A/N: I never thought that this story would be so long...but it is...so there's not much I can do about that. I enjoyed this chapter because I wrote most of it outside in the dark because that is what I love to do...when it isn't cold. Thank you all for reading and the reviews I have received. They are all awesome and motivating and I appreciate it.
Pain
Kyoko took stock mentally as she watched Hikaru take out the plastic bag and start placing the cans in them. Thankfully, the only things that hurt were her wrist and her head, the latter a constant dull ache and the former a sharp stab every time she moved it. She was glad that Hikaru was bagging the drinks and insisted on carrying them, although she had offered, since even bending her hand was painful. He held the drinks in one hand and their lunch in the other as they walked in silence back to the office, only glancing at her occasionally with a worried or curious look. Determined to convey both painlessness and gentle disinterest, she stared straight ahead for a while, ignoring his meaningful glances, then pulled out her phone, cursing mentally when the pain returned in her right wrist and arm. Resisting the urge to clutch it and massage the pain away, she began to scroll through her messages and voicemails, hoping she hadn't missed any, then suppressed a sigh. He hadn't called or messaged her in a while.
'Well, the good thing is he won't find out about it if I don't see him.' She didn't want to keep things from her boyfriend. He usually figured them out and was upset, so it was pointless to even try, but that wasn't even the point. She always felt guilty when she tried to keep secrets. Something in her mind told her that she shouldn't try to keep things hidden or lie to him, especially if she loved him. 'But he'll worry.' She reasoned with herself firmly. 'And it isn't important. I don't want him to worry and think that I can't handle it on my own. He's been really busy and preoccupied lately…too preoccupied for us to do anything together…' She squashed the thought quickly. 'And I don't want to cause him any stress.' With that thought firmly rooted, she entered the office behind Hikaru and met the curious and expectant faces of both of the other members.
Luckily, neither of the men asked why she wasn't carrying anything, but she occasionally caught them exchanging amused and sly glances, which she didn't really want to contemplate, so she ignored them completely, focusing on her meal, of which she partook sparingly, with the hopes of losing some weight to better fit the model image, and then immediately began again on the paperwork, using every skill she had to hide the flashes of pain every time she had to write something. Only Hikaru seemed to notice, since the other two seemed intent on their wordless conversation, and so by the end of the day all the paperwork was finished and the group thanked her profusely for her help, giving her three 100 points stamps. Hikaru offered to walk her out and wouldn't take no for an answer, leading her to the corridor and stopping her before they reached the exit. "Kyoko-chan, are you sure…" He stopped suddenly, his words dying in his throat and the blood draining from his face.
"Hikaru-san?" She turned to where his gaze was fixed and met the pleasant smile of her fairy prince.
'No. You have got to be kidding me. You cannot show up now, Kuon! I need to be hiding from you!' She composed herself in a nanosecond and pretended that she didn't know that Ren had been giving what he had probably seen as the man speaking intimately with his girlfriend a death glare. "Oh. Ren-san! What are you doing here?" He walked closer and she prayed that he didn't take her hand.
He stopped a foot away, much to her relief. "Hey sweetheart." She winced internally at the pointedness of his voice. "I thought I'd surprise you and pick you up. Who's this?"
"This is Ishibashi Hikaru, one of the members of Bridge Rock. They asked me to help them out with some paperwork for a Love Me assignment." She glanced back at Hikaru with a smile. "HIkaru-san, this is Tsuruga Ren. He's um…he's my boyfriend." Her voice squeaked a little on the word, still embarrassed at having to say it aloud, but Hikaru didn't seem to notice, instead taking the offered hand and shaking it.
"Eh…nice to meet you, Tsuruga-san."
"The pleasure is mine, Ishibashi-san." She relaxed a bit as the sharpness receded from his tone and he shook the shorter but older man's hand. "Are you ready to go, Kyoko?" She nodded, shifting her bag on her shoulder and praying that the pain hadn't shown in her eyes.
"Goodbye, Kyoko-san. Take care." There was a bit of caution in his tone, and she was sure he was talking about her injury, but she hoped Ren wouldn't ask about it. Knowing that Ren would want to take her hand, she hurried ahead of him, noticing but ignoring his puzzled look as she nearly ran to his car. He chuckled a little, but opened the door for her and then closed it gently, making his way over to the driver's side and climbing in as well. She kept her hands in her lap and remained silent, knowing that if she spoke her voice would betray her. The hours of writing had only served to aggravate her injury, and she wasn't sure if she could hide it for much longer.
'Honestly. What are the odds!' She cried in her mind as he started the car and drove out of the parking lot, turning onto the road.
"Are you hungry?" He asked finally when she didn't speak, the worry in his voice soft but obvious. It was rare that she would just sit in silence when he picked her up.
"Um…a little." She lied, even though her stomach was threatening to growl any moment. "Not really." He frowned over at her for a moment.
"Is everything okay?" His question came reluctantly as though he feared the answer.
