And what happens when Kyoko is given these hard choices? How about we find out. I hope you enjoy the next installment. Please let me know.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!.
"But, I can't get m.m…mar..rrried. Who would do such a thing!" Kyoko cried again. Her attention was drawn by a tight squeeze on her hand. She turned to look at the actor wrapped around her.
"I think we have a volunteer!" Catherine laughed at the cute couple. Kyoko had not even considered the man next to her or her growing feelings. Kyoko blanched at this thought.
"I couldn't marry R…ren, it would ruin his image." Kyoko refused the idea. Ren had opened his mouth to squelch her thought, but Catherine beat him to it.
"Kyoko!" Catherine's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Do you love him?" Everyone held their breath as the love-resistant girl stared at her manager with an open mouth. Kyoko floundered for a moment before noise finally made it out of her mouth.
"No.. Yes.." She started, but she did not know what the right answer was. Ren had gone very still next to her. "I DON'T KNOW!" She finally ended in the middle. Catherine stood up and stared intently at the young woman. Kyoko froze under her penetrating gaze.
"Then let's find out. Come with me." Catherine turned and led the way from the seating area. Kyoko released Ren's hand and followed her manager to a quiet corner away from the group. "I want you to ignore the fact that they," Catherine waved at the men watching from the couches, "are here and answer the questions truthfully." Kyoko looked back at her friends one last time before giving her full attention to Catherine. "Ready?" When Kyoko nodded Catherine continued softly so her voice would not reach the other occupants of the room. "Do you think about him when he is not around?" Kyoko glanced back at the actor in question. "No, no. Look at me." Catherine caught her attention again. "Right here." She pointed with two fingers to her eyes. Kyoko locked eyes with Catherine and swallowed before nodding her head. "OK, do you worry about his wellbeing?" Kyoko resisted the urge to look at the man again and nodded her head again. "Good, you're doing fine. Now, if you hear someone call his name, do you turn to look for him even if you know there is no way he could be there?" Catherine's eyes kept switching back and forth studying Kyoko's eyes. Kyoko blushed a little and nodded her head in short jerky nods. She was starting to scare herself, but she knew she could not run away. "Ok, have you ever had a dream about him that made you blush?" The blush that rushed across her face spoke volumes to the answer, but Catherine waited for Kyoko to give her a jerky nod before the manager leaned forwards to whisper the last question in her ear. "Now be honest with yourself, did you regret that it was only a dream?" Kyoko jerked back at the question that burnt across the skin of her ear. She stared into her friend's eyes to find that Catherine had found that open box inside her and dumped the contents out for her to see. To her surprise, a chibi Ren stood up from the pile of things and dusted himself off before trying to climb back into the box. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw what her grudges had tired for so long to hide. "Scary isn't it?" Catherine's warm eyes held comfort in them and Kyoko nodded. "I know how you feel." Kyoko's eyes darted to the men watching them from across the room. The only answer she got from Catherine was a slow calculated blink, but she knew what that answer meant. "Take as long as you need to get use to that idea, because I don't think he's going anywhere." Kyoko licked her dried lips and looked at the three people waiting for her answer.
"Are you sure?" Kyoko's heart had been too damaged to truly trust men at their words again.
"I am sure." Catherine answered. "And if you need reassurance, spend some time looking into his eyes. They are the gateway to the soul and you can learn a lot about yourself and others if you look carefully there." Kyoko turned this over as Catherine led her back to the chairs and placed the girl back down next to the tall actor before returning to her seat. It took her a full minute of gears grinding before she turned to look at the larger version of the chibi that Catherine had pulled from the box.
Ren watched the girl with guarded eyes as Kyoko retook her seat, he could see she needed some time to deal with the mess that Catherine had caused when she knocked the contents out of her inner box. Not only had Catherine shown her the man in her heart, she also saw all of the other things that she had stuck in there out of sight. There were feelings and desires that she could not remember along with precious memories. Things she had known for a long time, but could not bring herself to see. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Kyoko cleared up the mess and Catherine rubbed her head. That little exercise had taken a lot out of the manager too. Kyoko did not realize that Catherine had dumped out her own box when she flipped over the young woman's.
"Do you have your answer?" Lory's words brought his favorite LoveMe member back to the world outside of her mind. Kyoko looked at him and considered her words carefully.
"Yes, I do." Kyoko turned her attention to the stoic man sitting next to her. "If you will have me?"
Kyoko watched as a plethora of emotions ran through Ren's eyes, she did not understand how they all fit together, but she did realize as the Emperor of the Night over took them all. Kyoko was captured in the man's eyes as he sat up and slowly closed the distance between them. She felt the familiar hint of fear rise in her, like he was some large cat and she was just a little mouse with nowhere to go. He took up her hand and held it close to his chest.
"I would be honored to." Kyoko felt the cat's paws close on her and knew she would never be able to get away from him now. Her heart beat franticly as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. She felt like he had just put his seal of ownership on her right there. Ren pulled back leaving the girl trembling.
"Enough of the mushy stuff." Catherine's words broke the spell that had falling over the room. Yashiro and Lory watched the pair with such rapture that it made Catherine question their sanity. Her voice brought them back to real life. "Now that we have that settled, we need to talk about what's going to happen in the few months between now and then." Catherine shot the two men already planning a dirty look. "And I am not talking about what flowers to get." Both men pouted at the wet blanket before turning back to the serious subject of Kyoko's safety.
After a long discussion, it was decided that Kyoko could not stay at a public place like the Darumaya. Kyoko had insisted that the place was safe, but Catherine blew her out of the water when she informed her that someone that would shoot her in Japan would not bat an eye at burning her in her home. Kyoko would be sad to leave the couple, but she huddled in Ren's arms and agreed after some of the things Catherine described that were worse than being burnt alive. What the woman had come up with scared the hell out of the three men, let alone a young innocent girl. Yashiro was surprised at Catherine's vivid imagination. It was also decided that it would be improper for the young woman to take up residence with Ren. He had been very adamant about it, but Lory convinced the actors that it was not a good idea. The main reason was really Ren's protection. If Kyoko's mother got wind that there was something going on between the actors, then the tall man could become a target. It was finally decided that Kyoko and Catherine would move into one of Lory's villas. Her work schedule would be cut to only what they absolutely needed her for and she was not to go anywhere without Catherine with her till this was over. Kyoko had only one question before she agreed to this drastic plan.
"What keeps her from coming after us after we get m..ma..?" Catherine smiled sadly and shook her head at Kyoko's question.
"Truthfully, nothing except the fact that if she kills you both, she will not get a single cent." Catherine admitted. Kyoko gave her confused eyes. "The life insurance would payout to Tsuruga-san's estate and that money would go to his family." Kyoko gave Catherine a slow ah-ha as she processed how this was going to work before the words actually sunk in.
"Wait, Ren has family?"