A/N: I do not own Skip Beat, the inspired song or VoCE.
You know I love you guys. I love all of you who are reading this and have enjoyed my stories and my thoughts on the characters. I just wanted to say that and I really, really, really appreciate all of your dedication and loyalty. *hands out cookies to all my readers*
This was inspired by Jordin Sparks - Next to you, requested by wanchan.
"Please be careful, at least…"
Kyoko looked down, her beautiful mature face filled with concern. Her anxious shy look filled his head, and Ren couldn't sleep. He turned to his left. Her small form sleeping silently in her bed caught his eye. She had her back to him and seemed to be resting peacefully. He closed his eyes trying to relax his mind in vain.
Her image appeared behind his eyes. Her auburn hair fell softly across her face, her golden eyes glinting between the soft strands. She was so elegant, her eyes slightly cast downward as her thoughts seemed to sadden her. Her lips were painted the lightest of pinks, full and wet, kissable.
Her face, her concern over him taunted him. Kyoko sought him out on her own. She wanted to make sure he was going to be okay, that he wouldn't do anything reckless. He wasn't planning on doing anything truly dangerous. It was all controlled, and he had faith in everyone.
Everything went through smoothly. The street was clear and driving backwards was a cinch and a lot of fun. The crash was perfect with no physical damage to anyone and the day continued as normal. They were even back as Cain and Setsu that very night. The look of absolute bliss was on her face the moment they met but she didn't mention why. Everyone was worried for nothing. Still, having her think of him and his wellbeing warmed his heart.
Is it okay for me to think that she cares for me? Cares for me in something that is more than friendship? He opened his eyes and his world stilled. She had shifted in her sleep and was now facing him. He could have sworn she was looking at him. It shouldn't surprise him, his mind imagining things. She was stuck in his head, his heart, as if she was a part of him. Actually, she was. She was his heart and a man can't live without his heart. He only wished he could get closer to her.
Ren watched her. She's enchanting even in her sleep. Her face was in an eternal peace with no hatred, worry, stress or fear to mar her sweet face. Her right forearm was resting beside her face on her pillow gently. The thin sheet was covering her all the way up to her chest, her other arm resting softly on her stomach. He could see the outline of her body, the sheet softly hugging around her curves, something he could only dream of doing.
He sighed and turned to his back. He glanced to the small digital clock - 2am. Go to sleep! He scolded himself and closed his eyes.
The next day….
Kyoko didn't really understand why they had to be Cain and Setsu when he wasn't filming yet. Perhaps it was because they were allowing a newbie like her to get use to the role so that she wouldn't embarrass him when he did start to film. It would be bad if she slipped out of character in front of mixed company.
Yes, that must be it. She nodded with a smile. Right now, Kyoko was reporting in to Love Me while Ren had an interview and a photo shoot. Yashiro-san stated that they could probably have lunch together if everything worked out okay. It was almost lunch now, but he would probably want a late lunch, so he could skip dinner. She frowned but then smiled to herself. No doubt, Yashiro-san was using her to get Ren to eat. She was more than willing though.
As she arrived at her destination, Kyoko was lucky enough to find Kanae in the LoveMe room.
"MOKO-SAN!" Kyoko rushed over to her best friend and promptly hit Kanae's locker door.
"That hurt, Moko-san." She pouted as she rubbed the lump on her forehead.
"Then you shouldn't run up to people like a crazy person!" Kanae huffed then felt a little bad about it. She closed her locker door with a sigh and then very lightly hugged Kyoko with as little contact as possible.
Kyoko was beaming. "You are leaving already, Moko-san?" She noticed that instead of sporting her pink coveralls, she had her purse in hand and was about to leave.
"I'm meeting someone for an early lunch," Kanae said hastily.
"An interview?" Kyoko asked as she scrolled through the little request box. LoveMe has gotten very popular for requests. Everyone in the building was more than willing to delegate trivial jobs to them.
"Sort of?" Kanae sounded nervous which made Kyoko look up at her worried.
"Are… are you blushing, Moko-san?" She couldn't believe her eyes. Moko-san was blushing! If only she had a camera.
"Mo! I am not!" Kanae tried to hide it but the girl was all over her now.
