Ren winced at the rays of sunshine that began to trickle through the hospital window. He sat still on the bed, his shoulder wet with tears and a sleeping Kyoko laying limply in his arms, utterly exhausted. Though completely unconscious, her breath still shook from the hours of sobbing that wracked her body. He ran a hand through her hair softly, while still holding her tightly. To be honest, he was afraid to let her go. Afraid of what he would do.
After being through so many emotions in such a short amount of time, he felt completely drained. It was as though he would become consumed as soon as he let her go. Kyoko was anchoring him to reality at the moment and the only thing keeping Ren from returning to the streets with murderous intent.
Even so, Ren knew he couldn't cling onto her forever. After several moments, he reluctantly moved away from her and laid the girl back against the pillow, careful not to disturb her sleep. Her eyes were swollen and red, hair disheveled, but she had never looked more beautiful to him. He was battling so many emotions, one of which was the euphoria of knowing she was here in front of him, alive and well.
He took a seat next to her bedside and held her hand, reluctant to let go. He was careful not to look at the scars on her wrists. Or the bite marks on her neck. Or the kiss marks that lay exposed as she slept. Despite all of this, it was too much and he felt a rage building. Ren began to find himself returning to that former mindset that was bent on vengeance, thirsting for spilt blood. The more he looked at her, the more he pictured that man and the horrible things he would do to him.
"Corn..." Kyoko murmured.
Ren snapped out of his violent thoughts to look up towards the sound of her voice, which had saved him from nearly dissipating completely. She was sleeping very deeply, most likely dreaming about her childhood. Well, their childhood. Upon this thought, Ren was brought back to that place at the stream by his summer home in Japan. The place where he had first met a kind-hearted, enthusiastic, and somewhat naive little girl who he shared the world with. He remembered the sun gazing down at them joyfully as they played. He remembered her tearful face as she cried over her tests. And he remembered her smiling face as she called his name. Not Tsuruga-san or Ren, but Kuon (or Corn as she pronounced it).
Thinking about all of this seemed to melt away the darkness in his heart. And much to his own amazement, a soft smile played across his lips. It seemed absurd for him to be able to do such a thing during a moment like this, but that was the magic of Kyoko. She was his ultimate talisman against the evil in his heart and as long as she was by his side, he had the confidence to fight it.
A few hours later, Ren was still in the same place, slouched in the chair by Kyoko's bed. His head rested on his hand as he leaned on the armrest, dozing lightly. Normally Ren Tsuruga would have been stressing about work, calling Yashiro and the director, rushing off to meet them for the shoot. But today, he was too exhausted to play the part of strictly responsible Ren. He was also much too tired to battle with the personality of the violent and troublesome Cain. No, today, he was merely Kuon. And all he cared about right now was being near his light.
The doctor walked in, glancing at the bed and realizing her patient was in a deep sleep. Ren stirred from his nap and looked up at the woman.
"It seems you were able to bring her out of her shock. That's great." She said, walking over to the bed. She looked at the machines next to the it for a short while before writing down some results. After a few minutes of this, she finally turned to Ren with an apprehensive look.
"Seeing as how the patient is doing well physically, we would like to release her in order to free up the bed. Will you be able to escort her home?"
Ren thought about this for a moment. He hadn't thought about returning her home. It didn't sit well with him at all. What would he do when she was out of his sight for so long? How would he protect her? What would he do? Ren sighed heavily and rubbed a temple with his hand while still grasping firmly to Kyoko. One thing was for sure, he wouldn't be able to let her go so easily. Reino was still out there and as long as she was away from him, there was nothing he could do to help her. After much contemplation, Ren looked up and replied.
"Yes. I'll take her home"