CHAPTER 37

I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.

~You~part2

His legs pushed against the ground. Running. Running. Always faster.

He needed it.

The majesty of her heart…

He could hear Yashiro calling after him. Could hear him huffing as he run after him. He couldn't care less.

He couldn't think.

She was there.

Her regular scolding about his eating's habits…

Could barely breath. There were so much things rolling around in his messed up head but also barely anything.

She was back.

The power of her innocence on his dirty soul…

The ultimate shout of Maria echoed to his ears far forward and he pushed harder on his legs. He needed to be faster. He stumbled a bit and the burn in legs 'muscles grew with every step but he accelerated.

Her smile and dreamy eyes when she thought about fairies…

His mind was shut on one unique thought now.

He needed to see her.

He needed to see her. He needed to see her!

His blood beat in every fiver of being. Hitting. In his legs. In his arms. In his chest. Pounding so much it was numbing his members. Shakings passed through him in rhythm with his heartbeat. Anxiety and joy arguing with each other to take control inside him.

A surprised feminine laugh. A far away greeting.

He stumbled lightly. Pushed even more on his feet.

Such a familiar and yet foreign voice.

Another laugh.

Kyoko…

He was dying.

He accelerated.

Kyoko…

His feet reached the end of the corridor and he heard a grumbling he had not heard in years from her friend as she talked. The deeper ring of her voice washed over him once more and in this instant, even if he couldn't understand the words said, he thanked the acoustic of the building. His all body felt pulled toward the unmistakable tone belonging to her. She was the magnet of his life. And for the first time in years his heart was pounding alive, alighted by the spark drawing him to her and nerves wreaking havoc with the released longing banging everywhere under his skin.

He turned the corner in an expiration and his eyes locked with shocked golden orbs. The pulse in his blood leaped and fluttered and coaled tightly in his throat. Emotion thick, choking him. His sight forgot everything else.

She was back. He felt rooted again. Alive again.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Joy. Relief. Love.

Kyoko.

His eyes oddly stung. He blinked it away

He didn't even notice he was moving again. He was floating. Looking at the gold. In the brightness of her eyes. Focused on reaching.

Ahhh…I missed staring in those…

Finally. Finally he was graced with the possibility to look into her eyes again.

Reaching her. At the second, it was the only purpose of his existence.

Kyoko…

His arms rose meters away from making contact with his target.

And then he was there. Soft texture under the pads of his fingers. A gasp of expulsed air. A comforting lily-of-the-valley flowering scent that had haunted his dreams. Warm he had longed for since the moment she left. He curled as much of himself as he could on her in a gripping embrace. He was truly home.

Her arms tucked at his back and he tightened his hold, his own ones mingling and shuffling locks of hair, tangling unconsciously his hands in them.

Kyoko!

You are there!

Not mindful of anything but the feeling of her. He stayed like that for a long while, barely conscious. Lost in her.

He was beginning to come back to his senses and preparing himself to the idea of letting go when his woke up senses got conscious of something. Several things in fact.

The weight of her in his arms, heavier. Smooth fluffy strands matted around his arms and hands resting at her waist and back. Odd. Firmness and softness against his chest. Under his hands. Changed.

Different.

And then a shift. From her. A soft touch on his right cheek. A warm whisper.

"Hi Ren"

His awareness skyrocketed and puzzled he pulled her down to look at her.

What greeted his sight rattled him so much he wasn't so sure of what his eyes was seeing anymore. Long straight hair gracing a familiar yet different face, a few shorter strands curling around her cheeks. A bit less round, her face was slightly thinner, the round shapes of teenage ages lost. Her eyes shining with more life than a star.

So… bright…

One of his hands shook.

As he observed her, he realised with a shock he didn't have to bend as much as before and that to his amazement she was reaching the top of his chin.

He felt a bit lost. He couldn't comprehend what he was looking at.

He tilted his head.

"Kyoko?"

"Yes?" She answered softly but a bit confused.

He gulped as he heard her slightly different voice from closer. The phone hadn't been representative at all.

It was bad.

He took a trembling step back, needing the retrospect to understand.

Big mistake.

He gaped. Of course he did. What else could he do when his eyes finally saw. He had the violent desire to slap his face to wake himself. Was it really Kyoko?

What the hell was that? He could see it was her. It was her eyes. Her spark. Her scent. Of course it was her.

He should have been more wary. Be prepared to such a thing. Of course she would have changed over years. It was normal she wasn't the same as five years ago.

He stared at her completely bewildered. Unsettled beyond words. Wearing faded blues jeans and a soft off-shoulders pull, she was the epitome of simple grace.

He looked at her plain snickers, no heels.

From Kyoko's side, she idly wondered why he was looking at her feet with accusatory murderous eyes.

How did she grow so much? She was what? 5'9? No. 5'10. Was she not Japanese? She had changed, in a lot too much of ways. He groaned internally and stared at her legs, his already soft spot in the past, going on for miles.

Feeling himself getting flustered, he closed his lids. Despite the years, the distance. The power this woman had on him.

He took another step back and snickers could be heard in the background.

It was really bad. In so many ways.

