A Wish

Chapter 3 Every Other Me part.2

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! All praises of this book belong to Nakamura-sensei.

Ren ruffled her hair softly, relieved that in some ways, he could help her this time. He stared at her intensely, then slowly cupped her cheek and leaned closer.

"Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko frowned a bit but not flinched or shied away. Seeing his face up close and even getting closer was big trouble for her sanity but there's no way she would back away. She might never get the chance ever again so she savored the moment while she could.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Ren let his hold off Kyoko. He stared to her then bowed his head low.

"The me you are seeing now is no more than a persona I've tried so hard to create since over 5 years ago. An empty shell that I used to portray a better self of me. An alias for me to hide the darkness that ate me alive in the past. A new start that the president offered to create a new beginning for me."

Ren couldn't face her. He kept his head down, feared to see the despise expression she might have on her face. Unknown to him, Kyoko smiled softly. Indeed she was surprised, but not to the revelation he said but to the fact that he willingly shared his past life which no one ever knew, maybe except the Prez.

"You know that Tsuruga Ren is my stage name, don't you?" Ren asked, finally lifted his head and looked at her straight in the eyes. Surprised that he saw nothing but kindness in her eyes, he smiled softly. His whole face showed his relief.

"Yes, you told me before." Kyoko answered quietly. (or more like in trance since she was bathing in Ren godly smiling face)

"Well, you might not like me at all after what I will tell you, but I sincerely wish that at least you won't hate me so much. You might not want me as your friend anymore and I will completely understand if you won't have anything to do with me at all."

'I won't be so sure about that. All I know is I love you, for better or worse. But what made him thought so? He surely doesn't have a clue of what I would do for him. How could he belittle himself that much?" Kyoko wondered.

"Why don't you just tell me and let me worry of what I would think of you myself?" Kyoko encouraged him to continue.

Ren took a deep breath. "Until five years ago, I lived with my parents in America but since they're so busy, I often left by myself. I had mixed blood in me, my dad is Americans-Japanese and my mom is Russian-Americans. With that, school was never been easy, but I'm proud of my parents so I endured them as much as possible. Until five years ago, I didn't have anyone I could refer as friend then there was Rick, couple years older than me and I looked up to him so much. He taught me things included how to defend myself. After I learned how, I started to stand up for myself and somehow on the way, I became wilder, darker, you may say."

Ren checked Kyoko's face every now and then to see her reaction, but her eyes betrayed nothing. She listened to him intently, no sympathy or harsh interruption, she simply listened.

Seeing nothing in her face, he continued, "Rick started to worry, and despite of my wild side, I did listen to him and avoided fighting as much as I could until one day. There were several men looking for revenge surrounded me in an alley. They started taunting me with the mixed blood thing. I saw nothing but red and beat each of them half dead. Rick was there, shouting at me, telling me to stop but I couldn't hear him. One of them ran towards the street, I chased him and Rick ran after me. I didn't look around when suddenly Rick knocked me out of the street. A car speeding and hit him dead on. He was lying there bleeding his life out. His fiancée ran toward us and started yelling. Calling me as a murderer, that if not for me, Rick would still be alive, blaming me for taking her love from her, and there I was, frozen."