Chapter 41

I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.

Things taking place-part 2-

When she opened the heavy door a pharaoh, long golden skirt, sandals but with a thick vest for the top instead of the classical nothing was facing her.

The man turned to her with a grin and closed his phone.

"Hello Mogami-kun, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but-

He stopped mid-sentence, seeming to bug opened-mouth and blinked once as he fixed her.

"Well, Mogami-kun, you're dressed even more flamboyantly than me today he said, a natural smile coming to his face in front of her attire.

"What could you be doing to find yourself with…so much coloured enhancements on you? He wondered, clearly amused.

"Repainting my interior" she declared, amused despite herself at his choice of words.

"You sure, it's not your cat you were trying to aim for?" he asked again staring at the creature in her arms with perplexity.

Kyoko looked down and a grin escaped her.

"She wouldn't stay put and away" Kyoko explained as Snow squirmed in her arms and went back inside. " She will have a bath tonight"

Lory chuckled.

"Something she will not like it" he commented.

Kyoko nodded.

"So, I'm sorry because it seems I'm really troubling your activities but I had several things to talk about to you and I thought you might be more comfortable discussing some of them at your home that at the agency He started and confused, Kyoko looked at him.

"Again, sorry to disturb your privacy repeated Lory, I would admit I wouldn't do that if it didn't concern sensitive matters for most of them"

Light appeared in Kyoko's eyes when she understood what he was talking about and she nodded.

She effaced herself to let him pass and he thanked her. He looked oddly uncomfortable for once and Kyoko would have laughed if the reasons behind his awkwardness weren't such a source of bad memories for her.

"On more positive grounds, I also have a role offering for you I'd like to discuss he added as he humbly entered inside.

"I'm sorry, she apologized, I don't have a proper couch yet so I can only propose you this humbles chair for now "she added as she placed two chairs at the counter of the kitchen and cut off the music under the arched eyebrow of the president.

He shook his hand.

"I stopped by unannounced and anyway I don't mind it. I'm already sitting too much as it is said the president. "I would ask you to even seize this chair but I'm too used to my comfort he added, shaking his head at his own indulged self.

She proposed him something to drink and he finally sat while she avoided putting any part of herself anyway beside her hands that she had just washed.

She looked at the president expectantly and he pulled a constricted grimace as he grabbed something inside his vest.

"Here" he uttered as he pushed two envelopes toward her.

She arched a brow at him.

Spacing the two apart, he pointed at one with his forefinger.

"In this, you have address, hours of visit and decision of tribunal stating they would be in for at least the next 15 years the president explained to her, because I thought you might want to see their faces upfront once"

Comprehension hit her and she nodded sharply, thanking him in the process.

Closing his hand on this once, he pushed the other envelope with his knuckles, a frown marring his face as he did.

"This one has another address he finally said after much hesitation; it wasn't an initiative on my side. She asked for you"

Kyoko took the paper delicately, like it could bite her before looking back at him, knowing well who was the she. But she still asked.

"What do you mean, boss?"

"She wants to talk to you" Lory clarified, But don't feel comply to do it, nothing force you to" he added after seeing the shadow of pain passed on her face.

Kyoko smiled at him but didn't share her thoughts with the president.

"I'll think it over" eventually told him Kyoko.

Lory accepted her reply without pushing further, he knew it was no safe ground from the start.

"There is only one thing I want to check with you before going to merrier lands he started again, and that is: How are you?"

Kyoko tilted her head, not getting it and a bit distracted as she was trying with great effort to not scratch the paint that was starting to dry off.

"I mean, are you okay concerning all of this clarified the president, you sure look more stable than years ago when you left and you took what I just told you about rather calmly but I wanted to be sure you were okay.

Kyoko smiled warmly at her president, moved he had been worried about her. She forgot he was such a softie deep down through and through; despite his scheming.

"Yes, I'm okay, president she assured him.

"It took a lot time, fighting with myself and a lot of sweat in a gym but I think I can say I'm okay though I won't ever forget and I also began to be kind of in the spirit of feminists, Lory smiled at that and Kyoko smiled back, I was able to let go of most of the emotional pain that haunted me for a long while"

"Today, there might be rain and bad days sometimes but it won't ever shift to endless nights without sun at all Kyoko continued, so yes I'm good. And I can even say that though It was learned in hurt and suffering, I still wouldn't be who I'm today if I hadn't go through all that and though I can't go to the point of being grateful of the experience and forgave them completely, I'm still grateful for what I learnt from it and how much stronger it made me" she finished with sort of a bittersweet smile.

