A/N: Another rather short chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Whispers in the Dark

Ren arrived home at 10 and fought the urge to call, 'I'm home.' Instead, he peeked in his dark kitchen and smiled a little. There were no dirty dishes, no sign of a mess at all. 'I can't believe she already cleaned up.' He looked around his living room and flipped on the lights. Bypassing his bedroom, he knocked lightly on the door of the guest room and, hearing no response, pushed the door open gently. There was a bowl with some cold broth at the bottom on the nightstand next to her phone, and she was tossing and turning in her sleep. He moved forward and touched her forehead, then smiled a little. Though her skin was slick with sweat, her forehead was cool. He shook her shoulder and whispered her name.

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled a little. "Hi. Welcome home." She mumbled. He laughed softly.

"I'm home. Come on. Sit up. You need to get a shower and warm up. Your fever broke." She wiped her forehead and he handed her a cloth. "I'll bring you some clothes and put them in the bathroom, okay." She nodded and let him help her up, following him sleepily down the hall and into the bathroom, where he left her.


Kyoko stepped into the steaming shower with a smile. The fog that had encompassed her brain for the last day or so was finally lifting, and she could think clearly. She scrubbed herself, blushing a little when she used Ren's shampoo, and her mind immediately went back to her confession. 'How could I have been so bold!' She cried in her mind, but couldn't help remembering the happy expression on his face, and the way he had hugged her and kissed her. 'Well…he obviously loves me too…' Her blush intensified. 'But I don't know how to act now…do I bring it up? Or will he sa…' Her train of thought was cut off when the bathroom door opened.

"Kyoko?" The frozen girl managed to mumble a response. "I just brought you some clothes. They're on the counter."

"Um…okay. Thank you." She mumbled.

He chuckled. "You okay? You need some help?" She squeaked.

"No…I'm fine!" She cried. "I'm okay…I don't need help…I'm…" He laughed loudly at her flustered voice.

"I was kidding." He told her gently. "I'm going to be in the living room." He shut the door and she sighed, sinking to the floor.

"He shouldn't tease me like that! Playboy…" She mumbled with a tiny, embarrassed smile.


Ren glanced up from the TV when Kyoko emerged from the hallway, dressed in his oversized white t-shirt and shorts. The string was pulled as tight as it would go, but they were still baggy on her, and he smiled, patting the cushion beside him. Hesitantly, she walked over and sat beside him, and he lifted his arm to put it around her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She said happily. "Was the director angry?" She asked, looking up at him fearfully. He frowned a little, remembering his rather tense conversation with the man, but shook his head.

"No. He wasn't angry withy you." She drooped.

"You're lying." She mumbled. He only sighed.

"I am not. He was angry with me, and he was irritated, but not with you. It wasn't your fault."

"Why would he be angry with you?" She wondered, staring up at him.

He sighed. "Because I took the night off to take care of you, and then pushed filming back today."

"Ren!" She cried, stunned. "Why would you do that! You shouldn't…"

"Because I was worried about you." His soft, worried voice dissolved her speech, and she stared at the sofa between them.

"But…but you can't…"

"But nothing. I don't regret it. He was mostly upset because filming was delayed. It was nothing to do with you."

"But it was! It was my fault! I couldn't finish the scenes." She said sadly, clutching her hands in her lap.

"Kyoko." His voice was stern as his hand stroked her hair. "It was not your fault. You couldn't help it that you were sick, and everyone was impressed for how long you were able to keep acting, including the director. He isn't upset. Everything will be back on schedule soon." She nodded slightly, leaning against his hand.

"Um…Ren." She peeked up at his face, which seemed to be moving closer to her own. "I…does anyone know…um…about…us?" She mumbled the words as she stared back down at the sofa, her face on fire. He suppressed a chuckle at her embarrassment, stroking her hair again.

"Yashiro probably knows. Some of the Dark Moon actors and actresses may be guessing. Why? Are you ashamed?" He couldn't help the tiny bit of teasing, but almost regretted it when she stared at him with fearful, stunned eyes.

"Of course not! I'm not ashamed of you! Why would you think that?" He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her briefly.

"Sorry. I was just kidding. I know you aren't." She gave him an irritated glare, and he laughed. "Okay, really, the first question is…" He sighed, feeling like a teenager. "Will you agree to go out with me?" She blushed, looking up at him.

"Um…of course. I said that I l…loved you." He smiled, taking one of her hands and holding it.

"I know. And I could never get tired of hearing it. But I needed to establish that we are, in fact, dating. So, now that we know that, do you want people to know?"

"By people, you mean…"

"Well, our friends, including Yashiro-san, Kotonami-san, the President, and the couple you live with."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure about the President, but everyone else, yes. I was going to tell Mok…Kotonami-san. And I have to tell the Darumaya couple." He nodded.

"Honestly, I hate telling the President, but there's not point in keeping it from him. Now, did you want to announce our relationship?" Her eyes widened.

"You mean…" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "the press." He laughed, amused at her antics, but nodded.

