:Chapter 11:
There was a shocked silence. No one—not Sho, not Shoko, not Yashiro, and certainly not Ren—said a word.
Kyoko lowered her hand shakily. Ironically enough, it had actually hurt to slap him, and not just emotionally. Slapping the elegant features of his face was like slapping hard, carved marble; her palm instantly stung from the impact. She concealed the pain, though, and kept her own face in a grim mask as she stared up at him. There wasn't so much as a mark on his cheek despite how hard she'd slapped him. Clearly, Tsuruga Ren didn't bruise easily. Why was she so surprised about this, anyway? This was a man who had beaten another man to a pulp without receiving any injuries himself at all, let alone via a slap from an angry woman. In fact, Ren hadn't even reacted to her slap; it was almost like she had just attacked a statue.
His face remained expressionless, but his dark, obsidian eyes burned like black fire into her own hazel ones, making her flinch ever so slightly—as if she was the one who had gotten slapped.
Kyoko refused to let herself falter, however. While it was true she had slapped Ren partly because of her own anguish towards what had transpired between Momose and him, she had also done it because she was trying to protect him. While she wasn't sure if a mere slap could appease Sho's anger towards Ren, she had to try. A lawsuit would inflict major damage on Ren's career. No matter how much his fans idolized him, the evidence that he had injured and messed Sho up badly was overwhelming.
Kyoko still didn't understand why he had fought Sho; the duo had been enemies for a very long time now, and yet they had never physically clashed. Even if it happened, Kyoko had always imagined that Sho would have initiated it, not Ren. After all, the songwriter was constantly heaping verbal abuse towards Ren, not the other way around. Kyoko had thus figured it would be the same in the event of a physical fight.
Ren had always been, in her perspective, gentle and tender. He wasn't the type to be violent. Just associating the term violence with Tsuruga Ren didn't match. She had become so accustomed to the softness of his caresses and kisses that she never realised she was taking it for granted. Just how much of his powerful, brute strength was he holding back whenever he embraced her?
And he was no doubt strong (she had seen firsthand the sleek, sinuous muscles beneath his carelessly discarded clothes during intimate nights), because no one could crush Sho like that and not be strong. Sho was no weakling. He worked out daily to maintain his physique so as to impress the women in his rabid fanbase, not to mention Kyoko had completely been unable to fight him off when he abducted her. Granted, comparing a pregnant female against a well-built man was far from fair, but still, pregnant or not, Kyoko would never be able to hold her own physically against him, and she knew it. Therefore the fact that Ren had crushed Sho so effortlessly stunned Kyoko.
"Apologize to Shotaro," Kyoko commanded bravely, willing herself not to look away from his unblinking gaze. "I believe you owe him an apology."
More silence followed.
And then breathless laughter resounded throughout the lobby, and Kyoko spun around, the scarf on her neck fluttering, only to see the blond singer, still on the ground, caught in a vigorous fit of mirth. As injured and damaged as he was, Kyoko couldn't believe he still had the strength to laugh while covered in blood.
Clearly Shoko shared the same sentiment, since she glared at her charge. "That's enough!"
"Ma'am," a security guard called soberly. He was holding a smartphone. "I've called the ambulance."
Panic welled up inside Kyoko's lungs. There wasn't much time left. She couldn't afford to waste a single minute.
"I said, apologize to Sho!" she repeated hotly to Ren, struggling to keep her hysteria from bubbling into her voice. "Do you really want him to sue you? Apologize!"
His continued silence frustrated and unnerved her further. Didn't he understand the situation he was in, and about the potential end of his career if Sho filed the lawsuit? This was no time for him to entertain his stupid machismo; his job was at stake! Why wasn't Yashiro saying anything? He was Ren's manager; the least he could do was help Kyoko in trying to persuade the actor to apologise to Sho. There was no way Kyoko could just stand by and watch the man she loved fall prey to Sho's threats. Sho was her problem.
Kyoko felt immensely guilty; she knew Ren and Yashiro must have come to Sho's lobby in the first place because of her. Sho must have informed Ren somehow that she was in his apartment, and had used it to goad him into coming here. Hence, Kyoko was—at least—indirectly the reason they had fought. And if Sho carried out with his threats, she could also become the reason behind the demise of Ren's career.
Kyoko turned again to face the singer.
"Shotaro," she said, almost choking over the words. "Please. I'm begging you. Don't sue Tsuruga-san. I'll do whatever you want—"
The woman emitted a soft cry of surprise when long, gloved fingers curled around the entirety of her left arm, then tugged her firmly away. She protested, legs stumbling. It took her a second to realise that Ren was steering her away, and she dug her heels into the ground, refusing to let him move her, but it was like fighting off the current of the ocean. She nearly tripped from her efforts, however, and abruptly, Ren bent down, slid his arm around her petite shoulders and another under the back of her knees, then scooped her up effortlessly.
She clung to him instinctively for dear life, her little mouth falling open in a gasp from the sudden lurch of equilibrium. Before she could so much as gather her thoughts, Ren had risen and was gliding away from the lobby with her slender form cradled securely in his arms.
"Shoko-san," Kyoko could hear Yashiro say to the other manager, "Please be assured that we will foot the medical bills. We will definitely take responsibility…"
And then Kyoko was out of earshot when Ren left the lobby and ventured gracefully into the parking lot. The open sky yawned above them.
Kyoko was still too stunned to say a thing, and she gaped at the sight of his SUV, which was parked directly beside Sho's.
