Chapter 5 – Learning to help.

Uhm, gomenasaaaaaaai! I really should have updated this earlier, and it was sitting in my computer for the longest time doing absolutely nothing.

Thank you to everyone who helped with grammatical and spelling errors in the previous chapter! Love you guys! This was my second writer's block, which is really quite troubling on my part.

And so, we shall open the chapter. And please, leave me a review! I love reading your thoughts on the chapter, yeah? Thanks~ -- Tabitha.

It had been a week in the drawing room already, locked up in the basement. Katsuki was more than restless, having any human communication only when he had his meals. He sat weakly on an armchair in the corner, twiddling the damned ring on his left hand.

"How dare you? Your wife has gained you status. Riches! You ungrateful brat, for disrespecting my daughter like that! Making a lady of such high standing cry, you are no gentleman of my family!" Her father's words seared through his head. Katsuki was bitter – her father didn't even care for his daughter. He knew all too well that all her father wanted was to find an excuse to knock him down.

He sat alone in the choking silence. Shivering again, he buried himself deeper into the threadbare furniture, finding his own warmth. In the pitch-black room, he had barely an inkling of his surroundings. The clock would chime every hour, nonchalantly informing him when the hours passed in slow motion.

He remembered when the light hanging lifelessly above his head was still working. Faintly imprinted in his memory was a portrait of a beautiful dark-haired woman with eyes of the strangest familiarity. They would bore into his skull with their intensity and depth– the painting was so real that he could have sworn she could move.

A light seeped under the door and his head snapped around to evaluate the presence. But if he had counted correctly, his next meal would be three chimes away. He wasn't even hungry yet. As the lock clicked open, he saw a trembling cloaked figure gripping a light, a pile of clothes and blankets with a white-knuckled grip, carrying a dim light.

The figure – who seemed to female – stepped in rather hesitantly and with an impeccable grace, constantly checking over her shoulder for anyone on her trail. Katsuki's mind leaps at the walk of his beloved, late Mizuki. It is exactly the same in pace, in style. Involuntarily, he leaps out and pulls off the ebony hood, revealing equally dark hair. His hair rose as he looked into the eyes of his wife.

The same piercing eyes as the lady's painting looked straight through him.

She was flustered and couldn't make proper eye contact. Tossing him the pile of clothes and blankets, she promptly sat down on a nearby chair, facing away from him. He eyed her carefully – she was behaving erratically again. The weak lighting illuminated her face as she stared into her lap. Looking down at the pile she had chucked at him, he saw the thick blankets he recognised, as well as –

"Mio, these are our blankets. And you brought your father's clothes, too. You'll get in trouble…" he tailed off as he saw her straighten up, her face red.

"I know," she snapped. "But it doesn't matter. You shouldn't even be here, even my father knows that." Her hands were tense and clammy in her lap. Her words were jerky, her voice nervous. She knew that seeing him was wrong.

Katsuki almost smiled. He knew how much courage it must have taken to gather up the heavy blankets of the bed and sneak down to see him, not to mention the strength gathered in her frail arms to carry them. "Thank you," he whispered to her. He could feel unexplainable warmth from her and in that second, he believed no one else could.

"Why did you want revenge on us?" she carelessly blurted out. Her hands flew to her mouth; her eyes wide open in horror. Shit, her mind screamed, I'm not supposed to know. She was getting edgy and prepared to break into a run.

His breath came to a standstill in his throat. She knew?! It couldn't be that she had told her parents, or he'd immediately get into serious trouble with a powerful family. Her look of terror gave away her intentions, though – she didn't want to expose him, she was rational enough to hear him out.

"Your aunt, Mio, Mizuki's mother…is my own disowned father's sister." Just as she had thrown her story on the table, he smacked his down. "Your father's deeds are unforgivable, I hope you can understand."

She was taken aback at his honesty and eyed him wearily. Of course she had always known. He was out to get her father – the sole reason she never stopped him directly. They both hated him to no boundaries. They hated him and damned him to hell on a daily basis.

And so she left him as is, thinking long and hard about what they had gone through. Just how similar were they in ideals? Just how much…did he know about her? Yet, she started to consider him one of her first possible allies. She was excited.

