Chapter 137: Roller Derby Debacle

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Skip Beat, for if I did, we would see the pitter-patter of little feet.

"Tadashi, please don't tell me you spent the night here again?" Mya scolded folding the throw blanket that usually sat on the back of the leather sofa as nothing more than decoration. She arranged it back in its place. "I get that you're pressed for time but it would all be for nothing if you make yourself sick. Kyoko won't be happy if she knew you were running yourself ragged."

Tadashi ignored Mya's chirping and pulled out a bottle of orange juice from the mini-fridge. "Can I get you a drink? Juice? Water?"' He offered, gesturing to the fridge.

His office was equipped with a large three-piece bath and had everything he needed to start his day fresh complete with extra suits in the closet. Spending the night there was no big deal and it saved him on commute time. The large sofa was plenty comfortable. He would give the suit he wore yesterday to his assistant to be dry cleaned and it would be replaced into the closet for the future. He was hardly tired. At least not after the presents, he received this morning. He came around his desk and sat in his chair with renewed vigor. He needed everything to line up with work so he wouldn't miss out on this perfect opportunity coming up.

"I'm fine Mya. I got an extra hour of sleep staying here," Tadashi assured her. She looked at him sternly.

"Do you want to see something cool?" Tadashi asked his former executive assistant. Mya's eyes fell on the bag she had dropped off with his assistant earlier this morning before heading to her office.

"Can you show me while you at least eat?" She picked up the paper bag and walked toward the microwave sitting on the counter by the fridge to warm up the breakfast sandwich she bought from the deli around the corner. With the espresso machine and wet bar, the amenities in his office made it too easy for him to not go home.

Tadashi waited for her to return with his bacon, egg, and cheese, bagel. Even with her new position in the company, she was still taking care of him. Old habits die hard.

"Thank you," he replied and took a generous bite from his food to satisfy her. "Happy?" He asked when he inhaled half the sandwich.

"Very," she smiled sarcastically. "Now you may show me something cool," she teased.

Tadashi turned his monitor in her direction and played the video of his daughter surfing.

"Oh!" Mya exclaimed and covered her mouth. Tadashi chuckled softly. He had the same reaction to the video when Kyoko stood but immediately fell off the large wave. He wasn't a surfing expert but it looked large to him compared to his daughter's small frame. The video paused cutting off the expletives that could be heard mixed with the crashing waves and then resumed with Kyoko back on the board. This time she rode the wave in victoriously. Mya clapped along with the people whistling and cheering her on from the shore. One of them sounded very much like Ren speaking in English.

"She's unbelievable, right?" He smiled brightly at his friend. Mya agreed and stood up.

"I'm happy for you Tadashi. Is there anything I can help you with to make things go faster?"

Tadashi turned from his screen and smiled up at her. "Your hands are already full. Thank you but I have it handled."

"I'm always here if you need me." She gave him a warm smile and headed for the door.

Tadashi watched her go. He owed her a debt of gratitude for all the years she put up with him. She had been his partner in crime for so long that he was going to miss her. He turned back to his computer but instead of reviewing the data waiting in his inbox, he clicked on the video to watch his little surfer girl conquer that wave again.

"Yukihito, please stop crying," Kuon warned, glaring at him in the rearview mirror. Kyoko faced the window of the passenger seat and laughed into her palm.

"I can't help it. These are tears of happiness. Last night wasn't a dream. I have proof! The pictures are proof! I sent everyone all the pictures I took first thing this morning. And Kyoko-chan, before you ask, I made sure to only send the pictures of you alone to your father."

"Thank you, Yukihito." "Thank you, Yashiro-san" The couple responded in unison. Kyaaaa! They're so cute! His inner fangirl squealed.

"Ne, Kyoko-chan," he whispered leaning up to the front. Kyoko turned toward him to hear him better. Yashiro held his phone out for her to take a look. Kyoko melted at the sight of a baby with dark hair and bright greenish-gold eyes.

"Oh, he's adorable!" Kyoko gushed. "Who is he? A nephew?"

"You could say that….This, my dear Kyoko-chan, is you and Kuon's future baby!" Yashiro boasted. Kyoko gasped while Kuon nearly swerved out of the lane. He waved his hand in apology to angry drivers honking their horns and making rude gestures.

"Yukihito!" Kuon growled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I should ask you the same! Please pay more attention to the road!"

"You know what I mean. How did you get a hold of such a picture?"

Yashiro snickered and teased, "Do you really want to know?"

"Forget it," Kuon muttered.

