Yays, I think I am getting back into the grove of writing. That trip put me off, so I hope this is ok. I hope you enjoy it.
Note: I do not own Skip Beat!.
Kyoko settled herself into the water of the open air onsen. Catherine sat on the edge of the tub and dangled her legs into the pool. The light snow that was falling never reached the surface of the water. It disappeared well above it in the warm cloud of steam that billowed up from the hot water. Kyoko had tried to avoid the public bathing pool so Catherine would have a reason to stay out, but Catherine had insisted on going in. After washing up, the two girls had slipped into the hot water, but Catherine quickly decided it was too hot for her and lifted herself out to rest on the side. This left her exposed to the cooler December air, but the same steam that murdered the snowflakes kept Catherine warm enough.
Kyoko kept stealing glances at her companion. Catherine had draped her towel over her lap and leaned back against her arms to kick her legs in and out of the hot water. Kyoko thought that she looked like she had put on a little weight since the last time they had been in a pool together.
"Are you sure that you should be in the water?" Kyoko asked her friend. She was still concerned about the tumble the woman had taken, but the hot water worried her more.
"Stop worrying about it Kyoko-chan." Catherine sat up and looked down at her charge. "We don't even know if it's true." Kyoko gave Catherine a look that said that she did not believe that. Catherine defended her position. "It is a proven fact that too much exercise or stress can cause a woman to miss their period, and we have had a lot of both in the last few weeks." Kyoko had to give her manager that. Even though they did have a good time traveling the country, there had been a lot of stress put on both of them. They had already had this conversation many times while the guys had been busy elsewhere. Catherine kept Kyoko sworn to secrecy on the subject until everything was over and she could get an appointment set up with a doctor. "Anyway, I have been taking those pills and trying to take it as easy as possible." Kyoko was happy about this. The moment she became aware of the situation, she had make Catherine get some special vitamins to take.
"I still think you should tell him." Kyoko sank a little lower in the water. She did not like hiding Catherine's possible condition from the men, but she understood that it was not her secret to tell.
"I promise to tell him as soon as I know what to tell him." Catherine sighed as she picked at some fluff on her towel. "It's just not something that they need to worry about right now." Catherine pulled her legs from the hot water and rested her chin on her knees with her arms wrapped around them. "Anyway, this is your time. Tomorrow you will get married and I don't want to overshadow that." Kyoko looked up at the woman above her and smile. She had started to become excited about the upcoming marriage. Ren's constant physical contact over the last few days had broken down most of the reservations that she had about their situation. He had played his American background up so he had an excuse to hold and kiss her as often as he could. At first she had been embarrassed to have his arms around her everywhere they went, but now she missed his presence when he was not there. Kyoko felt a little lightheaded from the heat and pulled herself from the pool.
"I think it is time we got out of here." Kyoko careful stood up so that she would not fall over and the two girls went to get dress and join their men.
The two women clad themselves in yukatas and went back to their room. Ren and Yashiro had left at the same time the girls had to enjoy a hot bath for themselves, but they had not returned yet, so the Catherine and Kyoko decided to wander around the ryokan while they waited for their partners. The two girls were excited when they found the table tennis games and they both picked up paddles for a quick game.
Kyoko had just smashed the little ball as hard as she could across the net when Ren walked into the room. He and Yashiro had gotten back from the bath to find the girls things there, but they were missing. He had a moment of panic as the two men turned their steps out to find where the young women were. A smile broke on his face as he watched Catherine reach for the missile and just miss it with the edge of the paddle.
"Point to me." Kyoko laughed and danced a little at her victory. Catherine laughed at the girl and when to retrieve the little ball from where it had bounced off the wall and under the table.
"You really aren't going to take it easy on me are you?" Catherine kidded with her friend.
"Nope." Kyoko laughed. "You told me not to." She pointed out the request that her manager had made. Ren stood in the doorway unnoticed by the pair.
"I can't find the ball Kyoko-chan." Catherine had dropped clear to the floor to crawl under the table. Kyoko squatted down to help her look for the toy so they could continue with their game. Yashiro walked up behind Ren and looked around him to see the girls they had been looking for on the floor searching. The little ball had bounced out from under the table and came to rest by Ren's foot. The tall actor picked up the object and stepped fully into the room followed by his manager.
"Is this what you are looking for?" Ren held his prize up. A bang issued from the table where Kyoko had jumped at the sound of his voice. Ren smiled at the silly girl. Kyoko extracted herself from the small area she was searching, rubbing her head.
