Blackmail. Yes, that's what I need. Maybe if I get a hold of his manuscripts I can threaten to delete them unless he agrees to marry me. I've heard those are important to writers.
Kyoko contemplated this along with many other strategies as she coasted along the ice. Both Suzuki and Kitamura had been pulled aside to speak to the camera. She and Hime had already done their individual interviews so Kyoko was left alone to skate and think.
The date had been going well all things considered. After a solid thirty minutes of skating, she could finally make it around the rink without falling, though her speed was still lacking. Upon meeting this goal she'd floated around in a daze, gleefully enjoying the sensation of dancing with the other ice fairies who occupied the rink.
No, wait. That wasn't the point of today. Suzuki. Marriage. That was her goal.
He was a good person. Polite, engaged easily in conversation and had been very patient as she learned to ice skate. He met all the basic criteria for a husband, which was surprising considering the stigma of these places. Why hadn't he gotten married yet?
After considering some possibilities, Kyoko decided it didn't matter. As long as he was willing to sign the paper and respect her space, she could marry him tonight if needed. She ignored the sour taste the idea left in her mouth at such an option.
Hime skated up next to her, doing only a little better than Kyoko on the ice. Turned out they were almost equal in that department.
"Are you having fun?" said Kyoko conversationally.
"Managing to," Hime sighed. "I can't wear short dresses for a while though thanks to all the bruises I'm going to have after this. But it's been fun, definitely."
"I was talking about your date."
"Oh. Right."
Hime wobbled, the moment taking her attention as she swung her arms to keep balance.
"It's been alright," she said. "But I don't think we're meant for each other. He's really quiet. Like, awkwardly quiet. Doesn't talk at all. It's really hard to keep a conversation going."
"How can that be hard? It's just talking." She and Suzuki had no problem keeping up a constant chatter as they'd slowly trekked around the ice.
"Then you try talking to him," huffed Hime. "I mean, you have Suzuki-kun for a date, and he's really good at keeping a conversation going. He's a good listener too as a matter of fact. One of my favorite things about it."
The comment felt a little odd considering her previous fall out with him, which Kyoko was starting to question.
"Hime-san," said Kyoko. "Why didn't it work out between you and Suzuki-san?"
Immediately the temperature around the rink dropped a few degrees. While Hime kept her eyes forward, her posture had stiffened, making it harder for her to keep her balance. While the mics were still pinned on them, no cameras were pointed in their direction. This was a stolen moment between the recording.
"Why do you ask?" said Hime in a tone too high for indifference.
"Because I need to win Suzuki-san over," said Kyoko. "I need him to propose tonight, or sooner if possible, and I was hoping you could give me a few pointers."
"Tonight? Are you crazy?" Hime stopped actively skating, now coasting along Kyoko as she frowned deeply. "That's way too fast and not smart. What if you regret it? You should wait."
"I can't." Any delay might end with Ren cornering her. "Can you please help me? Because I don't think I've been making a great impression on him."
"Oh… well, I'm sure he doesn't hate you," said Hime, eyes lowered now. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts, turning them over with each subtle shift of her feet as she kept gliding. Kyoko envied her ability to do so. It was taking everything she had not to pitch face first while talking. This had been a lot easier when Suzuki had forced her to hold his hand around the rink.
"I can't tell you," Hime eventually said. "Because I honestly don't know what happened. I thought he had been interested in me, and I'd made it clear I liked him but… then he chose another girl over me when picking a partner for a date. Then he ignored me, and I got the hint. He just lost interest."
"Do you think it's because you were too clingy?"
"Excuse me?" She was affronted, which was a little ridiculous after observing her for a few minutes. The woman had clung to Kitamura as they circled the ice during their entire date. Kyoko wasn't trying to be mean. It was just a fact. She nodded to where the men were still having their interviews.
"You've been all over Kitamura-san," said Kyoko. "Grabbing and hugging him on the ice, yet you say you don't like him. If you did that with Suzuki he probably got sick of it."
