Lost love.
Lory carefully adjusted his collarless shirt making sure the suit he wore was pristine and presentable as he walked up the last few steps, down the path and stood before her gravestone. He was shocked to see it was already spotlessly clean with fresh flowers and recently burnt incense neatly beside a box containing a range of small finger foods all neatly arranged with what seemed to be a letter tucked beneath it. Lory smiled down at the stationary he himself had ordered as the people who had allowed him to approach the family plot first arranged themselves behind him.
Maria sobbed silently as she held her bouquet of white lilies in one hand while her second was clasped in that of Tsuruga Ren as he also held a bouquet of the same flowers they had been her favourite after all. Lory coughed a few times and tried to control his emotions swallowing the large lump that seemed to be forcing its way up to his throat as Maria released Rend hand to grasp that of her grandfathers as she spoke out what she knew they all knew but helped her regain some of the composure she had lost since stepping out of the nondescript sedan car they had arrived in.
"It's already been cleaned," she stated as she placed her flowers gently onto the ground before reaching for the letter.
"Well it is Kyoko-chan afterall." where the only words Lory could force out when a large hand rested heavy on his shoulder and squeezed. As Lory thought back to the last time he had spoken to that darling child.
Kyoko liked watching people, if asked she would smile and say it was useful and made her a better actress because of it. She had always been watching people. It was what she was trained to do after all she watched the customers at the rykon in case they needed something the Okami had always said that as a gracious hostess she should almost be able to gauge what her customers needed without being asked. A glass of water for a throat that would soon be close to parched from talking so much, a towel for a child who had been playing with the bubbles in his drink before the glass tipped. A fresh set of towels for the businesswoman who goes out jogging every morning before breakfast but then again before dinner.
It was this trait of always watching people that made Kyoko's mind stand to attention when she noticed the president's behaviour that day. She had been delivering reports to his office as instructed by Sawara when the receptionist had told her to go in without any hesitation, used to her odd Presidents habits she was expecting something grand or something different about his office like she always did when entering the cosplay obsessed mans rooms, but today was different... Yes her president stood there in what she guessed was supposed to be a mobster style pinstripe suit with a brimmed hat, black shirt and tie, Tommy gun prop on his desk but his heart just didn't seem in it as he started out of the window over the Tokyo skyline in a pose that spoke of thoughtfulness as Kyoko cleared her throat gently to obtain his attention.
As soon as he saw who had made the noise it was almost like a switch had been hit as Lorys smile was back in full force as he welcomed her exuberantly like normal but still... Koko watched his eyes and worried for the man before her. Lory mentioned for her to take a seat and sat down behind the desk himself as he motioned for her to speak, it didn't take long to hand over half of the sheets she had been holding before she started walking him through what the reports were about and how Sawara wished to continue.
Her eyes barely left the president when she wasn't reading out the in for a before her, she just couldn't get over the notion that something was wrong and it irked her immensely to see the pain hiding behind his eyes as continued on his facade of normality which hurt Kyoko's heart more than she could understand, this man who helped her so much, who gave her a second chance and a career she loved was hurting... He was hurting badly and in that moment as she closed the document she was supposed to be reading from and waited for him to look at her Kyoko made a decision.
Lory realising she had stopped speaking looked up at the woman before him and saw a look of such caring in her eyes before she spoke.
"What's wrong Mr President?" she asked softly as Loty gazed into her mesmerising golden orbs he almost chuckled to himself realising that yes it would be Kyoko that noticed wouldn't it; after all the people he had spoken too and had meetings with in the last three days it would be her that noticed that something was wrong. He smiled at her in the same soft way he would to Maria who didn't need to ask what was wrong but gave him extra strong hugs and made beautiful little charms and mementoes for him instead. He looked at the woman's face before him and decided he may as well tell her or she would be likely to worry herself silly like when Ren didn't tell her about his acting test for Katsuki.
"Have I ever told you about my wife Kyoko?" he asked throwing her for a loop as she shook her head confused but fully concentrating on him as he smiled and continued.
"She was as beautiful as she was kind and I know for a fact she was the most amazing woman ever to walk this earth, if only for the simplest reason that she loved me when I thought no one ever would, and so Kyoko sat there and listened as the president told her all about Takarada Jun and the wonderful person she had been the papers lying forgotten on his desk between them as he wove a tale of the most beautiful love story between a man and a woman to last the ages.
It had been almost two hours when Lorys receptionist had knocked at his door apologising but he needed to start getting ready now or he would miss his flight, Lory had thanked her and waved a hand of dismissal before looking back to the woman before him, who had been the most wonderful listener laughing, gasping and even crying at all the right moments as he had spoken and in telling her everything a weight he always felt are and this time of year lifted slightly and he smiled warmly once more as she fought to stop the tears leaking from her eyes.
"Im truly sorry sacho!" she said, wiping her eyes once more as he passed her another box of tissues the first one he had given her was now empty. She pulled another out before replacing the fresh box on his desk where he always kept them as this time she managed to control herself.
"How are you not sad all the time sir?" she asked completely seriously, thinking of how horrendous it must have been watching the cancer eat away at the woman he loved with no cure, knowing the growths were slowly taking over her heart and lungs as she fought until the end with a smile on her face. Lory chuckled, a normal person would apologise for his loss and wonder why, after so many years why he had just sat there and told them his entire love story every little detail in full beautiful yet gruesome detail. Yet the woman before him asked the same question he had often asked himself when the mood had struck him late at night when he would look at her side of the bed and know she would never sleep there again.
