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Reika sighed, and released her lip from the grip of her teeth. She couldn't tell him what was wrong because she didn't know. She didn't understand why she felt the need to cry. She turned, and walked up the steps to Reoko's mansions, opening the door and walking inside. The cool air of the house hit her, and she sighed in relief, realizing how hot she'd been standing outside. She trudged up the stairs slowly, and then headed to Tero and Reoko's bedroom.
As soon as she opened the door to the massive bedroom, she heard Tero say, "About time you got home. It's 10:50." He stated. He was sitting up on the bed, staring straight at her. His eyes widened as he saw her appearance.
Reika sighed and closed the door behind her. "Sorry, I went out to a night club to watch Night's band perform." She answered half-heartedly, walking toward the bed
Tero sighed, and shook his head. "That is so unlike you..."
Reika sat on the edge of the bed next to Tero. They were silent while Tero continued to examine her appearance. She finally broke the silence. "Tero, I'm feeling a lot of things towards Night that are unexplainable. I don't understand." She told him.
Tero cocked an eyebrow, sitting up more. "Oh? What are you feeling?" He wouldn't be okay if Reika had a crush on Night; it was his mate's body to control and to love with.
"I-I don't know." She stuttered. "I'm feeling things that are completely irrational to my friendship with Night. Things that I shouldn't be feeling in a friendship. It scares me."
Tero raised his eyebrow once more. "Are you sure you actually know how you feel towards Night?" He asked her.
Reika's mouth opened to answer his question, but she stopped herself before she began to speak. Did she know how she actually felt towards Night? They were just friends right? "C-can..."Reika hesitated, avoiding his question."Can I just tell you what I'm feeling please?"
Tero sighed, and nodded, waiting for her to explain.
Reika began with the most recent, explaining the way she felt about Scarlet and Night at the club. She explained her burning desire to cry, and the way the butterflies in her stomach hadn't flitted around in joy, but pounded in frustration and anger. Scarlet's appearance had made her feel emotions that she'd never had to feel before. She explained the way he touched her burned her skin, and she'd even fainted in front of him! She kept explaining, her words pouring out in torrents from her mouth. Tears suddenly flowed from her eyes as she continued to tell Tero of her supposed irrational feelings.
Finally at the end of
her explanation, she was sobbing, and asked Tero in a desperate
tone, "Why do I feel like this Tero? Why? He's just my
friend!"
Tero sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder,
pulling her close to him. "Reika..."He began, not knowing
how to tell her what he was about to say. He really didn't want to
tell her what she was feeling, because he knew exactly what it was
that she was feeling.
Reika buried her face into Tero's shirt, leaving tear stains all over it as she sobbed and hiccupped.
Tero put his arms around her, hugging her tight. "Reika...I think you have a humongous crush on Night." Tero had hesitated telling her this. He didn't want Reika to like Night. It was just so unlike her! That, and if she liked Night, then there was a strong possibility that he was attracted to her too. Reika usually shied away from people she knew didn't like her. It was also his mate's body, and it made him a little upset to know that Reika might have an affair with someone else.
Reika's sobs turned into small sniffles, and she looked up at him. "Is...Is that why I feel the way I do?" She asked Tero. Did she really like Night that much? Maybe she did...how else could she explain her reactions towards him?
Tero nodded in response. "I think, no I know, that you like Night a whole lot. You were jealous of Scarlet, and that's what made your stomach feel that way. Whatever you were thinking made you belittle yourself, and that's what made you jealous..."Tero explained. "You fainted because you like him so much that the way he was talking to you overwhelmed you."
Reika sniffled one last time, and then her tears were silent. How could she have been so oblivious to her own feelings? She DID like Night! She was the one who had been asking herself if Night liked her! Why else would she ask herself something like that? Reika pulled away from Tero, and edged off the bed. "I'm going to take a shower..." She mumbled as she headed off to the shower.
"All right, but I want Reoko when you're done." Tero replied.
Reika only nodded in response.
