One Take Only (A Skip Beat! Fanfic)

Chapter 20: Time to Wake Up

Kyoko blinked awake slowly. That's odd, she thought. I don't remember going to bed last night. Then, she realized that it was still pitch black in her bedroom. Or tonight, I guess.

She considered rolling over and going back to sleep, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. For one thing, it was far warmer than it should be. She tossed off the comforter and immediately felt better. Sitting up, she started when her hand brushed against the futon, which, it seemed wasn't a futon at all. Or at the very least, not her futon—the buttery smoothness of leather against her fingertips was proof enough of that.

Okay...so, not in her bedroom. Not in her bed. And she couldn't remember anything about falling asleep. Kyoko felt a tiny frisson of fear run through her, but tamped it down quickly. Light, she thought. Light will help.

With that resolution, she swung her legs over the side—a couch, she registered absently—and immediately felt a soft something under her feet. Groping hands connected with it, and with a little cry of joy that she stifled—wherever she was, it was nighttime, after all—she recognized it as her tote.

Her cell phone was exactly where she left it, in the inner side pocket, and as soon as she touched it, the screen lit up with a sudden flare that left her slightly dazed for a moment. 12:19, it said. After midnight.

Using it as an impromptu flashlight, she swept the phone in a semicircle, trying to make out her surroundings...and it clicked. The coffee table. The flatscreen. And of course, the leather couch that had recently been featuring in her dreams.

Tsuruga-san's apartment, she thought, relieved. She blushed as she realized he must have gotten out the comforter from the guest bedroom just for her. It had been a little warm, though, because he'd tucked her in fully clothed.

She still wasn't entirely clear on why she was sleeping on his couch in the first place. If she'd stayed over, he would certainly have offered the guest bed itself, rather than just the blanket. But either way, there was no need to worry about waking him, because he rarely slept before 2 a.m.

The light switch was next to the front door, as always, and she quickly took a peek at the hand mirror in her purse to make sure she didn't look too rumpled. Oh, no! I fell asleep with my makeup on, she thought. Handkerchief in hand, she went to work trying to fix her raccoon eyes.

A door creaked open. Footsteps. Kyoko shoved her mirror and handkerchief back into her bag, straightening up.

"Mogami-san," Ren said. "You're awake."

"Er, yes," she replied, turning to bow to him properly. "Thank you for your hospitality. I hope I didn't cause you any inconvenience."

When she saw his face, he was smiling gently. "It was no trouble," he said. "Though I think you would have been more comfortable in a bed."

"Oh, no," she assured him, " I was very comfortable."

The conversation petered out for a moment. Ren seemed to be waiting for Kyoko to say something more, and Kyoko was trying desperately to remember how she'd gotten there in the first place. I can't just say, "Why I am here, by the way?" she thought anxiously.

"You must have been tired, after working with...Fuwa...all day," observed Ren finally.

With Shotaro? Kyoko thought. Oh! The last traces of grogginess faded away, and the activities of the past 24 hours filtered back into focus. A grin spread across her face.