And now to the part that you have been waiting for… no I am not going to tell you where the rumors came from, that is still a few chapters away, but I will give you something else fun. I think you all know what it coming. **** FLUFF ALERT****
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!.
Ren escorted Kyoko to his car and opened the door for her to get in. Her eyes slipped once to the couple getting into the car in front of them before she sat down and buckled her seatbelt. Ren shut the door and looked at his manager who was giving him an encouraging wave before disappearing into Catherine's car. Ren shook his head and settled in for the drive to the restaurant. Yashiro had made arrangements for the couple to dine in a five-start French restaurant that had privet dining rooms. Heads did turn as the hostess showed the famous actor through the main dining area and into the secluded room, but no one bothered them as they passed.
Kyoko was amazed by the individual dining room. The far wall was painted with a railing and the night skyline of Paris. Kyoko turned to look at the wall they just passed through to find that it was painted with a brick wall with windows. The ceiling was dark and covered in hundreds of tiny white dots like starts. The entire place gave you the feel of really being on the balcony of a French café at night. It was so amazing that Kyoko just spun around in awe. Ren's heart swelled to see the girl so happy. He was reluctant to draw her away from her fantasy, but they did need to sit down for dinner. Kyoko was shocked back to reality when Ren placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Embarrassment colored her face and Ren had to scold himself to keep from pulling the darling girl against him.
"Come on, it's time to sit down." Kyoko turned a little redder and Ren had to swallow back his desires again. He waved the waiter away as he placed the young woman in her chair and pushed it in for her. The waiter handed her a menu as Ren took his seat. Once settled, Ren took up his menu and looked over it. Confused by the French words, Kyoko looked over at her dinner partner. Ren saw the worried look on her face. "Problem with the menu?" Ren asked and Kyoko nodded.
"I don't know what any of this stuff is." She admitted. She would rather not have told him the truth, but it was better than getting something uneatable. Ren smiled kindly at her.
"Would you like me to order for us?" Ren offered.
"Yes please." Kyoko was glad that he understood.
"Ok, let's see. That will be one order of frog legs." Ren smiled as he teased the girl. The horrified look on Kyoko's face made Ren laugh. Kyoko glared at him and Ren calmed down his mirth and placed his menu on the table. "I am sorry, I promise not to get you frog legs." When the waiter came back Ren gave the man their dinner order and the menus. He also asked for some sparkling cider to go with the food.
"Tell me how your day was." Ren coaxed Kyoko into talking to him again. She proceeded to tell him about the filming and the Catherine's encounter with the ruffians. Ren listen intently as she rambled on, nodding and gasping at just the right spots to keep the girl talking. He loved the sound of her voice and could listen to her go on about nothing all day long. She ended her tale just as the waiter brought in the salad and appetizers. Ren spent most of the meal telling her about his day, well that is until she chastised him for not eating. When the meal was cleared away, the two sat sipping tea and letting their dinner settle before the waiter brought out the desert cart.
"Tsuruga-san," Kyoko started nervously, she had been debating through the entire evening about asking Ren something, and she just could not take it anymore.
"Yes?" Ren answered and lifted his cup to his lips.
"Do you think I'm special?" Ren choked on his tea when Kyoko asked her question. The young woman hopped up and came to pat the suffocating man on the back as he coughed up the brown liquid. Once he could breathe again, Ren took both of her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.
"Of course I think you're special." Ren informed her. "What made you ask such a thing?" With her hands trapped in Ren's grasp, Kyoko burst into tears and relayed the entire conversation she had with Catherine in the car to him. Clear down to the point where Catherine told her to ask him. Shocked at this development, Ren pulled the distraught girl into his lap and let her cry herself out against his chest. He held her close and patted her until she regained her composure and sat up. Embarrassed at her position, she tried to rise from his lap, but Ren held her firmly in place. "Listen Kyoko." The use of her given name without honorifics made her pause in her struggles to get free. "I don't care what anyone else has told you. You are special to me. You make me happy and take care of me when I need it." Ren paused in his words and waffled for a second before proceeding with this train of thought. "Kyoko, I love you and have done so for a long time now." Kyoko considered the man confessing to her for a long moment. Ren's heart stopped beating as he waited for a reaction from her.