"Of course." She said in an unnatural voice. He continued to look over at her.
"Did I do something?" He asked quietly, touching her leg since both of her hands were out of reach. He pulled to a stop at a red light and looked over worriedly.
"No! Of course not!" She cried, hating the pitchy quality of her voice that the stabbing pain in her wrist was causing. The dull throb in her head remained, something the high-pitched voice didn't help.
He was watching her in that worried way that made her want to explain everything, but she held firm. 'He's so busy and he took time to spend time with me. I can't worry him.' "So….did you want to eat out?"
"That's fine…or did you want to cook?"
She thought for a second. 'There's no way I will be able to cook with my wrist hurting so badly.' "Um…I'd rather not…if that's okay?" This seemed to surprise him, and she wondered if he didn't want to go out in public with her for fear of being found out by the press.
"Of course it's okay." He still seemed worried as he drove, seeking out her hand and holding it, making her clench her teeth in pain for the rest of the drive.
Kyoko followed Ren as he led her, quite painfully, into the restaurant, a high class but not overly formal place near LME where they could sit in the back and avoid prying eyes. The waiter showed them to a table and Ren pulled out her chair for her. She smiled, albeit weakly, at him and sat down, and he took his place across from her. When the waiter asked if they would like to see the wine list, Ren looked to Kyoko before saying no, and then they placed their drink orders; just water for both of them. "I'm sorry." He said softly, much to her surprise. "I know I've been really busy…I have a…strange movie project coming up. I can't talk about it yet, but it's been taking up a lot of my time." He took her hand and she felt the blood drain from her face. "I haven't even taken you out yet." His voice was sad.
"I'm not upset." She reassured him genuinely, trying to draw attention from her pale face and wishing she could pull her hand away without hurting his feelings. "I've missed you, but I understand that you're busy."
He smiled, but it was sad as the waiter returned, and she pulled her hand away thankfully as he sat the cups in front of them. Using her left hand, she took a sip of water as the waiter read them the specials. Ren ordered a small steak and she ordered an appetizer salad. Ren watched her expectantly as she placed her menu on the table.
"Is that all, Miss?"
"Yes, that's all." He nodded hesitantly, walking away with their menus to place their orders.
"Kyoko? Are you feeling okay?" She nodded, making the pain in her head intensify briefly. This time he noticed. "What's wrong?" His voice was urgent this time.
Choosing the least worrisome excuse, she smiled a little. "Nothing. I just haven't really eaten much today." He lifted an eyebrow in obvious confusion. "If I'm going to be playing a girl that everyone idolizes, I need to slim down some." His eyebrows furrowed as he leaned toward her, despite the lack of other people nearby.
"Kyoko, you look fine!" He insisted softly, taking her hand again. "Who told you that you needed to lose weight to play Natsu?" He demanded. "Was it the director? Did he say something to you? He can't…" She shook her head rapidly.
"No! No…no one said anything. I just thought that if I'm going to be playing a high school girl that people idolize, I should lose weight." He shook his head.
"Kyoko, you are beautiful." The blood returned and brought friends as her face turned bright red. "You do not need to go on a diet. It can be dangerous if you overdo it." Reluctantly, she nodded. They chatted idly, and she was once again able to withdraw her hand when the waiter brought out her salad and his steak almost ten minutes later. She couldn't hide her hunger as she began to eat, relishing the only substantial food she had eaten that day. He watched her in fond amusement for a moment, then paused. "Kyoko, why are you eating with your left hand?" He wondered. For what felt like the thousandth time, she paled and absentmindedly wished that her blood would stay still. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)
"Eh…I just…wanted to." He was watching her closely, and she watched as things began to click into place, his eyes narrowing a bit.
"Why?" He demanded, crossing his arms and watching her suspiciously.
"I…just did! Does it matter?" She noticed him about to say something else and gave a soft, forced laugh. "If it bothers you, I'll eat with my right hand." Switching hands, she began to stab the green leaves in her bowl and place them in her mouth hastily, chewing past the sudden lump in her throat at the sharp pain. She felt her eyes filling when she twisted her hand, and she cleared her throat as she dropped her fork with a soft 'clank', pushing away from the table. "Excuse me, please." She managed to mumble, walking calmly to the bathroom and was able to shut the door before the tears escaped. Clutching her wrist, she leaned against the wall of the private bathroom and clenched her teeth, determined not to let the tears fall. 'No.' She thought firmly. 'I have filming tomorrow and I can't let him worry and…' She heard a rap on the door.
"Kyoko? Are you okay?" His muffled voice managed to penetrate to door and she swallowed hurriedly.
"I'm fine." Her voice trembled and she cleared her throat. "Just a second." She wiped her red eyes and splashed cold water onto her face to lessen the puffiness. Finally she opened the door and his expression went from suspicious to worried. Placing a hand on her face, he bent down so that they were face to face.