She was all too familiar with Ren's car; often he had driven her to work, and she would beg him to drop her off a few blocks away from her office. The last thing she wanted was for her co-workers to notice famous film star Tsuruga Ren dropping her off. Although no one saw Ren, she had been caught by her supervisor before, who only noticed that Kyoko had gotten out of an expensive, luxurious car. For the next few days she had been interrogated by her very intrigued supervisor, who wanted to know more about Kyoko's 'rich, secret boyfriend'. Kyoko had insisted it wasn't so, that the driver was just a friend, but the supervisor had retorted that no friend would be willing to drop her off every working morning.
Kyoko had then argued that her 'friend' worked nearby, and that therefore it was along the way to drop Kyoko off. When asked where her 'friend' worked, Kyoko had been, to her dismay and horror, unable to come up with a convincing reply. It didn't help that, due to Ren's financial support, Kyoko no longer worked full-time at the office, and her supervisor was hence more convinced than ever of the existence of her 'rich, secret boyfriend'.
It was then when she wondered if her supervisor and her other co-workers had recognised her on television last night.
"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko hissed, squashing the thought. This wasn't the time to ruminate about it. "Put me down at once."
"No," he answered softly. The eerie coldness was finally gone from his expression, but it was still difficult to read what went on behind his dark, thoughtful eyes.
"What do you mean, no?" she said angrily, fisting her small hands around the exquisite velvet of his coat. "We need to get right back to the lobby now—"
"No," Ren reiterated calmly.
He bent slightly again and opened the car door, all the while still deftly balancing her in his arms. Before she could yell at him some more, he had lowered her slender frame carefully onto the shotgun, making sure that she eased onto the leather seating comfortably. It was disconcerting, how the sudden loss of his addictive body warmth disappointed Kyoko so much. Although they had only just parted in the morning, it felt like ages since she last saw him, and Kyoko had to resist the irrational urge to run her fingers through his glossy black hair. Not allowing her true emotions to show, she fumed at him as he languidly pulled the seat-belt over the front of her chest and then strapped her in, his movements unhurried but precise.
The sound of formal shoes clicking against the gravel drifted to her ears and Kyoko lifted her copper head. Yashiro was approaching them, but was stopped by another man, who was similarly dressed in an impeccable suit. Kyoko recognised the latter; he was Sho's chauffeur. As she eyed them curiously, the chauffeur hauled something—her briefcase!—out from the boot of Sho's car, then rested it onto the ground with a thud. Yashiro thanked the man gratefully, and took the handle of the briefcase from him.
The next few minutes passed by tersely as Yashiro kept her briefcase into the boot of Ren's vehicle, and an unruffled Ren moved over and seated himself by the wheel. And then the bespectacled man got into the back of the car, and he slammed the door shut.
The moment the SUV set off from the parking lot, chaos erupted within the privacy of its interior.
"Are you insane, Ren?" Yashiro bellowed heatedly, sticking his head towards the driver's seat. "What were you thinking?! You attacked Fuwa Sho!"
"Exactly! Why?" Kyoko cried. "You're not…violence isn't like you!"
Silence. Her boyfriend said nothing, but continued keeping his gaze on the road, hands resting lazily over the steering wheel. He had removed his gloves, and tucked the bloodied leather—a sight she had hastily averted her eyes from—into the side of the car door.
Yashiro released a frustrated sigh.
"Answer me!" Kyoko shouted, enraged. "What if Sho sues you? What are you going to do about it then, huh? Turn the car back now! I told you to apologize, and you just ignored—"
"About that, Kyoko-san," Yashiro intervened suddenly, from behind her. "You don't have to worry. It won't happen."
She craned her neck to peer incredulously at him, her fingers clutching her scarf to keep it from becoming entangled with the seat belt. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it this way," Yashiro explained kindly. "Fuwa Sho has always disliked Ren, and he views Ren as his arch-rival. He wants the public to see that he overtakes Ren one day."
"I know that," Kyoko said desperately. "That's why he's definitely going to sue Tsuruga-san to ruin him!"
"No, he won't," Yashiro replied reassuringly. "Because if he does, he'll be letting the whole world know that he got beaten to a pulp by his nemesis. And there's no way someone as proud and arrogant as Fuwa would allow that."
Kyoko's jaw dropped.
Yashiro was right. Why hadn't she thought of that earlier? Sho resented the fact that he was less famous and less idolized than Ren. He was working everyday to remedy that fact; the singer hoped to show to the world that he was superior to—or at least on equal footing with—Ren. If he filed the lawsuit, it would be broadcast internationally that he had lost to Ren in a physical fight. In fact, his severely beaten-up state only further proved that he was inferior to Ren in terms of bodily strength.
Kyoko might not know much about men, but she knew that their egos relied greatly on their physical prowess, and not just in terms of intellect. This was evident way back in the Stone Age, and Kyoko was sure that while many things had changed, some traditions carried on until today, primitive as they were. Sho might want nothing more than to see Ren's career fall to ruins, but never at the expense of his own pride.
So Sho had lied, hadn't he? She suddenly felt extremely stupid and abashed. He had fired empty threats about Ren at Kyoko, and she had believed them and responded to them in a frenzied panic. If Yashiro had figured out that there was no way Sho meant what he said, Ren had to know, too. After all, the actor was even cleverer than his manager. Oh, God. And she had slapped Ren, then begged him in front of Sho to apologize.
How was she going to live this one down?
Kyoko stared fixedly down at her drawn knees, fingers clutching her scarf. She was resolute not to look at anyone, especially not at Tsuruga Ren. Her cheeks burned.