"That's it!" She cheered as she hopped up from the floor and bounced over to Ren to get the ball. He held it out to her. Catherine pulled herself from the floor and smiled at the new arrivals. She looked over to the other equipment and had a wonderful idea.
"Why don't you two join us for a game?" Catherine spun her paddle in her hand. "We still have time before dinner." The two men agreed and went to collet paddles before joining their girls at the table. Ren teamed up with Kyoko and Yashiro went to stand next to Catherine. In no time at all the poor abused ball was flying back and forth across the table to the sounds of laughter.
The two teams were evenly matched as they jumped back and forth whacking their projectile at each other. Kyoko backed up to catch a rather wild serve from Yashiro and stumbled on the edge of the tatami mat. She let out a squeak as she realized that she was about to crash into the floor. Her eyes slammed shut as she braced herself for the impact that never happened. When she opened them again, she found that Ren's fast reflexes had served him well and she was bent backwards supported in his arms several feet from the ground. She looked deeply into the blue eyes just inches from her face as the two froze in the very romantic pose. She could see the tail end of the fear he had felt at her sudden endangerment as it was chased out of him by his love for the girl. The Emperor of the Night took over and Ren pulled her closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She reached up and clutched the front of his yukata as she returned the kiss. The two held their positing for a few more minutes before they broke apart breathless. Ren raised Kyoko back to her feet gently.
Their attention was drawn away from each other by the sigh that issued from Catherine. Kyoko blushed as she took in the managers at the other end of the table. Yashiro had one arm wrapped around Catherine's shoulders while she leaned against the line of his body as they watched the cute couple's exchange. What the actors had missed was the affectionate swat that Catherine had given the excitable man when his fan girl had kicked in. She had been working on teaching him not to squee every time his favorite couple did something cute. So far he was doing a good job. Kyoko turned to hide her embarrassment as she retrieved the lost ball while Ren checked the clock on the wall behind the managers.
"It's just about time for dinner." Ren informed the group. They all looked up at the time before gathering their toys back into the storage box and heading back to their room. They had no sooner settled down before the nakai showed up with their evening meal. Kyoko looked at all the little dished in front of her and sighed. She was having such a wonderful time, but she was still a little sad.
"Is everything ok Kyoko?" Ren asked as he noticed the change in the girl's mood.
"Yes." Kyoko nodded. "I was just wondering if Maria had another Grateful Party yesterday." She hopped that the young girl had been able to celebrate her birthday without her friend there to help. Ren smiled at her.
"I am sure that Lory arranged something for her." Ren patted Kyoko's hand where it laid on the table. They had picked out presents for the little girl for when they got back. Catherine had been against sending them incase Lory deiced that he was going to track them down from the post marks. They all agreed and packed the curious items that Kyoko had found away. Catherine had no idea what a little girl would need an ornate silver dagger and black candles for, but she had been afraid to ask. Ren had laughed at the older woman and added a book entitled 'Practical curses for all occasions' to the pile. Catherine had shaken her head and walked away to see about something more appropriate for a little girl.
"Thanks." Kyoko rolled her hand over and laced her fingers together with Ren's much larger hand. He held it for a few moments before releasing her so they could turn their attention back to their meal.
Kyoko had just finished the last of her food when a knock issued from the door. Ren called in answer and a young woman slid the door open before bringing in a small cake filled with candles. Tears of joy filled Kyoko's eyes as the servant sat the cake on the table in front of her. She had also brought clean plates which she exchanged for the dirty dished already on the table.
"Happy Birthday Kyoko." Ren smiled at her and pulled her into a one armed hug. He had talked with the Okami to arrange the little treat. It was the best that he could do under the circumstances. Kyoko leaned into the hug and smiled. Her three friends started into the birthday song and Ren released her so she could sit up and blow out the candles before the wax could melt on the cake. She scrunched up her face in thought for a moment trying to decide on the wish that she would make. She had found that most of the wishes that she could make had already come true. She had friends that loved her, she was getting married to a wonderful man that she was not sure that she deserved, she no longer wanted revenge on Sho, and she was growing to be a better actress all the time. She settled on a wishing for their plans to work and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and Catherine took the cake and served it up. After dessert was cleared away, the two couples decided to turn in early. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Even though there was no dress, no flowers, and no pomp and circumstance, it was still a big moment in the life of the two actors.