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Shiori sat at the kitchen table, reading her newspaper. "Hey, Grandma!" Night's voice suddenly broke her out of her intense concentration of the news -- when she was asleep within for a long period of time, she usually tried to catch up by reading the paper till she got bored and decided to do something else.
"Hey, Night..." She put the paper down on the table and smiled up at her grandson who had a box under each arm, heading for the shredder at the end of the kitchen. "Night...what are you doing?" Shiori asked a little suspicious.
Night shrugged, putting the boxes on the counter and splitting them open with his nails. "Nothing."
"That doesn't look like nothing. I thought you'd be up bothering Scarlet or something..." Shiori got up from the table, making her way cautiously towards the boxes to peer inside. Night made no effort to hide whatever he was going to shred.
It was all his playboy magazines.
Shiori's eyes practically popped out of her head. "What...I thought you...I don't...Why?"
Night gave her a puzzled look. "Do you want them?"
"NO!"
"Thought so." Night grabbed the first one and tossed it into the shredder.
"Night, explain, NOW." Shiori growled sternly, using every bit of motherly authority that she could.
"Well...its a little embarrassing..."
"Don't care."
"Well..." Night proceeded to tell Shiori about how Reika had said that he seemed like a decent guy and that he felt that he was except for the playboy stuff and that he didn't want to disappoint her. Shiori merely stared in disbelief.
"I never would have thought that you'd quit because of what a girl thought of you. I've been trying for years to get you to stop and in a matter of a day you decide to quit. I have to say, Reika must mean a lot to you if she's got you hooked like this." Shiori muttered as she went back to sit at the table, watching Night shred more magazines.
Night merely shrugged and shredded more.
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Reika stepped out of the shower, wringing her hair one more time before grabbing a purple towel. How ironic, the towel matched the streaks she'd just washed out of her hair. She wrapped the towel around herself, and stared in the mirror at her reflection. She stared at her button nose, her rounded cheeks, and the natural blush that coated them. She remembered how Scarlet look and compared herself. No! Stop! No one is prettier than everyone. Prettiness is in the eye of the beholder...no, somehow I messed up that phrase again! She thought, sighing to herself. It was time to change back into Reoko. She couldn't think anymore or she would just end up crying. Slowly she gave into herself, feeling for Reoko...
Reika's body grew back into Reoko's body, the curves more noticeable, the chest expanding, the hair growing about an inch longer. The eyes had a hint of blue in them now, and the mirror now reflected a different face.
"H-huh?" Reoko questioned as she realized she was finally out of her own head. "About time..."She muttered, walking out of the bathroom and into her bedroom.
As the door opened, Tero looked up from his book that he'd been reading. He was leaning back against his pillow, and smiled as he saw his mate enter the room. "Reoko! I missed you!" He exclaimed, his face joyous. He couldn't contain his excitement.
Reoko smiled at Tero. "Well, I've been gone long...feels like it's been about a week or so that I missed...what did I miss?" She asked her mate, walking across the room and into the closet.
Tero's face darkened as he realized Reoko hadn't a clue about the deaths, the threat to her life...nothing. Tero started at the beginning, telling her about the party, the threat to her life, and Rita's death. He told her about the escapade to save Natsumi, but in the process Crin had died. They'd discovered Hiro was Hiroki, Natsumi's mate. He didn't tell her about Night and Reika yet...he wanted her to process the information of Natsumi's rescue and the funeral first.
Reoko listened from the closet as she changed into a satin black night gown that ended just above her knees. Her eyebrows furrowed unhappily during the whole story. "I can't believe they're dead...it's really depressing." Reoko stated as she walked out of the closet toward the bed. "Anything else?" She asked, climbing onto the bed next to Tero. She cuddled into him, happy to be back in his presence.
Tero sighed,
hesitating to tell her.
"Come onnnn I know there's more.
Reika's been extremely quiet. Usually she chatters up about how
annoyed she is that you made her change back." Reoko nuzzled
into Tero's neck, kissing it lightly.