"Also," Yashiro continued from the backseat, unaware of Kyoko's mortification. "If he sues Ren, he'll have to provide film evidence from the CCTV at the lobby. And in that video, he said very clearly to Ren that he abducted you, Kyoko-san. He'll get into legal trouble himself if anyone from the court saw it."
Kyoko's body turned rigid. Sho had said that to Ren?
She continued staring at her knees, suppressing the urge to glance at him from where he was seated silently beside her by the wheel.
"Speaking of which," Yashiro added worriedly. "Are you alright, Kyoko-san?"
"I'm fine," Kyoko said, clearing her throat. "He didn't hurt me."
"That will be for the doctor to decide."
Kyoko jumped in her seat. Ren had spoken, in the same calm, unaffected voice from before.
"Doctor?" she echoed, puzzled.
"I'm bringing you to a private clinic now," he answered matter-of-factly. "The doctor there is a personal friend of mine."
"What?" Kyoko exclaimed. "No! I don't need to see a doctor. I told you, I'm fine!"
"Fuwa said that you passed out, Kyoko-san," Yashiro explained concernedly. "Is it true?"
Kyoko stiffened immediately.
What? Sho had told Ren and Yashiro that she'd fainted? God, why? Did this mean Ren knew that she'd collapsed because of his kiss with Momose? This was fucking humiliating! The last thing she wanted was for Ren to find out that she had passed out because of him.
Kyoko was sure he currently knew of her feelings towards him...feelings that had existed and solidified for a while, of which she hadn't realised until lately. She didn't know when those feelings had begun to blossom, and she wasn't certain why.
But then again, nobody knew why they loved someone, didn't they? It came out of nowhere, without any explanation at all. And although Ren must know that she had used him throughout their pseudo-relationship, he had to also know that she did possess genuine feelings for him by now. The facts that she had fainted because of him, then fiercely commanded him to apologize to Sho in order to protect his career, were overwhelming as evidence. Kyoko was positive he did not reciprocate those feelings seeing as he had kissed Momose, but he must care for her enough—platonically, anyway—that he did not want to see her hurt.
For some reason, that insulted and hurt her far more than if he was simply indifferent towards her.
"I didn't pass out," Kyoko said shortly. "Sho was lying."
The air was mute.
And then a few stifling minutes later she heard Yashiro speaking, but not, she discovered, to herself or Ren. He was on his phone, and was requesting someone to keep a clinic under lock-down as 'Tsuruga Ren was on the way'.
No!
"I said I was fine, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko snapped. "Tell Yashiro-san that he doesn't have to—"
"You may not care for your own welfare," Ren said simply, still keeping his dark eyes on the road. "But what about our child's?"
Kyoko's breath hitched, and she swallowed. This was the first time her lover had directly addressed their baby with her since his announcement at the Star Awards. She was instantly relieved that Yashiro was busy on the phone, so that he could not sense the suffocating tension between herself and Ren.
After all, the couple had spent the entirety of last night skirting around the subject, as per her request. Kyoko had promised Ren that they would talk about it properly after she left for a day. But then again, things had unexpectedly gotten out of hand, and she supposed that their little agreement was presently called off. Consequently, did this mean that—right now—they would have to breach the subject she was so afraid of breaching?
Shit.
She wasn't ready. But then again, Kyoko doubted that she would ever be ready.
Still, Ren was right. Kyoko, who usually couldn't care less about her own well-being, knew she had to start changing her attitude soon. She was pregnant. She was carrying a new life inside of her. Kyoko had worked hard to attain her prize over the past month, and now that she was finally pregnant, she would not let the baby down. It needed her. She was its guardian and protector. Kyoko was determined that it remained safe and cocooned from the harshness of the outside world throughout her gestation period, even if that meant she would have to be extra careful with her health.
She abruptly felt a pang of worry, thinking back to her brief fainting spell. Why hadn't she fretted about this earlier (granted, the series of events that subsequently followed were distracting enough)? Had it adversely affected the child?
Our child.
Her pulse raced at Ren's words. Already he had claimed the life in her belly as casually as if he was conversing about the weather.
"I never said that the child was yours," Kyoko blurted recklessly. "What makes you so sure you're the fathe—"
She instantly trailed off.
Ren's eyes had turned an opaque ebony, and his exotic pupils had slitted ominously, a sign of dangerous emotion. In this case, anger. Kyoko understood straightaway that he was warning her not to finish the sentence. While they both knew she was bluffing, this was a bluff that he would not tolerate hearing about. Even though it was obviously untrue, the mere insinuation that another man might have bedded her was enough for Kyoko to realize that she would regret bringing it up had she finished her sentence.
She fell silent.
Behind her, she could hear Yashiro ending the phone call, seemingly unaware of what had happened. Despite that, he clearly sensed something was off between Kyoko and Ren, and he kept quiet.
And for the rest of the car ride, no one said anything.
"My, my," Dr. Ruriko Matsunai said in wonder. "I can't believe it. She's really your date from the Star Awards last night, Ren?"
Kyoko fidgeted uneasily on the chair, glancing about the consultation room. She nibbled on a choco-chip cookie, hoping to distract herself from her rattled nerves. The doctor had handed her the cookie from a jar when she found out that Kyoko hadn't eaten the whole day (she hadn't touched the buns and tea Shoko had offered earlier at all. On the other hand, both Ren and the doctor had said that tea wasn't very healthy for a pregnant female).