"Fine since you asked so nicely. I'll tell you. While I was eating breakfast in the dining hall I overheard some guests talking. There's this incredible phone app that allows you to take a picture of a woman and her partner and merge them to see what their future babies would look like….neat, right? Do you want to see what your little girl would like?"

...

"Yes!" "No!" They answered at the same time.

"No!" "Yes!" They exclaimed again, changing their answer to match each other.

"I believe I heard more than one yes in there, yes?" Yashiro asked for clarification's sake.

They looked at each other and laughed. It was hopeless.

Kyoko wasn't anywhere near ready to have kids at this point in her life. She had goals to fulfill. She knew the risks of being sexually active and was taking precautions; however, if those should fail she knew in her heart she would welcome their child.

"Wait! Let me see the boy real quick," Kuon told Yashiro holding his hand over his shoulder for the phone.

Kyoko kept her eye on the road closely while his eyes darted back and forth between the screen and the road.

"Wow, he has your hair and a mixture of our eyes. He's cute." He smiled in her direction.

Yashiro snickered again which by the expression on his face annoyed Kuon. He handed the phone back. "How did Kotonami-san react to your future kids?"

"For your information, I didn't have time to do ours. I was too busy focusing on your babies," Yashiro told him in a matter- of- fact tone.

"Here's the future little princess," Yashiro said, handing the phone back to Kyoko. Princess! No doubt she would be! Kyoko eagerly took the phone from him to see. The baby girl had Kuon's lighter hair and her eyes were of a more hazel hue. Smiling, she turned the phone to show Kuon.

"She looks like you," Kyoko said softly. If she did have babies with this man she hoped they all took after him. He was a pure and beautiful man inside and out.

"We'll make beautiful babies if we ever do decide to have them. Though I hope they look more like you. For now, I'm enjoying Us." He flashed her his heavenly smile and squeezed her hand.

Doki, Doki! Her heart thumped as she laced her fingers with his. She felt the same way. Their moment was short-lived as their attention was drawn to strange sounds coming from the backseat. Yashiro seemed to have disintegrated into a puddle of mush over their exchange.

Kyoko's face bloomed with embarrassment. She had grown used to being open and lovey-dovey with not only her actions but her speech with her boyfriend over the last few days that she forgot about simple propriety in front of others.

"Just ignore him," Kuon grumbled, making her giggle. She would have to be more conscious of her actions now that they were going to be among their peers from Japan.

"Yes, don't mind me. I'll gladly remain here in my liquified state and enjoy all the moe."

Pfft, Yashiro-san is so silly.

With Kuon's prodding, the rest of the car ride consisted of more fangirling for their manager. Kyoko believed her boyfriend was doing it on purpose as she passed her phone back to Yashiro to show him the videos Julie had sent of her feeble attempt at surfing. The next time they went she was bringing her phone to film him.

"We're here," Kuon announced, pulling into the parking space in front of an office building. This was R' Mandy's home base for fashion week.

"Please remember that I'm Ren Tsuruga," he reminded before getting out of the car. Kyoko found it easy to remember because of his change in appearance. He was still the man she loved no matter what form he took.

Whether it was the studio in Japan or this temporary one in the States, R'Mandy was in a whirlwind for the fashion show. The large space crawled with a mixture of foreigners and Japanese. There was a lot of broken English mixed in with a person's native language. Kyoko easily recognized the Spanish language being used by some after being exposed to it in her outings with Kuon.

The room was a large open space with curtains strung up to partition dressing rooms for some privacy. They spotted one of Fuji's assistants instructing a couple of men to start loading garment bags into the van. They waited for her to finish her business before approaching.

"Oh good, you're early. Follow me please," Chiaki, Fuji's female assistant designer, greeted them once they walked into the room. "Fuji is already at the beach site. This is a new suit I want you to try on." She shoved a garment bag in Ren's hands and pointed to an empty dressing room. Ren went directly into the room to change. "You," she addressed Kyoko. "You changed your hair?"

"Is it a problem? I finished filming so I removed the extensions." Kyoko ran her fingers through her dark wavy shoulder-length hair. She hoped she didn't make a mistake.

"No, it's not a big deal. Nana would know what to do. Come with me." Chiaki turned on her heel and headed for a door along the wall. Kyoko and Yashiro followed her. The assistant knocked briefly then opened the door at the reply on the other side.

Nana and Aya, Fuji's hairstylist and make-up artist, were inside practicing their craft on a couple of female models.

