Together Again

By KawaiixKisses

Shoutaro

It probably would have been better if I had left her there in Kyoto. That's is after all where she belonged. I wouldn't have been suffering like this. I wouldn't have had to see her even when I didn't want to. She would have faded into the back of my mind, a forgotten memory. She would have met a some local man and married him and took over the Fuwa Inn without me. I could have handled that. Actually, nothing seemed more perfect than that.

But now, due to the mistakes I made, I'm forced to see her constantly. She is everywhere, her presence is omniscient - I can't seem to escape her. I am haunted by the past, her voice is always filling the air. I have come to memorise the lines I here her say in the movies and dramas she chooses to do. I was content with sharing her with a man from Kyoto because I knew that deep down, she would still belong to me. However, now, I had to share her with the world.

The possessive side of me was obnoxiously overbearing. I hated the attention she was getting. I did not like that so many eyes got to lay upon her. I didn't want to know just how many men wouldn't mind a date with her (I learned from a poll in some corny magazine). I wanted her to be back in Kyoto, where I was sure she would have gone unnoticed, blended into the ordinary until there was nothing truly special about her. That's what I wanted. That's what was best for me. I honestly, I don't care if she's happy. Truly I don't.

It was normal day in my life, my schedule unforgiving and calling for me to be in at least three places at once. Shouko, my manager, and I weren't at all phased by the work-load, it was something we had come to expect. I was, after all the most famous pop-star in all of Japan. My fame was slowly spreading across the ocean, my name popping up in Hong Kong and even South Korea. As it was, my life was good. I was only 19, but I had a promising future. I could, at anytime chose to retire from the Show Biz scene and still be able to live a rather lavished life - my records where selling a lot better than even I had expected.

I was getting ready in the dressing room granted to me by the producers of Live: with SACHI - I was to do an interview soon - when Shouko came in, her expression unreadable. Something in her eyes was telling me that something was wrong, that things were not okay.

"What is -"

She hadn't let me finish speaking before she handed me a letter. I opened it, noticing the fancy handwriting scribbled inside belonged to my father. Vaguely, I wonder what it was about. My parents had not contacted me at all since I left for Tokyo. It must have been something important then.

Dear Shoutaro,

Over the last few years our relationship has been...strained, for lack of a better word. I am unsure of whether or not you will even read this... I do not know if you bother with reading fan-mail... Probably conversation, I wish we could have had over the phone or better yet in person. I'm sorry son... Your mother has passed away -

I couldn't read the rest of the letter, my vision had gone blurry. My hands were quaking, the letter crumpling in my hands. All at once, my world had shattered, broken into a million, tiny little pieces. I hadn't planned on this, I hadn't expected my mother to die so soon.

"He wants you to come home for the funeral next week."

I looked up to find Shouko staring at me. Now I recognized what feelings her face was conveying, it was pity. No one had ever pitied me before.

"Cancel today's appearance."

I was surprised by how soft and hoarse my voice was.

"We're leaving now."

Kyouko

I hadn't forgotten what my home had looked like. In fact, I remembered everything like I had never left it. It was peaceful there, no busy traffic, no flashing lights, no scheming people. No, Kyoto was so much different from Tokyo. I missed it there.

I was deeply saddened when I received a letter from Ojisan. I had known Obasan was sick, but I hadn't been expecting her death. I had kept in contact with Obasan over the years, we chatted over the phone when every my schedule allowed it, but mostly through letters. She would always ask me of work and how Shoutaro was doing - I had learned from her that he never called home - and each time I would tell her that he was doing fine, not that I really knew. I hadn't told her of how Shoutaro and I were now estranged, I didn't want the poor, sick woman to worry. I knew that she was pained by her son's absence. Talking to me wasn't enough to quell the ache the woman was feeling.

I entered the Fuwa Inn, walking past the woman who was seated behind the familiar desk. She looked up at me, her eyes widening slightly. She must have recognized me despite the pair of large sunglasses I donned over my nose.

"Kyouko! It's really you!"

I stopped in my tracks, unable was I to pretend that I hadn't heard her. I would have, had my shoulders not tensed and gave me away. I turned to her, a pleasant smile adorning my features as I pulled the shades away from my face.

"Hello," I greeted her formally - just because I am a star does not mean that I had forgotten my manners.

I watched as the young girl scurried away from her work station and rushed over to me.

"I had heard rumors that you had really lived here but I wasn't sure if it was true or not. I mean, you never said anything in all the interviews I've seen you in. But since you are here now that only proves it!" she squealed.

I smiled at her as she continued to ramble on and on. It was obvious to me then that I wouldn't be able to hide here in Kyoto. I'm not sure why I had even gotten that notion. It was a small town yes, but the people here still had TVs, they still knew what was going on in the rest of the world.

"Yes, I did live here - for a while actually. I'm glad to see that the place hasn't changed too much," I said, my amber hues looking about.

"Hn!" the girl exclaimed. "Oh! I'm Haruko, I work here. Well, I suppose you already knew that, right? Oh! Let me take your bags!"

Before I realized it, Haruko was reaching for my bags and pulling them away, yammering on about showing me to a room.

"Is Sho coming too," I heard her say as she brought my bags into one of the many guests rooms.

