Summary: Kyoko has just awoken from her illness induced slumber. Will Ren be able to hide the truth about who he is after his slip up?
Chapter 4: Mistaken Identity?
"Corn?" Kyoko asked softly.
The man before her stared at her in silence. When she had first seen him from behind and reached out to him she had assumed him to be Ren Tsuruga, her Senpai and the man she loved; but when he had spoken she had heard Corn. Corn's playful way of talking to her, his laugh… but no. The man before her was Ren. With his dark hair and eyes.
She shook her head to dispel the strange thoughts, then immediately regretted the sudden motion. She grasped at her head, feeling dizzy and nauseated at the same time.
"Are you okay?" Ren asked, breaking through her thoughts. He reached out towards her, unsure what to do.
She sighed, and closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning. A moment later she opened them. "I think I'm okay. I just got dizzy." She looked into his eyes. "Sorry, I think I must've had a strange dream and seeing you when I woke up I mistook you for Corn again." She confessed, a blush tinting her cheeks.
Ren hid his relief by feigning confusion and then realization. "That's right, you mentioned before that he can make himself look like me."
Kyoko nodded emphatically, then winced as she felt her stomach turn at the sudden motion. "Do you have a trash can?" she asked.
Ren's eyes widened as he understood and he jumped up, he strode across the room to a small trash can and handed it to her quickly. He sat down on the bed beside her, automatically reaching out to rub her back, hoping to comfort her. She shied away from his touch. Then glanced at him as she leaned her head against the edge of the bin.
"I think I could use some tea. It might help settle my stomach." Her voice was hoarse as she struggled to speak without gagging.
Ren stood up quickly. "Okay, I'll get you some tea." He said before leaving the room.
Kyoko couldn't help but feel happy with how hard Ren was trying to take care of her, despite not knowing much about caring for a sick person.
That's right, he had trouble just putting together the ice bag, didn't he? She paused, "But that had to be part of my dream, because I called him Corn." It was all too confusing. Kyoko felt the nausea leave her and she set the trash can down and laid back on the bed.
I can't believe I mistook him for Corn. She thought back to the events of the morning. They were fuzzy and she wasn't sure anymore what was real or a dream. "But surely, he would've said something if I had called him Corn earlier. He wouldn't just let me go on thinking he was Corn."
Her mind flashed back to the not so distant past, when she had ran to him and hugged him thinking he was her fairy friend, only to find it was Ren. He didn't say anything that time though.
There was a knock on the door, and when Kyoko called out to Ren, he entered.
"I hope I didn't take too long." He told her as she sat up. He handed her the hot drink and she sipped it.
"Thank you very much, Tsuruga-san. I really am sorry for being such a burden."
As long as I get to spend the day with you, I really don't mind. "It's no problem. I didn't have plans for today, so I really don't mind."
Kyoko smiled. It felt good to have the man she loved caring for her. He reached out and handed her a couple of pills.
"Here, some medicine for your fever." He said.
She swallowed the pills with some tea, before setting the cup on the table beside her. "I think I should go back to sleep for now. I'm feeling tired."
Ren nodded, and stepped back towards the door. "Sleep for as long as you need to. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."
After the door closed, Kyoko laid back against the pillows. She pulled the blankets up around her and closed her heavy eyelids. As she slept she drifted away on her dreams.
In her dream, she was standing in a forest. Kyoko wasn't sure where she was going but she felt like she was looking for something. She pushed through the trees and found herself in a clearing before a lake.
Standing before her, hair glimmering in the sunlight was Corn. He smiled at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. She opened her mouth to call to him but he shook his head, holding a finger to his lips.
Kyoko moved forward, she needed to get to him before he went away again. It seemed he was always gone too soon.
He began to step out into the water. Kyoko struggled to pick her feet up off the ground. Wait! Corn, don't leave me!
She threw out her hand and grabbed his sleeve to stop him from moving farther out of her reach. But when she pulled him to turn back around-
"Ren?" The man standing before her was no longer the blond, green-eyed fairy from her childhood; now he was the dark haired, brown-eyed actor whom she loved and respected.
He flashed her his heavenly smile before pulling her into the water with him. She panicked realizing that she wouldn't be able to breathe when his lips crashed down against her own.
Kyoko's eyes flew open as she lay on her back breathing hard. Her body was drenched in sweat and the sheets around her felt damp. What was that dream? I dreamt of kissing Ren… while it wasn't the first time she had had such a dream, it was the first time she had dreamt of Corn turning into Ren.
She closed her eyes, trying to bring back the dream so she could understand it. As she struggled to bring back the memory she heard the click of the door opening. She kept her eyes tightly closed, working hard to even out her breathing. A cool hand touched her forehead.
"Well, at least her fever is gone." Ren murmured. His hand slid down her face, gliding along her cheek and finally stopping when his fingers caressed her lips. He desperately wanted to kiss her again, but couldn't chance her waking up and seeing him. He pulled his hand away slowly.
"If only you could talk to Ren the way you talk with Corn." He sighed and Kyoko could hear the emotion in his breath. He turned and moved towards the doorway of the room.
Kyoko opened her eyes and watched as his body retreated from the room. As he turned around to close the door, she made sure to close her eyes again. With her eyes closed, and breathing even she clearly heard his whispered words just before the soft click of the closing door.
"I love you, Kyoko."
She lay in stunned silence, frozen in place by the mystifying words he had spoken. It couldn't be true, could it? She was not sure which had astounded her more. The fact that Ren Tsuruga had just confessed his love to her, or the fact that he had nearly admitted to being Corn.
She analyzed his words in her head. She began comparing Ren to Corn. She herself had admitted that Ren must have some fairy blood in him. But if he were Corn…
Her face flushed and she felt warmer than her fever had made her. If he's Corn, then that means he has kissed me. Her hand brushed her lips. A plan was developing in her mind quickly. She felt a desperate need to solve this mystery immediately.
Her plan was dangerous but- but if he loves me, as he said, then even if I'm wrong and he isn't Corn, this should be all right.
She couldn't allow herself any more time to think. She would only wind up convincing herself not to go through with it, and that was no longer an option.
Kyoko climbed out of the bed, moving carefully so as not to upset her fragile stomach. She pulled open the guest room door and peered out. Ren wasn't in the hallway, so perhaps he was still in the living room.
She crept through the dark hall and moved around the corner into the living room. Ren looked up from his space on the couch. He set down his script on the coffee table.
"Mogami-san? Did you need something?" he rose and moved towards her.
She waited patiently until he had nearly reached her. He stopped a few feet away, watching her curiously. He looked like he was about to speak again, and Kyoko made her move.
She took the few remaining steps between them quickly and three herself into his arms, locking her lips against his own.
Ren reacted instinctively, wrapping his arms around her small frame and deepening the kiss. His heart felt like it would soon be out of his chest, but all he cared about was the woman in his arms.
She pulled away suddenly and stared up at him. Her eyes full of questions, and yet alight with a sparkle he could only call happiness.
A smile broke out across her lips. "It's you." She whispered, "You're Corn."