"I wasn't hugging him to whole time!" huffed Hime. "And it's ice skating, what do you expect? I need help. At least I'm not like you who jumps down the pants of the first man she dates."
"I do not!" said Kyoko, now offended. How could Hime even accuse her of doing something so outrageous? She was a pure Japanese woman.
Hime recognized the sore button, leaning in as she pressed harder. "Oh, I'm sorry? You take jackets and shirts. No wonder it's not working. You started at the wrong end."
"I'm not trying to get any end of him!"
"Sure you're not."
Hime glided ahead in the skating equivalent of a marching huff. The effect was ruined as she tripped and fell on the ice with a splat. Kyoko winced in sympathy knowing how painful it was from personal experience. She turned her skates and managed to slide to a stop beside Hime.
"Are you alright?" said Kyoko.
The look Hime sent was venomous.
"I'm fine," she grumbled, now properly mortified at her failed attempt to storm off. "Um, could you help me up?"
Still a kind soul who enjoyed helping others – despite the damage a certain idiot had done to that purest part of her – Kyoko automatically reached out to help. Hime made it to her feet. In exchange, Kyoko ended up on her butt again.
"You know what," said Kyoko. "I'm starting to question the validity of the magic in this ice kingdom. I think they must have put a tripping spell on this place."
"What are you even talking about?" said Hime.
"Don't worry about it."
Kyoko struggled to get up, feet slipping and knees bumping across the slick ice as she sustained several new bruises.
"You know…" said Hime. "You could ask for help."
"I don't need it," said Kyoko. She continued to struggle, ignoring Hime. The woman rolled her eyes, glancing down at her own feet.
"Oh shoot," she said. Hime's laces had come untied. The woman bent at the waist, knees completely straight as she tied her laces.
"You have some crazy flexibility," commented Kyoko.
"I'd better. I teach and perform ballet as a profession."
Kyoko managed to make it to her feet. The ascent hadn't been pretty, but she had managed it by herself for the first time. She beamed at her accomplishment, even if only Hime was the one to see it. The woman had managed to tie her laces and was giving Kyoko a peculiar look.
"I think you're right," said Hime. "I think I was a little too clingy. I… another one of the girls pointed it out to me and I tried to fix it but… I guess it was too late."
She brushed flakes of snow off her arms, avoiding Kyoko's gaze. With a sudden push, she skated off, this time managing to stay upright as she distanced herself from Kyoko.
Well that hadn't been helpful. At least not much. She'd learned that Suzuki didn't like clingy girls, but Kyoko had already been doing her best to be the opposite of that. Maybe there was something else she could use to her advantage. Something about her that was appealing.
…Except there wasn't anything. She was a plain girl with no sex appeal unless she summoned the powers of Rosa and Natsu. Why did it have to be so difficult?
The men returned, Suzuki skating over to Kyoko at a high speed before gracefully stopping beside her. It really wasn't fair how easy he made that look.
"Are you okay?" he said. "I saw you and Hime-san fall earlier."
"I lived," said Kyoko. The cameras were getting closer. It looked like they were going back on air and Kyoko was not going to wait for them to get her answers. It was time to stop being sneaky and attack head-on. "Suzuki-san, what do you look for in a wife?"
Suzuki's eyebrows raised to his hairline. He took a second to get over the shock as mulled over the question. In that time the cameras came back, the man giving her the thumbs up to indicate they were being recorded again. Marvelous.
"I'd like her to be cute for starters," said Suzuki, giving a chuckle. "Which you've got covered."
That was not the answer she had expected. She pointed to herself and tilted her head, silently indicating her confusion.
"Yes, I think you're cute," said Suzuki. Though he spoke with confidence, the twitch in his cheek indicated his embarrassment as he tried to brush it off. "Um, what else? I uh. I guess I'd like her to be someone I can talk with. Someone with a good sense of humor."
"I don't know about the humor part," said Kyoko, mentally checking imaginary boxes in her head. "But if you ever want a laugh, you can always take me back here and laugh at me falling every few feet."