"Kyoko-chan," Aya beamed, hugging her. Nana stopped messing with the model's hair and hugged Kyoko.

"They look good," Chiaki said, comparing the live models to the colored sketches of models with dramatic eye makeup and simple low chignons. "Let me take some pictures so I could show them to Fuji."

Kyoko admired the beautiful models while Chiaki took the pictures. The assistant told her it would be the hairstyle and makeup used on the models during the fashion show.

"You two are free to go for the day." The models left the room happy for the free time. "Okay," she sighed. " We need hair and makeup on you...Fuji wants sun-kissed and windblown. Aya do you have the shimmer body cream. Rub it on her first, we'll touch up anything at the site."

Kyoko watched excitedly as Aya picked up a jar of tan body cream. "I'll need you to undress."

Kyoko got as far as removing her coat then stopped at undoing the second button of her top. All the ladies turned in Yashiro's direction. The manager blushed under the older women's glares.

"Sorry, sorry," he bowed repeatedly backing out of the room. Chiaki followed him out with the instruction to lock the door behind her.

...

Kyoko held her long terry cloth robe closed tightly as the cool wind threatened to blow it open. She was already shaking and could feel the goosebumps pimpling her skin. She worried that the little bumps would be visible in the pictures. She glanced at the audience of people gathering behind the roped-off areas to watch the shoot. Kyoko felt nervous about being seen by so many in her swimwear. Many of them had their phones out so she knew that her photos would be displayed on social media even if these people didn't know who she was. This was a public beach so there was nothing they could do about the onlookers. Fuji at least had a permit from the city to use this portion of the beach for this afternoon. They even had security to make sure no one crossed into the shoot.

Ren came up behind her and rubbed her arms wearing a robe of his own. "You shouldn't be out here right now," he frowned. "You should stay in the tent where it's warm."

She turned in his arms and smiled. "I'm trying to acclimate myself to the weather."

"You're trying to get yourself sick."

"I was fine this morning," she argued.

"You weren't naked this morning."

Kyoko gasped and clutched at the neck of her robe. "I am not naked!" She seethed. She felt her body heating up with anger and her nervousness vanish.

"You know what I mean."

"I want to see what you're wearing under there." She tugged at his robe. Ren laughingly dodged her hands. She lunged for him again but missed after slipping in the sand.

"Hello, beautiful tall children!" Fuji cried out clapping his hands together. "Quit fooling around and get over here. We're going to get started."

Kyoko pouted and stalked over to Fuji. Ren chased after her and put his arm over her shoulder.

"Warmer?" He asked, grinning down at her as they walked. Kyoko gaped at him with bulging eyes. Did he just instigate all that to help me?

"You're so sly, Tsuruga-san," Kyoko retorted and elbowed him in the ribs. He released her to rub his wound while she sped off ahead of him but not before tossing a smile over her shoulder in his direction.

Fuji watched the couple approach with an incredulous expression. His gaze lingered on Ren. "Who are you?" Fuji asked rhetorically, amazed by the little interplay between the couple. Kyoko giggled at the designer's confusion.

…

Ren was fuming internally, so he thought. He wanted to wring the little neck of the designer. This was their fourth change out and not only did he have Kyoko in an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow non-polka dot bikini but he had her posing provocatively at the water's edge.

He dug deep and recited his mantra. Imagining Yashiro in drag usually did the trick but today it was failing him.

"Arch your back and tilt your booty, Kyoko-san," he heard Sousuke direct her from behind the lens. Kyoko contorted her body per his direction and the result was eye-catching. Sousuke would be the next man in line to get his neck wrung followed by those annoying frat boys ogling her from the barrier. Could he blame them? She looked sexy in that suit. Like a ray of sunshine that just happened to fall on to Earth taking up its human form. But why wasn't there any goddamn padding in that top? She could poke someone's eye out with those perky nipples.

"Ren, your bloodlust is showing. Put BJ away before you scare all the staff. Don't make Kyoko-chan anymore uncomfortable than she already is," Yashiro advised beside him.

She looked mighty comfortable to him as she rolled onto her back tossing her now long hair over her shoulder coyly. Ren chewed the inside of his cheek and counted to ten. Letting go of his jealousy, he focused on another strong emotion he felt while watching her work. He let pride swell within him. She was slaying this session. Even though she was cold, she didn't let it show once the camera was trained on her.

"Okay, good. We're ready for Ren," Sousuke called out. Ren jogged over to the group while Kyoko wrapped herself in an oversize towel. It only then did she allow her teeth to chatter and her body to shake.

