Act 60

Authors Chat: I'm having a hard time remembering what day of the week I'm writing, so henceforth, the story is currently on a Wednesday night. Why? Donno. Just feels like a Wednesday.

Short chapter (expect them to be short for at least a while). I'm supposed to be working. O_o

Oh, and typing on my phone. Evidently my iPhone makes LOtS of unnecessary auto-corrects. (such as changed to changes) excuse any mistaken words or tenses!

That being said... -thoughts- "speech" *sounds*

Disclaimer: all the usual applies. Characters etc. the work of Nakamura Yoshiki.

Kyoko stood rooted to the spot momentarily.

-I called him Sempai after all. Like I thought, TOO WEIRD!-

She shook the thought from her mind and went to the kitchen.

"I'll cook. It's no trouble." In truth, she was just grateful to be doing something she was comfortable with.

What she thought would be quick meal prep turned out to be vegetable cutting lessons. She knew better than to let him help cook.

"How's this?"

Kyoko looked at the counter beside her and almost dropped the rice she was washing. "You were supposed to dice that..." she was surprised at the hack job she saw.

"I did."

"No Ren," calling him so familiarly still felt odd. "Diced vegitables should all be about the same size. These are... well... not." She picked up two different pieces of onion to show him. One was the size of a matchbox car, the other the size of the point on a ball-point-pen.

"Does it matter? I like some chunks."

"Noted. But yes, it does matter. It changes the speed of which the vegetable cooks, and can change how they, and the final dish, taste. Please cut the big pieces smaller - but not too small!" she added for food measure.

She watched in horror as the Santoku knife came down hard like a meat cleaver then reached to stop his hand.

A jolt speed through her fingers where she touched his skin and she quickly took her hand away.

"If you aren't careful, you'll get hurt. Let me show you." She took the knife from him and showed him how to hold the knife, then stepped in front of the cutting board to show him the proper way to cut.

Ren reached around from behind and placed his hand on top of hers holding the knife.

"Teach me" he said softly.

It was an innocent act, but the words and the feel of his skin reminded her of their recent lesson and Kyoko froze.

-just when I had started to forget! Tsuruga-San, why did you use that term?!- she mentally wailed.

"What's wrong? Will you teach me? I want to be useful to you."

She let go of the knife, pulling her hand away from his as she turned to face him. He was so close she could smell him. Or, was that herself after using his toiletries and towel? Either way, she felt the heat rising to her cheeks at his nearness.

"You ARE useful Ts-Ren! Just... in other ways. Just-not-in-the-kitchen!" barreled out of her mouth.

-Way to go Kyoko! Don't remind him!-

When she looked up at his face though, she could see he wasn't thinking of the same things as she. His eyes were closed and he grimaced in pain. His hands at either side of her on the edge of the counter.

Kyoko looked down and realized that when she pulled her hand away from the knife, she pulled it off the counter and dropped it to the floor.

A small pool of blood was oozing from Ren's foot, as a large spot on his sock slowly grew with red.

"Ren! You're bleeding!" She panicked.

"First aid kit. Gym. Second left." He pointed out the side door from the kitchen as he bit back the pain.

Kyoko dropped to the ground with the kitchen towel "Hold this on it! I'll get the kit" and she started to where he directed her as he sat down.

She was back before he had landed on the floor to put pressure on the wound.

She took the towel out of his hands and gently lifted the edge to see the wound. A piece of the sock was sliced off, leaving a hole and wound the size of a 100 yen coin.

"I'm so sorry Ren! This is my fault! I told you to be careful then wasn't careful myself! How shameful! Flay and sauté me! How could I let this happen so carelessly?!" She rambelled.

"It's alright Kyoko. I don't think it's all that serious."

Of course it's serious! I made you get hurt! You won't be able to work or show your skin until it's healed and it may leave a scar even! What if you lose jobs from this?!"

He reached out and held her shoulders in his hands. "Kyoko. My livelihood won't suffer from this cut. It's ok. It's just a surface wound."

He took his sock off and they applied pressure to the wound again before getting a good look, then dressing the wound with gauze and ointment.

"Looks like it just cut the top few layers of skin off. It'll sting for a day or two, but it'll be just fine. Really, I'm okay. All the same, I think I'll let you finish the cooking."

He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek before getting up and hobbling to the living room.

He had his back turned before Kyokos face turned red. Her cheek tingled where his fingers touched, her heart skipping a beat.

She steadied herself then finished prepping and cooking the food then brought their bowls to the living room to eat. She set her bowl down and moved to hand one to Ren. Kyoko to drop the bowl as his fingers brushed hers. The bowl fell a few inches and landed on the table with a loud clatter. He looked at the bowl for a moment.

"Kyoko... what's wrong?"

"N-nothings wrong Ren! I'm just... it slipped is all."

"Come on Kyoko. i know that isn't true. Talk to me." He ducked to look into her eyes, forcing her to look at him as she tried to avert her gaze.

Her blush extended down her neck and under the collar of her shirt.

"Are you thinking about what we did" he asked softly.

She nodded, closing her eyes nervously. "I'm sorry Tsuruga-San, I just can't get it out of my mind. Whenever you touch me..." her words trailed off as her blush deepened.

He smiled, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stop!" She lightly pushed his shoulder, pouting.

"I'm sorry Kyoko. It's just... it makes me happy to know that you're conscious of me. I can't help but smile." -Elated. Overjoyed. Ecstatic.- "but I want you to be comfortable here, and you clearly are not. Do you want to talk about... *cough* about what happened?"

She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "No! I don't want to talk about that ever! I'm mortified!"

Ren drew back a little. "I'm sorry. Maybe you weren't ready for that. Did I push you into it too soon?"

She wasn't sure what to think. He was talking about this so casually, while her brain seemed to break every time she merely looked up at him.

"Well, yes. But no! I didn't do anything I didn't want t-to. But. I'm not sure I want to talk to anyone about it. And every time that you touch me," she tried again, "I feel... warm. And remember. And when I think of Tsuruga-San behind me, and h-how GOOD everything felt... It's just too much!"

He couldn't help himself. Before he even realized what he was doing, Ren has pulled Kyoko in his lap, his arms around her waist from behind, his face burried in her hair. "You have no idea. Every time you touch me too, I remember the feel of your skin against mine." He spoke softly, warm breath tickling her ear. "But I don't like you feeling uncomfortable. I will never mention it again if you wish it."

-Only Tsuruga-San could make a promise of non-sexual anything and make it feel so sexually charged?!- "It... it isn't that."

"No? So you DO want me to talk about how you make me feel? How your soft moans turn me on?"

"Tsuru-!"

—Ren." He reminded her.

"-ga-san! No! Don't say that!" Would her blushing ever stop?

"Then you want me to stop?" He teased, releasing his hold on her waist.

She couldn't answer, frozen, torn between running away and wrapping his arms back around her.

"I didn't mean for you not to do those things" she said meekly, "just not to talk about them so brazenly."

-Does she realize what she just said?- "you... you want me to do things to you?" He turned her face to look at him, half-lieing her down across his lap so her body turned toward him.

"I-" was all she got out before his lips found hers.