Preparations

The attacks stopped abruptly, but sleep continued to elude her, and Ren continued to worry. On Tuesday, the day before she would depart for Karuizawa, Ren went back to Lory's office. "I don't think she should go on location." Lory glanced up from a stack of paperwork and crossed his arms, wondering how the boy had managed to get in his office without an appointment.

"And why is that?" Lory lifted an eyebrow and Ren dropped into a chair across from him.

"She's exhausted, Lory. She can't sleep, and I'm afraid she's going to get sick again."

"Is she still having the attacks?" Lory asked quietly, glancing at the shut door.

"If she is, she isn't telling me. I haven't seen much of her since Sunday." Lory winced at the pain in his young friend's voice.

"She probably doesn't want to worry you, Ren." The President told him gently. "She's afraid that she's affecting your career." Ren's eyes widened.

"Has she talked to you?"

"No. Even if she had, I wouldn't tell you about it, since it would be confidential, but Kotonami-san has." Ren's mouth dropped. "Kotonami-san is worried about her, and she came to me to ask for help."

"And you told her…?"

"The same thing I told you. I can't force Kyoko to get help, and it wouldn't be helpful if we started trying. I'd hate for her to think everyone was turning against her." Ren placed his head in his hand.

"Then what can I do for her?"

Lory sighed, knowing this would be hard to hear. "You can't really do anything." Ren stared at him. "I know that you want to help her, but the only thing you can do is be there for her and listen. You said that you were usually able to calm her down fairly quickly?" Ren nodded.

"But only when I'm with her." He said helplessly. "She told me she was busy yesterday and today…and I won't see her before she leaves." His shoulders drooped and Lory felt his heart clench.

"I'm sorry Ren." He said softly. "I know that you care about her, but I don't know of anything you can do." Ren nodded. "Try talking with her again before she leaves. Maybe spending time with you will help."

Kyoko sat in the love me room, taking a sip of coffee. Scolding herself internally for the amount of the hot, caffeinated beverage she had taken in, she discarded her fourth cup and made plans to find a fifth. Her leg bounced from the excess caffeine and her hand trembled as she tried to fill out the form. The door opened and closed and she looked up, her surprise giving way to happiness. "Hey." He closed the distance quickly and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Hi Ren. I thought you had filming all day." She had thought that she would be unable to see him before her departure, due to their busy schedules, and was happy to put aside her work for a few minutes. He sat beside her, pulling over a chair.

"I do, but I'm on break now. I have about an hour. How are you?" He glanced down at her shaking hand and messy handwriting and frowned. He placed his hand over hers and held it. "What's wrong?"

"I think it's the caffeine." She smiled sheepishly, but her smile dropped away as soon as she saw the sad look on his face. "Please don't be worried. I'm fine."

"No you're not." He rubbed his thumb in circles over her hand but didn't go on. Instead, he sighed and hugged her. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes. It will be nice to see such a beautiful place. I've never been to Karuizawa."

"Mm. I'm glad you're excited…"

She knew what he was thinking, but was grateful that he didn't go on. She didn't want to him to worry about her, but the look in his eyes said it all. He was scared for her. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want to try and talk to someone about this?" She shook her head, not moving from his shoulder. When she was with him, she felt safe, and she knew that the stupid Beagle couldn't hurt her. His hands running up and down her back helped as well, and she let herself relax.

Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath, nuzzling the resting girl's head. He knew that she should be at home, but she would never take off of work for personal issues. Her breathing evened out and he carefully lifted her still shaking form and laid her on the sofa. She yawned, her teeth clattering, and he frowned in worry. "How much coffee have you had today?" He asked suddenly. She looked away sheepishly and he gave her a stern look. "Kyoko, that's bad for your heart." She laid her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes.

"I know…I just needed to stay awake for work." He sighed.

"Try and rest for a little while." He stroked her face and she smiled, her hand coming up to rest against his. He smiled as well, leaning over and kissing her cheek.

"Will you stay with me?" She mumbled. He nodded, standing and going over to the door. He flipped the lock, hoping that Kotonami-san wouldn't bother them, then went back to Kyoko and stat her up. He climbed onto the sofa and pulled her over on top of him, sandwiching her between his body and the sofa, and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. Her face rested against his neck and she kissed him softly. "Thank you." She whispered.

As she drifted to sleep, Ren mentally listed the reasons why he couldn't strip her and take her in the Love Me room. 'Number 1...Lory is probably watching.'

Kanae turned the corner at a jog, glancing at her watch irritably. Her alarm had failed her, and she hated being late for work. She squeaked when she slammed into a large, hard object that wrapped it's arms around her waist. "Are you okay?" She looked up in shock and squirmed out of the celebrity's embrace.

"Tsuruga-san! Sorry." She backed away and bowed a little, noticing the closed door behind him. "Is Kyoko here?"

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her tiredly, and it was obvious to her that his mind was elsewhere. "She's resting at the moment." Kanae nodded.

"Is she feeling any better?"

Ren smiled a little at the young woman, taking note of the worry in her voice. Despite her cold exterior, he knew that she cared greatly for his orange haired girlfriend. "Well, she's sleeping, so that's an improvement. Hopefully, she'll feel better when she wakes up." A thought occurred to him. "Kotonami-san, don't let her have any more coffee." The woman lifted an eyebrow but nodded, slipping past him and into the Love Me room as he strolled away to find his manager.

Kanae looked down at the girl on the sofa with a half smile. The dark circles under her eyes peered out from under the make up, and Kanae dimmed the lights, pulling her coat off and placing it over her best friend. "Sweet dreams." She whispered, then walked over to her desk to begin working.

Kyoko knelt in her bedroom, zipping up her bag. Her few items of clothing and toiletries fit easily, and her corn stone went in her purse. She stood and stretched with a small yawn. Walking over to her futon, she lay down, pulling the covers over herself and closing her eyes, forcing herself to relax. 'I have to get some sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow and…' Her thoughts were cut off by a ring and she felt around in the dark for her phone. Checking the screen, she smiled and flipped it open. "Good evening."

"Hello. Were you asleep?"

"Not yet." She shifted in the bed, turning on her side.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'm all packed." She told him cheerfully.

"Good….are you sure? Did you double check everything?" He went on for a few seconds, listing items that she may have forgotten, and she smiled softly in the darkness.

'He acts like I'm a child sometimes.' She stifled a giggle.

"Yes, I'll double check everything in the morning.

She heard his soft chuckle. "I'd better let you get some sleep. Call me when you arrive tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too, Corn."

A/N: So short…but I'm going to have to spend most of the rest of the week studying, so I wanted to give you a little something…sorry if there hasn't been any major progress. Hopefully you aren't bored. Reino will play a REALLY BIG role in the next two chapters, and I promise there will be action. Bear with me. College is very stressful.