Brotherly Love, Sisterly Sin. (A Skip Beat! Fanfic)

Chapter 7

It was almost with a sigh of relief that the meal ended. The talk had been light when Calvin and Sayuri told the two Love Me girls to retire. Neither of them were surprised to see the girls nearly run out of the room. Kyoko felt Ren’s body stiffen a little throughout the meal when Sayuri had asked Kanae and Chiori about their families  Kyoko had noticed just how tense he had been, as if he was upset by something? Ren had never mentioned family before. They each had their secrets where that was concerned, but still his reactions to the normal 'break the ice'  chatter made her wonder if he too had problems in the parental department?

“So Kyoko how have you been?” Kuu asked smiling as he stood up and opened his arms wide to the girl he thought of as his own. It was like teleportation, one moment her hand was in Ren’s the next moment she was around the table and in Kuu’s arms.

“Otou-san!” she half shouted half sobbed as she threw her arms around the his neck letting out some of the tension this dinner had brought upon her.

“Shhh Kyoko sweetie, shhh.” Kuu soothed as he gently stroked her head and back in long strokes, easing the fears of the girl in his arms. “It’s ok sweetie Daddy's here.” Kuon looked on with a painful heart as he watched his father comfort the girl he loved. His heart ached. It had been a day that had shaken him to the core and to be honest he could do with a hug like that himself.

“Tsuruga-san?” Ren looked up, yet instantly Kuon took over at the sight of his mother. It had been 7 years and here she was, almost like a ghost of fair tiding. When she had first burst through the door that day he had wanted to deny that she was there. That she wasn’t real, but she was. She was here after all this time and he had no idea why, but in his heart he was glad.

“I feel like I need a hug too, and as my husband is at this point indisposed,” It wasn’t completely true, it wasn’t that she needed a hug in the way she was asking, but they both needed this hug. They needed to feel the closeness they had lost over all those years, the bond of mother and son that his leaving had made fragile. They needed this hug just as much as Kyoko needed Kuu’s warm embrace.

“How could I refuse such a lovely woman?” Ren asked with his full gentlemanly smile in place, not his scary one but his genuine smile as he walked around the table and hugged the tall woman tightly. He had to be Ren in those moments otherwise he knew he would fall apart. Just like Kyoko had been ready to fall apart in front of her friends. The 7 years separation had made this one much more difficult to bear. Julie clung to Kuon desperately as in barely less than a whisper his voice breaking with every word he said,

“I’ve missed you Mom.” It only made Julie hold on tighter.

Fighting back the tears that came unbidden with having her baby boy in her arms was more than a dream for her. But in the same breath she would not show this and it wasn’t only because of the job, but also because Kuon had a right to tell the woman he loved himself. And Julie could see just how much he loved Kyoko. Kuu watched on tears in his own eyes as he calmed the beautiful girl in his arms and watched his son and wife reaffirm that connection that had been stolen from them.

It took a few minutes to calm Kyoko enough to get her back to her usual self, but at least Julie and Kuon got to share a private moment because of this.