Chapter two! /(^_^)/

Warm chuckles came over the line and shot tingles down her spine. Desperately she searched for a distraction, and when she found it she wished she could turn back the wheels of time, that the ground would come, rise and devour her and the building around her hole, after all what could be worse than the filth that seeped from her lips?

"Are we still going out on Friday?" aghast she blanched; about to throw herself to the ground in embarrassment and apologies for her boldness, she stopped. Once again sultry laughter invaded her mind.

"Of course, Kyoko, where just about done here and should be home by tomorrow night." The preppy, bubbly young woman went red at the casual, almost domestic, reply. For a moment she went off to another world, one where home was with her and a bundle of children that had black hair and bright blue eyes, that ran around with their grandfather…..….NO! She would not do that to herself. She would keep going, she had many people that cared for her and a rising career as an actor, she didn't need a man, or love and she most defiantly didn't need….

"Kyoko, Kyoko are you there? Kyoko!"

… him. But she did, and she had for years. Once again casting about for a life line she said the first thing that came to mind. "Yes I'm here, sorry I was just thinking about …um… paint! Yes, paint, now what do you think, should I go with pastel pearl or moon dust?" Really, mind? Really? Paint?! That was the only thing you can think about? Paint?! And stop that insistent laughing. Covering her face in her hands she shook her head in shame.

"Hmmmmmm… I would go with the second one, it sounds more, well special to be honest. Moon dussst…" he dragged the word out making it sound like candy and increasing her blood pressure at the same time. Dame multitaskers. "Yep, go with that one, but why are you picking out paint when the room won't be ready for it for another month?"

"Just keeping my options open, don't want to be left behind at the checking aisles." More chuckles, well someone took their happy piles today.

"Who would have thought that, you of all people would become a landlord?"

"Me of all people? What's wrong with me? I'm just as capable of landlordary as anyone else."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. It's just you give off more of the girl next door aura than the grumpy landlady with curlers in her hair. You're not going to buy curlers are you, because if you did I may just have to disown you, I can't be seen with the grumpy curler woman, what wold my parents say." Now her turn to laugh, and as the light tinkle went over the line Ren smiled, he made her laugh. He made her laugh, pride washed thru him. There was nothing he enjoyed more than hearing her laugh and seeing how her eyes sparkle, how one side of her lips turns up and the other slightly down making that corked grin. Fans and viewer always wonder where the ability to play such evil or mischiefs characters comes from, but he knew. It was her love of fairies, her past where she couldn't do as she wished, and most importantly her desire to make her own way in the world that pushed her to do the unexpected and wow her audience and give her all even when she was about to collapse. As the night wore on laughter soaked thru the room. On and on they went, picking up conversations and dropping them just as quickly, trading complements insults and random comments.

But, as all good things do, the call had to end. And as she closed her phone, Kyoko fell over onto her bed, a large grin splitting her face. Her eyes slowly closed as she slipped into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

A crossed the country, Ren sighed as he too ended the call. Smile in place he turned towards his manager who had just walked into the room, devilish smirk and a cruel glint in his eyes. "Reeeen!" he called "who was that? It wasn't a certain younger actress, was it? After all why would you be talking to her for…" checking his watch his grin widened even more "five hours?..." Ren sighed once more as the over grown teenage girl/annoying male/surprisingly efficient manager continued to poke fun at his inability to get one girl when he has most of the female Japanese population throwing themselves at his feet.

"….like some school boy, that has his first crush. Not that you're a boy oh, no it worse than that after all they have the benefit a the doubt, since they don't know what they're doing but you, your twenty- six years old and you can't get up the nerve to ask one little question!..." the taller man let out another sigh, rose from his chair and prepared for bed, Yashiro tittering all the way, until he reliseted that his charge had fallen asleep.

"Good night, Ren, you're going to need your sleep for what the president has planned for you. May the world have mercy on you, for he will not."

As Yashiro went to his own bed Ren opened his eyes in fear. His godfather was plotting again, but this time he had no idea what it was or that he even had one, normally he could tell when the old man was lurking in the shadows, but not this time. This time he was actually scared.

What do you think?

Review please!

Your hopeful muse,

Darkwing_snow