding time between the two of us, I have to admit that she was right.
I approach Rikuu and he reaches out to me. I gently pick him up, checking his diaper as I bounce him and kiss the top of his head. "Let's get ready to go play," I tell him and he gives his adorable smile and laugh. "Yeah, you'll be playing with Daddy whilst we wait for Mommy to get home," I tell him and Rikuu grabs to my shirt. He really does have Kyoko's adorableness.
I just wish that I could be good enough for him.
…..
…..
Whilst I'm giving Rikuu his bottle and seeing people feeling it's somehow uncommon to see a father spending time looking after their child without the mother around, I feel a little lonely. I love looking after Rikuu and I'd never tell Kyoko not to work but I love spending time as a family. I just hope that she's having a good day working, the type of day that she deserves.
I am just cleaning Rikuu up when I hear someone approach me and look up at a young, blond, girl. She looks a little older than Kyoko was when I first met her as Ren Tsuruga but that just makes me feel a little more awkward. People came to the conclusion that I liked younger women when we decided to announce that we were dating,
"Hello," I try and act polite though I don't want someone clinging onto me and trying to desperately tell me that they like me. Kyoko was a different story. Kyoko had ties to my own childhood and she was someone that I came to know…twice, it's not that I'm some perverted creep preying on young actresses. "May I help you?"
"Kuon," she approaches me and there's just something slight in the inflection that seems familiar but I can't really place it, I know that it's not the formality that Kyoko always used towards me. "Can you listen to me for a moment?" she requests but tries to touch me. This is too much, she's already stepped over the line. I see her eyes glance to Rikuu and I try to be more protective of him. Rikuu is more important than I am. "Something has happened," the girl continues, "Please just listen to me."
"I'm sorry," I apologize as I try to work out what gives her the right to feel that this is appropriate, "Who are you? Listen, it might seem that I've got influence in the industry but not really. Yes, I have fame but it's not what you think. I might not be able to help you."
The girl pauses and then whispers, "Can you please just listen to me? I know about Rick…and Tina."
Okay. This girl is a stalker who has done some serious research on me. I mean, to know about Tina isn't impossible but you really have to go around digging for that information. I feel at a loss but before I can let my thoughts get too far away from me, Rikuu starts screaming. "How did you know about Tina?" I ask her as I comfort Rikuu. Maybe I can just persuade this woman to leave us alone.
"I'm Kyoko, I'm just stuck in a different body. Someone came and stole my body and left me in theirs."
I freeze as I listen to this. Okay. So, I could understand if she was this creepy fangirl type who went all over the internet digging up information and research but this…how did she think that I'd ever believe such a blatant lie? Stuck in another person's body? Is that even a thing that…can happen? I don't know where this woman came from but I'd really appreciate it if she left me and my son alone. Is there any way of getting rid of her whilst not hurting her too badly.
"Uh-huh," I say slowly, "Yes, okay…sorry but I…I can't help you," I tell her hoping that it would end this conversation.
"Years ago we played the Heel siblings and when you were working as Cain Heel, you told Murasame-san that his brain was like emmental cheese," she tells me passionately and I feel as if I've just taken a step into a parallel universe.
Okay. Maybe she just asked around, would Murasame-san actually tell her this? Was she somehow able to talk to other people, maybe an entire group, in some kind of Ren Tsuruga/Kuon Hizuri fan club? I feel dumbfounded and that is strange because usually I feel as if I am intelligent, not as intelligent as Kyoko might be but still, not the dumb surfer dude that some people have painted Californians as. "Emmental cheese," I finally say slowly as if trying to think of the word.
"Kuon, do you remember what happened when I was working my first role, even before the Kyurara commercial?" she asks me and this is too strange. My mind is telling me to panic but I've learned to focus and figure out the situation. Okay, so on one hand, some random girl has just approached me in a park and yelled some secrets to me that people shouldn't know about or my wife really is in this girl's body.
"I was wandering around in Bo's chicken suit," she continues and I nod slowly, of course I remember these incidents, "and you asked me for help because you thought the word tentekomai was some kind of a dance."