"You are! You totally are! Why? Moko-san…," Kyoko hushed to a whisper, "… are you going on a date?"
Kanae sighed trying to mask her embarrassment with intolerance and snapped, "Yes! I am okay. So then just let it all out."
"Let what out?" Kyoko looked at her confused which seemed to be mirrored on Kanae's face.
"All the "Love is a joke! Love is for fools and will be the end of all humankind!" stuff." Kanae had transformed into a splitting image of Kyoko and mimicked her malice towards love perfectly and it made Kyoko smile. Her best friend was a great actress.
"I'm not going to stay that Moko-san. I mean I do believe that's true for me but not for you. I'm the one that the Fates have deemed Love's Pin Cushion." She put her hand on Kanae's shoulder with a smile. "I hope you have fun. Will I get to meet him?"
"Uh…" Kanae was stunned. She didn't want Kyoko to find out she was dating anyone because she was sure Kyoko would talk her out of it or try to tell her all the horror stories of falling in love. This... Kanae wasn't expecting.
"Wait. So you are okay with me dating? With me falling in love with someone?" Perhaps she didn't quite understand what she was doing.
"Sure. I want you to be happy, Moko-san." Kyoko smiled at her then the room got cold, and Kanae started to shrink in fear. "BUT! If that bastard hurts you, there will be no where in existence he could hide," Kyoko threatened and Kanae was sure that she would deliver as well.
As soon as the ominous pressure eased and Kanae could breathe again, she shook her head and posed another question, "Thank you but what about you? Don't you deserve to be happy?"
"I am happy," Kyoko replied. Everything about her said that it was true, her voice, her body language, everything. She was happy.
"What about later when I get married, won't you feel lonely? You can date and maybe fall in love again too, you know." When Kanae finished there was this look of inconceivable horror on Kyoko's face, then she laughed out loudly.
"Me? Date? Who would ever date me, let alone fall in love with me. No, Moko-san, I will be alone forever and I am prepared for that. I will marry my acting. I love acting," she replied with an amused smile.
"Well, what about Tsuruga-san?" Kanae always had him as a trump card, and it seemed to work again.
Kyoko stilled and fell deep in thought. Kanae watched her face pass through so many different emotions in a matter of seconds then settled into a soft sweet smile that held a hint of sadness. "I hope Tsuruga-san finds everything he wants in this world. I am only his co-worker. Tsuruga-san is out of my reach."
Kanae sighed and so did Ren. He stood outside the door, ready to knock on it when he over heard Kanae's comment.
"What about later when I get married, won't you feel lonely? You can date and maybe fall in love again too, you know."
It seems like he wasn't the only one who thought she was holding on to this loveless life a little too strongly. The next part shocked him a little though. Yashiro wasn't the only one who saw his feelings for his little kohai, either.
He shouldn't be eavesdropping. Ren straightened his face and then promptly knocked on the door. A moment later, Kanae opened the door and he smiled.
"Hello, Kotonami-san. How are you today?"
"Great. Kyoko's inside," she said abruptly and then moved passed him walking away. He shook his head. He didn't know how to act around her. Was she supporting him with Kyoko? Was she against it? She was actually sort of rude to him but he hears things that seems like she likes the idea of her best friend with him.
"Tsuruga-san, is everything alright?" Her voice snapped him back from his thoughts, and he smiled sweetly down at her.
"Yes. I'm here for lunch," he said smoothly.
"But you just dropped me off. I thought you had an interview right now. I wasn't expecting you till at least 2." She looked up at him puzzled.
"That's an awfully late lunch but the interview fell through. The reporter is ill today and couldn't make it. It will be rescheduled for a later time. We have time though, if you aren't hungry yet."
Kyoko smiled up at him and he was stunned. She seemed to be thinking of something, something that made her whole face seemed to glow. His arm felt tense as his hand itched to touch her then finally she nodded.
"We can go now. Do you want to eat here?" She walked away from him to her locker. He watched her. He couldn't help but watch her these days, watching the soft blue skirt bouncing against the back of her thighs. The way she gracefully bent down like a lady as she retrieved her purse, her thighs together, bending at the knee. She stood up and turned towards him with an angelic smile, and he wanted to lock the door keeping her away from the rest of the world and all to himself.
