Chapter 10: Endearment

Sho walked along the shore as the tides lapped at his bare feet. Slipping cold hands into the warm pockets of his jeans, he lifted his head to the skies and relished the feeling of the rain upon his face. Closing his eyes he remembered the sweet days of his teen years when he would sneak out of the house with Kyoko so they could dance in the rain beside the cascading waterfalls. Her beautifully smiling face would look back at him laughing with arms spread out twirling in merry little circles. Even in those carefree moments, Sho knew that she was a gem simply too far out of his league. As he opened his eyes and pictured her tear-streaked cheeks, his heart ached. So many years later, he had found her. Licking his lips as the warmth of their kiss pervaded his mind, Sho wished for nothing more than to wrap her up, safe and sound in his arms forever.

"We can't be together Sho. I'm a married woman."

"Oh Kyoko, I don't care," Sho spoke into the frantic winds that billowed around him. Dragging icy grains of sand with dampened toes, he looked out at the horizon and wished that he could see her once again. "Whoever this husband is, he doesn't deserve you the way that I do."

Familiarity set in as he walked along the beach, coming upon the small rocky cove where he held her in his arms. Splashing up ocean water, Sho turned the corner and stopped, feeling totally immobilized. His brown eyes widened as terror and recognition sunk into his gut. "Kyoko?" Pulling his hands from his pockets, he quickly ran to the lifeless form. Arms strewn out about her, with lightly bent legs, she lay face down without movement. Garbed in a provocative satin robe, her legs remained utterly bare. Grabbing her arms, he pulled her into his arms, wiping long black hair and sand from her face. Sho shook her lightly and shouted her name. "KYOKO!" Placing the edge of his fingers beneath her nose, he felt her exhale as she breathed. Feeling momentary relief, Sho laid her down, slipped out of his long leather jacket and the wrapped it about her. Slipping his arms beneath her knees, he lifted her up, princess style and quickly walked back to his hotel.

Her temples throbbed with excruciating agony, forcing her to consciousness. Kyoko's eyes slowly fluttered open. Seeing a flickering glow on the ceiling above, she brought her hands to her head and found that she was no longer wearing the simple robe. Immediately darting into a sitting position, a wave of nausea and pain flooded her. "Ouch," she whispered. Gritting through the turmoil, she looked down and saw that she was wearing a black button down shirt. Finger reached up and padded damp hair, finding that it had been braided off to one side. Kyoko looked around, noticing that she was lying in a large round bed that was draped in velvet and flannel sheets the same color as her new shirt. Sheer curtains hung from the canopy of the bed encasing her.

As she kicked the blankets back, a door in the far right of the room, opened filling the bedroom with bright light. A tall figure stepped into the room and then quietly closed the door behind him. With each step he took, he came closer and closer filling Kyoko with a new bout of fear. "Please don't hurt me," she called out nervously.

His fingers parted the curtains as he sat down on the other side of the bed. "I could never hurt you," he replied kindly.

Seeing his blonde head, unbelievable amounts of relief replaced her anxiety. Kyoko crawled over to him and threw her arms around his neck, holding on very tightly. She cried into his neck as he gently rubbed her back. "Oh thank god it's you Sho!" Her voice came out muffled and cracked.

"Shh. It's okay Kyoko. You're safe now." Sho whispered into her ear. Pulling away, Kyoko cupped his face and looked deeply into his eyes. Fingers reached up and stroked his hair for fear that it was another torturous dream. "I'm real." He said as he grabbed her hands and planted kisses into her palm. "I promise."

"How did I get here?" Kyoko asked. The last thing she remembered was Reino's rough little lesson on the meaning of the word "husband." Being overwhelmed with humiliation and disgust, she ran away to the only safe place she knew of in foreign Okinawa.

"I found you on the beach," Sho answered, narrowing his eyes as he concentrated on her facial expressions. Even now, she appeared panicked and extremely guarded. What the hell happened to you? "I thought you were dead Kyoko. Your body was so freaking cold." Running his hands up her arms, he felt thankful that her temperature had returned to normal.

"I remember feeling very weak," Kyoko confessed.

"What happened?" Sho asked before she could say anything else. "You were…" He cleared his throat as the image of her stirred the embers of anger. "The only thing you had on was this thin little robe."

"It's a long story," Kyoko said sadly. Sho rubbed her hand softly. He pulled the blankets back and crawled into bed, resting his back against the leather headboard. Patting the empty space beside him, he waited until Kyoko snuggled up beside him. Pulling the blankets over them, he wrapped his arm around her lower back and just held her close. She rested her head upon his chest and sighed with momentary relaxation.

"I have all night," Sho finally replied. Seeing the sheets mold around her smaller legs as they lay beside his, he felt his heart skip a beat. If only I could have held you like this all those years ago…

Livid lilac eyes danced across Kyoko's vision. The strength of his hands on her body sent ice-cold chills down her spine. In an effort to erase last night from her mind entirely, she closed her eyes but was greeted with the feeling of his rough mouth upon hers. Reaching up, she lightly fingered her lips and shivered again.

Taking note of her broken form, Sho tightened his arms around her. "You're safe now. I promise." Feeling her hands upon his leg and then the break between their bodies, Sho sat up straighter ready to grab on if she tried to flee. "What is it Kyoko?" Even in the darkness, he could feel her agony in the atmosphere around them. It simply shattered his heart. She reached out and placed her hand upon his cheek, lightly rubbing his chin with her thumb.

"I should go Sho," Kyoko whispered trying to hold herself from crumbling further. "I need to get back to my…hus-b-and." Feeling his larger, warmer hand cover hers, Kyoko closed her eyes tightly and felt hot tears escape.

"What kind of husband leaves his wife out in the cold to die like that?" Sho replied angrily remembering her pale form. "Please, at least tell me what happened?"

"I can't do that!" She insisted, tears waterfalling down her face. "Whatever happened last night, it doesn't concern you. It's between me and…him." Kyoko slipped her hand free from her childhood friend's and then pushed the covers off their bodies. Placing her legs atop them, she crawled to the edge and stood up.

Sho could feel the conflictions inside of his body. His mind ranted and raved that what he was doing was wrong. She belonged to another man. He had no right to keep her here. But his lonely heart would not relent. Seeing her like that and then finally being able to feel the warmth of her body against his—No, I refuse. Sho quickly crawled over, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the bed. She fell atop him, hands out upon his chest, their lips a simple breadth apart.

"Sho," Kyoko whispered with wide ochre eyes. "What…"

"Don't leave me," he intervened as he spoke sternly. "I am selfish Kyoko. I want you stay here with me because I have missed you. I have missed you in ways that you can't even fathom. But, I understand that I have no right to be selfish. At the very least, let me care for you tonight. I swear I won't hurt you. After seeing you…especially like that, I can't just let you leave." Small liquid drops fell onto his cheeks and lips. Instinctively he flicked his tongue and licked his lips, tasting the salt of her sorrow.

"Oh Sho…" Kyoko whispered. Placing her forehead against his chest, she quietly sobbed unable to contain the overflow of emotions storming inside of her. His strong hands wrapped around her back and held her close, locking her hostage in a cage of comfort.

"Does that mean you'll stay?" He spoke quietly against her head.

Kyoko nodded. "I need to make one call, please."

Sho rolled over, pressing her beneath his strong body. Bringing his hand up, he lightly fingered a few loose strands from her forehead. "Anything for you."