CHAPTER 18

I do not own skip beat! Nakamura Yoshiki does.

~Together in the world~

A sip of a whisper-part two-

They went into the hotel, Ren carrying on his shoulder the travel bag he had dropped when he had saw the situation Kyoko were in. The police had cuffed and took away Cedric though Ren was still shocked to have met one of his former nemesis from the past today. But Kyoko's words were circling around in his mind, cloaking him in a fuzzy warm safety net that was preventing him from really thinking about anything else but her kindness and the need to care for her state.

Once in the hotel, he dropped his bag into his room and went with Kyoko to the hotel's bar under her suspicious but perplexed eyes.

What are we going to do here…

You're not up to drinking again, are you?

Her eyes were screaming it so loud he had to turn away with a smile.

Kyoko were suspicious when they entered the bar but Ren reassured with a smile.

-Don't worry. I'm going to get alcohol for another reason, though I could really use a drink right now and might get one but I won't abuse. Plus, should I remind you it was mostly because I was drugged all that happened and not because I had drunk too much he said with a smug air.

She vaguely heard him say something about old demons being awakened and admitted she might be compliant on this point seeing the situation.

-True but you still watch over your consumption.

-I've never been as out as on that incident with you of my life, I have a pretty good perceptions of limits usually. Plus, if I was to be drunk again, you can still carry me again, can you not? That man said with a cheeky smile.

That man!

-I might just decide to drop you into nature with other animals; you could find some comrades of you into the wild.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

-Comrades of me?

Kyoko smirked and pointed at him.

-Raccoons. Like you.

He scoffed and grumbled before turning around.

-But I should put back your mask first or they wouldn't recognize you.

He looked at her with a glare though the light hue on his cheeks was giving him away and she exploded in laughs.

He strike back to her at full speed and promised with a nefarious smile:

-First opportunity I get, I'll steal your make up pouch or better even get my own one to-

-Great idea! I will have all the tools to disguise you into your fate animal if you're too out again Kyoko interrupted with rapt, giggles coming through her teeth despite her best efforts. Don't forget the dark blue set, it's a must. I didn't have everything and had to improvise at the time.

Ren's face though paler turned even more scheming.

-I will have my own so that when the time comes I can transform you into some wild animal too.

Kyoko snorted.

-It won't suit me. No everyone can pull the raccoon style bursting with laughs at last.

-I never said it would a raccoon, Kyoko he said with a grin full of teeth. You're teasing me a bit too much so a fox maybe? Nah, too big.

Kyoko stepped back sensing the teasing had switched side but Ren followed.

-You are so so tiny he said while closing his forefinger near his thumb in example. So Tiny. Hmm, he pondered. A big animal wouldn't suit you.

-A fox isn't that small.

-Still, if I had to go in fairy tales' style he said with a curious but a knowing spark suddenly in the eyes, I would compare you to Thumbelina.

-I'm not that small! Kyoko huffed going back to earth when she had been ready to go into La-La-land. You're the giant. No, better, in fairy tales style, you would be the magical green bean.

-The what? The green bean?

-Yeah Kyoko said still vexed. The magical bean from Jack and the magical bean.

She saw Ren thinking, trying to understand what she was talking about until the coin fell and he exploded.

-The plant?! The magical plant going to the sky?! Are you seriously comparing me to a magical bean?!

It's still better that a plain corn. As a fairy, your very name is a vegetable. A magical bean is a serious advancement in the rank of plant.

Biting her bottom lip furiously Kyoko looked at Ren all upset and huffing around while thinking about being a bean while she was thinking about him being a corn and arguing for idiotic comparisons on fairy tales and all of sudden she couldn't stand it.

She bent over in odd whirling bounds of giggles, tears coming to her eyes and holding her stomach as her best chance in staying on her feet and not ending up on the ground, so much so she didn't even hear she wasn't the only one laughing with unceremonious abandon.

When she was able to lift herself a bit from her inclined position, she tilted her head a bit and saw Ren doubled over and clutching one his side with as much mirth on the face and in the eyes as on her.

Painful sides and big grins later they looked at each other and Ren messed his hair with what curiously looked like baffled but happy embarrassment.

He must not be used to lose his calm like that and laugh without a care…

She chortled on the side.

It's so cute.

-We were being really silly, right? He asked after a last calming breath.

-Yup. It was fun though. So mister raccoon, in what, grumble, animal would you change me? If you had the occasion of course.

-I will. I don't know when but I will. And to answer your question, I actually knew from the beginning but you deserved some teasing after all the one you gave me.

Kyoko huffed a bit but arched a brow awaiting his reply.

He grinned wickedly but didn't talk.

-So?

Right then the expression on Ren's face turned infinitely gentle and Kyoko started to blush in advance.

-A squirrel. A cute adorable squirrel.

She turned her face on the side to hide her melting expression.

-I didn't know you had a thing for squirrels.

Ren's eyes widened a bit but he only missed a bit before answering with a dangerously sultry tone.

-You have no idea.

Kyoko wiggled a bit under his gaze then finally asked.

-So, when are you going to tell me what are we doing here?

