In Which There Is Far Too Much Scolding
Chapter 10
Author's Note: So ya after 2 months of not updating I have returned from the void. Little bit of Strep, little bit of writer's block, and a whole lot of procrastination. Finally I got this chapter working the way I like though. There is some more Ren in this chapter like I promised.
Once again I thank everyone who reviewed. Even a short one totally makes my day. I would also like to thank my most wonderful Beta Reader Iris Anthe, who manages to make sense of my comma-less mess. She gets hugs and virtual jellybeans (all the fun with none of the guilt).
Also I'm going to answer some questions people asked me in reviews. (If I miss any sorry it's 1:22 am where I live so my brain is tapioca).
Dhampirangel: (Do the agencies just stick to their own or are there joint missions between them occasionally? )There are occasionally joint missions but they are rare and only for really big cases as most of the agencies and Runners are competing with each other. Sometimes missions do intersect though.
kitty.0: (Too bad [Kyoko] got so many bruises, huh?) I do that on purpose. I really hate in action movies where the main character usually gets out of a fight with only minor wounds that are usually gone the next day. In real life people get hurt when they fight and are often bruised for a long time afterwards.
Thinkinfire: (why does a runner need love? I get that that's the point of introducing love me, but i think it's kinda irrelevant for being a runner?) That's a good question. The President feels that to enforce the law a Runner must love the people they are protecting. It can't be about money or fame it has to be about actually caring about the citizens. Also Kyoko needs to learn to love herself or she would likely burn out.
Multi-reviewer: (What is Kyoko?) That's a secret. Try and guess.
Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Skip Beat! All I own are 48 bottles of Bath and Body Works lotion and a tapioca brain. Nothing anyone would like to sue for.
…
'If I were a kidnapper where would I hide?' Kyoko thought as she wandered aimlessly down yet another hallway.
She had searched the building from top to bottom and had turned up nothing. No signs of a struggle; nobody she had spoken too had noticed any strange people. Of course all inquiries had to be made discretely. So it was unsurprising that the result was a whole lot of nothing, and several strange looks from other employees.
Kyoko sighed and leaned up against a wall. Thoughts swirled through her head, hard and fast. What was she thinking agreeing to this? She was a complete newbie in the Runner world.
In fact she had next to no skills outside waitressing, running an Inn, and knife throwing. None of which were particularly helpful in this situation.
Raising a hand Kyoko began to rub the bridge of her nose. A headache was beginning to form but she didn't have time to rest.
"Having trouble?" asked an amused voice.
Surprise ran through Kyoko like a shot of electricity. Clumsily she jerked around to find herself face to face with a smirking Ren.
Too close!
With a yelp Kyoko stumbled backwards. The sensation of falling then the pain of impact and Kyoko found herself staring up at the vampire beside her. Ren on the other hand covered his mouth in a poor attempt to stifle the laughter that was threatening to spill out.
Kyoko flushed a deep red while clamoring to her feet.
"It is very rude to sneak up on people," she sputtered, trying to regain her dignity.
"There is a difference between sneaking up on someone and the person being completely oblivious of their surroundings[,]" Ren sneered disdainfully in response.
Again all Kyoko could do was sputter but she was saved from having to form a response by a forced cough. Glancing behind Ren, Kyoko saw a [very small,] glittering figure hovering just behind his shoulder. It smiled amicably and waved at the stunned woman.
"Oh," Ren gestured to his left, "this is my partner Yashiro Yukihito. He's a…"
Ren was cut off by a high pitched squeal. Kyoko bounded over to the pixie, her eyes sparkling.
"Oh my GOD!" She shrieked, causing Ren to flinch. "You're a pixie. That is so cool! Pixies are the coolest EVER!"
Clasping her hands together Kyoko just stared enthralled at Yashiro. He smiled nervously in response, strongly tempted to hide behind Ren's shaking frame.
Unable to contain himself a moment longer Ren threw back his head and laughed. Both Kyoko and Yashiro turned and stared wide eyed. Sensing their stares Ren managed to reign himself in, only chuckling behind his fist.
Kyoko's eyes narrowed. He was making fun of her again.
"May I ask what is so funny, Tsuruga-san?" she hissed.
"You," Ren replied lazily, "I think it's funny to see a grown woman act like a little girl."
"Why are you here?" Kyoko asked through gritted teeth, ignoring his other comment. "Don't you have something else you should be doing?"
"Actually yes but the President asked me to help you out on your "special" mission. I guess he realized you couldn't do it by yourself."