Okay. So my mind is leaning towards the fact that this is my wife but in a very very different body. My jaw drops and my hand goes to my son to make sure he's still there. I don't understand. As many things as I've had trouble understanding, this is one of the hardest.
Hopefully if this is not Kyoko, she will forgive me for this but I know something about love that Kyoko might not know. I gently reach my hand out to her and if this isn't Kyoko – which I'm thinking isn't true – then she might forgive me if I explain myself. She says something that I can only half hear but one word catches me. She called me Corn, she is the only person in this world that calls me Corn.
"I'm thinking," I try to tell her, "It's hard to believe but I'm thinking. Just, if you could let me do something," I tell her and bring her lips to mine in a kiss. It feels just like her lips, the pressure of her kiss, the way her lips move around mind. It seems so much like her.
I can barely believe it but even I'm not so proud to admit that I can be wrong about some things. "Princess?" I ask, my fear and confusion turning to fear and concern. I gently let my thumb brush against her cheek and see the tears in her eyes. "Look at me," I tell her as I lead her to the bench so that I can study her further. I don't understand what's - "What happened? Why aren't you…you? Can you tell me?" I ask and she smiles in relief. I'm so glad that I was able to listen to her and she isn't having to deal with this alone.
"This girl," she sobs as I lean forwards to listen to her, "Mimi or something, she stole my body. She said that she wanted to be your wife or girlfriend or something and then she touched me and…and I woke up like this. I'm really scared, Corn," she whispers and despite people looking at us, I wrap my arms around her.
"I'm here now, it's okay. I'm here," I try to reassure her and she shakes her head. No? What is she saying. "It doesn't matter what you look like to me," I try to convince her but she shakes her head again with tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm here," I repeat and she puts a hand to my shoulder, her eyes falling upon RIkuu who has somehow been able to fall asleep.
"You have to pretend that you don't know anything. If she's able to do this then I don't know what she would do to either of you," she says and she sounds so scared and afraid. I don't want to leave her. I stare at her and realize that she's going to continue on this way, she's stubborn and that's something that I like about her. It's just that because she's so determined, she's hard to argue with and convince.
"Well, she knows where we live and she's going to want to act like you," I tell her. Can't she see how bad this is? I don't want to pretend that somebody else is her. I feel revolted by the idea of kissing somebody else, telling someone else that I love them, sharing a bed with them or even…no. "I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"Can't you act -" she asks me and I can't believe that she is actually asking me this. I feel weird as I look at her. Somehow my mind and my heart are arguing. I can see Kyoko though she is in a different body, almost as if she were in a costume.
"I can't. What you're asking for - I can't do it," I tell her and she looks at me seeing the desperation that I'm feeling but doesn't she get it? Doesn't she understand what she's asking of me? "I'm not that good an actor and I'm not that bad a person."
"You're not a bad person," she tells me and then looks into my eyes, I wonder if she can actually see the tears that I'm holding back. This is too much. It's too stressful. "Corn, you're still the best actor in the business and you keep improving and challenging yourself, it's just that…"
"You want me to pretend that she's you," I tell her and Kyoko nods slowly. "So, is it okay with you that I sleep with her? That I kiss her? That I hold her?" I ask as I start to pace from side to side and Kyoko looks at me, she lets out a sob and I quickly move Rikuu into Kyoko's arms so I can look at her more intently whilst kneeling in front of her.
"I can't do that," I tell her. "I can keep your secret for as long as you need me to but I can't pretend that she's you, not if she's the type of Kuon Hizuri fan who would do this to you. I don't know what sick ideas are in her head but I promised myself to you. I love you. I'm not going to become her gigolo."
"Then what do you want to do?" she asks me and I haven't got any clue but I know that I'm not going to be able to just continue with someone else that everything is normal. Not being with my wife is killing me already and she's right in front of me. How can I not lose my cool if some other woman tries to take advantage of us?
End of Chapter Two
Thank you for reading
Thank you to Lotli and vprocks for reviewing Chapter One
