It has been brought to my attention that this story strays to far from reality and is not believable. I have tried to base most my information in real world fact, but apparently I have failed badly. I have also been told that it is not a Skip Beat! fanfiction because the story line is not drive by the main characters from the manga. I apologize to anyone that I have offended. I will post this chapter since I have it done, but if I have fallen so short of my mark, how can I go on? I need some vindication to let me know where I stand on this. I turn to the only people that can help.
Should I continue?
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!.
Ren looked at the miracle lying asleep in the hospital bed. His cheek hurt from the bruise forming where Catherine had slapped him, but he was gladly willing to accept the pain in payment for the life the manager had returned to him. Ren had only allowed the girl out of his sight when the doctors insisted that she get an x-ray to make sure that her ribs were not broken. They were worried about the close grouping of bruises right around where her heart was and wanted to make sure there was nothing loose that could injure her more. The doctor suspected that it was the rapid successions of hard hits that had caused the woman's heart to stop, but they wanted to run some more tests to make sure she was no longer in danger. When they had admitted her to the hospital, Ren placed himself in the chair next to her bed and refused to move. She hadn't really spoken since the incident, but he hoped a little sleep would see her right again. Ren held the sleeping woman's hand as he laid his head down on her bedside and cried himself to sleep.
Lory hung the phone up and dropped his head to his desk. He has just finished listening to Catherine explain what had happened to his favorite LoveMe member. He was glad to hear that she was ok and Ren was with her, but he knew he would have to do something more to ensure the woman's safety. He was glad that Catherine took her job seriously enough to have something like that coat in her arsenal. He was amazed when she explained how it had saved Kyoko's life. Catherine had insisted that she call Kuu and inform him of the incident, after all, it was her job to keep the woman from harm's way. Catherine felt that she had failed when she did not catch the gunman. Lory reassured her that she had done a good job and he would help in arranging for Kyoko's continued safety. He also informed her that he would clear Ren's and Kyoko's scheduled for the next two days to give both actors time to recover.
Catherine and Yashiro had stopped by the hospital with dinner for their charges to find that both the actors were sound asleep. Catherine informed the hospital that someone had tried to kill the woman and they promised to keep a security guard near her at all times. Yashiro left a note taped to the bag of food for Ren when he woke up and left the actors without waking them. Catherine was sure that Kyoko would be safe in his care for one night. Whoever was trying to kill the girl would think that six shots to the back would have taken the girl down.
Now that their charges were secured and fed, Catherine looked at the man in her passenger's seat.
"What now?" She asked him. Yashiro considered it for a moment.
"We need to get food too." They had gotten take out for the two actors, but Catherine has passed on it. The after-effects of the adrenalin were still causing her to troubles and her stomach would not hold it at that time. She nodded her agreement. She was starting to feel better.
"Where?" She asked as she started the car. Yashiro took in the bandages and the blood that had soaked into her hair from the shoulder scrapes. She was sure to cause a scene at any restaurant that they visited.
"Let me cook for you." He offered. Catherine gave him a questioning look. "You may not believe it, but I have lived on my own for a while and I do know how to feed myself." You could hear the humor in his voice as he defended himself.
"Do we need to stop and pick up supplies?" Catherine asked as she pulled into traffic.
"No." Yashiro chuckled. "Unlike an actor we know, I do know how to stock a kitchen." Catherine laughed and turned the car towards his home.
Yashiro led the way into his apartment and pulled a pair of house slippers out for his guest. Catherine was grateful to get out of her shoe. The damaged heels were making her more unstable then she liked to be. Yashiro dropped his bag in the living room and, to Catherine's surprise, went straight into the bedroom. He emerged a few moments later with a familiar brown yukata and held it out to his guest.
"Why don't you go wash away that blood while I make dinner?" Yashior held out the cloth for Catherine to take. "I am sure it would make you feel better." Catherine smiled and stepped into the man for a hug. A shower was just the thing that she really wanted right now. Yashiro held on to the clothing as he wrapped his arms around the girl. Catherine rose up and placed a light kiss on his lips.
"Thank you." She whispered as she slipped from his arms and disappeared into the bedroom with the yukata. Yashiro's pulse raced as he watched her retreat. He sighed in content and wallowed in the knowledge that she was safe in his home before turning his attention to the idea of food. He had pulled makings for dinner out before he thought of something and went to tend to his showering guests needs before returning to cook it.
Catherine stood and let the hot water run over her body clearing away the dried blood that had accumulated in her hair. She had not bothered to tie it after she had scrapped her shoulder and it had gotten in the wound. The water stung on the partially head scrapes, but it felt good on the sore muscles she had abused. She heard the bathroom door slide open and Yashiro placed something on the counter before retreating again. She finished cleaning herself and shut the water off to find that he had removed her dirty clothing and left a first aid kit on the countertop. She smiled at his thoughtfulness and bandaged her wounds before securing the yukata around her. She opened the door and was hit with a smell that made her tummy grumble.