Kyoko was about to explode. She didn't need some pompous, stuck-up, pretty boy's help. She didn't need anyone's help. She could so do it all by herself.
Kyoko was about to tell Ren where he could go and how he could get there but something stopped her.
"Am I really getting that arrogant?" She thought suddenly. "One lucky break and I think I'm some kind of super Runner. Yes, Tsuruga-san is a jerk but he is really good at his job. I can't risk Maria-chan's safety over my ego."
"Thank you so much, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-kun." A forced smile pasted itself on Kyoko's face. "I'm glad for the help."
Ren blinked. He had fully expected Kyoko to freak out or burst into tears but happily accepting was something completely unexpected.
Frankly he would have preferred it if she had thrown a fit. Then at least he would have had an excuse to go off by himself and look for Maria. Kami only knew what trouble the girl had gotten herself into this time.
"Come on," Ren finally sighed. Without another word he turned and glided away, not even bothering to check if Kyoko was following.
Tripping in her haste Kyoko stumbled to catch up. Tossing a sympathetic glance towards the woman Yashiro followed his partner.
It was the oddest thing, Yashiro mused, Ren was the most polite person he had ever encountered. He was able to survey a rioting crowd, capture an errant criminal, or sooth a hysterical victim, all with the same mix of genial civility and charm. In Mogami's case it almost seemed like he actively disliked her, and was regarded similarly in response.
Shaking his head Yashiro dismissed the thought. What a strange idea.
Calmly Ren led Kyoko and Yashiro down a series of hallways finally stopping in front a large oak door. On the front was a gold plate with the words Tsuruga Ren and Yukihito Yashiro engraved on it.
Glancing around Kyoko found it decorated exactly as she had expected. The large windows were covered by thick blinds, allowing the amount of light to be altered according to the occupant's whims. Decorations were mostly sparse and impersonal; there was a large, dark wood bookshelf filled with a variety of books. Beside it [sat] a simple yet well-worn black suede couch. Along the opposite wall was a set of filing cabinets of a similar wood. Finally in the center there was a large cherry wood desk that took up a large portion of the room and was covered with neatly stacked papers.
The only personal effects in the entire cream and brown room were by a side table situated unobtrusively in the far corner. On it there was a pile of colorful artifacts of different sizes and shapes. Tiny photos dotted the wall behind it and there was a doll sized desk and chair. Otherwise the room was completely impersonal. No pictures on the walls or desk, not even a speck of dirt on the lush black carpet.
If Kyoko had happened upon this room she would have never guessed such an ordinary room belonged to someone as infamous as Tsuruga Ren. Apparently fame had less perks then she had originally thought.
Indifferent to his surroundings Ren took a seat at the desk. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a key and unlocked one of the drawers. He pulled out a plain black laptop and placed it gently on the desk top. Yashiro settled onto Ren's shoulder.
This must have been a common occurrence, Kyoko realized, as Ren didn't even seem to notice. His eyes remained trained on the screen as he tapped at the keys.
There was no sound in the room beyond that clicking and eventually this drove Kyoko to break the silence.
"So what are we doing?" She asked.
"What I'm doing," Ren replied, his eyes never leaving the screen, "is looking up the entrance registry codes. According the President's account, Maria was last seen on level 6 of the L.M.E. building. You can't get past level five without inputting your access code. Therefore, I am checking to see if there are any inconsistencies or errors."
Curious, Kyoko came around to watch the computer screen. Glancing around she noticed there were no suitable chairs in the room unless she wanted to drag the couch over. Sighing Kyoko placed a hand on the desk to steady herself as she leaned in for a closer look.
Immediately noticing the shift Ren turned to face her, eyebrow raised. Kyoko merely shrugged and continued to watch the screen. Slowly turning back around, Ren inhaled almost inaudibly before rubbing his nose.
Kyoko frowned. She was aware that living vampires had better olfactory senses then normal humans but if he thought she smelled bad then he would just have to suck it up. Cleanliness was a very important aspect of Kyoko's personality and she liked to think of herself as a clean person. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't afford to douse herself in expensive perfume.
Unbeknownst to her Ren was having a different problem entirely. Despite his dislike of her, having Kyoko so deeply in his personal space was distracting. Unlike most woman who were covered in cloying floral scents Kyoko's was very subtle, smelling of lemon detergent, cotton, calamus oil, and another scent that Ren just couldn't place. Combined and so close, Ren was having trouble keeping his eyes on the screen.