"Tsuruga-san?" She asked, her smile wilting at her unease. Ren smiled at her as he remembered himself.
"We can go anywhere you like. What would you like to eat?" he opened the door for her, a wave of her lovely scent filling his senses as she passed by him.
"Hmm, how about soba? It's warm today, something cool sounds good. There is a place near Darama-ya's that serves very good zaru soba. You want to go there?" She looked up at him waiting for a response as they walked to his car. He honestly didn't care what they ate.
"That sounds good," he said softly.
The drive was short and the tiny restaurant was almost empty. They were early for the lunch crowd and hopefully they would be out before they came in. They sat in the back corner as usual and both ordered the simple zura soba.
"You're not working much these days, Tsuruga-san. Is everything okay?" Kyoko loved making him talk. Every time he tried to turn the conversation to her, she would say something short and to the point then ask him ten different things. It always made him reveal too much. He did enjoyed their time together, talking honestly to each other. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew her from her childhood she would be more of a mystery than he was.
"With the new movie for BJ coming up, they have scheduled less for me." Ren paused. He couldn't tell her it was because he was worried about his aggressive nature so he avoided the reason why. "Once the filming starts, I'm sure things will pick up. I have to make sure that Tsuruga Ren doesn't disappear from the public eye while I am Cain Heel."
Their food arrived. It was served cold with a dipping sauce that made the meal and some extras, cold tofu and salty pickled cucumbers. Ren was actually happy with the simple meal. He picked up his small bowl of sauce and added a little bit of wasabi to it. He picked up some of the noodles and lightly dipped it in his bowl. He stirred it a little and then moved to put them in his mouth then stopped as he glanced at her.
Kyoko was staring at him. Cold dripping noodles between his chopsticks, his mouth opened wide for the food and he felt his face start to warm up. He closed his mouth and straightened up, looking at her. She was smiling a soft smile so nothing was wrong but why wasn't she eating?
"Is something wrong?" He asked, and she shook her head blushing lightly.
"I was just thinking about how amazing you are," Kyoko said honestly. She giggled as she watched him blush. He can be so cute sometimes. She shook her head softly and picked up her bowl.
"What makes you say that?" Ren asked as she paused. Isn't it obvious?
"Here you are playing two characters at the same time never really getting a break. You will be playing BJ, a cold blooded killer and then off screen you have to play my brother, who is completely different than BJ. It's simply amazing." She blushed again feeling a little embaressed of her statement. Ren pressed his lips together. If only she knew I was actually playing three characters. And how is Cain completely different than BJ? The only thing that is different is that BJ actually kills outright. It's actually rather easy for me to play two at the same time now. He paused and thought about it some more, unless I'm around her.
"I have to confess," Kyoko continued. "I slipped up in my Box-R shoot the other day. I was looking at nail polish and I saw a color that Setsu would like and Natsu totally slipped my mind. We had to redo the take," she said sadly then peeked up at him as if he was going to gut her.
Ren chuckled. "You are trying to learn a new character. Your new characters will occupy your mind a lot more when you are trying to get a feel for them. Natsu is already perfected so you don't have to think about how she would react to things. Setsu is still new, so she is stronger in your mind. It will go away once you get to know her."
She smiled at him. He didn't bully her or discipline her for her slip up. Maybe he likes me more. Still, I shouldn't slip up like that again! She watched him eat. It was the first time watching him eat something so… inelegantly. She smiled as he slurped the noodles.
"Are you not hungry, Mogami-san?" She still hasn't eaten anything. It was a strange turn of events, Ren telling Kyoko to eat. She snapped out of her Ren-induced haze and started to eat. She put green onions in her little bowl and started to dip her noodles. She thought nothing of her eating the noodles. No doubt she slurped them messily and probably had the sauce all over her face. It was delicious though and hit the spot.
Ren's eyes flickered to her as often as they could. She always wanted to be a princess but by marrying a prince. She didn't realize that she was already one. She sat across from him, her posture that of royalty. She had her elbows tucked beside her and her ankles were probably crossed with her thighs closed exactly like a lady.
