-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 24-

Kyoko found herself able to relax the moment she was out of Ren Tsuruga's presence. 'So he really is Tod Damon, I actually was able to do it Tomi-sensei!' she thought silently to herself though she couldn't help the smile that played across her features. Kyoko wished she could tell him but she knew that she would likely never seen him again. That it likely would be for the best she didn't seek him out. As sad as that made her, she couldn't help but feel pride in the skill she had truly been able to use, it gave her hope. Kyoko paused at the entrance to the woman's bathroom. She looked behind her for a moment before turning off to the side towards the outdoor area more meant for people to take their smoke breaks but from what she saw it didn't seem to be used. It would be perfect for a breath of fresh air.

The air was cool and still chilly which was likely the real reason why no one was out here at the moment. Kyoko was unable to fight the urge to wrap her arms around her as she rubbed them up and down to keep a bit warm. The dress she was wearing really wasn't suited for being outside, she really should have insisted on a jacket of some sort but none of her jackets apparently would suit the dress at all and so she had given in. She sighed 'Then again if I had taken my jacket to the bathroom he likely would have realized I didn't actually plan to use the restroom and was just trying to escape...' she frowned 'and he would do that disappointment sigh of his.' It actually annoyed her that she wasn't up to the same level as he was. 'You aren't an actress' she scowled herself but she really did have a perfectionist attitude about herself, that was actually something her mother had instilled into her very being, because she had always wanted her mother to acknowledge her, to pat her on the head and tell her she did a good job at anything. She never had and she never would now. 'Daddy does though' she couldn't help but smile at the thought, 'Grandma Leiko praises me, Aunt Mary and Uncle Robert...' she had so many people now who loved and cared about her. It was hard to believe her like had changed so much in less than three months.

Actually, when she thought about it more, it had been more than that. She had changed so much in less than a half a year. Kyoko old life felt so long ago now, where her new life, a life so tied to her old one so that it made it easy to be herself. Sure there were lies but there were little-hidden treasures, things that didn't seem to connect to anything and in the end, connected so much more than she ever thought possible. Great Grandfather was a perfect example, the elderly man had always been so very kind to her, her connection to him made everything feel so much more. His death had hurt so much, the fact she had not allowed herself even the ability to cry among the Fuwas that she had to go to her special place, the place where she had met and said goodbye to Corn so many years ago now. That was the only place she could allow the pain out but still they had known, she just didn't cry in front of them. That had caused Shoutaro to be so kind to her and she had fallen hard for him because he had shown her a part of himself he never really showed her before. It had made her feel special as if she still had someone who cared about her. Not that the Fuwas were unkind but she knew she was more like an employee or perhaps correctly the promised wife to their son and heir and she unlike Shoutaro had traveled to all the families own ryokans in Japan.

Pushing a strain of hair behind her ear she stared up at the night sky, she flinched slightly at the sound of Shoutaro's voice. 'I thought he had left...' she didn't know what to do but to pretend that he wasn't speaking to her. Taken one final deep breath of the night air she turned to leave.

Shoutaro had not been invited back to whatever name's hotel room actually she had left him behind once he had gone to pay. Actually just left him behind it had irked him to no end but instead, he had gone to the little bar, not that it was much of one and had attempted to order a drink but he was of course underage, even if they allowed adults to buy alcoholic with a meal he still had another month before he would even be allowed that. So he had order Poinsettia without the champagne and Cointreau which was the only drink he could think of that wouldn't make him look uncool.

His eyes caught sight of the silver-hair man with purple eyes watching him. He was sitting at a table with his friends neither of them had any women they just seemed to be enjoying each other company and he couldn't help but think they were gay. Why else would a group of girly looking men be doing hanging around each other? More so with the silver-hair man's eyes following him, it creeped him out more than he wanted to admit. Shoutaro turned to face the mirror from where he sat, but the man didn't stop staring at him, fact when his friend with the long hair said something. His eyes finally drew towards him and soon the others seemed to do the same. The whole thing freaked him out, 'Yeah clearly gay' he thought with disgust.