Yashiro turned at the sound of soft footsteps to see Catherine walk into the room. He loved the way she looked in the slightly too big yukata with her wet hair hanging down her back. She was squeezing the water from it when he came over and wrapped his arms around the woman again. After another light kiss, the two broke apart and turned to the food Yashiro had dished into plates.
"Where are my clothes?" Catherine asked as she settled herself into the chair.
"I put them in to be washed." Yashiro answered. Catherine thanked him for his kindness and started into her delicious dinner.
When they finished their meal, Catherine retired to the living room as Yashiro cleared the dishes and got out their dessert. When they had gotten back, he had pulled the tiramisu had saved out of the freezer to thaw. He carried the surprise out to his waiting guest to find that Catherine had fallen asleep on the couch. He laughed lightly before returning the treat to its original container and placing it back in the freezer. Catherine only moaned lightly as he lifted her from the couch and placed her in a more comfortable position on his bed. He covered her up and placed a light kiss on the side of her face before heading out to clean up. Catherine wiggled into a more comfortable position and fell into a deeper sleep.
Kyoko woke up several hours later. The pain medication the doctor had given her was starting to wear off and her back ached. She remembered hearing the bang and the initial impact to her back, but was unaware of what happened until she woke up to Catherine patting her face. It had taken the entire time that Catherine was checking her to come up with the fact that someone had just tried to kill her. She was still not sure how she had survived. During her time wrapped in Ren's arms, she had caught the words Kevlar and coat, but she still had not worked out what had happened.
Kyoko looked down at her hand trapped by the sleeping actor. She smiled at the peaceful look on the man's face and ran her fingers through his hair. She recalled the way he had cried and rocked her on the street before she carefully leaned down and placed a kiss on his face. She blushed lightly when she pulled back to find that his eyes were open and looking up at her. Ren sat up and stretched out the sleep from his stiff muscles.
"How are you feeling?" He asked the reddened girl. Kyoko looked away from his in embarrassment.
"My back hurt." She admitted. Ren smiled at the sound of her voice, he was glad she had found it again after her ordeal.
"You have a nasty bruise, but nothing is broken." Ren rose from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed closer to the girl. "I am just happy that you are safe." Kyoko did not resist him as he pulled her into his arms and held her gently. Ren sighed as Kyoko wrapped her arms around the man and took comfort in his presence. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat for a few minutes till he pulled back from her. He looked down into her golden orbs and spoke his mind. "I love you." When Kyoko did not cringe away from his words, he slowly leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
Kyoko's heart fluttered as Ren lips touched hers. In way of kisses, this one was short and sweet, but it made her head spin. It was absolutely nothing like the last kiss she had forced on her. When Ren started to pull away, Kyoko's heart cried in protest and the girl shifted forwards to recapture his lips. She felt Ren smile against her mouth and deepen the renewed kiss. Kyoko felt the man's large hand slide into her hair as she tilted her head back and her lips parted slightly. Ren took this opportunity to add a little more passion into the kiss as he slid into her mouth. The two worked each other fervently until the need for air drove them apart. Ren placed a quick light kiss to her lips again before pressing her head to his chest and curling over her.
Kyoko closed her eyes to listen to her love breathe and enjoyed his warmth as Ren rested his cheek on the top of her head. As time drew on Kyoko grew uncomfortable and shifted in his arms. Ren pulled back and placed a light kiss on the top of her head. As he pulled back, he placed his hand on her check to raise her redden face to look at him.
"I love you." Ren shifted his gaze from one of her eyes to the other gauging how much more she could take. Seeing she was almost at the limit of affection she could handle, Ren placed one more very light kiss on her lips before backing up and giving her space. He wanted to hold her for the rest of the night, but she was not ready for that yet. He was happy that she had been able to let him hold her for as long as she had.
Kyoko's mind spun as she looked around for something to concentrate on other than the man that had just left her arms. Her eyes fell on a plastic bag containing two Styrofoam containers sitting on the table next to her bedside. She shifted forwards to get the note attached and cringed as her abused muscles complained about the movement. Drawing the note back she flipped it open and chuckled at the three inch tall English word written inside. She flipped the note open to her companion and Ren laughed as he read the word 'EAT' in Catherine's handwriting. Ren retrieved the boxes and opened them to find two orders of hamburger steak and eggs inside. He smiled at the female manager's thoughtfulness as he handed one of the packages to Kyoko. He knew there was no way the young woman would let him get away without food, no matter how late at night it was.