Around fifteen minutes ago, Ren, Yashiro, and Kyoko had gotten out of the parked SUV, and Ren had gently guided her towards the closed, glass door of a private clinic that was situated by the street. She had followed him unprotestingly, his soothing, warm hand encompassing her tiny one. Never mind that the same hand holding hers gently had also brutally pulverized Sho's face not too long ago. The softness of his touch at that moment made her forget about the monstrous power he was capable of—or his capacity for cold-blooded violence.
Or rather, she didn't want to think about it.
The clinic had, as Yashiro had requested over the phone, been locked down. Evidently celebrities had the power to completely reserve establishments so as to make sure their stay there was undisturbed. Kyoko wasn't unfamiliar with this power; Sho loved booking malls and pubs for his own private enjoyment and using his star influence to kick out all the other patrons there before him.
No other patient was in sight, Kyoko realised, peering through the glass door. The receptionist on the other side of the door had recognised Ren and then eagerly unlocked it to let the trio in. Kyoko hoped no earlier patient had been kicked out. It seemed unfair that she received uninterrupted medical attention without having to wait in the line unlike the rest of the normal patients.
And what made her special compared to them? Nothing! She wasn't a celebrity either. She was an average female who, like them, did not belong to showbiz. The only reason she got this VIP treatment and got to enjoy the life of the wealthy was because she was Tsuruga Ren's lover. And that was what she would ever be in front of others, including Kijima and Momose. Not as Mogami Kyoko, but as Tsuruga Ren's commoner lover. And in all likelihood, it appeared she wouldn't remain as his lover for long.
Kyoko suddenly felt very small.
And she had felt even smaller when the doctor had appeared.
The doctor was beautiful. Slender and svelte, she cut a striking figure against the plain white of the clinic. She had thick chestnut curls that prettily framed her thin face, and wide, expressive grey eyes, almost like a doll's. Dressed in a doctor's overcoat with a tiny, skin-tight crimson dress underneath, she appeared almost seductive and coy, like one of those models wearing a naughty Halloween costume instead of being a real medical practitioner. While she wasn't as tall or willowy as Momose was, her beauty still rivaled the latter.
Kyoko had always assumed that her own petite stature dulled her looks—after all, the most attractive of women were supermodels, and they were always very tall—but now that she faced with this gorgeous woman who was of the same height as herself, she felt subdued and crushed.
What made Kyoko feel even smaller was the way the doctor looked at Ren.
She knew him.
She knew him very well too, if the recognition and delight in her large, dark-lashed grey eyes were anything to go by. As expected, Ren's 'personal friend' had to be a woman, Kyoko concluded bitterly. Kyoko didn't have enough basis to assume she was another one of his exes, but the pair certainly had shared some history together at one point of time in their lives, judging how comfortable they appeared with each other. Maybe not sexually, but there was still something.
"Ren," the doctor sighed. "It's been so long."
"Ruriko," Ren greeted, his sensual lips smiling.
It didn't escape a disgruntled Kyoko's notice that she had called him by his first name, something not even Kyoko got to do.
Ren had made introductions for both women—the doctor was called Dr. Ruriko Matsunai—and then they had moved to the medical consultation room, where Yashiro had politely excused himself from and stayed in the clinic reception.
And now Kyoko sat on a chair, chewing edgily on her cookie. Ren was lounging gracefully beside her on another chair like a sophisticated cat, his large hand calmly entwined with hers—the hand not holding her cookie—on her lap. He had, much to her mortification, refused to let her hand go since they had gotten out of his SUV. This was embarrassing, since Yashiro, Dr. Ruriko, and the clinic receptionist could see what they were doing.
However, Kyoko did know that Ren generally didn't approve of public displays of affection. Holding hands or putting his arm around her or kissing her cheek was fine, but anything beyond that from outside the house door was not. Maybe it was due to the lack of privacy afforded in his career, but he was the exact opposite of an exhibitionist.
Ren was also very protective of her modesty; he would never allow her to wear revealing clothing in public. In his books, revealing meant a neckline that dipped beyond her clavicles. She knew he disliked other men seeing more of her skin than they needed to. This was why she had worn such a shockingly conservative dress at the Star Awards, which he knew was broadcast on national television. It was frustrating, how particular he could be regarding this subject.
However, such conservativeness was completely absent within the privacy of their bedroom—or rather, his bedroom.
Her pale cheeks flared at the recollection.
"She doesn't look anything like what I saw on TV last night," Dr. Matsunai went on. "Are you sure she's the same person?"
Kyoko's stomach twisted annoyedly. She didn't need another reminder of how plain she was without any makeup on. Thinking of the Star Awards made her think about Momose again, and the anger intensified and cut through her belly like a blade.
"Yes, it's me," she ground out, in an uncharacteristically bad-tempered tone. "And I'm right here, you know. You can refer to me directly."
Kyoko could feel Ren's long fingers stir slightly against hers in surprise.
Alright, so it wasn't just her jealousy over Momose acting up. She was pretty irritated with this hot lady doctor, too. And if there was one thing she regretted from before, it was that she hadn't been territorial enough about Ren last night. Momose's hostility yesterday had made it pretty clear to Kyoko that she had set her eyes on Ren, and Kyoko had been too taken aback and intimidated to fight back.
"Right," the doctor said, not sounding the least bit contrite. "So how can I help you? Do you need some consultation about your, um, pregnancy?" Her gaze flickered to Kyoko's flat abdomen.
Clearly, just like the rest of the world, she had heard Ren's famous announcement last night.
This time the actor spoke.
"She fainted today," Ren said quietly, dark eyes glittering like cold ink beneath the shadows of his long, alluring lashes. Kyoko could feel his large hand tightening over her small, bony one, though not painfully.