"You're doing great, baby," he whispered encouragingly into her ear. He scowled when her whole body shivered.

"You're shivering harder. Do you need a break?" He took a step toward Fuji and Sousuke as they discussed the next part of the shoot. She needed a warm drink after being in the water for so long. Kyoko stopped him and shook her head.

"I'm fine. I'm not that cold," she confessed. Ren looked at her properly to make sure she wasn't pushing herself. "Y-you just tickled my ear." The apples of her cheeks darkened to a deeper red that Ren knew wasn't all makeup. He was pleased to know that he wasn't the only one affected by this shoot.

Ren chuckled. "See...adorable."

"Okay, we're all set up," Fuji said, waving to the ladder with Sousuke standing at the top. Two men held the contraption in place so it wouldn't topple over whenever the water rushed in.

"For starters, I want to get aerial shots first. Here are your sunglasses, designed by yours truly, moi. Can't have your eyes damaged by the sun."

Ren removed his robe and heard the audible sigh of relief from his girlfriend. He arched a brow questioning her reaction. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Really? Then what was the sigh for?"

"Nothing. It's just you're finally wearing longer shorts," she said glancing at his boardshorts. Ren looked down at his swim trunks. The material color reminded him of a setting sun over the ocean. He smirked realizing what she meant. His previous swimsuits were variations of briefs and short briefs that were more popular among Asians and Europeans. They left nothing to the imagination and accentuated all his assets. The shorts he currently wore catered more to the surfing community and the men living in the States.

"You weren't pleased with my swimsuits?" he teased while taking a seat in the wet sand.

"I was very pleased and so was every woman in a five-mile radius." She exaggerated, pouting.

"I didn't notice," he replied innocently.

He was so focused on Kyoko that he forgot they were right at the shoreline. He hissed when the cold water washed up against him. At least, it was just what he needed to cool his libido after watching her for so long.

Kyoko snorted and gave him a smug look that said serves you right.

…

Over an hour later, the couple was finally dry and in their last outfit for the day. They sat in the warm tent while the finishing touches were done on their hair and makeup.

"Look what I got," Fuji exclaimed barging into the tent. He held up a pair of white roller skates and a longboard skateboard for everyone to see.

"What are you going to do with that?" Sousuke asked skeptically.

"We're going to use it for this last outfit."

"As static props?"

"That too but I want to capture some motion shots."

"Can either of you ride these things?" Sousuke asked turning to the couple.

"I might be able to make the board work but those skates are too small for my feet." Ren turned to Kyoko expectantly.

"I went ice skating once," she replied meekly.

"See! It's dangerous! We can't risk their safety," Sousuke said as the voice of reason.

"I don't mind trying," Kyoko piped up. It never hurt to try.

"Yes, my darling, Kyoko-chan. I knew I could count on you." Fuji dropped to his knees dramatically and rained kisses on her hand.

"Ren?" Fuji turned to her counterpart.

"Fine, just don't kiss my hand."

"Fair enough." The designer held up his hands and stood back up. "Are they almost ready?" He asked Aya and Nana. "The setting sun is casting a warm glow on the boardwalk right now. I don't want to miss it."

Kyoko gripped on to the railing of the boardwalk as she struggled to get her rhythm on the skates. They had to stuff wads of tissue into the front since they were too big for her feet. Her single experience with ice skating was not helping her here.

Ren, of course, was a natural on the skateboard as he rode up and down the boardwalk barefoot in his blue linen suit. He pulled up beside Kyoko with a goofy grin on his face.

"Having fun?" she asked turning around on her skates to face him. She lost her balance in the process but Ren was there to catch her. Kyoko leaned against the railing but kept her grip on his forearms. He moved in closer and placed his palms on the railing behind her, trapping her between his arms. Neither of them thought twice about their close proximity nor did they pay attention to the people around them as they chatted.

"Yeah, it's similar to riding a surfboard. You might have better luck with it."

Kyoko hummed and took it upon herself to close the third and fourth buttons of his white collared shirt. He kissed the tip of her nose.

"You know...you just ruined Fuji-san's vision for this suit, right?" Ren teased.

"Oh? Oh!" she exclaimed remembering where they were. Several phones along with Sousuke's camera were trained on them. She pushed at Ren to back away and almost slipped again.

"Easy!" Ren said wrapping his arm around her bare midriff. Kyoko blushed as his fingers tingled her skin. Fuji had her wearing a white crochet halter top and a maxi flowery skirt with high slits. It guaranteed that when she walked or rolled her tone legs would be exposed to the top of her thighs. Beneath the skirt, she wore the matching bikini bottoms to her top.

