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The words bubbled up her throat the moment she saw that man on the screen. That's the man Morizumi-san is in love with . It cycled through her brain like a broken record. All the anxieties and nerves from Tsuruga-san’s declaration melted away as her brain hyperfocused on this new information. This man, Cedric D. Bennet, was both exactly and nothing like she expected. She was almost thrown off a building... for him?
Kyoko even took a breath, ready to blurt Morizumi-san’s secret into the universe. But when she turned to Tsuruga-San to divulge, she stopped. The words hung limply in her throat.
She recognized that look on his face. It's one that encroached on his handle on Cain Heel.
She hadn’t seen that look in a while.
"Tsuruga-san?" she asked, her throat suddenly dry. He didn't reply. He only stared at the TV with that haunted expression she loathed so much.
Cedric D. Bennet was long off the screen; the camera panned back to the studio somewhere in TBM where a newscaster talked about the newest project Cedric was visiting Japan for. It was an American film studded with top rate and unknown Japanese actors. Japanese actresses like a certain Kotonami Kanae. And, apparently, Tsuruga Ren.
Prince Ceddy is expected to join none other than Tsuruga Ren and his co-stars on his new project this afternoon in this very studio. Don't miss it, tonight at 6!
The newscaster’s voice was bright and unbearably ignorant of the scene developing in the TBM. Eyes darted to Tsuruga, surprised to see him zoned out. He didn’t acknowledge the nods people sent his way. He didn’t acknowledge the girl beside him, either.
Kyoko touched his hand and his cold hand flinched away. She forced the surprise down her chest. Yes, he held her hand so intimately, so lovingly, only a few minutes ago. But that was a few minutes ago. This was now. And now wasn’t the time to be analyzing every one of his actions toward her when he was so obviously hurting. "Tsuruga-san, do you know him?"
The world moved on around them at TBM. Except, the small bubble around them, and only them, was locked perfectly still as Tsuruga-san stared at the TV.
Even the newscast was over. They’d moved on to gossiping about other things entirely.
Kyoko didn't expect Tsuruga to answer at all. She expected to have to bribe him back into the realm of the living like she had done every other time he disappeared before her eyes. What she didn't expect was Tsuruga-san's hoarse voice to break their bubble.
"I know him," he said hoarsely.
Progress. If he knew Cedric, it must have been from his past. Nothing from his time as Tsuruga Ren would have shaken him like this... Right? Kyoko exhaled and reached for his hand once again. He stayed still this time and let her hand wrap his in a blanket of warmth. "Do you want to talk about it?”
Tsuruga Ren shook his head but his tongue betrayed him. “Yes," he breathed.
“Okay.”
She took his hand and pulled him back to the elevator, where they waited in amicable silence as the lobby buzzed around them.
They’d been just about to board when Kyoko's phone let out a series of shrill beeps. She cursed under her breath, ripping her hand from Tsuruga’s to pull her phone from her purse. Immediately, she retracted her curses when she saw Moko’s name flash across the screen. Even if she and Tsuruga-san had been having some sort of breakthrough about his past (which she knew almost nothing about), there was never a good reason to curse your friends. “Hello?”
Kanae’s relieved voice filled the speaker at the sound of Kyoko’s voice. "Where are you?" she asked quickly. “Please say you haven’t left TBM yet.”
"I haven’t left TBM yet," she said easily. Tsuruga-san turned to her with questioning eyes and she had to turn herself away to keep from blushing. This was definitely not the time for blushing. “Did you need me to do something before you get here?”
“How did you--nevermind, not important.” Kanae sighed. "I’m actually already here in one of the green rooms by the Bridge Rock stage. I have a favor to ask you."
"Favor?"
"I need you to be my translator this afternoon before my interview. My co-star arrived early."
Her eyes darted to Tsuruga-san. Normally, she loved any opportunity to assist Moko-san... "I can't, I'm about to head out," she lied uneasily. It hurt to lie to her best friend. But Tsuruga-san needed help first.
“Please,” Kanae said. "I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't urgent. Kyoko-chan, please ."
She smothered the sigh building in her chest and closed her eyes. A tap on her shoulder made her jump, and she found herself looking up at Tsuruga-san. ‘Go,’ he mouthed. Her brows furrowed together and she opened her mouth to object, but he was faster. ‘Go,’ he repeated.
"I'll be there,” Kyoko said finally. “Please hold off on any introductions until I arrive."
Kanae sighed, her relief evident even across the phone line. "I owe you," she breathed.
Kyoko couldn’t muster any sort of reply. Not even a ‘you could never owe me, Moko.’ Instead, she did something she would have never could have fathomed a month ago: she hung up on her best friend. She let out a ragged breath and turned her attention back to Tsuruga-san. His face still wasn’t back to its dazzling standby and she couldn’t fathom why he told her to go. Weren’t they supposed to talk? Was this his way of getting out of it? “So...” she started uneasily.
“Raincheck?”
"May I come with you?"
They spoke at once, stunning Kyoko into silence. He barely wanted to talk about him... and now he was putting himself in a position to talk to his old acquaintance (could she even call him that?) a whole two hours before absolutely necessary? “Are you sure?”
He hesitated a moment too long but recovered with a small nod. “I’d like to meet him again.”
“All right, then,” she said, not skipping a beat. She wasn’t going to let him second-guess himself. This was his gut impulse. If anything, she was just happy she would be there to pull him out if things got dicey (or if he fell into another phase of unresponsiveness, but she tried not to let herself think of that option for too long). “Let’s go.”
This time when they pushed the up button, there was no wait. They entered the elevator quietly. There was nothing more to say... not until they reached Moko. And Cedric.
When the door closed in front of them, secluding them once again in a tight silver box, Kyoko’s hand snuck out and wrapped around Tsuruga-san’s once again. She could get used to this, holding his hand. She squeezed his hand.
You can do this , she thought, directing her thoughts to the man next to her.
And even though he couldn’t have possibly known what she was thinking... he squeezed back.