Suddenly Kyoko yelped and pointed at the screen. Yashiro jolted in surprise and tumbled onto the desktop.
"There. Right there."
Right below her finger was the number A47254. Confused Ren looked up at the beaming woman.
"Only people from the Ancient Artifacts Department have codes that start with A." Kyoko concluded like it was the most obvious fact in the world.
"So what if it's someone from the Ancient Artifacts Department?" he asked finally. "Most of them have clearance to level 5."
Kyoko rocked back on her heels and folded her arms.
"Yes," she agreed patiently, "but there isn't anyone from that department in the building."
Now even Yashiro had a lost look on his face.
"Today is the AA's day for the sexual harassment seminar," said] Kyoko. "It takes place at the Kyobe Center on Hijikata Street. The entire department has to be there so therefore they can't be here."
Kyoko beamed and pointed to three more numbers.
"These are all A numbers too so I think our kidnapper is actually kidnappers. They must have known about the seminar which is why they chose today."
"Wow that's really impressive Mogami-chan," Yashiro leaned back and stared at Kyoko, awe on his small face.
"How did you know that the Ancient Artifacts Department would be gone today?" Ren finally asked after a moment of silence.
"Well," Kyoko put a finger on her chin and looked up thoughtfully, "I often help out there and they are always getting sent for sexual harassment seminars. Noguchi-san is part of Ancient Artifacts Department and I know from personal experience that he can be a bit…handsy at times."
Kyoko shivered at one particular memory.
"Oh." Glancing over Kyoko noticed that Ren had an odd look on his face.
"Anyways," she continued, "I already checked everywhere I could think of, including Levels 5 and 6. It's like Maria-chan vanished into thin air."
Tapping a few buttons Ren brought up the layout of the L.M.E. building onto the screen. Immediately Ren and Yashiro started in a deep conversation about optimal holding locations. Soon words like "extraneous variables" and "time extrapolation" were being tossed around and Kyoko was completely lost.
"I still say it's impossible," Yashiro argued, jabbing a finger at the screen. "If they hid her there somebody would have noticed something. Not to mention they would have passed 5 different security cameras."
"Fine, you're right, but if they hid her here," Ren pointed at a different room. "There is no way such a small room could hold four kidnappers and Maria."
Kyoko's legs were starting to ache from standing. Ren and Yashiro weren't paying attention to her anyway so Kyoko wandered over to the couch. Sinking into its depths she found it surprisingly comfortable.
Leaning back she sighed deeply and closed her eyes, distantly aware of Ren and Yashiro's continued arguing. Slowly Kyoko's mind began to drift. Colors started to drift behind her eyes. Blues and whites melded together lazily. Subconsciously a hand moved to her pocket and began to softly stroke the edge of the letter.
"Where could she be?" Kyoko thought despairingly. "Think Kyoko think."
Suddenly the swirling blue and white took on a black tinge at the edges.
"Concentrate."
More black began to leak in, mixing with the blue and creating what looked like a swirling vortex.
"Just a little more. Focus."
Roof.
Jumping to her feet Kyoko let out a yell of triumph. Ignoring Ren and Yashiro's stunned, silent stares she dashed from the room with only a belated, "Be right back."
Within moments she was tumbling though the filing room door, much to the disinterest of the Ishibashi's. They had long ago become desensitized to Kyoko's strange behavior.
"Hikaru-kun!" Kyoko bounded over to the oldest Ishibashi.
Sighing, Hikaru looked up from the pile of papers he was sorting through to stare at Kyoko over the tops of his reading glasses. He really didn't need them but they made him look cooler, in his own opinion at least.
"Yes Kyoko-chan?"
"Do we have a copy of the original blueprints for the building?" Kyoko asked fidgeting nervously.
"Yes we do." There was a long pause. Gripping the arm of his chair Kyoko stared up at Hikaru with wide pleading eyes. He glanced at his so called friends who merely shrugged helplessly in response.
"Fine, I'll help you find them." Hikaru finally relented.
"Check under A for Architecture." Shinichi called over helpfully.
"No way," Yuusei disagreed. "It'll be under B for Blueprints."
"A."
"No B."
"I'm telling you it's A."
"Well, I'm telling you you're wrong."
"No, you're wrong."
"No, you're both wrong," said Hikaru putting an end to the squabbling pair. Reaching into one of the file cabinets he pulled out a large folded up paper. "It's under L for L.M.E. Geez, you'd think you guys would have figured out the President's filing system by now."
