Yashiro's Secret Dream

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"Ren will get over this bad mood of his," Yashiro assured the trembling girl, patting her shoulder awkwardly. She was so sweet and vulnerable, she invited affection, then made one feel odd for invading her politely guarded space. This time, however, she leaned into his touch, resting her head against his arm and gulping back a sob. He went ahead and put his arm around her and she let him hold her.

She smelled so sweet...

Yashiro's eyes-which he didn't even remember closing-popped open and he slowly let out his breath, trying to ignore the faint scent of her shampoo. 'That was...strange...now let go of her.' He moved to do so, but she sobbed harder into his shirt, and it briefly crossed his mind, considering her heavily made-up face, that he would have to wear his jacket the rest of the day. Yes, that's right, focus on trivial details, not your growing affection for the strangely lovable heart-torn girl clutching at you.

'Shut up,' he told himself.

Kyoko finally broke free of his embrace, shaking her head, wiping at drying tears. "It's no use, Yashiro-san. We've tried to be friends. But...he won't let me in. He just lies and pretends everything is alright!" Yashiro could not deny this, frowning slightly as she took the offered bit of tissue from his pocket and scrubbed at her face. Even with her smeared eyeliner and slightly puffy eyes, she was still so full vitality. Already she was regaining composure, bouncing back.

"No," she said softly, fingers starting to absently shred the tissue. "It's no use."

He couldn't help himself; his hands went to her shoulders, gripping tightly, glad they were alone in the hallway with the broken soda machine and occasionally flickering lights where Kyoko and Ren were filming today, in an old school building empty and scheduled to be torn down but perfect for a few heart-breaking scenes before that.

But not this kind of heartbreak...

"It doesn't matter anymore," she told him earnestly. "I've already told him that..."

Was this what she had been telling him when he'd walked up? No wonder Ren had exuded such a dark aura.

"But why, Kyoko-chan?" he asked, awaiting the familiar despair, which did not come. He stared into her eyes, searching inwardly for the feelings but found they were not there. It had been so many years now.

In truth, Yashiro had given up on the increasingly moody Ren. Perhaps it was time to acknowledge it. And for Kyoko to as well. And just maybe it was time to admit...

"I love you, Yashiro-san," Kyoko confessed. "I didn't mean to, I didn't want to!"

Yashiro froze, fingers still digging into the fabric of her sleeves. The words echoed, or was he imagining it? It was so preposterous, standing here beside Kyoko in her torn school-girl outfit and her scuffed shoes; finally a rich young lady, for once the victim instead of the bully. Her role had demanded she access freely her sadness memories, and it seemed they now plagued her constantly, weakening her usual upbeat positivity. Made her say things he didn't expect her to say.

She hiccuped softly, eyes tearing up once again. "You were always so good to me, you never stopped encouraging me, supporting me. You were always so patient. I never doubted myself with you." She searched his face, dropped her gaze and courageously raised it once more. "Please...say you feel the same."

"I..."

'I do,' he realized. When had this happened? For that matter, when had his head lowered to touch her lips with his own, because now they were wrapping their arms around each other and-

"Aaaah!" Yashiro scream, jerking upright, heart pounding.

"Yashiro-san!" Kyoko cried, alarmed. He held his hand out to keep her at bay.

"Stay back!"

Ren's face smoothed out, his blandest expression overtaking the startled look. "Mogami-san, I believe the stress is getting to Yashiro-san. Could you please get him some soothing tea?"

"Of course!" She practically ran around the small table and out Ren's dressing room door where she and her sempai had been working on her newest character and Yashiro had been resting on the couch against the wall, only intending to close his eyes for a minute...

"Yashiro-san?" Ren asked carefully, taking a seat next to him and eying him.

Yashiro put his hand to his still-racing heart and shook his head, taking a moment to catch his breath, looking at the door the girl he regarded as a little sister had so recently gone through. "Ren..." he managed finally. "You have to tell that girl how you feel, and soon."

"What does this have to do with you scaring us by screaming like that?"

"You just have to!" Yashiro snapped, unwilling to divulge the details of his alarming dream just yet-and maybe never-to the man beside him.

Ren merely dropped his polite facade and rolled his eyes with a long-suffering sigh. "And why is that, Yashiro-san?" he asked evenly.

"Because you're giving me nightmares!"

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A/N: Why am I working on this and not my other fics? Because the Skip Beat plot-bunny won't go away. And although I am hard-core RenxKyoko, I thought this would be a great moment to test a serious YxK fic with the safe and humorous reality of the fact that Yashiro definitely does not think that way about Kyoko-or her about him-and the very idea would freak him out. Especially when he thinks about how Ren would react. Quickly written, please forgive typos and leave me a little review telling me what you think.