Suzuki narrowed his eyes, the corner of his lips curling as if he were suppressing a smile.
"What else?" Kyoko prompted.
"She must be shorter than me," he said.
Check thought Kyoko.
"Have short hair,"
Check again.
"And be skating with me right now."
Ch—
It hit her.
"You're mocking me!" she cried.
He chuckled, ignoring her grumblings which was not a good idea! She was known to place curses on voodoo dolls when upset.
"Sorry, it was too good," he said, calming his laughter. "Fine, fine. Let me think a second."
He placed a thumb between his teeth, doing just that. He was not a bad looking man. Definitely closer to the attractive side of the scale. Good teeth and a pointed nose. Not her type, but still attractive. Then again, did Kyoko even have a type? She'd only ever loved two men and both instances of her affection had not grown due to appearance.
"I think…" said Suzuki slowly. "I want a girl who can make me feel needed. Loved. Lean on me as the man in the relationship." At Kyoko's stare he hurried to add; "But I'm not saying that men are better or anything. I just- I don't know. I want to be counted on. I like the idea of being able to spoil my wife with attention."
This man has read too much manga. That was Kyoko initial thought on the whole matter. He'd gotten in his head this fairy tale version of love where the dashing hero can save the girl and she would swoon over his strength. In her past, Kyoko might have swooned as well. Now it just sounded smothering to her. When she expressed this, Suzuki laughed again.
"Yes, I can imagine that," he said. "You have a powerful personality Mogami-san. I basically had to wrestle you to hold my hand as we skated."
"I just didn't want to be a burden."
The smile he gave her was pitying.
"Did you ever think I was just trying to hold your hand just to hold it?"
No, it had not come to her. And it was such a good strategy! She would need to remember that trick in the future. Suzuki was turning out to be much more devious than she had previously thought. It wasn't a bad thing, though it did raise a few questions.
"Then what about you and Hime-san?" said Kyoko. "She seems more your type."
The girl was the type that liked to be doted on. A princess in every sense of the word.
Suzuki stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "We just didn't work out. I think she lost interest."
"But that's not what she told me. She said you were the one that lost interest in her."
Suzuki looked at Kyoko so quickly she was surprised he didn't fall.
"She said what?" he said. "Did she talk to you about me?"
Kyoko clamped her mouth shut. Woops. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.
She was distracted by Kitamura skating nearby, obviously heading toward them.
"What did she say?" said Suzuki, his back to Kitamura and unable to see him approaching. The man seemed to be heading specifically for Kyoko.
"She said…"
Kyoko trailed off as Kitamura reached them.
"Excuse me, Suzuki-kun," said Kitamura. "I'm going to borrow her for a moment."
Without giving her any notice, Kitamura grabbed her hand and started tugging her along the ice.
"Oh no," said Kyoko, her cries gaining speed at the same rate the two of them did. "Oh no, no no no no. NO!"
She fought to tear from Kitamura's grip, but it was deceptively tight. She was helpless to stop him as they built speed to a terrifying pace. Icy wind hit her, drying her eyes and making her knees shake. She now had to grab his hand for support, too far along to even think about letting go. For the moment she did, Kyoko would die. Yet somewhere between the lines of dread and terror, another emotion set in. An exhilarating one that turned her cries into hysterical laughter.
This was amazing! Terrifying. Wonderful and holy sh*t she was going to die. Her cares flew with the wind as she screeched in delight. For two whole seconds she embraced this side of her. The adrenaline junky that fed off the heart-pumping moment.
Then they reached the corner.
The dread seeped back into her. She was going to hit the wall. The papers would have colored pictures of Kyoko's guts splattering across the white plaster and there was nothing she could do about it.
Just as she accepted her fate, Kitamura tugged on her arm, swinging him around her like a lasso on the outer side of the rink as he hugged the center. Kyoko's trajectory changed. She was no longer heading for the wall. She was thrown like a slingshot around the corner to face the opposite direction.
Then he let her go.
