-Oxford - Tuesday: Part 10-
Kyoko faced the mirror as the makeup artist was once again finishing final touch-ups. Even with a knock on the door, she saw no reason to look. "It's safe to come in" she called in Japanese seeing as Kyoko herself couldn't speak it or so that was the belief anyways. Sometimes it was annoying but she found it far more useful now that Shoutaro was around and it what if he appeared again? No, she would pretend that Japanese was the one language she couldn't understand... for as long as she could. As the door opened the makeup artist saw Ruto dressed as what was Kyoko now just thought of his normal Public dressed for anything and all things the UK. The makeup artist, however, wasn't about to let a man dressed in an Arabic attire thawb step in any further. "I'm afraid this isn't an open set sir, please leave."
Ruto looked away from the woman looking at Kyoko as he shut the door. "I didn't know you wished to model Miss Kyoko."
Her eyes started to water, "That's because I don't want too, Ruto!" she said starting to stand up the makeup artist hands fell on her shoulders pushing her back down in her seat. Clearly accepting that this man was likely her bodyguard or translator or maybe both "I hate that man so much!"
"Kyoko you shouldn't cry." she said grabbing a tissue to pat her eyes, "It'll ruin your makeup."
"I'm sorry, I can't help it," she said quickly. This whole experience was depressing and she really just wanted her day to end already but she had people she most likely would have to talk to plus this stupid shoot. Why did she have to be a bride and why was her groom that man? Why couldn't the gods give her a break? Wasn't today prior to this already bad enough? Did they really need to make it worse? 'Of course, they did because they were just as scared of Ren gentlemen smile as I am. He's likely some sort of demon lord.'
Ruto didn't need to ask who that was, she only tended to refer to Ren in such a tone but he did wonder what it was he did to set her off this time. He looked towards the makeup artist who shook her head. "I don't know. He's the dream man of Japan and one of the international hunks of the modeling world. Many of our female models want to team up with him. I've never actually met a girl who didn't just love Ren."
She couldn't help but snort, "That's because they don't see the truth behind that gentleman smile of his." she made a motion to bang her head on the table but her makeup artist had caught her head before she could, having already gotten used to the fact she seemed to have a habit of this.
"He has a lovely smile, it's truly beautiful." she said sighing softly, "and when he smiles at you it just makes your heart beat faster."
"In terror" Kyoko muttered.
"Well maybe you are just misunderstanding the reaction you are having to him." her makeup artist said thoughtfully. "It can be a scary thing when you first find yourself attracted to someone. First love is like that. Often misunderstood." her eyes turned towards the lights that seemed to be getting darker.
Kyoko dark children were surrounding her, sucking the light from the room as she herself sat quietly bubbling with rage, at the thought that she would misunderstand what love was. That she didn't mistake, no she placed a hand on Corn, as her mind threw her back into her memories from so long ago.
It had taken her 13 days to realize that if she could pick her Prince she wanted it to be her Fairy Prince Corn. She realized it when she looked at Shoutaro that night after being with Corn. That she liked Corn a lot more than him. No she still loved him but she found herself, someone, she loved even more than Shoutaro and the fact that she had chosen it on her own without being told that was who she going to marry and love when she was older. It took her little heart and breath away.
Her Fairy Prince who really care about her feelings, that didn't freeze when up she was hurting or see her as a burden. Who smiled warmly at her and gave her such affections. 'I want to grow up and marry Corn, not Shoutaro' she couldn't wait until the next afternoon when she would see him. She would tell him that she loved him and wanted to stay with him forever.
She had ran towards the woods the next day to see him. There he was as always and she felt a new warmth growing inside of her chest. She felt so happy so safe and so loved whenever she was with him."Corn!" she said running up to him. Something was very wrong though. She stopped to look at him, yes there was sadness there why was he sad, did Fairy King tear his wings again? "What's wrong Corn?"
"I have to go back home." she felt her chest tighten.
'No you can't leave... I love you, I want to grow up and marry you!' she wanted to scream those words at him but she wouldn't, she couldn't. "Can't you still come and see me?"
"No… we won't meet again Kyoko-chan." He sounded so sad and so heartbroken and it just made it hurt all the more. She couldn't stop the tears.