Or when he looked at their child or grandaughter and knew that Jun would have been able to help Maria and Kuoki when he did not know what to do for the best. She had been the one after all to tell him when the time come to go and get Koun and bring him to Japan when he hadn't even hit his lowest point yet, she had known what was coming from that one visit with his father when he was 10 years old and she had been completely right of cause.
Lory watched Kyoko as she wait he's him and remembered what Jun had told him as she lay there on the brink of her next adventure as she had called it, the look she had given him as she told him he was not allowed to be all crying and mopy when she was gone as that would just not do! That he was the Love Monster of LME after all and she expected him to stay that way! Her small hand had been so frail held in his big ones as he told her softly that he could never love another as he did her, he could never love another in the same way. She had just smiled and called him a silly man in the way she always did.
"There are more than one type of love, you silly man, love the son who works way too hard, the daughter-in-law who pursues her passion so furiously. Love the granddaughter who still sees wonder in everything and the family we made together for a start.
Then love the office staff who stays that extra ten minutes so he can finish that one piece of paperwork so his coworker won't have to worry the next day, love the cameraman who will fight against all odds to get that perfect shot and the manager who keeps an unruly fan from our talented children.
Love the actor who surpasses every obstacle in his way and the actress who people said would never get far when they achieve their dreams, but also the times those dreams are crushed by life. Love the people who were scared of can't seem to love themselves Lory and then when all that love heals your heart and you have lived a good long life we will find each other again and you can tell me all about it." So when Jun had taken her final breath that day and Lory had grieved for the week she had told him he could, Lory had worked hard on mastering every type of love he could, spreading it far and wide as he always had and working double for Jun's love too so he answered Kyoko in the only way he knew how.
"Because there are so many people in this world Kyoko-chan that deserve to be loved and so many types of love I promised Jun I would find them all and when we are together again I will tell her all about it." Kyoto thought about his answer for a long time he could see the cogs turning in her head and even though he knew he needed to leave he didn't want to destroy this moment for her, he loved Kyoko like a daughter she was one of his most treasured children and his greatest wish for her was that she could love herself.
Kyoko sighed to herself, no wonder Lory had been so adamant about love being the be-all and end-all of important emotions like her Love had hurt Lory but instead of succumbing to the hate, he had only learned to love more! Was this where she had gone wrong? She wondered as she thought about her own silly meeting with the President admitting that yes she did love Ren but refusing to tell him so. Was this why he had looked so sad? Was this why he had tried to guild her to a different path where admitting her feelings would have been the right thing to do? Even if Ren would have rejected her all the same? Because even when he did reject her she would have learnt something... Wouldn't she, she would have experienced that love fully for those few moments while she waited for him to formulate a kind answer to reject her, because if she didn't tell him how she felt how could she say she had fully felt love?
She seemed to come to an answer as she smiled at him. It was watery and still sad in ways but she seemed calm as she stood and bowed to the president politely.
"Thank you Sacho and thank you for telling me all about your wonderful wife LME was certainly blessed when you created it together." Lory smiled as he stood and bowed back to her slightly.
"Thank you Kyoko-chan and I'm sorry to have kept you so long but I had better get ready now as I do have a plane to catch." his eyes looked sad once more as it only took a questioning glance for Lory to chuckle and admit another truth to her.
"It will be Jun's Anniversary tomorrow of her death normally I would go to see her and do the usual tending, but this year it's not going to be possible. It's the only day we were able to book in with a talented director and I know Jun would completely understand but still..." Kyoto didn't mind that Lorys sentence trailed off. She understood how hard this must be for him and simply offered him a smile that filled his heart with warmth.
"From what you've told me she would have been peeved at you for not doing what was needed." Lory laughed out loud as he nodded and agreed with her wholeheartedly as Kyoko bowed once more and Lory walked her to the door of the room.
"I think you would have been amazed if you could have seen the day of her funeral. LME was covered in flowers. It was like a flower field." Lory said as she smiled again before she touched his arm consolingly and Lory knew just how much Kyoko understood his pain even if he didn't know why as he saw the and turned back to his office speaking quietly to the empty room.
"You would have loved her to Jun.," he said as he allowed himself one more moment of reflection before he shook himself out and started gathering his things together he would need for the journey.
Kyoko spent the rest of the day in her type of quiet reflection she had never known the woman that was Takarada Jun and in some way she felt she had missed out on something rather special, she looked at the envelopes she was stuffing with invitations to a grand ball one of the models was holding as a way of extending her notoriety and wondered what Jun would have thought of her ideas of love? If the president's creation of the Love Me section was anything to go by it wouldn't have been the best response she was sure.
It wasn't long till lunch so Kyoko decided to head out for a walk, she felt enclosed and needed some fresh air and even as her feet walked the normal path she took towards a small and inexpensive hole in the wall ramen shop she and the other love me girls had found and enjoyed she still couldn't fully shake the fogginess from her mind as if there was an idea just waiting behind the mists to spring out on her and give her the answer she was looking for. She waited for the crossing lights to change and stepped out onto the roadway as someone behind her screamed. It was at that moment that Kyoko looked up at the road properly as the truck driver who had been racing to cross the lights on amber brakes failed to stop.
She saw the drivers face full of sorrow and regret just as Lorys had been earlier as the truck bared down on her. She was about to die and her greatest regret was not telling the people around her just how much she loved them. The screeching of brakes could be heard over the crowd as one they took in a collective breath.