Shoutaro was debating if he should just leave when his eyes caught sight of Kyoko walking by towards the restrooms. 'My night was ruined because of her' he didn't bother to finish his drink simply leaving it behind. He cast one look behind him towards the five men who were watching him before walking down the hall. When she had turned towards a little patio he smirked but then paused. He had to make sure that monster didn't follow after her. He moved towards the back waiting but he saw no one coming or going and from his view, he could see that stupid smile on her face. 'Thinking of that bastard. Who the hell does she think she is?' his own anger was starting to bubble but it was quickly drowned because he figured she really was smiling because she had a moment to breathe, 'She's just happy to have a moment... I bet she honestly wants to go back home but she's too scared to attempt,' and he didn't blame her, he saw how scary that man was. If that was what she was dealing with then no wonder she was scared out of her mind. The chances are the other people were just as bad when they got mad.

With that in mind to save her from those men he stepped out into the patio, "Hey Kyoko-chan" he said quickly as if fearful himself but he wouldn't allow himself to show it even if he was really terrified of what that man would do. 'No he likely was just pissed he had to deal with such a plain, boring, girl with no sex-appeal at all.' He nodded to himself, 'yeah that's likely it, I would be pissed if I had to deal with that too when I know there are far hotter women out there.' Having felt self-assured in his own mind that the real reason Tsuruga was pissed was having to play out as if he was interested in such an unattractive woman when he had a very attractive woman just dangling in front of him he felt safe. Right now it was more important to get Kyoko somewhere safe so he could send her back home where she belonged.

"Come on don't be like that." what he really didn't understand was why she wasn't talking to him in Japanese. Maybe she was too scared to do so, to let it be known that she could? The more he thought about it the more questions he had. "Where's that no-talent pretty boy whose babysitting you?" he figured maybe if she showed fear she might slip, so bringing up the man who was keeping her hostage at the moment was one way to do that. While they made eye-contact she simply began to move to pass him as if she didn't know who he was. That set him off, he grabbed her just under the elbow "Where the hell do you think you are going?" she turned to smack him across the face but he had grabbed her wrist before she could. His eyes narrowed as squeezed her wrist to get his point across, "Is this how you treat someone who is trying to help you?" he tried to keep his cool but he was quickly losing it. She still wasn't acknowledging that she spoke the language to him, so instead, he thought to try the one that ruined his date. The one that made it so he was going to have to work on some other woman to get laid tonight. "Kyoko," he said in French.

Kyoko sighed heavily, "What do you want Shoutaro" he snarled as she called him by his full name quickly looking towards the door to make sure no one heard it.

Shoutaro had to feel a moment of pride in the fact that he was right she would respond to him in French. Yet it seemed to him that her French which she hadn't known much of anything back in Kyoto was even better than his. 'Maybe she actually always knew how to speak it but couldn't let it be known?' he wondered for a moment before dismissing it 'What am I thinking? It's not like she's really related to any of them.' No, he knew for a fact she only had her mother who didn't even want her for that matter. The only people who she had was his parents and himself. "Don't call me that, it's Sho." He was being extra kind in how he was speaking to her now and she seemed slightly bothered by it, yet it was gone quickly. 'Maybe she's relieved actually' He released her wrist but he still was holding lightly on to her elbow case she thought to leave again.

"Fine, Sho" not that she seemed to put much energy or care into those two words but it was something he supposed.

"You are going back to Kyoto tonight." he lifted his hand to caress her cheek as he spoke, wanting to comfort her to make sure she knew it was alright but there was anger in her eyes. That confused him as much as her snapping at him had done. She never snapped at him, not even as children. He wasn't sure what to make out of it. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her get mad before, but it was always at anyone who dared to insult him, never directed at him.

"Why would I go there? My Great-Grandfather no longer is living. Besides my family is here," she pulled her elbow free from his grasp which he had mentally belittled himself for not holding on tighter.