Tero gave up. "To make a long story short, Reika is extremely attracted to Night. She came home from a night club," he chuckled slightly as he saw the shocked expression on Reoko's face, "and she was extremely upset. She was ranting to me about the way she felt when she was around him, and all this other stuff, and how she fainted in front of him. The possibilities are that Night likes her too...I mean he calls her Kittie!...it's so complicated. Have Reika tell you everything to you when she's done being a sob baby." He finished.
Reoko sat up, and grabbed her cell phone from the night stand--apparently Reika had dropped it on her way to the bathroom-- and was dialing Shiori's number.
Ring Ring Ring Ring...
"Hello?" She heard her sister's voice.
"Sooooooooooooo what's the scoop on Kittie and Night?" Reoko asked.
"Kittie? I don't have a cat..." Shiori muttered. In the background, Reoko could hear someone shredding.
"Its Night's nickname for Reika."
"Oh!" Shiori gasped. "I'm just finding out about this now. All I know is that I've been trying to get Night to break his bad habits for YEARS, not days, years and Reika mentions something once and Night completely decides to break his habit. So...I do have to thank you for that...but its a little mind boggling...I'm watching him shred all of his...nasty stuff right now in complete shock..."
Reoko suddenly got excited, sitting up and bouncing up and down. She LOVED gossip sometimes. Other times it was just annoying. "Reeeaaallly? Well, Tero said that after Night dropped her off she came up stairs sobbing and started talking about her feelings towards Night, and she started crying and going on about this girl named Scarlet! Tero said she was jealous of her!"
Tero's eyes went wide, and he slid his hand in the air by his throat, as if telling her to cut it out. He didn't think Reika would want Reoko to tell Shiori of all people.
Reoko waved a hand at him, trying to tell him that Reika was quite dormant enough not to hear what she was saying.
"Scarlet? You mean his childhood friend? Well...she's staying with us...I don't really know why she's here, exactly...how do you feel about all this?"
"How do I feel? Well, I'm delighted that she's found someone to like! I'm...not so happy that she's sulking about Scarlet. Childhood friend you say? Oh no, I remember that she told me one of my children told her that childhood friends usually get married. She's probably worried that Night will forget about her and start liking Scarlet...that's probably why she's so depressed right now." Reoko responded.
"I highly doubt that Scarlet and Night would ever like each other that way. I think that it's sweet because...Night's...Night had some rough times in his past and I think...I think that this may be good for him. For them both."
"Well, Reika doesn't know that though so naturally she thought the worst..."Reoko sighed, running her fingers through her wet hair. "I agree that is good for the both of them, especially Reika. I don't think she's ever been this upset over a boy." She smiled.
"No, I don't think she has either, but I'm sure Natsumi is...surprised as well. We'll see how it goes. Are you sure you don't mind the whole, 'I wanna see Reika' or 'I want to see Night!' thing that's probably going to happen?"
Reoko shook her head. "No, but if it gets too bad, we'll have to set up specific days and specific times for them to be together." Reoko replied. "I'm sure Tero won't be too happy though...he doesn't like the idea of sharing my body with anyone else." Reoko giggled.
Tero punched her lightly on the shoulder, but she knew he was quite annoyed.
"I'm sure everything will be just fine." Shiori grinned, "Besides, Night isn't all that insistent. He knows the deal. I just...worry about the end."
Reoko sighed. "Shiori, the end is a long ways away. You and I both know that. Plus, does that stop Takiko and Rimundo from being together?" She asked her. "I think that they both understand that she'll someday have to...you know, go. They'll have that discussion sooner or later, if they haven't had it already."
Shiori rolled her eyes. "Knowing Night, they have. So...has Reika told you much on...um...Hiro?"
"Oh, yes...he's Hiroki."
"Oh...yeah...shocker, right?"
"Yes, I bet you're loving that."
"Oh you know it."
Reoko couldn't tell, but there was something wrong with the tone that Shiori used. "Is something wrong?"
"No...not really...just tired, you know? It's been...a long day."
"I bet."
"You've been out for today, you wouldn't know."