Spreading it out on the table Hikaru gestured Kyoko over. Coming to his side she glanced over the blueprints. Very little of it made sense but something caught her eye.
"Hikaru-kun, what is that?" Reaching out a finger Kyoko tapped the blueprint.
Leaning over, the three Ishibashi's peered curiously.
"Oh, that's the President's Safe Room," announced Hikaru triumphantly. "I forgot all about it."
"The President had it build after watching some American drama," Shinichi explained to a confused Kyoko. "It's never been used though."
A metaphorical light bulb went off in Kyoko's brain. Excitedly she hugged each of the Ishibashi's before darting out of the room without a word.
"Wonder what that was all about?" Yuusei scratched his head.
Shinichi shrugged while Hikaru merely stared blankly at the door. The light pink dusting his cheeks caused Shinichi to smirk.
"Kyoko-chan's kind of cute though isn't she?" He nudged Hikaru slyly.
This time Hikaru flushed an angry red before shouting at his teammates to get back to work.
…
Kyoko took the stairs two at a time, desperate to see if her theory was correct. Upon reaching the roof she immediately located the door. It was disguised to look like a normal air vent. Thank Kami the blueprints had noted this or she never would have found it.
Quietly she made her way down a dark staircase. The only form of light was emitted from a slightly open door at the bottom.
Hearing voices Kyoko pressed her ear against the crack and listened.
"What should we do?" The voice was male and sounded extremely distressed. "No matter what we choose it's going to end badly."
"Stop being such a wuss." This time it was a woman, and a pissed off one by the sounds of it. "It's time to make a choice, so either go in for the kill or I will."
Another voice chuckled in the background.
"But…but…I just can't do it. What if this isn't the right decision?" the first man whined.
Briefly Kyoko wondered if she had time to go get Ren and Yashiro for back up.
"Do it right now or you'll regret it."
"Fine I'll do it."
Realizing she was out of time Kyoko burst through the door. Immediately she noted four figures dressed in long hooded robes.
Taking advantage of their surprise Kyoko quickly grabbed hold of the person closest to her. Setting her weight she carelessly threw the person over her shoulder. Sending them hurtling to the floor with a groan.
Using the momentum of the throw she cartwheeled herself over a couch situated in the center of the room. Flicking her leg out, she caught the second kidnapper straight in the chest, sending him headlong into a wall. The third kidnapper was felled easily as he practically tripped over himself in an attempt to escape.
Kyoko rounded on the fourth kidnapper and was fully prepared to deal with her in the same way when a loud noise distracted her.
"What is going on here?" a loud voice shrieked.
Turning around Kyoko's jaw hit the floor. A little girl with long golden hair stood with her hands on her hips and an impressive scowl on her face. She was almost comically cute with her dress covered in lace and ribbons.
"I asked what's going on here?" the little girl demanded again. She marched over to Kyoko, her black Mary Janes tapping loudly. "Who are you?"
Slowly realization dawned.
"You're Maria-chan?" It was more of a question then a statement.
"Yes, I am but my question still stands. Who are you?"
"My name is Mogami Kyoko." Kyoko sighed. It was becoming a habit that her rescue targets demanded her name. Maybe she should start wearing a name tag. "I'm here to rescue you. These people were going to kill you."
"We were not!" The third kidnapper hauled himself off the ground. "We would never hurt Maria-sensei. Where would you get such an idea?"
Seeing the others nod in fervent agreement Kyoko deflated slightly.
"I heard you guys talking about 'going in for the kill' and it being 'now or never'." Her tone wasn't as confident as before.
"We were talking about that." The robed woman gestured over to a TV behind Kyoko.
On the screen appeared to be some sort of Dating Sim. Looking around Kyoko noticed shelves upon shelves of what appeared to be Dating Sims. Finally she noticed a fallen game controller at one of the feet of one of the not-kidnappers.
As if the situation couldn't get any worse the door once again swung open with a bang. A tall figure stood, silhouetted dramatically. Kyoko had to bite back a jealous sigh. Now that was the way to make an entrance.
"Maria." The figure stepped forward to reveal an exasperated looking Ren. "Again?"
Maria seemed to morph before Kyoko's eyes, from a tiny tyrant into the 8 year old girl she was. Cheerfully she ran up to Ren and hugged him around the waist. Sighing he patted her on the head before turning to face the cringing not-kidnappers.
"Yashiro please help me escort these people out of the building." The glittering smile on his face made Kyoko cringe. Vampires shouldn't sparkle, it was unnatural. "As for you Mogami-san, go find something useful to do."
