A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed! I'll try to respond as quickly as possible. For now, please enjoy the second chapter.
Curiosity
"Corn! Look! A hamburger stone! And another one!" The little girl ran from rock to rock in the bright sunlight, picking them up to show him, a gleeful smile on her face, all remains of her tears gone. He felt his heart warm and laughed softly at the little girl. Spotting a huge, flat rock, he held it up. "This must be the hamburger rock kingdom!" She cried, holding up another.
"Kyoko-chan! What about this one?" The little girl's face lit up, then she curtsied.
"Your highness." She greeted reverently. He shook from suppressed laughter, not wanting to spoil her fun.
Opening his eyes, Ren stared at the light coming in through the window, a soft smile still on his face. 'A dream…no. A memory. A happy one at that…it's been quite a while since I've had one of those.' He sat up with a grin still on his face. 'If that girl really is the same Kyoko…' He sighed, his happiness draining away. 'Then what?'
A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts once more. This time, he stood and walked over to the door, pulling it open, still in his pajamas. "Yes?" He asked softly, wondering exactly what time it was. Instead of the golden-eyed girl he expected, a young woman with short hair and dark eyes held a tray full of food.
"Good morning, Tsuruga-san. I brought you breakfast." She chirped. Although Ren had no idea that the maids had drawn sticks for who go to deliver him breakfast, he suspected that she was a fan.
"Oh. Thank you." He pasted a gentlemanly smile on his face and invited her in. Cheerfully, she placed the tray on his table and bowed. He couldn't help but compare her manners to Kyoko's. Shaking his head a little, he bowed as well.
"No problem. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She looked up at him with a bright, excited smile, and he suppressed the rude urge to roll his eyes. Before he could send her away, he got an idea.
"Um, actually, I was curious about something." He knelt in front of the low table and motioned for her to do the same. Frowning a little, she reluctantly complied, sitting straight on her knees. "Yesterday, I was served by a girl named Kyoko." He spoke quietly, as if afraid of being overheard. 'Well, I don't want people wondering why I'm asking about her.' He reasoned with himself.
The girl was nodding. "Yes. Mogami Kyoko…did she…do something wrong?" The girl cocked her head.
"No!" He hastily assured her. "I was just…how old is she?" He asked suddenly. The girl arched an eyebrow, obviously thinking the worst. "Um…she told me that she isn't in high school…and I was wondering how old she was…."
"She told you that?"
"No….I mean…yes. I asked her." He assured the girl, caught between trying to keep Kyoko out of trouble and making sure that he didn't come off looking like a pervert.
"Okay. She's sixteen." The girl told him slowly. "She's the youngest girl that works here." She added.
"Why isn't she in school." The girl looked away uncomfortably. "I'm just curious." He assured her. "It seems strange that she wouldn't be attending high school."
The girl leaned in a little, obviously having a good time gossiping but not wanting to get caught. "She can't." She whispered, and Ren's brow furrowed. "The Fuwas won't pay for it because of Sho." She told him. His eyebrow's shot up.
"The Fuwas…the owners of the inn?" She nodded hastily, her eyes shining in excitement, and Ren was almost angry with her for it, although he needed the information. "Why would they need to pay for it in the first place?"
The girl glanced at the door again. "Her mother abandoned her when she was little, and left her here. The Fuwas took her in, and raised her, until their son ran away. I think Kyoko knows where he is, but won't tell them because they were in love, and now the Fuwas hate her." There was a sharp rap on the door and the girl stood quickly, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Ren glanced at the flustered girl, hurried to the door, and pulled it open. The Okami-san, who had greeted him when he arrived, stood stiffly in the doorway. "Tsuruga-san." She greeted politely, but he could see her gaze shift behind him.
"Good morning, Okami-san." He greeted with equal politeness, plus an ultra bright, irritated smile. 'I was just learning something about the girl…' "How can I help you?"
"I believe one of my maids is neglecting her other work and taking too long to serve your breakfast. I'm sorry that she disturbed you." He almost flinched at her cold tone and glanced back at the girl.
"She wasn't disturbing me." He said simply. "I asked her a question and she was answering me." He held the smile in place, but the Okami-san only stared at the girl until she slipped past the adults and hurried off.
"Sorry Okami-san." She mumbled on the way out, her head ducked. Ren frowned in pity, but recognized an opportunity.
"Can I speak to you?" He asked softly, and the woman nodded.