He already had no immunity in the past. But now…

She had always been the most adorable innocent girl to him. His cutest squirrel. The most beautiful girl to him.

She was so much more than that now. She was no more a girl. She was a beautiful young woman.

He wouldn't have mind either way, she would always have been the most beautiful to him. But this,

this was more dangerous.

His eyes raked her figure for a second and defeated longing eyes shined as a new tension took hold of him and another type of fire grabbed his guts with the raging flams of desire. He choked on his own saliva and coughed.

He saw Kyoko blinking with confusion at him when he crossed her interrogative gaze with his feverish eyes.

"You look like an angel…

Which was appropriate since he knew she had the heart that went with it.

Containing a moan of despair in front of this new form of torture, he gripped his arms to himself.

"I need to sit down" he got out and plopped himself on a couch on the side resisting harshly the want to put his head in his hands.

Soft fingers brushed lock away when a hand touched his forehead and Ren felt like this sweet agony was going to end up regular.

"You okay?" Kyoko interrogated bent to him, "looking at your face, you seemed to even less be caring for yourself she grumbled, "but at least you don't have a fever"

He looked back at her and locks of hair tickled his face.

I'm so cursed

"Sorry" Kyoko apologized and pushed back her hair on her head.

He shook his head. It wasn't bothering him. Not in the way she was surely imagining.

"Don't worry. They are very soft, it just tickled" he said without thinking.

She smiled. New. No plethora of apologies.

Gazing into her eyes, he smiled in return.

"It's been a while" he brought out looking at her relentlessly.

She nodded and slowly brushed strands away again, seeming embarrassed this time. His eyes followed the movement of her hand in her hair, captivated. Wishing it was his hand. It looked like it had become an habit of her. Cute. Sensual.

Dangerous.

He groaned aloud and lost the battle of not putting his head in his hands.

A barking laugher erupted while Kyoko asked again if he was alright but it's the owner of the voice that had laughed answered for him.

"He will be okay" the president started as he finally approached them with a grinning Kanae and a thoughtful Maria, "with time" he finished with another snort. He recorded everything, he was so pleased right now. He turned to Kyoko with a wild grin.

Kyoko bowed and with a warm smile greeted him.

"Hi shachou"

The president pouted.

"Am I the only one that doesn't get to have a hug, Mogami-kun? I know I'm technically your boss but I kind of missed you too, you know He grumbled, pretending to be hurt.

Kyoko arched a brow in question but when he pouted harder Kyoko sighed.

"Seriously?"

He nodded and lifted his arms. Kyoko snorted but took two steps forwards and gave him a brief hug.

"Hi boss" she said again.

Ren watched the scene like it was a scene took from a drawing of a surrealist artist. He couldn't stop looking at Kyoko. She would never had hug someone so casually before. Right now, she looked so different. It was like he was rediscovering her and he wanted nothing more than unveil everything that had changed in her.

"There is a striking difference of passion between my hug and the one with Ren, I think I'm vexed" the president declared with severity but smiling eyes.

Ren blushed and Kyoko contained her own with difficulty. It was going to be a test for her. To succeed in not reacting with this sort of thing even when the president was talking nonsense on purpose.

Ren was planning some counter to the president when Yashiro finally joined them, huffing heavily and seeming quite annoyed.

"Ren what sprouted into to you to leave like that, I run after you like crazy and you didn't even answer! What-Yashiro stopped all of sudden when he noticed Kyoko.

"Who is this?" he asked.

Kyoko opened the mouth to clear it up though slightly vexed he didn't' recognize her, while everyone chuckled.

"Hi Yashiro-san" Kyoko eventually said.

The manager jumped in the air.

"Kyoko-chan?!" He exclaimed and turned to Ren that turned his head to the side. Then to the president who smirked wickedly.

"Is that really you?" he asked again.

Kyoko nodded.

"You changed so much! You look stunning Kyoko-chan and you're so tall. Were you trying to reach Ren's size? What happened?" His mouth fuzzed with questions too fast for Kyoko to answer.

"I know I got taller Yashiro-san but I don't think I changed that much beside that. And to answer your question, I'm not certain but I think it was just some sort of grown spurt" Finally told Kyoko.

"And some amazing one with that" Kanae completed.

To which Maria, Yashiro and the president all agreed and Kyoko shook her head in amusement.

"You're exaggerating all too much" she protested.

Kanae purposely arched a brow at Ren and he arched one back at her. They did that a few times until Ren sighed, resigned.

"You look amazing Kyoko, they are right" He added in her direction.

Kyoko blushed a little before putting her hand on her hip.

"Don't encourage them"

His shoulders slumped.

It was indeed her.

I really am in trouble…

PS: Soooo…I hope you will adore this one. I did. It was so hilarious and poignant to write this scene. The reunion scene. Meeting again after years away…

I hope to swoon a few hearts. And really if you like it, let a review, it helps me understand what you love, what you don't. What is okay but nothing more. Of course it's still my story but I love to hear about what all of the readers think. Like, did you laugh? Cry? Squeal?

Tell me.

Ps bis: I'm productive right now but I don't know how long it will last so enjoy it while it last.

Kisses.

Author out.