He seemed to deflect a bit before replying.

-Right. Give me second. I'm going to command a drink and ask for it.

Kyoko was waiting for him in a booth when he came with two drinks.

She looked at him pointedly.

-It's not for you to drink; it's for your neck. Come here.

He said while sitting down and pointing to between his knees.

-Sit between my legs for a bit, it's will be easier to attend to your neck like that.

Kyoko observed him with growing worry and confusion.

He didn't have a drink yet, right?

-I'm pretty sure necks can't absorb alcohol Ren.

-It's not to absorb silly, it's for your bruise. Strong alcohol can numb faster than anything. Believe me, I know it from experience. You can put a cream to help it to disappear later but this, he said while raising the drink to show her is a very strong whisky, one I wouldn't even drink like that unless it's cut with water; most bars have some in their reserves for picky or demanding clients. It will not help with the colour but it will greatly relieve your pain.

-I see.

She didn't know alcohol could be used like that and Kyoko had worked at an inn. She knew it could used to disinfect an open wound if it wasn't too deep but not it could ease the pain on bruises. She also wondered from what experiences he had acquired those knowledges.

Not good ones, I'm sure of it.

She proceeded without a word and sat on the couch between his knees.

She saw him put some tore cloth in the lighter coloured drink, squeezed it a bit then he begin to apply carefully the damp thing on the side of her neck. With meticulous care and very delicate pats, he did the same to all the side of her neck and indeed after a bit, the area began to numb and pain retreated little by little.

At that time though she saw his face darkening again while he was looking for a missed spot Kyoko pushed his hand away.

-Thank you. The pain is already a lot more bearable she told him while trying to hide her neck.

He frowned.

-Wait a minute. I'm trying to see if I missed a place.

-You didn't and anyway you are staring at it so gloomily I preferred it that way.

Ren sighed and finally pick up the other drink before gulping it in one sip. He looked pained and preoccupied and very sombre.

-Sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. But someone hurt you, badly. And if I had come just a few mi-

-But you didn't Kyoko interrupted him abruptly. And even if you hadn't, Ren, it wouldn't have been your fault.

-Of course, it would have.

Kyoko stared at him severely but without a word until he turned his eyes her way to redirected them the second after in front of her hard expression.

-No, it wouldn't. Sink that in your stubborn mind. Whatever could have happened to me tonight if you hadn't come wouldn't have been in ANY ways your fault. Ever.

Right there, just now, she saw it. For a second. In his eyes. Pain. And a huge constricted amount of it. But also some gigantic guilt hidden behind.

But then.

He closed his eyes.

-Sorry. Really but-…Could you maybe…Give me some time alone, would you? It's not against you at all but I need some time…

Some time?

When she didn't answer he continued:

-To calm down. Tonight…Arghhh…

He looked like he was struggling with his words, struggling with what to say.

-Tonight brought back bad memories in the present and the fact you were nearly-…I just need some time.

What a rollercoaster.

And he was laughing just moments ago.

But from what she had grasped since she had had glimpses of his issues while working with him, his past was haunting him. A very dangerous, sad past.

Or at least it looks like that…

Then, she couldn't blame him for wanting a bit of time for him after what happened, even more knowing the guy he met was Cedric and that this guy had apparently gave him such a hard time when he was younger.

She couldn't blame him either to shut her out. She was supposed to not know a thing about this and it was very personal. There was no reason whatsoever to tell her about it.

Still, Kyoko couldn't refrain from feeling a bit hurt for being shut out by him. Even if she knew she was the last person he would like to confide about it, even if she now knew he was her childhood friend, she was sure he wouldn't confide to her. He was already not the type to confide in anyone so why would he even more do it if it was her.

-Okay she said.

His shoulders slumped and for a second he seemed lonely before smiling weakly at her.

-Just go rest and call me if you need anything or if your neck hurt.

-Don't worry. It will be okay, I'm better because of your trick. I'm just going to sleep.

He nodded.

-Then all good. We'll see each other tomorrow.

Kyoko agreed and left quietly.

But on her way out she turned around to look at him and felt like she was abandoning him when he needed her the most.

He looked so pained…

But she couldn't go against his will and so she eventually left for her room.

It had been an hour or so and Kyoko was finishing readying herself to bed.

She took a shower. Her teeth were brushed. She had drunk some water. Put some cream on her neck. Took painkillers for some other sore spots.

She was even in her pyjamas. Some baggy old too large one.

Still, she couldn't sleep. No matter how sleepy she was, she running in circles in her room, too restless to even put herself in the bed.

At the end, tired of playing animal in cage, she went out on the balcony hoping that the sea breeze and the view of the ocean would sooth her a bit.

But, fate must have decided otherwise because, nonetheless the outside was managing to relax her, the only thing that she could focused on was the characteristic lengthy form near the ocean on the sand, glooming all alone; with the proximity of the hotel Kyoko could even slightly detect he had his head in his hands.

Screw sleep.

Screw space. Screw pyjamas.

She was going and she was going right now.

Her bare feet begin to walk then run and she rushed outside to another step of destiny.

ENJOY!

Next is coming.