"If you have l..l…lo..ved me for a while, why haven't you said anything." Kyoko asked. Ren sighed and dropped his head to rest on the woman's shoulder.
"I have wanted to for a long time, but every time I would start, you looked so terrified that I just could not bear to do it." Ren explained the problem to her. "I was afraid that you would run away from me and I would lose the one thing that truly made me happy." Ren held on to the still girl for a few minutes longer as she processed his answer. Ren's heart started again when Kyoko wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.
"I will not run away." Kyoko whispered to him. Ren nearly crushed the girl to him in his happiness. Ren released her to look into her eyes. He could still see the hint of fear and confusion that she held there. Ren took her hand and rubbed it reassuringly.
"Thank you Kyoko." Ren noticed the way Kyoko's breathe caught when he used her name. "I understand love scares you, and if you're willing to accept me, I will be happy to take it as slow as you need." Kyoko nodded slightly. Things were moving a little too fast for her grudges to handle. The box was open again and they were running around screaming. Ren considered kissing her, but decided that she would not be able to handle it yet. Instead, he laid a light kiss on the back of her hand before releasing her from his lap. It took her a full minute to process what he had done and get up to reclaim her seat for dessert.
The waiter pushed the dessert cart in as soon as Kyoko had settled herself in her chair. He had poked his head in during the actor's confession and discreetly removed himself so that he would not disturb them. He tried not to show his excitement at the development. He knew he was going to get a really big tip from the man that had made the arrangements for the dinner. At first he had been against the idea of the hidden cameras in the privet room, but the man was Tsuruga Ren's manager, so after some persuasion, he finally agreed to set it up. He served up the cakes for the actors and left to go call the man about the happenings.
Kyoko dug into her cake so she would not have to look at the man making bedroom eyes at her. She deemed that the soft look he was giving her needed a warning label attached. It was fatal to most of the woman in Tokyo. Ren laid his hand out across the table for the girl to take. Not sure if it was alright, Kyoko slipped her hand up onto the table and placed it in her beloved senpai's larger hand. Ren closed his fingers around her hand and drew her attention away from her dessert.
"In the near future we need to sit down and have a long talk." Ren could see her nervousness. "When you have come to accept this, but not tonight." Kyoko relaxed a little. "There are some things that I need to tell you, but only when you're ready." Kyoko nodded and Ren rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand again. "Can I ask one favor of you now?" Ren could feel her tense. "Would you please call me by my given name?"
After dinner, Ren decided it would be a good night for a walk in the park before he took Kyoko home. It had taken him the rest of dinner to convince her to call him by his name, but she only agreed to it when they were alone. Ren insisted that she use it when Yashiro and Catherine were around, because they would never have any alone time while Catherine was her body guard. Reluctantly, Kyoko agreed. As they walked Ren had made the girl repeat his name over and over until she could say it with only a little stutter. It was music to his hears and he sighed in happiness every time her lips formed the word. Eventually, the night grew late and Ren decided it would be a good idea to get the young woman home before he had to explain himself to the stoic man with the large knife.
Ren stopped in the doorway to the Darumaya holding Kyoko's hands. He stood there getting lost in her golden eyes for a while before the noise from inside drew his attention away for a moment, he swallowed thinking about little chunks of meat before bring his mind back to the woman in front of him.
"Kyoko," He began, his heart thumped at her name on his lips. "I love you and I will always be here for you." Ren raised her hands to his lips and kissed her hands again. He held himself back from kissing her on the mouth, knowing it would only confuse and distress the young woman. "Have a good night and I will call you tomorrow." Ren released the girl and Kyoko glanced back at him before slipping behind the door and up to her room. It took her the better part of the night for her heart to calm down.
Ren watched the doorway swallow the girl that now held his heart in her hands. He was glad that he had told her and that she had promised not to run away. Now he just had to hold onto himself so that he did not move to fast for the girl's sensibilities. Ren sighed and took himself home. He spent most of the night lying on the bed remembering the feel of her in his arms, and think about the next time he would be able to have her there.
Author's note: HE CONFESSED! SQUEEEEEE! Ok.. that's out of my system now.. on to the other pair….