Hello wonderful readers!
Two chapters in one day! I am on a roll:D
This wasn't my favourite chapter to write about because of...well you'll see. Anyway, I'll stop blabbering now and let you read. This chapter moves a tad fast which I'm not entirely pleased about but I'm working with old writing so I guess that's to be expected.
Disclaimer:
I don't own Skip Beat.
A Scare
The next morning after everyone had gotten up an had their breakfast Kyoko noticed a flyer on the beside table saying that people could go for bike rides around the resort.
"Does anyone want to go for a bike ride?"
When she looked around the room she found Kanae was lazing on one of the chairs. And the three boys all sprawled across the couch and one other chair.
"Nope."
Hikaru, Yuusei and Shinichi all shook their heads.
"Sorry Kyoko." Hikaru said with a smile.
Kyoko sighed but smiled anyway.
"Oh well. I'll just go by myself."
Kyoko waved to them before heading out, taking one of the bikes out of the shed attached to their cabin and securing a helmet over her head. Cheerfully hopping onto her bike Kyoko set off down the path, humming under her breath.
Kyoko followed a path down to the beach, stopping the bike next to the side of the cliff that towered over the beach. She laid out a towel and plopped down on it with a bright smile as she looked out over the waves.
She heard someone playing in the waves further away but didn't other going over to see who. Kyoko was lying back and allowing herself to drift as she watched the fluffy clouds float by when a loud and obnoxious voice sounded a few feet behind her.
"Kyoko?!"
She bolted upright and turned to stare in horror at a certain blonde nightmare.
"SHO?!"
"What are you doing here?! You don't have enough money to stay at a fancy place like this?! Did you-...you came with pretty boy Tsuruga didn't you?! You can't do that! Your mine!"
Kyoko bristled at the possessiveness in his tone.
"What?! No! And I do not belong to you! I belong to myself! Your such a stuck up jerk!"
Sho glared at her in fury.
"Don't lie! I saw pretty boy earlier!"
"I'm on a company vacation!"
"Yeah right! There's no way your company would spend money on you! Only pretty boy Tsuruga would! Your just the same as you always were, a stupid love struck girl!"
Kyoko leapt to her feet and turned on the blonde star.
"What do you know?! If you were a girl your behaviour would be considered loose so your hardly one to talk." Kyoko snarled.
Instantly she could tell that she had hit some sort of hot spot for him because his face went dark red with rage and he lashed one arm out, grabbing and her pinning her to the rocky cliff wall behind her.
Kyoko gasped and slammed out her loose arm to hit him but he caught her wrist and pinned them both to the wall, stepping up to her and pinning the rest of her between his own body and the cliff behind her.
Sho ticked her off and upset her but never had he ever scared her. In that moment Kyoko was just as scared of Sho as she had been if Reino.
And worse, she knew it was her own fault.
"Sho! Stop your hurting me! Let go!" Kyoko cried, struggling against his grip.
Sho's furious gaze met her's and Kyoko's heart slammed in her chest.
"You think you have the right to call me loose? You, a plain girl with no sex appeal? You've probably done more then I have simply to get where you are in the industry."
At his words she forgot all about her goal to get free and reacted rather predictably for Kyoko.
"Not likely! No male has ever touched this body! I'd even have still unsoiled lips if it weren't for the fact that you stole my kiss! It was like feeding a anteater with my mouth!" Kyoko spat.
Sho's jaw dropped.
"Did you just compare my kiss to locking lips with a ANTEATER!"
Kyoko raised her chin mulishly.
"Yes I did. So what?"
Sho's face held a look of utter fury for a moment before suddenly going flat. No emotion. Nothing.
"Um...Sho?"
"A anteater hmm? If you felt that then I apparently didn't do it right. I'll have to fix that right now. Once I'm done you won't ever be able to comparing me to a anteater again."
Kyoko's eyes widened and she began to struggle in earnest but Sho was to strong and his lips crashed into her own in a bruising kiss.
"Mmmpph!"
Kyoko tried to rip her hands free but to no avail. She heard a furious shout distantly but was far to focused on escaping to pay attention. A single tear escaped as her mind flashed back to what Reino tried to do to her.