"But I don't want that. I don't want you to leave. I don't want to stop seeing you." it hurt, it hurt so much. It hurt more than when her mother left her. It hurt more than the fear of the Fuwa's getting tired of her and sending her away. This was too painful for words that her young heart just couldn't fully understand.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue stone. "Here Kyoko-chan, hold out your hands." she tried to stop crying but she was finding it harder and harder. Still, she held her hands as he asked of her.
"What's this?" she said trying to calm herself enough to speak.
"It's magic…" he said "...hold it up to the light." she did as she was told and she watched in awe as it turned colors. "See that. That's the magic, it will help you not feel so sad anymore. Whenever you feel like you need to cry, hold it up to the light and it will help reduce your tears. It'll be like I'm right there with you."
Kyoko wanted to cry instead she held the little stone close to her heart. "I'll treasure it forever Corn." All she understood was that he was giving this to her as a piece of himself. Slowly she stepped forward refusing to cry, she would cry after they said goodbye and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you so much Corn." She felt his arms around her holding her just as tightly. You'll always be my Fairy Prince, I'll never stop believing in you because I love you, Corn."
That night on her way home she realized she could never would have belonged in Corn's world unlike Thumbelina, she couldn't become a fairy. That had been the day after she realized what love was. She loved Corn so much more than anyone else, more than her mother, more than Shoutaro, more than Fuwas.
Yet it was not meant to be. She couldn't be his Princess… and she told herself that she would be okay. Her Mother and the Fuwas would marry her to Shoutaro and she loved him just not the same way but she knew that love could grow deeper now, hadn't it grown for Corn until no one else mattered in her heart but him. So it would only be a matter of time before she could once again give her all for Shoutaro who had been chosen for her who she loved and cared about even if it wasn't the same as with as with Corn. Still, she wished that she could become a Fairy to stay with Corn forever.
Kyoko shook her head trying to get rid of the pain that had taken hold of her. She hated remembering the day Corn left her. She hated to remember that she learned what love really was right before he left her. To want to be with someone so much that it hurt more than anything because she thought she found the place where she would always meant to belong and he left her behind. Not that she didn't understand that she didn't belong in his world, it didn't change the pain that they never met again. Still, she had not been mistaken, she had grown to love Shoutaro in the same way she had once loved her Fairy Prince and she had been tossed away in the end. Love was not for her, love would never be for her because she couldn't bear to be hurt by that type of love again.
Ruto watched Kyoko face he noted that her makeup artist looked a bit worried about how quiet Kyoko had gotten. How dark the place seemed to have become. It was as if the girl before him would disappear into the darkness and he didn't know what to do. "If you would give me a moment with my charge" he spoke kindly "I'll make sure she is out there in a moment." She nodded her head before quickly leaving the girl who was disappearing before her eyes into nothing but shadows.
Ruto moved towards Kyoko, kneeling he placed a hand on her cheek turning her to look at him. "Kyoko, you need to calm yourself."
Kyoko eyes seemed to finally see Ruto before she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't ever want to fall in love again Ruto, it hurts… too much." she couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. As it would once again ruin the hard work that the makeup artist had put into her making her pretty. Plus that type of love didn't deserve her tears anymore.
"You can't fight who you fall in love with, Kyoko. You can only make the choice to accept it or refuse it when the time comes. You do not have to be with the person your heart loves if you do not desire it." He pulled her away to look at her. "I will be your secret keeper… if you ask me not to speak of something to your Father. I will not." he placed his forehead on hers. "All you have to do is tell me that it's a secret between us and us alone. Do you understand?" She nodded her head softly.
"Ruto… this is just between us." He nodded his head once. "Shoutaro wasn't my first love…" she whispered, "His name was Corn." She touched the blue stone she now wore. "He left me just like Shoutaro, though he was much kinder about it. I think my fear of Shoutaro leaving me and me giving him everything I was… came from being left behind by Corn. Yet it didn't matter I was tossed away by being myself, by believing that loving someone with all my heart would be enough. I am thankful to him... I hate to say that he gave me my dream even if the cost was really high. A family, a place to belong. That's enough isn't it?"
"Yes, Kyoko. It is enough but remember dreams can change." he said standing up, "For now Miss Kyoko, you must play the part of a Bride. Recall when you had dreamt of such a thing, for you did, didn't you at one time?" She nodded her head, "Then the memory is there. Just focus on that time." Again she nodded her head. She understood it's just like when she pretends to be Mandy… or how she hid the truth about seeing Shoutaro and what he did. Yes… she could act this it wasn't like she forgotten the feeling she just found that feeling disgusting now.