Then the way she ate. He didn't think anyone could make eating soba look so sophisticated. She leaned in taking a few noodles between her chopsticks placing them into her bowl as she sat up straight again. She stirred them around a little then lifted them to her partially opened mouth. Her lips puckered lightly as she made the cutest, softest sipping noise and the noodles disappeared into her mouth. Then she chewed as she prepared the next bite, sometimes taking a piece of the cold tofu instead.
Kyoko felt like there was something Ren wanted to say, like there was something on his mind. She stayed quiet so it would give him the opportunity to say what he wanted but he never did. Perhaps it was something that only Bo could help him with. She looked down sadly. He still didn't trust her to that extent. She wasn't going to play Bo for a few days now. Hopefully, he will be okay till then.
They ate their meal, talking about random things smiling and laughing. Ren wanted it to last forever, being with her, her sweet voice, her laugh filling his mind, his heart. Something about her recently plagued him. It was almost like she enjoyed his company. She didn't say no to his invitations for rides or dinners. She lingered around him after their meals, stayed in the car for a few extra minutes instead of running off as soon as he stopped the car.
It was almost as if she was as eager to see him and he was to see her. He sighed to himself. He must be going insane, hoping that there was something more between them than friendship.
"Tsuruga-san," she called to him half laughing. He looked up at her curiously as laughter glittered her eyes. "You are rather messy."
She partially stood from her seat and leaned over the table then gently wiped off something from his left cheek. She sat back down with a small laugh and continued eating. Ren was still as stone. The moment she came towards him he would have naturally moved back or forward if he was on a date. But this was Kyoko, and this was not a date.
He would love if it was a date though. However, he would have her sit next to him instead of across. At that moment, instead of moving or doing anything, he froze. Her cheery face coming close to his and then his breathing stopped as her hand touched his face. She could have used her napkin to clean it off or told him to do so but she did it herself with her bare hand.
What did that mean?
They finished their meal and she didn't argue with him when he paid.
"What time do you have to go?" Kyoko asked and his mind filled her voice with sadness. He glanced at her, and she was smiling and merely seemed curious. He took out his cell and found that he had about thirty minutes left. Where did the time go?
"I have a little bit of time left. Did you want to go somewhere? I can drop you off wherever you like," he offered.
"Hmm, no, I don't have anything scheduled for the day. I was going to do LoveMe work until tonight. Though perhaps I should be Setsu today alone until you pick me up as Cain, then I can get to know my character faster." She sat next to him thinking about what she would do as Setsu.
Ren only thought of the horrors that would follow with her dressed as Setsu without her big brother around to get her out of trouble. Setsu walking down the crowded Tokyo streets with every Tom, Dick and Harry watching her, whispering and plotting, dozens of impure thoughts would flash into their head as she walked past without a care in the world.
Then suddenly she would be stolen. Taken into a dark alley or in a secluded room and she would stand up and face the men yelling at them to let her go or else. Or else what? I'm not there. I can't protect her if I'm not there. No, this was a terrible idea.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. The first thing Setsu would do is go find Cain. And who is Cain?" He asked.
"Um… you are, Tsuruga-san."
"Right and what would happen if Setsu arrived at my work while I'm Tsuruga Ren?" He smiled as she thought it through. Her eyes widened at the thought of it.
"Oh, she would come up and hug you during your break thinking that her big brother was in another role. She would expect you to become Cain the moment you stepped off stage," she answered with the exact answer he was hoping. Though Ren thought that sounded like a wonderful idea, Kyoko surprising him at a job and coming up to him with warm arms and a smile. It sounded like heaven.
"I probably would become Cain if I saw Setsu there too. That wouldn't be good for the project. I'll take you to LME and we will meet up again later tonight, okay?" He glanced at her and she nodded.
It wasn't long before they arrived at LME. He walked her to the LoveMe room, and she hesitated going in.
"Hmm… What time do you think you'll be done?" She cocked her head to the side as she asked.
"I believe around 4 this afternoon. Why?" Ren watched her shuffle about nervously. What was wrong? He didn't know.
"I was wondering. What is the shoot about?" She asked timidly and he gave her a small smile. Did she want to stay and talk to him? He didn't mind. He still had twenty or so minutes before he actually had to go. It was like she didn't want their time together to end, but that was a silly thought.