The president doubtful looked at her for some long seconds, searching, looking for something in her eyes then breathing a less tensed sigh as he finally relaxed a bit and graced her with a proud amazed grin.

"I'm really relieved to hear that if it's true he mumbled rubbing his face with his hands as he did so. "You didn't let anyone help you while you were abroad so I was concerned you were only bottling up and up without seeking out for any hand…I know too much what it can do to someone and I didn't want you to go through that if I could help it", an old frown forming back on his forehead, undeniable sign of endless worry she was sure of it.

Slowly, carefully, Kyoko rose from her seat and stepping aside the counter, she hugged the president. She couldn't help it. After all the care and the things he had done for her, she couldn't any way to express what it meant to her.

"Thank you president. For caring, even a little for me. For accepting to help me all these years ago. It meant a lot and I couldn't be happier to have as my boss again and for the agency" Kyoko mumbled when she let go.

The president gave her a complicate smile. It wasn't just a little. He cared so much more. He came to consider her much like family and it had only grew with times he saw her spend times with Maria in the past or the moments he had the honour to see or share with her. But Lory also knew she wasn't ready to hear that. Not yet. She wouldn't believe it if he told her now. He hoped however that a certain young man would be able to fix that in the near future.

"It was the least I could do" he answered kindly at last. He shifted and a slow grin made its apparition as he started again. "Now that we discussed all sensitive matters, I would like to talk about another subject. A job opportunity in fact.

It's all hush-hush but here is already a slight idea of the script. Also I would like for you to meet one of your partner. The director is Shingai and he asked for both of you to meet and see if you're both okay with it"

Kyoko listened carefully and nodded.

"So, if you agree and that person is free right now, will you allow meeting him here? We could wait and meet at LME buildings but this person isn't available easily so I thought if we had the occasion it would be too bad to pass up. Plus Shingai is very impatient to secure you both" The president proposed with a flaming gleam in the eye.

She thought it through for a second and finally agreed making a meeting here though she pointed with the state of her place it wouldn't be very comfortable but Lory brushed it off and when Kyoko gave her okay he sent a message, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent any weird sound of glee to come out.

Coming from an appointment and making his way through LME with Ren by his side, Yashiro looked at his phone with a new grin forming. Ren had asked him to alleviate his schedule a bit and they had just finished setting the planning up. They crossed the path of Kotonami-san and Hiou-kun walking together and the young woman burst out a laugh at the mere sight of Ren under the confusion of her companion.

Knowing perfectly well why Kyoko's friend was amused, Ren muttered a bit and was resuming his way when Yashiro stopped him.

"Ren, would you mind if we stop by a place to meet one of your future partner for the soul's fighter movie. Apparently the president is over there for some personal matters and asked if you could come and you know Shingai-san put the condition the three main actors would meet beforehand and before any possibility of signing a contract and getting the role Yashiro explained.

Ren agreed without any reserve though an odd foreboding feeling crept his way inside but he brushed if off.

PS:

So, I know it's a short chapter. The next one might be much longer. I'm sorry for the long delay between the precedent one and this one. My health is far from best.

Scratch that.

In short, I have three auto-immunes diseases( witiligo, fortunately this one is harmless, hashimoto and elher-danlos), my liver is intoxicated so I've been cleaning it for months. My surrenal glands are flat down so I fell into chronic-tiredness as if it wasn't enough. And my sleep well can we even speak about sleep when it's that bad. So I'm sorry but I won't be able to give a regular date of update because when I'm really no good, I'm not able to do anything for weeks. But when it's better I can sometimes update several chapters because I take advantage of the time I have because I know it won't necessarily last.

My health is rotten hell and I can't do much about it in day to day time, it can only get better slowly in months time etc.. but with chronic diseases… well as expected it can come back so I'm doing my best but now you know why I can't always update regularly.

I would like to thank Kaname671 for all her amazing reviews each time.

I would also like to thank Narange.

Merci Narange pour ta merveilleuse review et surtout merci d'avoir demandé si j'allais bien. Ça fait tellement plaisir d'avoir des lecteurs qui se préoccupe de si tu vas bien. Donc, comme tu viens sans doute de le lire, je passe pas mal de moments éprouvants mais je tiens le coup. Malheureusement le chapitre avec Ren derrière la porte n'est pas encore celui-ci, ce sera le suivant, navré.

Kisses to you all, I hope to be able to post soon.

Author out.