Ren's sat on the steps of the ballroom, the staircase leading up to the balcony and overlooked the outdoor gardens. The city nightlife hidden behind large walls and painted to look like the gardens went on for miles. Just below the staircase in the center was a place for live music to be played, it too raised by several steps. The ballroom floor itself could be decorated in many ways but for the shoot, there were all kinds of flowers setup the arrangements were set upon crates with white cloth over them to be wheeled out as needed.
His annoyance was starting to get the better of him. They were actually behind schedule for his shoot but Francis said it was fine because he had needed the extra time prior to finish something. When he saw the door open he had expected that it meant that she was done but it was only her makeup artist and she shut the door behind her. She went to speak to Francis and he seemed worried for a moment but the woman must have said something and he nodded as if in understanding. 'What is going on with her now?'
Just when he was tempted to find out what was taken so long the door open and Ruto stepped out, he held out his hand and out stepped Kyoko.
His heart stopped in his chest at the sight of her. She looked much older than he would have expected, no not older far more matured. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He never felt more drawn to someone then he did at that very moment. He watched as Francis moved over towards her. Even though Francis was touching just her shoulders sent a bitterness inside of him. Why would she accepted Francis' touch but not his and it hit him 'Because he's gay of course… He's safe.' he closed his eyes 'But I am too… why can't she see that?' he felt a stab 'But you want more don't you?'
He didn't know if he did or didn't. 'What would they say about me, a grown man wanting to be with a child' and then it pained him he couldn't see her as a child, she was a young woman. She wasn't like Maria… he could never see her like that he didn't see her like that from the start. He wasn't the only one as Francis too saw only a young woman why else would he have her model as a bride next to him?
Yashiro smiled as Kyoko and Francis moved towards them. "You look beautiful Lady Kyoko."
His eyes were drawn to her throat, the blue stone that she had called Corn sat there. He felt his chest tighten but looked at her with a smile. "That's an interesting necklace you are wearing." he watched as her hand touched it.
"Yes, Francis designed it… it's going to be on sold apparently." she smiled softly, "He does amazing work." Ruto came up behind her and whispered something in her ear as Francis began to speak.
"Alright darlings! Kyoko please stand next to Ren-chan, I need you to picture him as your Prince Charming. Lucky for you he has such a nice body. Now Ren-chan you best behave, remember she's a proper lady with a title and everything! I know she's completely adorable and who would want to keep their hands off of her. Not me! Alright… let's start!" He walked away from them, Ruto and Yashiro moved to the side out of frame. "Alright everyone clear… you stud muffins ready to shoot?"
Watching her carefully as she closed her eyes taken several deep breaths, he couldn't help but wonder if she was the same girl in his memories "And action!"
Kyoko eyes opened and he was taken back by how beautiful she seemed, how happy she was. How she touched his arm ever so gently, he felt like he was in a daze. He didn't know what to expect but he didn't expect she would take control so quickly. No, he expected he would have to coax her. Yet as her hand reached up touching the side of his face he froze, he could not take his eyes off of her. She smiled and he felt caught by the magic she was casting on him. As she pulled her hand away looking down he saw the light blush across her face as she looked back up at him. He smiled gently at her hands smoothing out his jacket before she tilted her head as if suddenly caught by an idea.
Taking his tie in her hand she pulled him closer. His eyes widen, but at the last moment, she kissed his cheek ever so gently before pulling away. He couldn't help but touch his cheek afterward. All of a sudden he wanted to kiss her. Her eyes widen slightly as he lifted her chin gently holding it in place as a smirk played across his face. 'Just one kiss, one kiss and I won't ask for more' he said to himself as he leans in to kiss her he was surprised to find her hands against his mouth instead. A slight look of panic fell across her features and he couldn't help but truly laugh.
"Stop! That was perfect. Kyoko-san is cute and you big boy. Yummy!" Francis said and to his amusement, Kyoko had jumped back from him several steps
"No… don't do that look. Don't give me an Emperor of the Night look." she turned and ran towards Ruto hiding behind at once. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant by it but he did find her reaction to being cute and he wanted to see it and more.
A/N: I want to take a moment to thank you all for the comments. I'm glad you are enjoying this story! Yes, there are stories within stories planned for Tomi's Little Hana! It would be best to say this will likely be at least two "books" but it will all be written under the same story. I'll just re-edit the titles when the first book is done and the second one starts!