"Fainted?" Dr. Ruriko's resplendent grey eyes widened, and she straightened alertly in her chair, one hand already tugging out a pen from the breast pocket of her coat. "Do you know what triggered it? Could you tell me the exact symptoms you felt right before you passed out?"
"I—um, I was feeling very stressed," Kyoko answered weakly, not looking at Ren. The lingering warmth of his masculine fingers against hers made it impossible to ignore his potent presence next to her, however. "I got really dizzy, and my surroundings started spinning. And after that I don't remember much. Everything just went black."
She might as well, she thought, be as honest as she could, for the baby's sake.
"Where were you when you fainted?" Dr. Ruriko questioned, writing away on her notepad. "Do you remember hitting anywhere hard when you fell?"
Kyoko really had to give it to her. Ren's kiss with Momose was all over the news and the internet right now, and there was a very high chance Dr. Ruriko had seen it. This was probably why she hadn't probed Kyoko further about what she had been so stressed about. She knew. If so, Ruriko must find it strange and intriguing that Ren had just kissed another woman, then brought Kyoko here for a check-up about their baby. Yet Ruriko was acting and behaving very professionally, with no personal or irrelevant questions asked.
Kyoko herself found it extremely insulting and discomforting. She didn't need Ren to bring her here. How humiliating, that he was accompanying her to a clinic like a dutiful lover and father-to-be, when he had just embraced another woman not too long ago. It was like a smack against her face.
But what could she do? She needed to take care of their—no, her child. The baby's life and well-being was more important than her pride, shattered as it was. And she had promised Ren they would talk. They needed to talk after this.
"I was in a…a friend's house," Kyoko said warily, answering Ruriko's query. Shotaro was a far cry from a friend, but she didn't exactly have a choice. In front of Ren, Kyoko knew she had to go carefully about Sho. The actor had a tendency to become very jealous and displeased whenever Sho was brought up, which fortunately happened very rarely, due to her persistence not to talk about him. Still, it was inevitable now. "I didn't hit anything hard. He…" The shocking memory of leather-clad arms wrapping around her during the last fleeting moments of her consciousness swept across her vision. "He caught me. He caught me as I was falling, and later I woke up in his bed. I couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes."
She realized all too late the fatality of her mistake when Ren's big, long-fingered hand suddenly grew taut over hers. Her heartbeat jerked in horror and terror at what she had just said unthinkingly to Ruriko.
"The bed in his guest room, I mean!" Kyoko corrected desperately, glad that she had finished her biscuit, or she would have choked on it. She knew even without looking (not that she dared) that Ren's eyes had gone black. "Not his bed!"
Why was she so dumb? Why hadn't she phrased her words properly?
"I see," Ruriko said, staring in Ren's direction. She seemed fascinated by him, and Kyoko had to wrestle the irrationally possessive urge to block Ren from her scrutiny. "Well, it's not uncommon for a pregnant woman to faint from stress. Do you have anaemia, or any other particular health condition?"
"No," Kyoko replied tightly. "Never have."
"Speaking of which, how far along are you?" Ruriko asked. She had uncoiled her stethoscope from her breast pocket and leaned forward, pressing the cold metal against Kyoko's chest. The edges of Kyoko's scarf brushed against the doctor's fingers, and she glanced at the fluttering material briefly, looking slightly quizzical. It was strange, Kyoko realized in mortification, for her to wear the scarf indoors.
But she couldn't take it off, and she figured she didn't need to anyway, since it was unlikely Ruriko wanted to check her bare neck.
"Um…" Kyoko struggled to think. Her brain seemed to have gone numb, and she couldn't focus.
"Just under two weeks."
Kyoko stiffened. The last thing she had expected was for Ren to know the answer!
"She took the pregnancy test an exact week after conception," he continued unhurriedly. "The First Response pregnancy test kit, that is."
Kyoko's fragile, slim frame froze. He knew!
She was aware that he knew of her pregnancy, but the extent of how much he knew stunned her. How on earth did he know? She'd told no one, not even Kanae, what sort of pregnancy test kit she'd used. Ren was right. She had used the First Response, which, as the title already explained, was an exceptional pregnancy test that helped to detect pregnancy at an earlier stage than other average pregnancy tests.
Assuming she was ovulating during the night of conception (and she had. She'd been counting the days to coincide her ovulation with the day she stopped taking birth control), she could check for pregnancy seven days after that. The night of conception had been the same day she first quit birth control, and also the same night Ren had asked her to attend the Star Awards with him, which she'd agreed. He'd claimed her in the middle of their dinner, and before she knew it, the both of them had been caught up in a heat of passion on his vinyl couch.
Kyoko was positive she hadn't told anyone, including Kanae, the kind of pregnancy test she had used. She had thrown the tests out after using them. Kyoko wasn't stupid enough to throw it in the dustbin at home; she had disposed of it outside the house. So how the hell did Ren find out? Her skin prickled, feeling the coldness that had nothing to do with Dr. Ruriko's metal stethoscope grow inside her chest. It seemed he knew her every move; he knew when she had quit birth control, knew when their child had been conceived, knew why she had pursued him from the very beginning.
Kyoko swallowed a petrified, guilty lump in her throat.
"I see," Ruriko said, withdrawing the instrument from Kyoko's chest. She picked up a thermometer, replaced the plastic cap, brushed aside some of Kyoko's bronze hair, and gently lowered its tip into her soft ear. "However, two weeks is still very early for a pregnancy. If you don't mind, I'd like for you to take a pregnancy test again."