Ren leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets casually. "It's for the interview from today. While they couldn't do the interview today, they still booked the photographer, and they don't want to reschedule that."
"Is it another Top Ten list? What is it you are number 1 for?" That should have sounded sarcastic or tainted with jealousy but with her it wasn't. She was excited for him, happy that he is so popular.
"What makes you think I'm number 1 on the list?" He smiled widely at her.
Kyoko blushed. "I don't understand why you wouldn't be, if you are on the list that is." Her truthful answer made him want to blush but he swallowed it.
"It's not a Top Ten list. They are featuring me in VoCE magazine and they want pictures along side the interview."
Kyoko was in awe. She knew that magazine. Sho loved that magazine, he had always wanted to be featured in it. And he was. She remembered that spred when he was proving to be the brilliant musician that she knew he was. A horrible asshole of a muscian but brilliant nevertheless.
The fact that Ren was being featured was a great honor, and she showed that on her face. "That's wonderful Tsuruga-san! I'm sure it will be an amazing piece. I can't wait to read it and see all your attractive pictures. You'll be on the cover and everything! Wow."
Was it sad to say that he was happier about her reaction than the actual magazine spread itself? She was even going to buy it merely because he was in it and then a word stuck in his mind. Attractive.
"You think I'm attractive, Mogami-san?"
Kyoko blushed as his dazzling smile widened on his face. Was he fishing for a compliment? Who didn't think this man was attractive?
"Yes, of course, Tsuruga-san," she answered without looking at him. Ren was cruel making her admit such a thing.
Before he could respond she continued, "It's probably time for you to go. I don't want you to be late." She looked up at him shyly, red still decorating her face.
"Yes, I should go." But he didn't move. He stayed looking at her watching her fidget cutely.
She pressed her lips together nervously. What was he waiting for? Then a thought occurred to her. She looked up at him and then bowed down. "Thank you for lunch today, Tsuruga-san. Please excuse my rudeness for not thanking you sooner."
He wanted to laugh, if only she knew that he wanted to stay with her even for a few moments longer. He gently patted the top of her head and was tempted to caress her cheek as she straightened up but he pulled it back.
"It was my pleasure, thank you for joining me today. I'll see you tonight then." His whole body screamed to lean down and kiss her goodbye. Instead he opened the door for her and watched her walk in then promptly left for his shoot.
5am the next morning…
Another restless night. He will have to see about getting some sleeping pills for his nights with her. If perhaps his nights were filled with her in his arms he wouldn't have minded but simply having her in the room with him, so close yet never close enough to sate him.
The days being with her and the nights of her beautiful form near him created a man possessed with her ghost. His mind, his heart was telling him fables. Stories of her love, the possibility of her intentions towards him. Fairytales, stories he wanted desperately to believe. The way she didn't want to leave him, the way she smiled and looked at him, hope entered his heart that maybe just maybe she felt the same.
He smiled to himself, if only that were true. Ren would sweep her away like the princess she was and this torment would end.
Their morning was quick. They got up early and were forced to drop their brother and sister roles quickly. She had to film for Box-R again today and of course he was driving her there.
Kyoko watched him, worry lined her face. He wasn't sleeping well. Was he always a restless sleeper or was something bothering him recently? Was it her?
"Tsuruga-san," her troubled voice filled the silent car.
"Yes?" He replied snapping out of his thoughts.
"Hmm… I hope you don't think this presumptuous, but may I ask what is bothering you? You haven't been sleeping well and I… I wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you." She readied herself to be yelled at, to feel his anger at her audacity but instead he simply stayed quiet and grew more distraught.
"It's okay if you don't want to tell me." She looked down at her lap. "I was only hoping I could help you feel better. You are always there for me and I wanted…" She paused looking for the right words, "wanted to be there for you."
She heard him sigh and felt him shift through traffic. She straightened up looking outside. They weren't anywhere close to the studio. She must have really upset him. Was he going to make her walk there? He pulled over, and they sat in the silence. Kyoko was afraid to move. He didn't seem angry in anyway. He only seemed troubled.
"Kyoko," he said her name and her heart started beating like mad. The last time he said her name was when he was sick. Maybe that was it. Perhaps he was sick again. She smiled. That must be it. Relief rushed through her and she unbuckled her seatbelt.