There were few moments in Kyoko's life where she had truly believed the end had come. One had been when Kimiko had dangled her over the railing of a building. Another was when Cain had looked like he might kill a man. These moments were each vivid memories she could recall without trying. She could already tell that this moment would add itself to that list with ease.
Knees straight, lungs screaming, Kyoko hurtled across the rink at inhuman speeds. This rink was cursed, or if it wasn't, it was going to be no matter if she lived or died. But as she prayed for a speedy death, she noticed an even worse conclusion rapidly approaching.
Hime was right in her path. Desperate to escape, the woman scrambled and tripped over her feet.
Her laces had come undone again.
If Kyoko must die, she didn't want to take someone with her. Especially if it was someone who didn't deserve it. Instead of the gods, she reached for something else. Something more tangible to help her in this life or death situation.
Kyoko's knees bent, and at the last minute, she pushed off as hard as she could. She soared through the air, flipping high over Hime with ease as the ice passed beneath her. She landed smoothly on the other side, knees bent, feet apart, body low and facing the way she had come as she slowly glided backward. One hand grazed the ice in front of her while the other flung out behind her to hold her balance. Hime was safe. Momiji was in complete control.
Then the moment left.
The ninja soul fled her body and Kyoko toppled over like a baby deer.
"Wah!"
Kyoko kept sliding until the wall finally stopped her. She hit it hard, grunting at the impact.
"Owww." Kyoko rubbed her head, adding it to the number of bruises she had sustained during this date. That decided it. This place was not a magical fairy ice land. Ice skating sucked.
"Mogami-san!"
Kyoko opened her eyes to see the puppy man sprinting across the ice as best as he could without skates, another man right behind him. They helped her to her feet, fussing over her and asking if she was fine and debating if she should go to the hospital.
"I'm fine," Kyoko assured them. "Don't worry, my head's pretty hard. It will take more than that to damage it."
Her reassurance alleviated their anxiety. And of course, a camera was nearby to catch every second of the fiasco. How was Hime doing anyway?
The woman was already on her feet, Suzuki the one beside her. They held hands in a way that suggested they had yet to separate after he'd helped her to her feet. Kyoko's view was suddenly blocked by Kitamura as he slid over.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to sling you so hard. Are you alright?"
For Kitamura, no, she was not alright. Her demons came out in a solid force that pushed Kitamura back onto his butt. She might have throttled him right there if the other two men weren't already steadying her.
"Let's get you back to the bleachers," said the helper. "I think you've had enough."
Kyoko mumbled in agreement, allowing them to guide her off the ice and onto stable ground. She nearly fell again when she did, so used to sliding she had to adjust her balance again.
The two men dumped her on the bleachers, Shougo staying with her even as he yelled for the others to bring an ice pack. His fussing was seriously annoying.
"I'm really fine," she insisted. "No, it's okay. Nothing hurts."
"Are you sure?" he said, visibly wilted like a flower as he peered up with distressed eyes. "Nothing's sore?"
Kyoko shook her head.
"Okay," he said. "But we'll call it a day just in case. I'll get everything ready and we can leave in a few minutes."
Now that, Kyoko could appreciate. Shougo scurried away to get everything ready to leave.
Kyoko hung her head, letting out a breath of annoyance. Things just weren't working out for her today.
Suzuki and Hime approached. They each took a seat beside her and continued to fuss like everyone else.
"Oh Mogaim-san, I'm so sorry," said Hime.
"It's fine," said Kyoko, thinking she was talking about being in the way. "Just get someone to help tie your shoes next time."
But Hime shook her head. "No, I mean for the slinging. I told Kitamura to sling you around the rink."
She had done what?!
"What possessed you to think that was a good idea?"
The woman shrunk back from Kyoko's accusing tone, eyes flickering to Suzuki before answering. "Uh, well. My brothers do it all the time with me and it can be fun… and I'm sorry. It's just something you do on the ice."
If she had been a better skater it might have been fun. But for a novice like Kyoko, it had been downright terrifying. This girl really needed to use her brain.