Realization that she wouldn't be able to free her arms came at the same time as realization that her legs were free and so without further ado she brought her knee up to slam it into a place where the sun don't shine.
Sho released her and dropped to the ground with a howl, causing Kyoko to nearly collapse to the ground. Sho rolled around on the ground in pain and Kyoko bolted for her bike, grabbing her towel and shoving it into the bike basket before going to get on.
She was however frozen in place by a deep and very, very angry sounding voice that most certainly didn't belong to Sho.
"Leaving so soon Mogami-san?"
Kyoko slowly turned to face Ren who was standing only a few feet away with his arms crossed in front of him.
"Tsuruga-san!" She gasped, looking over at Sho in horror.
"Yes Mogami-San, I did see that. Care to explain why you and Sho were kissing in the middle of the beach?"
Kyoko gaped at her mentor, horrified by the lying gentlemanly smile. He was really really mad. Her little demons would have been partying in the hostile atmosphere had she not just had such a scare. Currently her demons could be found huddling in the corner of her mind.
"I didn't want him to kiss me but he was to strong to stop! I'm very, very sorry! I know that I could never make up for how unprofessional I am and I know you said that the actors rule of heart only apples once to a non acting kiss by the same person but maybe this can be a exception?"
Ren didn't speak and his gaze was like stone.
"And you never thought to call for help or maybe just leave when he showed up?"
Kyoko shook her head and swallowed hard.
"No. I didn't think of that."
"I'm disappointed. I thought that after last time you would be more careful about protecting yourself."
Kyoko's lip wobbled and Ren turned his attention to the gasping teen rolling on the ground next to him.
"Now we need to figure out what to do with him. Do you have any ideas Mogami-San?"
But Kyoko had already fled.
Kyoko hopped off the bike before it had even stopped and chained it to the other ones with trembling hands as she tried to pretend the film over her eyes wasn't tears and she hadn't been scared of her childhood friend.
Once she had put everything away she hurried into the house and tried to sneak into her room without notice so she could cry in peace.
"Hey Kyoko I w-are you crying?!" Hikaru's startled voice could be heard.
Kyoko spun to face her friend while wiping her eyes and Hikaru's face went from confused to worried in a split second. He rushed over to where she stood and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Kyoko what happened?"
Kyoko's big eyes filled up at her bottom lip wiggled and she let out a wail as she confessed everything that had happened from the situation today, to the kiss on Valentine's Day, to Reino from Vie Ghoul stalking her.
"I know that I am a horrible person and it's all my fault and now my esteemed Sempi is mad at me and everyone would be ashamed of me if they heard and I'm soooooorryyy!" She wailed.
While Kyoko blubbered Hikaru gently led her over to the couch and guided her to sit down before settling next to her and pulling her into a hug. Once she was finished with the loud wails Hikaru pulled back and tilted her head to look up at him.
"Hey. What happened today wasn't your fault anymore than what happened with that Reino creep. You guys may have been throwing out unkind insults at each other but no one has the right to intimidate you physically or verbally. Him pinning you and then kissing you like that was not your fault and you are not to blame."
Kyoko stared at him with wide eyes and he continued.
"Nor was Ren Tsuruga's reaction your fault. Everyone deals with fear differently and your instinctual response is to fight alone. That's not something easily changed and for many people it can never be changed. It's instinct. His reaction was unfair and uncalled for. He should have been more focused on you, not that you hadn't called or whatever crap he was mad about. I swear, he might have gotten mad but I'm not mad at you."
Kyoko studied Hikaru's face only for her eyes to well up again. Hikaru was rather pale with a bright red spot on each cheekbone and his lips were tightened so much they had gone white. Even the muscles in his neck were tight.
"But you look angry!"
"I am, but not at you. I'm angry at Sho for doing what he did, I'm angry at Ren for reacting the way he did both times with the whole crap that the actors rule of heart can only work once and not thinking about you and how having a kiss forced onto you not once but twice would effect you after the stalker situation and how scared you had been then instead of thinking of his own feelings. And I'm angry...no I'm livid that that sick creep Reino for terrorizing you the way he did.
Then Hikaru's gaze softened.