Kyoko bristled indignantly as Ren herded the black robes up the stairs. It didn't matter if he did it with a smile on his face, Tsuruga Ren had some kind of beef with her and she was damn well going to figure out what it was.
Stomping up the stairs behind him Kyoko grabbed him firmly by the sleeve. Yanking hard she jerked him around to face her.
"What is your problem? You have been breathing down my neck since I started here. I don't know what I ever did to you to make you hate me but you need to get the fuck over it."
Kyoko very rarely used strong language but in this situation she felt completely justified. Glancing around though she realized that, in all her righteous anger, she didn't notice the roof top was deserted except for Ren and herself.
Looking into Ren's deep, dark eyes, Kyoko felt a shiver run down her spine. His eyes were not that of passive annoyance like they had been in the past. Instead they had become steel, glaring at her as if she was not even worth his time.
At the edges of her consciousness she could feel something tugging at his angry aura. Almost on its own the cold rage seemed to seep into her bones.
"You want to know what my problem is?" Kyoko could almost feel the words crawl across her skin. "It seems to me that ever since you marched in here with your attitude and your little revenge fixation you seem to think you're entitled to something. There are people who have worked hard to reach their status and haven't had it handed to them. Maybe I don't like people who use their connections to try to get ahead?"
Ren took a breath as if to calm himself. Stepping back he fixed his gentleman's smile back in place. It had been a while since anyone had rattled his cage so thoroughly.
"Now please go watch Maria while I escort our visitors out of the building."
Only when his back was turned was Kyoko able to stumble back down to where Maria was. Her legs were like jelly and it felt as though every nerve in her body was flashing at the same time. Energy seemed to hum through her veins as the adrenaline faded.
Kyoko collapsed onto the couch next to the sulking Maria.
"So…"Kyoko shifted awkwardly. "I'm still a little confused. What just happened?"
"Well," Maria placed a finger innocently on her lips, "I was bored so I decided to stage my own kidnapping. The Ancient Artifacts Department has a seminar today so I stole some of their passwords and sent them to my subordinates. Then I wrote a letter to Grandpa and we hid up here."
Kyoko stared at the girl in shock.
"You did all this because you were bored?" She sputtered. "What were you thinking? Do know how much trouble you caused? How many people were worried about you? The President was worried sick. That was very irresponsible of you."
Even as Kyoko spoke Maria's face twisted into an anguished grimace.
"What would you know?" She yelled before jumping off the couch and sprinting out the door.
Kyoko followed as best she could but the smaller girl was faster and had a head start. As she burst into the open air Kyoko stopped cold.
Standing on the ledge of the roof, dress blowing in the wind, was a stone faced Maria.
"Maria-chan," Kyoko took a step forward but stopped. The wind was strong and her position was very dangerous. One false move could be fatal. "Please, come down, let's talk about this."
"You said people were worried about me," Maria's tone was as flat as her stare. "Nobody but Grandpa cares about me. People are two-faced. They will say one thing to you while they stab you in the back. People will lie to you, use you, betray you," her next words were so quiet Kyoko almost missed them, "leave you."
By this point tears were streaming down her cheeks and Kyoko was at a loss for what to do. She had never been very good at comforting people. Whatever she said Maria would believe she was lying.
With no other option Kyoko was left with honesty.
"You're right."
Maria blinked. Not the response she was expecting.
"What?"
"I said," Kyoko repeated, "you are right. I know just as well as you do that people can be pretty nasty. They can be selfish and cruel. Willing to say whatever it takes to get you to do what they want. I'm not going to lie and say that everyone is a good person deep down inside. You're too smart for that."
Kyoko could tell that at the very least she had Maria's undivided attention. Even so she was far too close to the edge for Kyoko's liking. Taking a breath for courage Kyoko continued.
"What I am saying is that not everyone is like that." A fond smile spread across Kyoko's face. "Every so often somebody will surprise you if you'll let them. You think people don't care about you? Your grandfather, Tsuruga-san, even those black-robed weirdoes."
Kyoko laughed and put a hand on her hip.
"For someone who nobody cares about you have an awful lot of people who worry about you. So are you going to come down off of that ledge like a sensible girl or am I going to have to come over and get you."
A weak smile formed on Maria's face and she bent down to hop of the ledge.
Suddenly her dress caught on broken piece of ledge, simultaneously a gust of wind blew by sending Maria backward. With a terrified shriek she flailed her arms to try to gain her balance but it was in vain.
Time moved in slow motion for Kyoko.