Kyoko's heartbeat sped up and her skin grew clammy. She was becoming increasingly nervous. Taking the pregnancy test by herself was one thing, but taking it again, this time with Ren? If the results were positive once more, which she was sure they would, then it would be undeniable to both of them that they were expecting.
There was no hiding anything from Ren now, not when the results were going to be put in black and white to their faces.
"But of course," Ren agreed politely. He turned his regal head to Kyoko, perfect, sensuous lips curved into a sardonic, almost mocking smile. "What say you, Mogami-san?"
Dr. Ruriko blinked, looking slightly disbelieving and amused at what he had called Kyoko. Her bloody last name, Kyoko thought peevishly. Ruriko must find it very bizarre that Ren was addressing the mother of his child by her last name. Kyoko was instantly defensive, but what could she do? She was the one who had initiated such formal terms with Ren from the beginning of their relationship, and she couldn't regret it now and throw a tantrum just because he was addressing her with formality—that she had wanted from the start—in front of this beautiful woman he seemed to share a mysterious past with.
Kyoko forced the growing bile of fear down her throat as she thought back to Ruriko's request. There was no point trying to conceal anything from Ren anymore. He already knew, anyway. And she had resolved to herself that they were going to talk.
She wouldn't run. She'd tried running, and look at how that had turned out.
If she intended to run in the near future, it would only be if he let her.
And she knew it.
"Yes," Kyoko said tiredly. "Let's do it."
The problem was that she didn't want to run anymore.
Kyoko lay exhaustedly on the medical examination table, her diminutive body covered by a blanket and her head propped up on a pillow Dr. Ruriko had gotten for her. Ren was seated sedately on a chair he had pulled up by her side, his elegant hand still cradling her small, pale one. Dr. Ruriko, respecting his request for some privacy, had drawn the sterile, white curtains around the exam table and then left the consultation room.
Yashiro was still outside at the lounging area, and Kyoko knew he was busy dealing with endless phone calls regarding Ren and Momose—the publicity and the media were still blowing up and showing no signs of abating—and to top it off, he had to take care of Sho's medical bills in Ren's stead. It couldn't be easy, taking the role of Ren's manager, but then again, there were thousands of other candidates who were definitely dying to have his position.
Why wouldn't they? To become the manager behind Japan's—and the rest of the world's—biggest A-list actor was an honor, and a massive money-making opportunity. Kyoko knew, though, that Yashiro wasn't doing this for just the money. He had been by Ren's side since day one of his career, way before Ren was a household name around the globe. It was because of loyalty more than anything else.
After the time spent on the pregnancy test, of which the results had been a glaring positive, as she'd expected, and after the doctor proceeded with the rest of the check-up (she had deemed Kyoko fine, just stressed and that her blood pressure was a tad too high), Kyoko had felt drained and fatigued by the end of it all, both emotionally and physically. It had been a long day, and she was already more susceptible to tiredness than usual due to her pregnancy. Although she had gotten out of bed late today, the events that subsequently followed since she left their house were mentally gruelling.
Ren had requested the doctor to get Kyoko something hot to drink, and after taking a few gulps of the soothing beverage (just plain hot milk this time, since both Ren and Ruriko disapproved of her taking caffeine), Ren had helped her lie down, then informed Ruriko that he would like for Kyoko to rest a bit before setting off again. The doctor agreed steadily. Kyoko doubted any woman in the world with a healthy set of reproductive organs would be able to refuse Tsuruga Ren.
She did feel slightly bad, however. Today might have been tough on her, but it couldn't have been any easier for Ren. He had awoken and left the house far earlier than she had, got inadvertently caught into a sticky, chaotic web of publicity with Momose, then went over to Sho's apartment and attacked him in a frighteningly violent and physical fight. He might have been responsible for a lot of the things that had happened, but today had to be toiling for him too. Yashiro had looked haggard enough.
Kyoko hated to admit it, but she was worried about him. She knew she ought to be more concerned about what he had done to Sho, but her strong feelings for Ren blotted out her rationale.
"Are you…okay?" Kyoko asked hesitantly, turning her dishevelled head slightly towards him from where she was resting on the pillow.
Glossy, ebony brows arched, and the corner of his lush lips quirked. "Of course, darling." He reached out and gently brushed aside a stray strand of copper hair from her cheek. "I should be asking you that."
Still, Kyoko couldn't help but notice that he appeared blatantly pleased at her concern for his welfare.
Her belly squirmed. There was so many things they needed to talk about, but suddenly, now that they were alone and the room was hushed, she was struck by the overwheming urge to just stay quiet and let the peaceful lull between them rock her to sleep. He wasn't making a move to initiate the big discussion they would have to face and go through with sooner or later, and she figured it was best this way for now. It was comforting, too, feeling the warm callouses of his touch against her delicate skin, and the humming of his sensuous, deep voice in the air. His tranquil humming was better than anything Sho could ever sing.
Momose's lips—plump, soft, and starkly scarlet—were pressed intimately against Ren's.
Kyoko's eyelids, which had been drooping, abruptly flew open from the horrifying memory. A dull ache blossomed against the side of her head.
"Mogami-san?" Ren's melody broke off, and his spidery fingers stirred tenderly against her cheek. "What's the matter, darling?"
"We need to talk." How could she, even for a lethargic second, think she could ignore everything and go to sleep? No matter how exhausted she was, the recollection would come back to haunt her in her nightmares.
Ren's obsidian eyes gleamed with immediate comprehension as he took in the bitter, guarded determination etched on her heart-shaped face. "Ah. I see."
"I won't let you put it off," Kyoko snapped, aggravated by his noncommittal rejoinder.