"I nearly ran you over Hime-san," said Kyoko. "Just… think a little more before you try something like that again."
Hime nodded, eye bright on the verge of tears. Kyoko had scolded her too much. Now Hime was going to cry and get sympathy when Kyoko was the main victim here.
"Don't cry," said Kyoko, frustrated. "You'll make me feel like the jerk for being mad at you."
"But you should be mad at me!" said Hime. "It's fine. Just ignore me."
Great. And now she was a drama queen.
"Mogami-san," said Suzuki pointedly, nodding Hime. The woman had shrunk in on herself like a frightened puppy.
Fine. She'd be the bigger person. Kyoko took a deliberate breath, releasing all her frustration and left-over adrenaline. It helped a lot. Maybe she should have done that in the first place. She awkwardly patted Hime on the head.
"Uh, there, there," said Kyoko. She really wasn't good at this 'consoling women' business.
Hime snorted, as did Suzuki.
"You're really bad at consoling people, aren't you?" said Suzuki.
"Only crybabies," said Kyoko.
Hime smacked Kyoko on the arm. Tears still clung to her lashes, but she was smiling again. Maybe Kyoko was getting better.
Kitamura slid over to them, shuffling into the bleachers in front of Kyoko with all the meekness of a frightened squirrel.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he said.
She considered him, searching her own emotions. Her anger had retreated due and Kyoko found she wasn't that mad anymore. A little annoyed maybe, but it had all worked out.
"Just don't do it again," she said. "I seriously thought I was going to die."
"I think you're made of stronger stuff than that," said Suzuki. "I mean, how did you even do that flip?"
What flip? Oh! The one where Momiji took over. She hadn't really meant for it to happen. She'd just let Momiji take over and bam! She had ended up on the other side of Hime.
His question drove away the residual feelings of guilt that had hung in the air, shifting it to an excited hum as they leaned forward.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to ice skate?"
"It was so cool!"
Taken aback, she was surrounded by eager eyes waiting for her to answer. She considered, scratching her head.
"It just… sort of happened," said Kyoko. "I played a ninja in one of my latest roles and her spirit took over to save Hime from being run over. She took the jump and… I honestly have no idea what really happened. It's all a blur."
"You played a ninja?" said Hime. "Like… in a movie?"
Kyoko nodded, explaining her part in Lotus in The Mire. It made the group more excited, chatting away excitedly. She answered their bombardment of questions, her mood brightening exponentially. Mostly because the frostiness around Hime had finally completely disappeared. Over an hour's worth of tension bled from her shoulders and Kyoko nearly sighed in relief. Sometimes it was hard to have such a sensitive antenna to hate and anger.
Five minutes later, the puppy man called for them to take off their shoes and get ready to leave. The date was done. They were going back to the hotel.
Kyoko returned her skates to the front counter, surprised when a few of the normal citizens came to her for autographs. Apparently, they had recognized her and waited until Shougo gave permission to approach. She hesitantly signed a few, noting that Hime and Suzuki lagged behind the group.
They were speaking softly to each other, shoulders bumping at their proximity. Hime's face was toward the ground but an undeniable blush colored her ears. Suzuki's smile was radiant.
The signs were so blatant even to a love-idiot like Kyoko could identify them. It looked like that relationship had somehow rekindled.
Hime's original date had latched onto Kyoko, not really saying much except to occasionally say something about her role as Momiji. Now she understood what Hime had meant about him being awkwardly quiet. The man barely spoke.
As they all piled into the car – Hime and Suzuki taking seats beside each other – Kyoko couldn't help grumbling to herself. That had been a complete waste of time. All she'd done was waste a morning striking another man off her list of potential suitors. She was back to square one with no further clue how to secure a man and no closer on how to even do that. Needy, or self-sufficient? Which one was better? Or did it really matter since all she wanted was a loveless marriage with mutual benefits?
Thanks for reading.
I have no excuses. Don't worry, Ren will be in the next chapter.
-Blushweaver