"True."
Shiori sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Well, um..." She didn't know what to say to end the conversation. She couldn't think with the shredder whirring in the background.
Reoko sensed Shiori's need for the end of the conversation and chuckled. "All right, well, if you have anymore info on the Night and Reika thing, call me. I'll do the same for you." She laughed slightly.
Shiori smiled, "Will do. Adios!"
"We're not Spanish."
"As far as you know."
"Um, yeah...bye."
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NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL!
Reoko sat behind her desk, waiting for her fifth period class to file in. She was stacking and organizing papers, a blank look on her face. Reika had told her that Kyo was Hiroki's reincarnation as soon as she'd been awake enough to understand what that meant, but that's not what had drained the energy from her. Also, she'd taken a pregnancy test that morning, and it turned out negative. She was slightly depressed, but it cleared out through the day as she realized that a pregnancy would almost ruin Reika's time with Night; she didn't think that Reika would want to talk to Night with a belly poking out from her body.
Fifth period went along slowly that day, and it ended up that Katsu hadn't showed up for class. Reoko wondered where he was; he hadn't showed up the night before either.
Another hundred minutes later, school was finally over. Reoko glided over to her corvette, climbing in and turning it on. She pulled out of the school parking lot, her depression of a baby-less womb completely disappeared. "I think I'll go visit Shiori!" She exclaimed suddenly, turning out of the parking lot the opposite way she usually went for home.
A few minutes later, Reoko was climbing up the steps to Shiori's front door, a smile on her face. She knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer.
It was Takiko who opened the door. She stared at Reoko blankly for a moment before smiling warmly. "Hello Aunt Reoko." Takiko moved out of the way so that Reoko could come in, "Shiori's up in the study at the top of the stairs."
Reoko grinned back at Takiko, "Thanks!" She then glanced over at Rimundo who was lying out on the couch. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"
Rimundo groaned. "Nothing..." he rolled over to look up at her with tired silver eyes, "You aren't here to tease me, are you?"
"No, but if I wanted to, I'd just do that during class where Shiori can't see anything. If you have no proof, I can't get into trouble!" Reoko giggled.
Takiko sighed from behind. "He had a late night last night. He kind of melted onto the couch right when he got home. He's pretty sarcastic when he's tired."
"Ah, well, he doesn't have to bring his negative energy into everyone else's lives." Reoko shrugged, before bounding up the stairs to Shiori's study. "Shiori-chaaaaannn!" Reoko exclaimed as she entered the room, grinning widely. "How are you darling?" Her voice sounded so cheery, it was almost fake.
Shiori looked up from the lap top she'd been working on, her eyes wide with surprise. "Reoko...I didn't expect to see you here so soon..." Shiori motioned to the furniture in the room, "Sit anywhere you want to." Shiori closed the lap top and leaned back in her cozy chair. "Except this chair, of course." She grinned, her fangs flashing in the light that filtered in from the window.
"Expect to see me here so soon? I guess you've been expecting me in the first place then, huh?" Reoko teased, taking the chair closest to Shiori. "So, where's Night? I feel like I should congratulate him for some reason..." She asked, twirling her hair on her finger.
Shiori gave Reoko a funny look. "Congratulate him for what? Giving up his addiction to bad magazines?"
"Oh, well, that too I guess..." Reoko pondered, putting a finger to her lips. "It just seems as if Night and Reika are already together in my mind! I feel the urge to congratulate him for liking...her?" She realized how ridiculous it was, and giggled merrily.
"Reoko, they aren't quite together yet. You know Reika, she's...well, we don't want to frighten either of them away from one another." Shiori paused, staring at Reoko suspiciously. "Are you drunk? You seem a little...too perky."
"I'm recovering from the disappointment of a negative pregnancy test." Reoko responded, her expression flickering from giddy to gloomy. "Well, I just think they'd be sooo cute. Reika needs someone nice, and Night does seem like a nice boy from what she's said." Reoko's cheer appeared once more.