"This is where you misunderstand," he murmured coolly, entrancing eyes flashing. "You were tired, and I was worried. I wanted you to rest. I still do, as a matter of fact."
"I'm not going to sleep until we get this mess sorted out."
"As you wish." His mouth twisted, almost diabolically. He spoke with mock graciousness. "Where would you like to start, Mogami-san?"
"Let's start from today." Kyoko was still too frightened about approaching the subject of her pregnancy, and about how much he knew. But the events of today were more than enough to keep them preoccupied right now. "We should take turns, and recount—honestly—what happened today. Do you want me to go first?"
"Yes," he murmured, watching her intently. "Go on."
Kyoko inhaled shallowly, forcing herself to gather her courage and to make certain that her voice didn't wobble.
"Alright. So after you left the house, I packed my luggage today. You said that I could leave for one day, and I intended to take you up on your promise. Technically there was less than a day left, because Tsuruga-san, you freaking cheated, and you know it. You made me wake up late—" Ren emitted a low, husky chuckle at that, and she shivered at the sound, then steeled herself and continued. "So I packed my stuff, and I took the bus to my apartment. I wanted to go there to sort of clear my head, plus I haven't been back home for ages. But when I got there…"
Ren's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
"Sho was waiting for me. He was parked right by the block of my apartment. I swear to God I didn't call him or invite him there or anything. That asshole was lying in wait for me after he saw me on TV last night."
"I see," was all he said.
"And then…he..." she shuddered. "He—"
"I know." Ren moved, and she took a shaky breath when he lifted her thin, bare hand and gently kissed the inside of her palm. His soft but firm lips were like hot fire against her leaping pulse. "I know, my darling. You don't have to say it."
"I swear I tried all I could to fight back—"
"You shouldn't have."
His words roused her fully from the dazed stupor his kisses had left her in.
"What?" Kyoko asked dumbly.
"What if you angered him further and he hurt you?" Ren responded bluntly. "It's safer not to fight back against someone far stronger than you. Instead, you should have done as he said, and then wait." His hypnotic, smoky eyes bored unabashedly into her wide ochre ones. "I will definitely come for you."
Her creamy cheeks flushed, and she had to battle the childish urge to bury her face into the pillow, so as to avert herself from his piercing gaze. However, she had barely turned her face when male fingers reached out and lightly held her chin, gently halting her movements. She froze.
"He gagged you, didn't he?" Ren said softly.
Kyoko paused, unsure of what to say. Sho had told Ren that, too? Just how much information had that imbecile told Ren? Had Sho been trying to rile Ren up—and consequently, trying to sign his own death warrant? Well, if he had, it had worked too well, judging by Sho's broken ribs and nose. And who knows what else, if Kyoko and Shoko hadn't gone down to the lobby in time?
Kyoko nodded slowly.
Ren's raven eyes slid towards her faintly bruised mouth. With her chin held in place, she couldn't shift herself away from how boldly he was studying her parted lips. Her heartbeat thundered like a sledgehammer, and she exhaled breathlessly.
He bent his aristocratic head and kissed her mouth. It wasn't a hard, rough kiss (as she had occasionally experienced with him during more fiery moments), but an extremely sweet, loving one. It was almost chaste, even, if not for the fact that his agile, feline tongue was languorously caressing the inside of her lips, tracing and stroking the vaguely bruised skin, almost as if he was tenderly lapping at her wounds—the area where Shotaro had forcefully bound her lips with the scarf and gagged her. Ren tasted of tantalizing rain, spice, and an essence she knew that was elusive to him. Heat erupted in the cavern of her mouth at his aching, possessive kiss, and she moaned helplessly.
Kyoko arched her back, trying to press the entirety of her slender form against the posh, lustrous surface of his velvet coat, his hard chest and the rest of his large, panther-like body. She wanted to feel him against her—…
His masculine hand softly pressed against her thin shoulders, keeping her pinned to the bed.
And then it was over, and Kyoko let out a shrill whine at the painful absence of his burning mouth against hers.
"It seems the prospect of motherhood isn't without its effects on you," Ren enunciated silkily, and she knew this time his eyes had turned jet black because of his desire for her, and not just because of his cold fury towards Sho. "To think that a mere kiss has aroused you to this extent...I like it."
His lips tipped upwards into a satisfied, predatory smile.
Kyoko glared at him, panting.
"I don't want to kiss you," she hissed, more stung that she'd thought. But then again, he was right. No one was as magnificently skilled a kisser as Ren, but this wasn't just because of his impressive prowess in bed. Her pregnancy hormones were on a rampage right now, and she had desperately wanted him inside of her after a mere kiss. "You kissed someone else."
A pause.
"How rude," Ren said quietly. "I've yet to share my side of the story, and you're already making judgement."
"Make judgement?" Kyoko laughed acerbically. "Tsuruga-san, I saw the photos on the news. Photographs don't lie."
"Ah, my sweet, but they do."
"Don't be ridiculous—"
"They capture a part of a story. They don't capture all the parts that make a story whole, and if manipulated well enough, you'll only be shown the part you wish to see the least."
Kyoko stared up at him from where she lay. She felt confused, tired, and frustrated. "Stop beating around the bush. Get to the point, please."
The corners of his sculpted mouth were upturned. "For example, if a camera had only captured the part where you were in Fuwa's apartment and lying in his bed, what would you do?"
Kyoko blurted exasperatedly, "I wasn't in his bed! I was in the bed in his guest room—"
"How would I know?" Ren cut in dangerously. "The camera only captured that you were lying in a bed in his apartment. Wouldn't the natural assumption be that it was his?"