"I love it!" Fuji clapped his hands with delight. "Your chemistry is phenomenal." He turned toward Sousuke. The photographer was looking through the screen of his camera. "Did we get some good ones?"

"Wait, what?" Kyoko asked dumbfounded.

"Hey, you're on the clock. Everything goes," Fuji said with a snicker.

"We did the still shots of both of them individually. We got Tsuruga-san riding the skateboard. I think the couple shots we just took are perfect. Do you still want to capture some of Kyoko skating?" Sousuke asked Fuji looking up from the camera.

Fuji turned to face Kyoko. "Do you want to give it a go?"

Kyoko gulped nervously but nodded. She moved to the center of the path shakily like a newborn fawn. A staffer handed her a pair of fashionable headphones attached to a cellphone that she would hold in her hands while skating.

Kyoko laughed when she put them over her ears and gave the woman a thumbs-up for her choice of music. She felt her spirit revive while listening to Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. She took a deep breath and nodded to Fuji that she was ready once everyone moved further away.

When she got the okay to begin, she summoned her inner roller derby diva and pushed off. She smiled at Ren as she passed him casually leaning against the railing. He threw up a shaka sign and smiled at her, she returned both as she glided on by. It was a friendly hand gesture she learned from her surfing experience this morning.

She was so excited about her feat that she forgot she never learned how to stop. She was approaching Fuji and the gang rapidly. Kyoko racked her brain for a solution while keeping the joyous expression plastered on her face. She could use the railing to stop herself and pray she didn't break anything in the process.

Before she could execute her plan, she felt a large warm hand grasp hers. Ren had come up behind her on his board unknowingly since the music was blaring in her ears. Kyoko was so startled by the contact that she lost her balance. She tried to pull away from him so he wouldn't fall with her but he held on tight. She heard the worried gasps and shut her eyes as they both went down. She blinked her eyes open when she didn't feel any pain and struggled to sit up. She froze when she heard the moan beneath her. She had landed on top of her boyfriend. He took the brunt of their fall.

"Are you okay?" She asked frantically, trying to scramble off him.

"I'm fine, just stop moving for a second," he groaned painfully.

"That does not sound fine." By then everyone was by their side and helping Kyoko off of him.

She knelt by his side after Yashiro and Sousuke helped him into a sitting position. "You idiot! Why did you do that?"

Ren smiled sheepishly at her. "Because I knew you couldn't stop."

"I- I had it under control," she sputtered defensively. How could he have known?

"I know," he said brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek. "But I still couldn't let you get hurt." Kyoko looked away, blinking back her tears. Stupid Baka! She felt the scraped skin on his knuckles when he touched her face.

"I'm sorry I ruined the suit," he told Fuji after he stood up stiffly and brushed himself off.

"That means nothing. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should get a check-up?" Fuji insisted.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little bruised with some minor scrapes," he assured them.

"I promise I'm fine," he repeated when she checked him over.

"Did you get the shots you wanted?" Ren asked Fuji, focusing the attention back on work. Everyone followed the designer's gaze to his photographer.

"We got it, boss!" Kousuke announced after reviewing the pictures.

Everyone awaiting the verdict cheered and clapped at the good news. Kyoko threw her arms around Ren and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks for saving me, my Prince," she whispered so only he could hear.

"Any time, my Princess," he replied and pulled her closer to him for a peck. She groaned as she almost lost her balance. She still had the damn skates on.

AN: How many thought by that disclaimer that babies were in the air...LOL? My babies are still babies even if they are horny babies (awe young love). I'm not even sure how realistic those apps are... I just had to make Yashiro so extra as always and throw in what I want their babies to look like XD! I hope you enjoyed it.

Anyway, more shameless promotion...if you have not read yet please check out the new stories by Collaborative Beats (Scandal, The Spice of Love & Living Life in Full Bloom-AU) on Fanfiction or A03. A bunch of your favorite fanfic authors banded together in discord to pull off these stories for KyokoRen Week 2020. This time around I'm the fourth chapter in the Scandal fic. Also, I recommend reading in A03. It's a lot prettier because of SilkHandkerchief's awesomeness and the beautiful art provided by the talented Emily Lee aka Chitesnoo. I hope you all enjoy and leave us feedback.

Thank you for always reading and for the wonderful reviews. I HEART U!

Until next time, ja ne! ^_^