"Alright." She followed him into the room and stood stiffly by the door. For a second, he wondered how having multiple women in his room was going to affect his reputation, but then dismissed the thought. "It's about the girl that served me yesterday. Mogami Kyoko."
'There it is. Her eyes narrowed, she stiffened even more than she already was…she does dislike the girl.' Years of experience in observing people were coming in handy as he studied her reaction.
"What about her?" The woman asked in monotone.
He smiled. "I was wondering if she could continue serving me." The woman lifted a think eyebrow, thinking for a moment.
"May I ask why?"
"She does a good job." He answered with an innocent smile. "And she is good company. I'll pay extra, if that's what it takes." He offered. The woman's eyes widened at that.
"Of course. I'll inform her that she will be serving you for the remainder of your stay. She will do anything you request." Something about the way she phrased that bothered Ren, but he nodded.
"Thank you." He murmured.
Kyoko stood in the hallway, pressed against the wall as the Okami-san walked by, her cleaning basket clenched in her fist. She watched the woman's retreating back in concern. 'Why does he want me to serve him?' She wondered. 'I don't mind bringing his meals…but why me specifically? He keeps watching me strangely…as if he knows me.' She took a deep breath, moving on to the next room. There were very few people who were actually awake at the moment, so she just had her normal empty rooms to clean. 'Whatever he wants, I feel strange around him. When he looks at me like…well like he does, I feel weird. I'd rather just stay away from him.'
'I shouldn't have done that.' Ren dropped his head in his hands, confused. 'I need to stay away from her. This is too dangerous. Not only could I be harming my reputation, I'm probably bothering the poor girl.' He thought about what the other maid had told him. 'The Fuwas hate her…because she loves their son, Sho? And because she won't tell them where he is…' He remembered that name, how it had always annoyed him a little how much she seemed to be devoted to the boy. 'It seems like the more I learn about her, the more convinced I become of her identity.' He sighed. 'I shouldn't be thinking about this.' He scolded himself. 'I'm need to be thinking about acting, about how to beat my father, not about some girl who works at a hotel.'
"You haven't eaten your food." The voice was surprised, and his head shot up. He hadn't heard a knock before, and was startled to find the girl watching him in disapproval. Suddenly, her hand was on his forehead.
'What's going on!' His mind screamed, but he remained silent as the girl assessed him.
"Are you feeling okay, Tsuruga-san?" She asked worriedly. "Are you getting sick?"
Originally, she had planned on demanding to know what he wanted with her, but seeing him slumped on the bed with his head in his hands, and the full breakfast tray, still untouched on the table, she had gotten worried. Without really meaning to, she had hurried to his side and touched his forehead, checking for a fever.
Ren looked up into her worried face and a smile rose unbidden to his lips. He reached up and captured her hand, almost enjoying the look of shock and the accompanying blush. "I'm fine." He reassured her kindly, making her blush brighten. "I'm just not hungry."
"B…Bu….but you…you have t….to ea…eat." She finally forced the sentence out past her own stuttering and he laughed softly. Her sad, worried look transformed into a scolding one. "Tsuruga-san, you are an actor. You have to take care of your body. What if you get sick?"
He lifted an eyebrow, amused. "I've never gotten sick." He told her. "And besides, I'm on vacation. I'm not working right now."
"But…but what if you get really sick! And…and you aren't better before you have to go back to work?" He almost laughed at the reverent way she said the word 'work.' "And all of your fans will be disappointed…. what if you get so sick that you die!"
"Well then, I'll be dead and it won't really matter to me anymore." The laughter came out in his teasing, and she glared at him.
"Fine." She pulled her hand away, turned, and stormed out of the room after grabbing the tray. He watched her go in surprise, but continued laughing.
'So dramatic.' He thought fondly, and then stiffened, a look of horror settling on his face. 'FONDLY! Why am I thinking anything about her 'fondly'! Didn't I just decide that I shouldn't be thinking about her at all! What is the matter with…what?' She was back, marching into his room, and setting a new tray on the table. She crossed her arms and stared at him.
"You have to eat something, Tsuruga-san." She told him firmly, and his eyes widened. "You cannot get sick." He just stared at her.
Finally, he smirked. Seeing the faint blush appear on her cheeks, he chucked a little. "Alright then. I'll eat my breakfast like you say." He kept his eyes on her large brown ones. "But only if you join me." The girl was about to refuse, he was sure of it. "The Okami-san told me that you would do anything I requested." He reminded her, then caught the sudden scared look in her eyes and softened his own. "I would like some company, and I know you haven't eaten yet. Please join me?" She hesitated a little, but sat at the table across from him.