His mind was consumed with a million things all of them questions and thoughts surrounding her. Did she love me or not? Does she care about me or not? What does she mean be there for me? This was why he didn't want her around. This is why he had to keep a respectable distance to every one. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want to fall in love and yet he can't stay away from her. He wanted to spend every moment he could next to her.
Ren didn't even notice her move beside him, his thoughts dominated over every sense. He jerked slightly as he felt her small hand reach over and touch his forehead. He turned and looked at her. She was kneeling up in the seat, her hand holding her weight on the small arm rest between them and she looked at him as if she was looking for something.
"Well, you do feel a little bit warm but not hot. Are you cold at all?" She slipped her hand to his cheek and then his neck. He felt fine and he didn't look pale just perhaps a little tired.
He smiled at her. She thought he was sick. He pulled her hand from his skin. "I'm not cold, Kyoko, and I'm not sick either."
She blushed again and sat back properly in her seat. The fact that he wasn't sick made her worry more. What was wrong then?
"I do have a problem. Maybe you can help me with it." He paused. He wasn't looking at her but she was more than delighted.
"Anything. Anything at all. What is it?" She asked eagerly.
More minutes pasted, and she grew anxious but waited patiently. For Tsuruga Ren to be this upset and then to let her try and ease the burden, it wasn't time to be a nuisance. Finally he spoke, "I'm not sure you'll want to talk to me about it but perhaps you'll hear me out since you've been in love before."
Kyoko froze. Love. This was about love? Oh boy, this was about that girl he told Bo about. He was going to tell me he is marrying her!
"I've been in love with someone for about six months now." He paused. He wasn't able to look at her but simply stared out the window as he spoke. "Well now that I think about it, I think I've been in love with her for much longer than that."
A dull pain was growing in Kyoko's chest as he spoke, but she stayed quiet. If this was what he needed, a friend to speak about his woes then she would do that.
"The problem is that she doesn't know how I feel and I don't know what to do."
Kyoko smiled to herself then quickly wiped it off her face. She wasn't supposed to know that this man has never been in love before. She wasn't supposed to know that she had to tell him that he was in love with this girl or was almost in love with her. She was supposed to be surprised like she was the first time hearing it.
So he has yet to do anything about it, but he has admitted that he loved her now. She frowned thinking how sad this news made her feel.
"What do you want to do?" She whispered. She tried to keep the sadness out of her voice.
"I want to be with her," Ren sounded solemn as if he wasn't quite sure that was what he wanted.
She sighed. Of course, he wanted to be with her.
"Do you know how she feels about you?"
He sighed exasperated. "I don't. That's what makes it so difficult. If I knew that she liked me that I had some what of a chance then I could ask her out."
She thought about the situation. She started to think of all the things that Sho didn't do for her. All the things that she had wished he would do. She knew what being in love was like but didn't know what it was like to have someone in love with you. How was she supposed to help with this?
Whenever Ren was around women, they all seemed to like him. She couldn't think of one woman that didn't like him and all would be willing to date him, so then who was it that he couldn't ask out.
"Do you get to talk to her, see her often?" She couldn't remember seeing any particular girl around him more often than his other co-stars. She thought maybe Momose-san, but she talked to Kijima-san more. Perhaps it was a star in another show, one that she didn't see him do.
"Yes," his voice was soft, gentle. She smiled wistfully. The way he spoke about her. It was exactly the way she wished that Sho would have sounded when talking about her.
"And how does she act around you? Does she smile a lot? Or laugh?" She thought about how she tried to make Sho laugh, smile. She felt her eyes start to water and a tear fell from her eyes.
"Does it seem like she is excited or happier more than usual when she is around you? Does she talk to you about everything or ask you about how you are or how your day is? Does she compliment you?" She closed her eyes but continued, "Does she do things that a normal person wouldn't do for you?"
"Like what?" His voice interrupted her. It sounded like he turned to speak to her but she didn't want to look at him nor did she want him to look at her, not while she was this weak willed.
"I don't know. Um…has she ever made you food or even bought you a drink or something? Has she… well, no you don't get sick often so you wouldn't know that."