Shiori stared at Reoko for a long time. "400 babies." She finally said, making Reoko crack up.
"What?"
"Yes, 400 babies. I think you'd be able to handle 400 babies."
"Um...that's really random."
"Yes, and they'd all be from Kenya."
"I don't get it..."
"It's an inside joke."
"Oh..."
"Well I don't know what you want to do about their relationship. I think it's funny because you never got into my relationship with Kyo." Shiori flinched at the name.
Reoko sighed slightly. "Darling, there is no reason to flinch at Kyo's name! Hiroki will eventually change back into him sometime...he just doesn't know how to. If you aren't going to teach him how to do it, then I will!" She said, nodding. "I think I'm more excited about Reika and Night because this is new for Reika, and she needs someone more than you can imagine."
Shiori nodded, "True, but we were sisters..." Shiori paused, "Look, I can't trust the guy. I mean...I woke up to find him..." Shiori blushed, "You probably know...I just don't see how it's possible for him to be Kyo."
"I was busy with my relationship with Tero too, remember?" Reoko retorted, sighing. "I can see how possible it is for him to be Kyo. You know our luck. I mean, look at this! We have incarnations of our own, why wouldn't Natsumi's mate find a body to stay with? Aren't they bound to each other until each one of them dies? Natsumi isn't really dead, now is she?"
Shiori's eyes grew wide with horror. "You aren't suggesting that the only reason I feel in love with Kyo was because he was Hiroki who was Natsumi's mate in my past life? It wasn't MY love?" Shiori caught herself, "Hypothetically, I mean. If Hiroki was Kyo's incarnation."
"No! Not at all!" Reoko exclaimed. "Of course it's your love, but you really don't think it's a coincidence that Kyo is Hiroki's incarnation, do you? It was fate." Reoko nodded. "I believe that Hiroki is Kyo's incarnation! I'll prove it to you!" she suddenly stood up from her chair, and ran to the doorway. "Hiroki! HIROKIIIII!!" she shouted.
Shiori blushed like mad. "What are you doing? Why are you being so...so INSISTANT?" Shiori exclaimed, jumping up from her chair. "Is that the reason you came down here? To maybe save me from horrible depression or push me into more? Reoko, think about this..."
"No. HIROKI!!" Reoko practically sang.
"NO! Reoko, Reoko please think this through..."
"Shiori," Reoko turned to Shiori sharply, "you were always the stubborn one. Now it's MY turn." right on cue, Hiroki walked in, a confused -- and defensive-- look on his face.
"You called?"
"Oh yes, I did call!" Reoko clasped her hands together as she walked backwards into the room. "You said you were Kyo's incarnate correct?"
"Yes..." Hiroki asked, still defensive...and confused.
"Well, since Shiori won't teach you to change back into Kyo, would you mind if I did?" Reoko asked her tone polite.
Hiroki hesitated, "If it's alright with Shiori..." Shiori growled, sitting back into her seat, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Oh, what do I have to lose? Just my sanity, but that's alright, maybe one day I'll gain it back when this whole mess is figured out and you all go to wherever your going. Go ahead."
Hiroki frowned, taking a step towards her. "I don't want to hurt you..."
"You're hurting me now, just go ahead and try it."
Hiroki hesitated again before looking back at Reoko. "Let's do it."
Reoko nodded at him. "All right, but I need to ask Reika to cooperate first. If she won't change back into me, then the whole presentation is pointless, isn't it?" She told him. Reoko called for Reika in her head about three times until she finally received an answer.
Yes? Reika groaned back, still upset about the night before.
There you are! We're teaching Hiroki how to change back into Kyo, okay? I need your help. Reoko responded.
All right, all right. I'll behave. Reika responded.
"Okay! Here we go! Well, since you are the incarnate, it might be a bit different for you to change back. I'm not sure; you'll have to ask Reika. First, start off with calling for Kyo's name in your head. You can do it aloud too." Reoko started.
Hiroki nodded, watching her closely as she began to present her 'how-to.'