Deciding to get the attention off of herself, she quickly served him some food, did the same for herself, and sat back. "Itadakimasu." She said quietly. He nodded and she looked up at him. "So…you are an actor?" She asked softly.
He chewed and swallowed, nodding. "Yes."
"Um…how long have you been acting?" She wondered.
"About four or five years." 'Or...you know...my whole life.' He lied out of habit, not because he feared her guessing his secret.
"Do…uh…do you like it?" He grinned.
"Very much. It is probably my favorite thing in the world."
"Oh." She said, smiling cheerfully.
"What about you?" He asked before she could think of another question. "Do you like being a maid?"
Her expression darkened. "Not really." She told him softly.
"So why don't you get another job? Or do your parents want you to work here?" He kept his voice strictly curious.
She stared at the plate sadly. "Um…I don't actually have parents. I…I live with the Fuwas."
"Oh." He had heard it already, but he felt pity for the young girl. "I'm sorry." He told her softly. She offered a grateful smile, but quickly looked back down at her food. "Mogami-san…the Fuwas…are they…" He sighed. 'This is none of my business. I should keep my mouth shut. This girl is a stranger. I may have known her for a few days as a child, but she's still a stranger.' "Are they good to you?" He cursed his traitorous mouth.
She stiffened, and he had his answer. "They…they have been very good to me. They practically raised me since I was a child."
"They're just upset about their son?" He asked bitterly. She stared at him in shock.
"Tsuruga-san! How did you know about him?"
He looked away, uncomfortable with how much he had revealed. "Um…I just heard someone talking about it…that he ran away." She nodded slowly, but didn't volunteer any more information. He watched as her eyes filled with pain. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about that. It isn't any of my business." 'None of this is. Not you. Not this family…or this place. So why do I keep sticking my nose into it?'
The dream came almost every week. Her mother's cold eyes, staring down at her, ripping her hand away, the sting of the slap against her cheek. 'You are a bad girl. I'm leaving you because you are a very bad girl.' The tears running down her face, the salty taste in her mouth, a lump in her throat. 'Why are you crying?' This was new. A boy. Not just any boy. The prince of the fairies, with golden hair and eyes the color of grass. His hand on her shoulder. He flew for her. 'Don't cry, Kyoko-chan!'
She gasped and sat up, tears still running down her face. Her room was dark, as was the view from her window. A sob rose in her throat and she nearly choked. Holding herself for a moment, she reached over and grabbed the bag that sat beside her bed every night. She pulled the stone out and sobbed, letting it absorb her sadness.
Wanting suddenly to be in the only place where she could really talk to Corn, she threw on a robe and ran downstairs and out the back entrance in her bare feet, as she had done many times before. The maid that worked at night never bothered commenting on the girl racing through the lobby and out the door anymore. It was a rather common occurrence. But not to Ren. He glanced up from his early morning coffee, the only other person in the lobby, and watched the girl run. Jumping to his feet, he casually strolled out the door and then set out after her, all the while wondering what he thought he was doing.
When he finally found her in the dark, she was kneeling next to the large, very familiar boulder by the stream. Even in the lack of light, he could see her outline, hunched over something she held in her hands. "Corn." She sobbed, and he closed his eyes, the familiar ache returning, a childhood sadness at seeing another person so sad….but there was something else there too.
'This girl…there's just something about her.'
"Corn." Her voice was so broken that he could barely make out the words. "Mother left." She cried. "And…the Fuwas hate me." She was rocking back and forth and Ren wanted to run to her, to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. "Sho left me too. I…I have to find him."
Anger returned when Ren heard that name, but it was mixed with pity for the young girl. 'Does this 'Sho' even care about her? Or does she just want someone so badly that she's willing to pretend that he does?' The thought was painful as well as infuriating, and he fought with himself on whether or not to go to her. She shook and cried, whimpering and sobbing, and he couldn't take it anymore. He ran.
'I can't do this. I can't. She's Kyoko-chan, the same little girl, and I really do feel sorry for her…she's a nice girl, and she obviously has a rough life…but I can't fix it for her. I can't get too close. Not after what I did. I don't deserve to be happy.' He went straight to his room, forgetting about his coffee, and shut his door. 'I can't do this anymore.'