"Kyoko, stronger women then you who were experts in the fighting arts have crumbled after going through a near rape situation like you did with Reino, yet not only are you stronger as ever but you also have faced against Reino after and held your own. I have absolutely no reason to be angry with you."
Kyoko stared wide eyed at Hikaru, shocked by the gentle and encouraging words.
"No one has ever said that to me before. That it wasn't my fault I mean. I guess it was implied but..."
Hikaru was silent and Kyoko relaxed into his side without thinking as his hand gently rubbed soothing circles on her upper arm where his hand was resting.
"If Kanae-San were to know that you had sometimes wondered if it was your fault she would be the first to tell you it was absolutely not."
Kyoko smiled.
"That's true."
"Shinichi and Yuusei would say the exact same thing. In fact I would probably have to keep them from hunting Reino down so they could kick the crap out of him."
Kyoko laughed at his words and Hikaru grinned.
"There you go! The Kyoko smile I know!"
"Thanks Hikaru-kun." Kyoko said, giving the older talent a impulsive hug.
Just as she was about to pull back Hikaru's arms wrapped around her shoulders and Kyoko was pulled close. Her eyes widened as she found herself held tightly in Hikaru's arms.
He smells good.
As that thought flitted through her head Kyoko nearly gave herself whiplash. How could she think something like that?!
Before she could react and pull away the front door opened and Hikaru released her before walking over to the door.
"Did you find the information you wanted?" He asked while Kyoko snuck out of the living room and into the bedroom.
Closing the door silently behind her Kyoko threw herself down onto her bed with a muffled wail. While she raged in her mind the door opened and closed before Kanae spoke.
"The boys have gone out for smoothies which means they won't be back for a bit."
Kyoko grumbled in acknowledgment.
"Now tell me what's got you in meltdown mode."
"This whole vacation is messing with my mind!" Kyoko burst out.
Kanae dropped down next to her on the bed.
"What are you talking about?"
"First there was the zingy electric feeling, and then there's the fact that I've noticed he looks...anyway and then there's the whole he smells good thing, and then I was upset when Tsuruga-San inferred things about him and I was a horrible kohai by talking back and even when I felt this way about Tsuruga-San last year before I realized he would never respond even if he did feel the same I didn't feel this safe with Tsuruga-San! I haaaaaate this!"
Kanae blinked and then blinked again as she tried to decipher what Kyoko was saying. It took her a moment before there was a flash of understanding and Kanae started to laugh.
Kyoko turned to her with a Mio like expression.
"What are you laughing about?"
"Kyoko, you have developed feelings for a kind, caring, friendly, genuine and mature guy and your upset?! Hikaru really cares about you as a person and has been kind to you since you started working around him. All the other guys around you, Tsuruga included, have been inconsistent in their treatment of you so why are you upset about liking the one that isn't?"
Kyoko opened and closed her mouth for a moment before letting out a aha sound.
"I'm upset for the same reason you hate your crush on Yashiro-san!"
Kanae blanched before glaring at Kyoko.
"That's low."
"But do you understand?!"
Kanae slumped with a muttered curse as she glared at the wall.
"Fine. You win. I understand why you hate the whole...feelings thing. But the point that he's better to have feelings for than some of the alternatives still stands."
Kyoko sighed and the two girls indulged in their misery together.
PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! (Ducks behind chair to avoid flying objects)
I know, I know, how could I do that to Ren. I hated writing it just as much as you hated reading it! But you have to admit, it does fit with the way Ren behaves when other guys are making moves on Kyoko in the manga, albeit shown in a less romantic appearing way.
To be honest, that part of his personality has always bothered me. I mean, on one hand he's in love with her and wants her to heal from what happened with her mom and Sho but on the other hand he refuses to allow her grow and develop even friendships with other guys. I'm not saying that Ren is a bad guy and I'm still a Ren/Kyoko supporter, I'm just saying that sometimes his possessiveness appears to restrict her at times rather then allow her to grow. Just my humble opinion:)
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter! Please don't roast me alivewith raging flames, I promise to redeem Ren by the end of the next (and last) chapter.
So what do you think? Reviews are welcome! Flames shall be laughed at, posted for others to laugh at, and ignored as I continue the story.