In her room, she stroked their cat lightly. "He's really a strange one." She mused aloud. The emerald eyes just stared at her, a soft meow in response.

"Okay, cut…" The director was absolutely beaming. "Fantastic work, and all in one take. I'm so lucky to have both of you! " His smile seemed to envelop the room in a dose of sunshine.

Ren graced him with a smile. Kyoko grinned too, shaking out the heavy wig from her shoulders. The crew all started to whisper conspicuously about the "dream team" that Ogata had gained by chance. The response to their performance was excellent, even within the studios, expected to stomp the predecessor, Tsukigomori, to obli–

"KYAAA!" her scream ripped through the air. Kyoko's face was ghostly pale as she stared down at her arm, torn open by the angry cat in her lap. The crimson stained her dress as the wound bled profusely, while she barely stayed conscious with all her willpower.

The blood wouldn't stop, even with Ren at her side in an instant. She breathed heavily as she rested her weight against him, hardly able to sit up on her own. The crew stood by in shock, until he lost his temper and burst, "Well?! What the hell are you all up to while she bleeds to death?!"

Gently shifting her to lie on his lap, he took his jacket and pressed it gingerly to the wound, wincing when Kyoko yelped in pain. Tears streamed down her face, silently telling of the turmoil in her limb. As the troubled director fumbled for his phone, she lost all consciousness to Ren's voice- "It's going to be alright, ok? Everything will be fine. Just stay with me."

Her dreams were infinitely filled with dreams of her childhood with Corn, her fairy prince, as he gave her wings to fly with him. She clutched his hand with all her might, begging him to stay with her forever, away from her mother, Shotaro, and from the pains she had learned of. Somewhere in the lands of rainbows and flowers, he only gave her his small smile.

"It's going to be alright, ok? Everything will be fine." His voice was older, deeper, and she just couldn't put her finger on the familiar tones that flooded her mind. She saw him hold her beloved gem to his lips, and placed it back in her hands, closing them in his…

and then, he was gone.

Her eyes were blinded by the sunlight as she tried to open them, her body heavy and unmovable when she tried. She breathed slowly into the clean oxygen in her mask, looking for signs in her body that she was still alive and kicking. She could barely feel the needles in her arms, and the heavy bandage on her left. Aside, the warmth in her right hand calmed and soothed her as she closed her eyes once more.

However, her resistance to sleep made her glance towards her companion, only to find Ren asleep amidst her sheets, hanging on to her hand and with furrowed brows. He had only been the most worried person for her, along with her best friend Kanae. As she smiled involuntarily at his care for her, Kanae stepped slowly into the room, slowly shutting the door behind her.

As she saw Kyoko's open eyes, she whispered, "how are you feeling?" while she swept Kyoko's hair from her face. Gathering all her strength, she replied, "I can't really feel anything, but I'm all right." Kanae gently placed a hand on her bandages, sighing.

"It's really lucky that Tsuruga-san reacted so quickly to your injuries. He's been here for nearly a week and a half now…we were so worried you wouldn't wake, Kyoko." She ran her hand against Kyoko's cheek, just relieved she was alive. Pulling away from her, she said, "I'll get you some food. You must be hungry."

As soon as Kanae left, Ren stirred from his sleep. Kyoko just held onto him, squeezing his hand gently in hers. He opened his eyes slowly, almost deliberately, and stared into hers for a couple of seconds as their eyes locked dead. Then, he smiled in relief, getting to his feet.

"Hey, I'm glad you're ok." He muttered. "Can I get you anything?" He caressed her cheek and she flushed lightly. She was far too tired to reach out to him, much less to eat or drink."

Rolling over to her side, she whimpered. "I'm sorry I've messed up filming, Tsuruga…" before she could finish, she was hushed by his frustrated sigh.

"You know," he complained, "the least you could do is calling me Ren. And it's not your fault the cat turned on you, so it's fine." She blushed as she remembered passing out on him back at the studio, even if the details were hazy.

Resigning to his request, she held onto his hand tighter, not realising she hadn't let go. "Then, thanks very much for saving me, Ren. I appreciate it..." her eyes fluttered shut as she lost her will to stay awake.

She would never know how Ren kissed her cheek with all his love. Nor would she know how his chest tightened as she sighed– "Corn…you said I could stay with you forever…"