"Probably." Shoutaro's a jerk but he isn't a monster, he wouldn't skip out on his own mother's funeral...

But then, how would I know? To me, Shoutaro was a stranger, someone I didn't know too well. So really, I wasn't capable of making a judgement like that. He could very well be a monster.

"Ne, Haruko-chan, where's Fuwa-ojisan?"

Haruko beamed at me , probably excited that I had called her in such a friendly manner.

"In his office, I'll show you the way."

"No, need, I know where it is," was my pleasant reply.

Haruko smiled at me still, lingering in the doorway as if unsure of what to do or say next. Seemingly giving up, she turned and hurried away but not before saying something about fetching tea for the guests.

I smiled after the girl. There was no doubt in my mind that she was a good server. Sure, it was ideal for her to be a bit more reserved, but I didn't hold it against her, she was probably just a bit starstruck.

I freshened up a bit before making my way down the halls, carefully to avoid attracting too much attention and headed off to find the older Fuwa. When I met with his office, I slowly slid the door open but not before knocking and gaining permission first.

There sat the older Fuwa. He was dressed in a traditional yutaka - the blue material hanging loosely to his body. His face was a mature version of Shoutaro's, strong and handsome with a bit of facial hair dusting across his chin and jaw. He looked up at me, his deep blue eyes filled with sorrow and woe, he looked forlorn, lost, no doubt the loss of his lover weighing heavy on his mind and heart.

I paced over to him and he met me half way, burying me in a hug once I was in arm's length. I wrapped my arms around him, patting his back lightly before we broke away.

"How is Tokyo," he asked me, his voice deep and masculine as I had remembered it being.

"It is good, but more importantly, how are you?"

"Not so good," he answered honestly, "her death... It's really... hard to bare with."

I nodded my head in understanding. It was hard. Obasan was not my mother, but she had raised me as if she was. Losing her, felt like losing my mother. Some part of me wished, still does, that I could have been born to Ojisan and Obasan.

"I'm surprised to not see Shoutaro with you," came his voice after the silence had set in.

"Hn. He and I are not living together, but he should be here soon no doubt."

The older Fuwa looked at me, his brow arching. He was probably wondering why exactly Shoutaro and I were not together. He probably still had it in his mind that Shoutaro and I were perfect for each other.

"I see."

That was all the old man said before sitting back and sipping a bit of sake.

Shoutaro

I still don't know why, but I was surprised to see her there. I know that Kyouko had been close with my family but for some reason, seeing her there was something I hadn't expected.

"You're late, Shoutaro..." she said, looking up at me.

There was challenge in her eyes as there always was. She enjoyed bickering with me, at least that what I thought at the time. But now I'm beginning to see that us fighting was just a sense of normality between the two of us. It wasn't something we could help. It just happened.

"Yeah well, I can't control the weather now can I?"

I had wanted to get there earlier, but there was storm. The damn thing hindered my leaving Tokyo sooner. She of course didn't seem to accept that.

"Hmph! Any good son would have been here regardless of the weather."

She must have known how ridiculous that sounded. No plane was going to fly during a storm no matter what Fuwa Show had to say about it. I was ready to tell her that but I became distracted by a pair of eyes staring into the back of my head. I spun around, my eyes landing on a girl, no more than 13 staring up at me.

"Sh-sh-sh... SH-SH-SH! SHHHH! SHO!"

The wind was knocked out of me as she ran forward, her body slamming into mine. Her thin arms wrapped around my middle, pulling herself closer to me. Worriedly, my blue eyes traveled over to where Kyouko stood, trying to hide her amusement at the situation.

"Kyouko... Who is this?" I asked, trying to free myself from the girl's death grip.

"That is Haruko, she tells me that she is your number one fan."

Judging by the way her eyes gleamed, I could tell she was really enjoying my discomfort. I tried to pry the girl's arms from around me but now matter what I did she just held on tighter.

"Haruko-chan, let's let Shoutaro go and meet with his father, I'm sure they have things to catch up on... He hasn't been home in a while."

Just the way she was saying it told me she was trying to make me feel guilty. She wanted me to feel bad about being too busy to pay my parents a visit. I knew it. I felt bad enough about not being able to say goodbye to my mother, she didn't have to rub it in my face.

Haruko obeyed and let me go, hurrying behind Kyouko like some kind of pet as she walked away. I watched her leave, unable to tear my gaze away from her. It had been a long time since I had last seen her. We were both so busy that we hadn't once run into each other. It was almost two months since our last encounter. I missed her. But of course, I wasn't yet willing to admit that out loud, hell, I didn't even want to admit it to myself.

No longer lingering, I turned to find Shouko standing there. I had forgotten that she had come along with me. Her eyes stared into mine, a small knowing smile playing at her lips. At the time, I thought nothing of it but instead headed to my father's office, leaving Shouko behind with another young girl a bit older than Haruko to show her to a room.

Yay another ShoxKyouko story! Woot, Woot! :D I wrote this story because idk I like Kyouko and Shoutaro, I believe that they should work out their problems, get together and make a bunch of Kyoutaro babies! haha anyway, not a oneshot, mabye some lemons in the future, idk... lol i don't know Shoutaro's parents' names so they'll just be "Fuwa" "Ojisan" "Obasan" "Mom" and "Dad" lol oh and please R&R :D