"This part is a little hard to explain but...you kind of need to feel like you would die if you weren't them...feel for them, imagine what it would be like to have their body. Have a willing spirit; give in to the other soul in your body..." With that, Reoko suddenly changed, her womanly features changing into Reika's budding figure.
Reika opened her eyes, and smiled. "Well, um..." She started, "...it's different when I change. You don't have to call for anyone; you just have to give yourself up to that other person, like you've lost the battle for the body. You need to have the feeling that your time is up, and you should let the other person have their fair share of time in the outside world." Reika explained, watching Hiroki nod as she told him. "Well, um, here goes nothing..."
Reika felt herself being crammed back into Reoko's head, and the figure of the body growing. It was slightly painful having to grow so big, but she soon escaped the pain as she emerged into the darkness of Reoko's mind.
Reoko stared out at Hiroki. "Well then, you think you can try?" She asked him.
Hiroki hesitated, looking at Shiori who wasn't looking at him and then looked back at Reoko, a determined expression plastered on his face. "Yes." He closed his eyes, concentrating on trying to give up his spirit to Kyo's, trying to take the memories he could remember of Kyo's and trying to let them take over his.
It worked. A few seconds of sharp pain and suddenly he was no longer in control of the body, wrapped up in a slightly disoriented mind.
"Whoa..." Kyo stumbled, grabbing the back of a chair for support, "What in the world...?" Hiroki had to laugh; all Kyo remembered was the boat and nothing more. He had no idea how much his mate had suffered without him or his children.
"KYO!" Shiori screeched, and suddenly Kyo was on the floor with Shiori practically on top of him, kissing him like crazy through her tears of joy, not letting Kyo get a word in.
Hiroki couldn't help but wonder; how was he going to tune all this out? They never told him that part...
Reoko beamed. "I win! I win! I WIN!" She jumped up and down, giddy that her presentation to Hiroki had been successful. "So, do you think you can live now, Shioriiiiiii-chaaaaaaaaannnnn?" She taunted, swaying her hips as if she were doing a little dance. "You owe me! You owe me!"
"Reoko," Shiori growled between kisses, "We'll discuss this later."
Reoko took the hint and sweat dropped. "Um...I'll be seeing you two later...um...bye..." She quickly got out of there.
As soon as the door closed, Shiori was pulling Kyo to the chair, pushing him onto it and leapt onto his lap. "You have NO idea how much you've hurt me...all of us this past month!" Shiori whimpered as she finally stopped kissing him and instead buried herself into his chest, snuggling up to him as much as possible.
"I'm sorry...what happened?"
Shiori looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "That's right...you don't know."
"No, I don't. What happened darling?" Kyo whispered, his fingers brushing away her continuous tears with his thumbs. Shiori explained through her tears, telling him everything -- though she didn't go into detail on what she did after his 'death'. Kyo listened without interruption. When Shiori told him of the deaths, he did have to stop her and get up, trying to regain his composure. Shiori waited patiently, new tears spilling down her face as well. After a few hours of silence, Kyo returned to her, holding her in his arms as she continued the story. At the end he really didn't like the part where Hiroki had been in bed with her when she woke up, but it wasn't like he could do anything besides chew him out when he figured out how.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you." Shiori cried again into his shirt, clenching a fist full of it.
"I...I'm sorry, I...I don't know what to say...If I'd known I would have come back immediately, but obviously I didn't."
Shiori shook her head. "I'll be fine. We'll be fine. The kids have known, I've just been..."
"Overly stubborn to the point of stupidity?"
"Yes." Shiori smiled as Kyo wiped her tears away, "But would you have me any differently?"
Kyo grinned back, placing his forehead against hers. "Nope, not for the world." Then his lips were on hers, moving with her gently at first before it erupted into an almost desperate kiss. His right hand tangled into the crook of her neck while the other slid to her waist.
"Kyo...you may want to at least find somewhere more comfortable..." Shiori whispered between kisses as Kyo's lips moved down her neck.
"There's a couch over there," Shiori sighed as Kyo lifted her, his lips never leaving her.