"Yes." He matched her whisper. "The press….who I am almost certain can not hear us." She giggled at him as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, tucking her ear against her shoulder and pulling away. He smiled and leaned back against the sofa.

"No." She told him softly. "I mean…if it's okay with you…I'd rather not say anything about it…not because I'm ashamed!" She started to go on, but he held up a hand.

"Of course it's okay. I understand. I didn't really want to announce it either, but the President will suggest it. I didn't want him to surprise you with it." She nodded.

Honestly, he dreaded the press finding out. It would almost certainly hurt her reputation, and there would be all sorts of cruel, hurtful articles written about her, and probably him as well, though he could handle it. He hated to think of her career being harmed by him.

He glanced at the clock and yawned a little. He'd been up early, and it was almost 11. Glancing down at the girl, he saw she didn't seem tired at all.

"I'm sorry. You must be tired." She was frowning sadly. "I didn't mean to keep you up." He smiled tenderly at her, leaning over and kissing her red cheek.

"Don't worry. It's not that late. I am going to take a shower and go to bed though. I have filming at 8, so I have drop you off at home on the way. Do you know what your schedule looks like?"
"Um….just Dark Moon at noon I think." He nodded.

"I have to be there at 10, so I can call you if you want and tell you when to be there." She nodded thankfully. "Are you getting sleepy?"

"Yes…I think that medicine makes me tired." He nodded.

"It is supposed to." He stood and she followed suit. He walked into the guest bedroom and realized that the sheets were still dirty from where she had sweated on them. "You can sleep in my room." He told her simply. "I'll sleep on the couch." She shook her head.

"No. I can't take your bed. I'll sleep on the couch and…" He shook his head, crossing his arms.

"I'm not letting my girlfriend sleep on the couch." She blushed and crossed her arms as well.

"Well I'm not letting my b…bo…boyf…rien…d sleep on the couch." He uncrossed his arms and smiled as she struggled with the difficult word.

"Okay then. If neither of us is sleeping on the couch, then I guess we share my bed." He turned at left her standing in the hallway, mouth open, as he stepping into the bathroom.


'No. It isn't decent. I can't do…that with him.' She shook her head and cross her arms, sitting on the couch. 'I'm not ready to do that…but what if he….does he want…' Her mind felt like a maze that she kept getting lost in, and she bounced her leg anxiously as she continued trying. 'If he is expecting me to do…that…will he get angry if I say no?' The thought worried her, and she stared at the floor. 'I don't mind sharing a bed...not really. It's the…well that….that I'm worried about.' She sighed. 'I love him. And he loves me. Surely he wouldn't try to push me into something if I didn't want to…right?' She made up her mind, standing dramatically, and walking into his bedroom, holding her breath. He was still in the shower, so, as quickly as she could, she ran into the guest bathroom, found a toothbrush in the bag of things Yashiro had brought her, brushed her teeth, then ran back into his bedroom, slipped under the covers on the far side of the bed, and lay on the very edge of the giant mattress, then closed her eyes tightly.

A few minutes later, she heard a soft chuckle, and was thankful that her face was hidden under the covers. She heard the rustle of cloth, the click of the light, and then felt the bed dip. Suddenly, two hands curled around her and pulled her towards the center of the bed.

"You know." He whispered conversationally. "You were about to fall of the bed. This is an extra long king sized mattress. If you really hate being near someone in your sleep, you don't have to worry." She blushed and turned to him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered sadly. He frowned, amusement gone, and propped his head up. She noticed that he was wearing a night shirt with long sleeves and smiled a little. He had seemed to know what would make her uncomfortable.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because…I can't…" She blushed. "I didn't know if you wanted to….um…" His eyes widened in understanding and he pulled her over, hugging her tightly.

"Kyoko, you don't have to worry about anything like that. I know that you aren't ready for that, and I would never try to push you."

"I know." She whispered against his shoulder. "But I thought you'd be angry…because I won't…."

"No. I'm not angry. No one has any right to push you into something like that." He pulled away and looked into her face. "Okay? I just wanted you to have a comfortable place to sleep." He stroked her face and smiled a little darkly. "Plus, I sleep better when I can hold you." Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

'Surely…he didn't just say that!' He smiled at her shocked face and held her against him. She was stiff for a second, but his gentle hands on her back, stroking and massaging, made her relax. She sighed and rested her head on the pillow and felt his lips on her forehead. 'He keeps kissing me…' She smiled a little. 'I wonder….' She leaned forward and, opening her eyes in the dim light, found his lips. She pressed her own lips against his, gasping a little when he pulled her closer. He kept it chaste, only moving his lips against hers and gently nibbling her lip. She smiled and he kept kissing her, holding her close. Finally, he pulled away, resting his head on the pillow beside hers and looking into her eyes. Slowly, her eyes closed and her breathing evened out, the soft blush fading from her face, and he continued holding her, letting himself drift to sleep.

A/N: :) Thoughts? Complaints? Virtual cookies?