"I understand that Natsu has told you about the box briefly."
"She said those grudges came from it after learning about Fuwa's real feelings towards her and everything, right?"
"Yup. Good memory we've got there. Box opened up, let out grudges, then she shut her ability for romantic love in the box tight with a whole bunch of little locks so she wouldn't fall in love again."
"That, uh, doesn't sound so good."
"No duh, Sherlock."
"How am I supposed to break those locks?"
"Don'tya mean 'how is it that I actually broke all those locks?'?"
"What?" Ren asks, bewildered.
"You already did it, man." He gets a thumbs-up sign from Kuon. "Broke all those locks open. The last one broke the day the Boss was at the Tragic Marker set. In fact, he saw it break. The next time you two went to the office, he got it out of her. He got her to admit it."
"That a lock broke? He knows about the box and all?"
"No, idiot. He got her to admit that she loves you."
"She...that she..."
"She doesn't want to though. She thinks that she isn't worthy of being loved by you, so she is squashing it down, but can't get it to go away all the way because of the broken locks. But she doesn't even think that there is a remote possibility of you looking her way."
"That's a bit extreme. What made her think that way?"
"You did."
"What? When?!"
"When you told her that you loved some high school chick!"
"A high schooler? But the only one that I told that to was...oh no."
"You get it now?"
"Oh for the love of God, how many high schoolers does she think I meet?"
Kuon holds his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Don't ask me; ask her." Well that's rich, coming from you.
"And why didn't she tell me she was Bo all along?"
"Hey, I actually know that one. The grudges had said that it is part embarrassment, and part the fact that you wouldn't have talked to her about your problems if you knew it was someone close to you. She thought you would be mad about it."
"I couldn't e mad about that."
"But she doesn't know that, Ren."
He sighs and puts his head on the table. What do I do? She won't believe me about everything, would she? Ren looks at the girl next to him. He had even forgotten that 'Kuon' is actually a girl in real life during their conversation. This is a lot to take in in the middle of the night.
"Okay, Kuon. Let's think of a plan."
"What do you have in mind there, other me?"
"Operation total reveal."
It is around seven in the morning when they finally notice the time after Ren's phone goes off after Yashiro figured it was a more appropriate time to call and hold a conversation. Ren puts the call on speaker for Kuon next to him. "You want the whole day off now?"
Ren looks at the kid next to him before he nods. Ren switches to Japanese while talking to Yashiro. "Yes, Yukihito. I know it will be hard to do, but I haven't slept a wink all night, and I still have to talk to Kyoko."
"So it's 'Kyoko' now, huh?" I can almost hear him make that evil little grin that always comes up when something happens between us. "Since when has this happened?"
"I know it will be tough to move things around and probably will be worked on most of the morning, so I guess I'll let you go n-"
"Please just tell me this one thing, Ren, or so help your phone the next time I get my hands on it." Kuon laughs at Ren's face when Yashiro deliver's his threat. "Ren? Who's there?"
"I'm here, Yukihito. And I'm the one who said he should start calling her Kyoko. And it's about time, right?" Ren's eyes widen slightly as Kuon speaks quicker in English and with a voice just different enough that no one would suspect it would be Kyoko's body. Remarkably though, it sounded like how Ren did back then on the home videos that mom and dad had made. But that is the point I guess...it's just weird though.
"Who was that? What did they say? What's going on with Kyoko-chan? What's going on there?"
"It's no one. That was off, Kuon. Did dad show you a tape or something? You got the voice just right."
"Really? That's great! But no, there were no videos. It's just from Kyoko's memories and calculations while figuring puberty."
"It's just on this side of creepy."
"Would you please answer me?"
"Kyoko is fine. She's...resting. Kuon's here, and he's the one who said I should call her that. In fact, he said 'it's about time'. As for what's going on, I'm about ready to sleep on my feet, so goodbye, Yukihito. Oh, and tell the president I said hello, and if either of you guys come to my apartment today, there will be hell to pay." He hangs up the phone and they both laugh while making eye contact. "Well, I'm beat." He says, back in English. "The plan is here," he takes the paper that has notes on it and slips it between a couple books on a shelf, "now let's finally go to bed." He goes to his room to change, not knowing he's followed him.
"Wait!" Ren looks at her, expecting her to be red-faced since he already took his shirt off. "Give me your hand."
"Why?"
"So you don't think that this was all a dream." Kuon takes a pen they were using and makes a big X on the back of his hand. "And, I have no night clothes, which I suppose isn't a surprise since we didn't exactly plan this."
"And?" Amazing. There is not even a hint of shame on him even after noticing I was changing. Either she doesn't see me as a man, or she fully is one right now, and not one that's attracted to men."
"So give me some clothes to borrow, Ren."
He leaves for a moment to grab a shirt and drawstring shorts he works out in only to come back and tnd she's already stripped herself of her shirt and her skirt was following. A slightest red hue graces Ren's cheeks as he looks around the woman. "Uh, Kyoko?"
"Still Kuon, Ren." You don't look like a guy, though!
"Why are you getting dressed in here?"
"I didn't say anything about you still being in your boxers, so give me those clothes." He dresses efficiently and heads over to the bed, clombing in.
"Now what are you doing?"
"Getting rest. Her mind may think it's been out for this long, but this body needs sleep."
"She would freak while waking up there."
"Wonderful icebreaker, right?" Kuon drawls while settling in the sheets. "Just come one. We're both tired. Or do I have to get Natsu to get you to come to bed?"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." He pulls on his pajama bottoms and darkens the room to near blackness with black-out curtains. He sighs once more before sliding into bed next to his life-long love.