Her jaw slackened. She didn't know what to say; she was rendered speechless. And yet, despite her instinctive indignation and defensiveness at his accusation, she was beginning to see his point, as indistinctive and faint as it was.
"It's your turn now," Kyoko said finally. "Recap your story. You know the rest with what happened after Sho…brought me to his apartment."
"Actually, I don't," Ren said smoothly. "There's much more I want to know, and we'll be discussing it at a later time. But for now—" His dark, cognac eyes were very bright. "I will tell you about Itsumi Momose."
It was difficult to tell what he thought of the other woman; his rich voice had become flat and emotionless as he spoke her name.
Her fingers tightened over the hem of her blanket.
"I was invited to the Blue Princess Hotel where the cast of Dark Moon were celebrating my win at the Star Awards. I hadn't wanted to go, so you know. Merriment and indulgence have always been largely lost on me—or rather, I simply enjoy indulgence in other forms." He smiled, his long, adroit digits deliberately brushing against the knuckles of her tiny, trembling hand. Her pulse grew erratic, and her face turned pink. She knew exactly what he was trying to say. "But it was a societal obligation, and I could not afford to ignore it. So I went, thinking I could go for perhaps an hour and then leave. I'd barely arrived at the Blue Princess Hotel when I saw Miss Momose standing there at the entrance, waiting for me. The paparazzi were already swarming the place.
I should have known then that something was amiss. I normally would have, I suppose. But I was feeling exceptionally preoccupied today, and I wanted to get this party over and done with so I could move on for work. I was negligent. She began walking towards me, and I carelessly assumed that she was going to greet me. I believed Yashiro-san thought the same as I did—at least, until her arms were around me, and I realised she was kissing me."
Kyoko's airways tightened.
Ren hadn't kissed her. Momose had kissed him. Now that she thought about it, the photos had depicted Momose with her arms around Ren, and her lips pressed to his. Ren's arms hadn't been around her. Nothing of his body had actually touched her, save for where she had positioned herself against him.
It hadn't been mutual.
"And of course," Ren added wryly, "you never saw the photographs where I removed her from my person. You only saw the photographs where the kiss took place—a kiss, might I add, that barely lasted a second. But a second alone is enough for a picture to be taken."
The insides of her veins, which had been frozen since she had seen the news, finally began to thaw, and she gasped, feeling the exhilaration run through her nerves. Relief hit her, hard and immense.
When Kyoko raised her head again, she saw the almost arrogant expression on Ren's angular profile. She supposed he was pleased with the relief that starkly showed in her countenance—with the jealousy she had felt.
Kyoko opened her mouth. "You're a jerk," she said thickly.
He understood what she meant straightaway.
"Don't be ridiculous," Ren said sharply. "I hated that I hurt you, that I caused you to faint. There are no bigger regrets I will ever have." His midnight eyes raked her fine features. "I was content that I finally made you smile."
That shocked her. "I was smiling?"
"Yes," he answered gently. "You were."
Kyoko was flabbergasted. She hadn't realised she was so obvious with her relief. It was humiliating, even.
And then something struck her.
"What's going to happen to your image?" Kyoko demanded urgently. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She had been so hurt by his kiss with Momose that she hadn't stopped to consider the adverse impact it had on his career. Never mind Sho's lawsuit, this was just as bad! "You kissed a woman that wasn't me! And a day ago, you told everyone that we—we were g…going to be parents. Won't the media say horrible things about you, that you're a philanderer?"
She saw Ren silently pause. And then—
"Go to sleep, darling," he said tenderly, stroking her hair from her forehead. "We'll talk after you get some rest first."
Kyoko gave him an incredulous look, struggling to sit up from the examination table. "Are you insane? I'm worried sick about you! The last thing I can do now is go to sleep!"
Ren's flawless lips flattened, and she could tell he was displeased. "Enough. We'll talk of this later."
Kyoko knew then that he was hiding something big from her, and her anger flared.
"Tell me," she snapped. "What is the media saying about you and Momose and me? Or I will scream for Yashiro to come in and he'll tell me."
He gave her a level, cool look, and she flinched. Kyoko knew this was barely a fraction of the eerie expression he had on during his confrontation with Sho, but sudden discomfort crept into her belly.
"Do not threaten me, darling," Ren drawled warningly, his baritone voice velvety-smooth and hard. There was an ominous undertone to it that told her he meant exactly what he said. "I won't repeat myself after this. Lie back down, and rest."
She wasn't afraid. No, she wasn't afraid of him. She was intimidated, maybe, but she wasn't scared. Kyoko knew Ren would never hurt her.
"You're a jerk!" Kyoko cried out in uncharacteristic frustration. She punched his unmoving broad shoulders with her little fists. "Why won't you tell me? What the fuck are you hiding from me? What is the media saying about us? Are you scared it's something that might hurt me? For God's sake, I'll be fine—"
The reaction was immediate. She simply had to tempt fate.
Agony—a sudden cramp—exploded in her belly. It came out of absolutely nowhere, and she didn't even have a second to fully understand what was going on before the pain took over her body.
She gasped, uncoiled her fists, and let out a hoarse cry, falling back against the exam table. Vaguely she could hear a shocked Ren calling her name, his arms wrapping around her protectively, but she couldn't register it. The cramp was awful; she writhed on the surface of the table, clutching her belly.
The pain was like a blade tearing through her internal organs, her womb—
No.
The baby.
:tbc:
A/N: This chapter is super late, and I'm sorry. At least it is pretty long! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I love you all!