He smiled at her and almost laughed as she tried to think of more things. He saw the small damp wet trail on her face and wanted to brush it off. Why was she crying?
"I'm sorry. This is probably bringing up bad memories. I shouldn't have bothered you with this." Ren reached up and started to start the car back up but she stopped him, her hand gently over his. He looked over at her and she smiled at him.
"No, it's okay. I never talked about it and I should. I want to help. Let me help, please."
He sat back with a sigh. She didn't even know it was her and she wanted to help. She wanted to help him get the girl he wanted. What would she say if she knew it was her? He answered her questions.
"She does do things like that, but I'm not sure she does it out of her own free will. She isn't always happy or excited. Sometimes she is sad or worried about things when I see her. She always asks how I am, but she asks that of Yashiro-san too. She asks that of everyone."
Kyoko could see how difficult this girl was. It seemed like she liked him but then he always had a way of excusing her behavior.
"If she wasn't doing it of her own will, why would she do it at all? If someone asked her to do something for you, she could have said no. Did she stay with you after doing whatever that was asked of her? Say she cooked for you… did she stay and eat with you? Or did she simply give you the meal and leave?"
"She stayed," his voice was distant like he was remembering.
"That's something. You say she isn't always happy. How did she act after you spoke to her?"
Ren thought about it. Every time he saw her upset or sad, how did she leave? After she found Mio she was excited. When he saw her at Karuizawa, she left frightened but he really didn't blame her for that, the morning after in the woods she was happy. Then after he found her with Reino she was so scared that her childhood friend was gone. She was to the point of tears and left in a daze. Was that happier? It was better than her crying. Then there was the kiss with Fuwa. He actually made things worse there but he fixed it and she was better.
"I think I felt better after seeing her than she did, but she left either happy or scared."
Kyoko laughed softly and he joined her. It was a nervous stress relieving laugh that they both needed.
"It seems like she knows you well enough and she does care for you." Kyoko stated and then sighed.
"In all honesty, any girl would be happy to be with you Tsuruga-san. You're kind, smart, hard working and very handsome. You always think of others like you always give me rides and you buy me dinner. You always give advice and help your co-stars when they mess up their lines. I think you should simply tell her. She may be stunned at first and at worse she might not give you a response right away but after a moment, which I doubt she'll need, she will say yes."
She looked at him and he was quiet, no real facial expression on his face. Was that bad advice?
"Wouldn't it be better for her to know how you feel anyway? That way it's off your chest. If she reciprocates in kind then you'll be happier. If she doesn't, then you can move on. It will be hard and you'll feel like you can't move some days, but I can help. I'll help pick up the pieces."
Kyoko stopped talking and started to laugh nervously. "But she won't! She will say yes. I'm sure she'll say yes." She smiled at him, waiting for his response. Stupid! Way to kill his hopes talking about heartbreak.
Ren sighed as if he made a decision and then smiled at her. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll tell her how I feel and then I'll see what happens." Her smiled wilted a little but he continued, "No matter what she says, at least she will know and maybe she won't reject me right away." The dull ache in her chest turned into sharp pins but she smiled for him anyway. First Moko-san was dating and now Tsuruga-san. It was almost like Kanae knew it was going to happen.
"I wish you the best but I don't think you need to worry so much." She was buckling her seatbelt back in and getting ready to go. Even though she knew he liked someone and having him ask for her advice hurt more than she ever thought, but she was happy that she was able to help.
She finally was able to help him with something just like he always did. She smiled to herself, maybe he will ask for more advice later, hopefully no more love advice though.
"Kyoko."
"Hmm?" She turned towards him and his lips pressed against hers. She couldn't breath and her heart was hammering in her chest. What was he doing? Well he was kissing her obviously. But why? Was this another thank you? This did not feel like a thank you.
Ren pulled back and was looking tenderly into her eyes. Her eyes widened at the look on his face. He was scared and hopeful and scared. She felt the heat of his hand lightly touch her face, his warm breath blowing against her wet lips and then he spoke.
"Kyoko, I love you."
A/N: *cricket sounds* *bites my lip* Yes that's it. Yes, that is the ending. No there will be no more. So how many of you hate me?
It's the song's fault! Its a sad unrequited love song! I'll make it up to you in the next song! *throws more cookies*