In a burst of speed she wasn't even aware she was capable of Kyoko was at the ledge, just in time to grab Maria's wrist as she went over the edge. The new weight slammed Kyoko against the stone, knocking the breath from her lungs but she held on.
Meanwhile Maria clung desperately to Kyoko's hand.
"Please don't let go," she begged. "Don't let me fall."
Kyoko tried to hide her fear and stared Maria straight in the eyes.
"I won't."
Pulling with all her strength Kyoko tried to drag Maria to safety but it was no use. The young girl's weight and the awkward position made it impossible.
What was worse was that Kyoko could feel her hands getting sweaty and Maria was starting to slip. She needed help but who knows how long it would take for Ren and Yashiro to get back. Then it hit her.
Ren.
Closing her eyes Kyoko blocked out her surroundings. The wind, the sun, the street below, even the weight in her hands, all gone. The only thing is her mind was Ren. More specifically, when they had been fighting.
It came back in bits and pieces. Starting in her finger tips then spreading to the rest of her, it became a steady hum from deep within her core. Slowly the tension left Kyoko's body and her breathing became even and relaxed.
Had Kyoko kept her eyes open she may have noticed a thick black fog twining from her finger tips to wrap themselves around Maria's arms. Kyoko though remained unaware, feeling only the power slowly building beneath her skin.
Now.
With a sudden gargantuan pull Kyoko had Maria over the edge. In a tumble of limbs they hit the cement. Rolling onto her back Kyoko just lay there, breathing heavily; Maria did the same.
For a while they just lay there in silence.
"Hey Maria-chan," Kyoko said finally, turning her head to face the girl. "I have to make a correction to what I said before."
"Okay?" Maria replied, confused.
"When I said you had your Grandfather and Tsuruga-san and stuff. I forgot to add something. If you need help, or just someone to talk to, you have me too. If you want."
Maria smiled and stared up at the sky.
"Okay."
They lay in silence for a while longer.
"Oh, one more thing."
"What?"
"Let's not tell Tsuruga-san about this."
"Deal."
…
The President watched his granddaughter talking animatedly to Kyoko as they sat side-by-side in his office. He had given Maria the appropriate lecture, which she looked appropriately contrite about, and left the room to deal with a phone call. When he returned he was rather disturbed to find the two bonding over a mutual love of voodoo.
Maria's fascination with voodoo had always been a bit of a worry for Lory. His adorable granddaughter seemed to love it though. Since there was no law against voodoo he really couldn't do much since no one could prove conclusively whether it actually worked or not.
Apparently Kyoko had a similar fascination and Lory nervously watched her show a disturbingly accurate Ren voodoo doll to the squealing girl. He had to distract Maria before they could start comparing notes.
"Maria," Lory smiled convincingly at the girl. "I need to speak to Kyoko-chan alone. Could you go visit Sawara-san?"
Maria nodded and slid off the couch. For reasons beyond Lory's understanding, Maria loved to bother Sawara and did so with every opportunity she got.
"Bye, Grandpa. Bye, onee-sama," she called as she left the room.
"Bye, Maria-chan," Kyoko replied, waving cheerfully.
Lory raised an eyebrow. That was new. He hadn't seen Maria take such a liking to someone since Ren.
"So, Kyoko-chan," Lory folded his hands and looked at the woman across from him. She had kept her side of the deal and he was a man of his word. "About our agreement…"
Kyoko shook her head interrupting the President.
"With all due respect sir, I would like to withdraw my request."
At this Lory raised both eyebrows. Clearing his throat he tried to regain his calm expression.
"And why is that?" Lory couldn't help but ask.
"Well sir, I received some excellent advice recently," Kyoko looked down at her lap then back up at Lory, confidence shining in her eyes. "I've decided that if I am going to be a great Runner, then I want it to be because I earned it not because I made a deal with an influential person."
Lory smiled slightly. This was good. It was a first step on Kyoko's journey to regain what she had lost.
"I am very pleased to hear that Kyoko-chan."
Reaching out a hand he pressed a button on the intercom. The door opened and in walked a familiar face.
"It's you!"
There were identical looks of horror on both women's faces.
"Ah you've met," Lory smiled serenely. "Excellent. Mogami Kyoko, I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Love Me division and your new partner Kotonami Kanae."
…
There done. I added more Ren just as promised and I hope it was satisfactory.
Please review as they are mana from heaven to me. If you have a question or even a criticism then review away. (Only constructive criticism though or I will send dream goblins to eat your pancreas). TTFN~