"What happened?" She shook her head and he looked down at her hand, then reached out and caught it. She was unable to suppress a sharp cry and he immediately loosened his hold, feeling the painful area gently. "You're hurt." He said softly, obviously thinking about all the times that night that he had taken her hand. She nodded, not looking at him. "Why didn't you say something?"
"I…you've been so busy…and I finally got to see you…I didn't want you to worry." He shook his head and let her hand go, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and carefully leading her through the mostly empty restaurant and back to their table, then summoned the waiter.
"Can I get a hamburger steak to go, and the check please?" He asked softly, watching Kyoko out of the corner of his eye. She watched in amazement at his consideration, then looked down as he turned his attention back to her. "Did you only hurt your wrist?" His voice demanded the truth.
"I…um…think I hit my head too…but it's fine!" She hurried to inform him when his eyes widened incredulously.
"What happened?" He asked softly.
"I was walking back to the office with some drinks….and I…fell down the stairs." He was staring at her and she nearly groaned. "Someone pushed me down the stiars." She mumbled finally, boring holes into the tablecloth. It didn't matter. She could feel the fury rolling off of him in waves.
He led her out to the car and put it in drive, heading deeper into the city. "I'm taking you to the hospital." He said simply. She didn't dare argue, especially since he was already angry about her refusal to tell him who had pushed her. Taking a deep breath, she lay her head back and closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the throbbing in her head and wrist. She felt a hand on her temple, brushing her hair back when they stopped at a light. "Is your head hurting?" She nodded slightly, hoping he wasn't still angry, and a worried silence ensued.
The hospital was less than a mile away, so they reached the building quickly and he led her inside, sitting her in a chair and walking up to the receptionist, bringing back a clipboard full of questions that he mostly answered for her, occasionally whispering to her when he didn't know the answer. After a few minutes, she leaned her head on his shoulder and he placed his left arm around her, letting her relax on him, and continued writing with his right. She was starting to drift off when he apologetically stood to return the clipboard, securing a promise that a doctor would be with them shortly.
Kyoko felt him sit back down beside her, and gently move her head from the back wall to his shoulder again. "You doing okay?" He murmured, kissing her forehead gently.
"I'm fine." She tried to insist. Then, failing that, she took a deep breath. "Please don't be angry. I just didn't want to worry you." He squeezed her shoulders gently.
"I'm not angry with you. I love you." He promised. "But I am worried." She sighed, not wanting to argue, and they waited for the doctor in silence.
Kyoko followed the doctor back to the examination room, Ren close behind, and sat up on the examination table. The older man took her hand as Ren sat in one of the plastic chairs in the corner. After explaining her injury to the physician, he poked and prodded at her wrist and nodded grimly. "It looks liked you have a somewhat severe sprain which was probably made worse by putting off treatment. Luckily you don't have a concussion, but you may be sore for a while. I'll prescribe some medicine and we'll need to wrap your hand." She thanked him quietly and he left, returning after a minute with a medicine pad and bandages.
Kyoko dozed in the car while Ren got her medicine from the drugstore, then felt him carry her into his apartment. Not really able to protest since she was exhausted, she only leaned her head against his shoulder and mumbled a thank you into his neck. He kissed her softly as they stood in the elevator, her wrapped hand carefully resting on her stomach. He carried her into the living room and sat her on the sofa, placed her food in the refrigerator, and reentered the living room. He knelt in front of her and she smiled at him. "Thank you." She murmured again, her eyes gentle. Although she knew how kind he was, she never thought that he would go out of his way so much for her that day, and it made her realize how much he loved her. He pressed his lips against hers again, more passionately this time, and she responded happily, opening her mouth when he asked wordlessly and letting the sensations his tongue caused in her mouth build in her lower stomach until she moaned loudly, sleep forgotten as she wrapped her good arm around him. He responded with equal enthusiasm, his hands wandering over her body from the waist up, then hesitantly ghosting over her bottom, squeezing gently. Although this shocked her for a moment, it made her body throb pleasantly and she ran her fingers through her hair.
Finally he pulled away, and she wondered how he was able to when his eyes were so filled with longing. "You need to take your medicine and get in bed." He reminded her gently, cupping her face. Reluctantly she nodded, watching him as he hurried to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and a pill. Honestly, she knew that they had to stop. Despite how much she loved him and wanted to be near him, she was sure that she wasn't ready to get that close just yet. Still, she couldn't help the tiny bit of her that wished that he would stay with her all night.
Ren carried the dozing girl into the guest bedroom, a move that took every ounce of willpower. She had obviously enjoyed their make out session earlier, and he wanted nothing more than to take her into his bedroom. Looking down into her innocent face, he shook his head and tucked her into the guest bed, making sure to keep her wrist from moving, and then pulled the covers over her, tucking them around her, then kissed her forehead, smiling when her lips turned up at the corner and she murmured in her sleep happily. Frowning as his eyes fell on her bandaged wrist, he decided to try and get the information out of her the next day. For the moment, he touched her face gently, then left the room, shutting the door and getting ready for bed.
