I do not own Skip Beat!
Thank you Yoshiki Nakamura for all of your incredible talent.
A/N: I know I've done the names differently this time, but that is only because it is while they are in Japan. Just in case anyone was wondering. 8)
Chapter 9
Nii-san's Secret
"Kanae-san, it's so good to see you again." Roxy addressed her calmly.
"Mo, what is up with you? What happened to the normal greeting? Not that I'm complaining."
"Sorry Moko-san, I have an public image to protect." she murmured quietly.
"Okay then, let's go somewhere that's a little more private than the lobby." Kanae giggled.
They both then left to an old familiar setting that was now Kanae's office.
"You're still in LoveMe?" Kyoko asked in disbelief.
"No, but I do run it along with Maria-chan and Chiorin in my off time." She informed her. "Chiori and I graduated a couple of months after you left. My sister was in a car accident and I realized just how important having family around was."
"How did Chiori graduate?" Kyoko asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, when you left she was offered Bo. It turns out it really changed her. She absolutely loved it and it helped having Ishibashi Hikaru there too." Kanae giggled.
"Oh? You have to tell me." Kyoko grinned with mischief.
"He-he, yeah those two are the closest little lovebirds I've ever seen."
"What about you?" Kyoko asked slyly.
"Well... I think maybe you were right about Hiou-kun." she answered blushing.
"No way!" Kyoko exclaimed in shock, "See! I told you!"
The little blonde's eyes grew wide with excitement as she opened the door to see the back of a familiar family member conversing with Kanae. Kanae looked up as the now twelve year old sat the bentos on the table and immediately wrapped her arms around the somewhat familiar womans neck.
"Onee-san! I missed you soooo much." She whispered in tears of joy as she hugged her tightly.
"Maria-chan! Aw, I missed you so much too." she smiled hugging her tightly.
The three sat in the cursed pink room catching up on each others lives for a couple of hours before they decided to catch a quick lunch at the diner downstairs before Kyoko had to go speak to Lory and meet Kuon.
There it sat before him in it's case on his desk before him. The one that he had designed himself and had them create. Two hearts entwined with a sapphire in the center surrounded by several tiny diamonds. Yellow, white and rose gold braided together to form the perfect ring for the perfect woman. To finally see it completed brought a certain sense of peace to him, but it also created a new sense of anxiety. What if she said no? He sighed, he couldn't be thinking about things like that right now. This was too important and he could not and would not lose his nerve.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
He quickly packed it away in his pants pocket and straightened himself to look presentable.
"Come in." He called out in a voice that was filled with worry and stress.
"Ren. Are you okay?" Yashiro Yukihito asked.
"Oh, yeah. Just ummm... Just going over a few things before tomorrow's announcement." he stammered.
"Ah, I can see how that would be a little stressful." Yashiro looked upon the young actor in pity. "Don't worry, your fans will understand. It's just a stage name after all." He consoled him.
"Oh yeah, that..." He had completely forgotten about the announcement. He was doing this for himself and Kyoko. He wanted the world to know that Hizuri Kuon loved her and only her and he was not going to hide behind a secret identity any longer. It didn't really worry him as much as Yashiro had thought.
As soon as they walked through those swinging glass doors of the café, it hit her. Every little smell assaulted her senses.
"Roxy? You okay?" Kanae asked with concern. Kyoko looked as if she had just caught scent of the most offensive odor anyone could imagine.
"Can we go somewhere else. There's something in here that just doesn't smell right and it's upsetting my stomach." Kyoko replied as she turned to walk out the door.
"Sure." replied Kanae a little puzzled. She didn't smell anything like that and for once she was kind of hungry.
It happened at two more restaurants. They finally settled on an outdoor café that served French cuisine. Kyoko's sensitive nose and stomach finally nagged her for escargot? She had never had it, but that's what she wanted and apple juice, lots of apple juice. What is going on? She thought to herself. She just couldn't get enough of the taste and could have drank a gallon of the stuff.
Kanae stared at her wide-eyed.
"Kyoko," Kanae started with a whisper, "are you...?"
"What Moko-san?" Kyoko asked innocently.
Kanae gasped, "Oh my god Kyoko.. Are you pregnant?" Kanae had a hunch, after all she had been around quite a few pregnancies with her family.
Kyoko laughed, "No way Moko-san.. I'm on the pill."
"That means NOTHING. You can still get pregnant on the pill. My sisters did." she warned. "You need to go get a test and find out."
"I can't. I don't have time and everyone knows my face." She whined trying to talk her way out with excuses, not really wanting to know the answer to a question like that.
"If you don't go buy it, I will!" Kanae scolded. "Here... I'll have my manager pick one up for you, that way no one will know. Okay?"
"Fine." Kyoko sighed in defeat. And with that Kanae called her faithful manager Josie and told her the situation. Tonight after the concert, Kyoko would test and know the answer.
It just couldn't be... Fuwa Sho stood staring at the large screen on the building that displayed Roxy's new PV, starring Amamiya Chiorin and Kotonami Kanae. The three of them were dressed in skin tight, black body suits that had little cuts in them revealing a nice amount of skin in strategic areas and Roxy's hair was dyed black, but that wasn't the shocker... Her eyes! Her eyes were gold! They were Kyoko gold! When the yellow ribbon wrapped around her naked body and she crooned that she was no longer an innocent girl, but a bitch and the man that she was singing about didn't deserve her, he knew for certain that it was Kyoko. She had not only beat him but flew right past him. She had singers from all over the world begging for her collaborations and songwriting skills, she was a renown model and also a well known talent out of Hollywood California. She was a Queen of the entertainment world and he was still struggling to get out of Japan. How? How did this happen? Why? He asked himself as he fell to his knees on the sidewalk of downtown Tokyo in shock and disbelief as nameless faces passed around him on their ways to work. What have I done?
The second she saw those eyes on the big screen Aki Shoko knew there would be a huge storm brewing. Thankfully she would no longer be in the eye of it. She let a sigh of relief as she watched her amazing new charge deliver her lines like a champ during the outdoor shoot. I should have done this sooner, she thought with relief as she watched the cute little Shirley Temple curled four year old actress perform in her new drama. This kid is a miracle.
Once again she stood on stage singing and dancing her heart out and once again he stood mesmerized by her enchanting beauty and talents. Growing old with her will never have a dull moment, he thought as he turned the little box in his pocket over and over. Tonight they would have dinner at his apartment after the concert and he would officially make the woman of his dreams his for the rest of his life.