He felt pity for her, the disillusion she had anyone besides that woman in her life must have finally caused her to accept the abuse of those men and take it as kindness when they had sold her. Well he would just have to make her see the error of it all, he had seen her on Tsuruga so he knew for a fact she was over that over innocents of hers, "You don't have any family" he growled as he grabbed her shoulders before leaning down, it wasn't hard to make women fall for him, even the ugly ones. Not that he saw Kyoko as ugly just boring, dull, plain, well the list went on. She did look much better now, so make-up was clearly her friend. That improved her looks enough in his mind, even if he knew it was all a lie. Shoutaro's voice becoming huskier as he spoke, "That's why you wanted me to be your husband isn't it?"

She shook her head, "That was because I was once stupid and fell in love with you." she rolled her eyes, "I wanted to be your bride because I was in love with you. I'm no longer in love with you, Sho. Now let me go." His grip on her shoulders had become firmer as she spoke, anger was bubbling in him but he was doing his best to keep his cool.

"Oh? You aren't in love with me anymore?" He shifted his grip so his arm was around her waist before grabbing a fist full of her hair pulling her neck back he kissed her, she tried to shove his face away but he held her firm. He was actually surprised by how sweet her skin tasted to him, yet she didn't seem to be blushing for him, something he had come to expect when he thought of Kyoko. 'Yeah she's no longer a virgin' that thought ran through his mind quickly as he pulled away from her neck, he had been careful not to leave a mark on her skin he didn't want his parents to find out and force him into a marriage with her. All he needed was for her to go home. The fact remained Kyoko wasn't the sort to make a scene and that clearly still was something that held true. He smirked as he looked her in the eye, "You never forget your first love because they hold a piece of your heart." There was pride in this fact, he was many girls first love back in Kyoto and even when they moved on from him, he knew for a fact they never did. He had proven this fact to himself over and over again because they were willing to cheat, they were willing to do anything he asked because he was their first love. Kyoko wasn't any different.

Kyoko began to laugh, almost like she pity him now, she shook her head sadly, "You weren't my first love," All he knew was that hurt, that hurt him more than he dared to admit. "Yet you are correct, you never do forget your first love, you cling to every little moment you had with them, recall every word they ever whispered to you. You never forget the way the sunlight shined on their hair, or how their eyes sparkled, how they changed when the light hit them just right," her eyes held a sort of sadness in them but after a moment she smiled in such a way that he couldn't help but shudder, it wasn't nearly as bad as Ren Tsuruga but there was an inner anger, instead of an inner rage that filled him. "You never forget them, so you are correct they hold a piece of you no one else can ever reach." she tried to shove him away again, but he didn't budge, "You don't hold that piece or place in my heart."

His own anger was building up now and he turned her forcing her onto the small round table, not caring that the cigarette ash spilled across the patio floor, "Don't be stupid, no one ever gave you the time of day but me" his body was pressing against her and it surprised him somehow in this position, with her anger he found her slightly attractive actually. Maybe it was because she was denying him after all this time, he wasn't sure but he was going to make regret those words he was going to give her such pleasure she would be running back to him over and over and he will deny her each and every time. Unless she dared tried to leave him again. 'Can't leave a mark on her' he reminded himself as he crushed his lips against her. One hand sliding up her side he was surprised at how easy this dress would make everything. Everything felt so smooth as he rested his hand just under the band of her panties, pulling away he began to travel of kisses down her neck down towards her breasts, they were far to small for his taste but he knew women were sensitive to them regardless of size, was wrapped in what he was doing that he didn't pay any attention to her protests.

Shoutaro had been surprised that he hadn't realized the hand that seemed to come out of nowhere grabbing a handful of his hair and flinging him off of her, it wasn't enough to hurt him. He didn't know who the man was, but his blond hair made it clear he wasn't Ren Tsuruga and while he had felt no anger at first he had felt it now, more like a jealous boyfriend indeed. The man was helping Kyoko adjust herself and he felt brave, "Who the fuck do you think you are, we were enjoying ourselves." he said in Japanese. "Why don't you get lost, she's my fiancee" his eyes turned towards Kyoko but she was firmly hidden behind the tall blonde man, "Tell him Kyoko-chan," he said motioning towards the man.