Silence

Chapter 1


It had been a simple scene. Yashiro looked on in horror as they placed his female charge on the gurney after clearing away the debris from the fallen stage light and rigging. They had finished almost half of the filming for Sacred Lotus and she was doing exceptionally well, setting the standard for the rest of the cast. She was truly an actress of the highest caliber and he was proud to call himself her manager, even if he did have to split his time between her and Ren.

Yukihito pulled on his glove and quickly dialed Lory Takarada to inform him of the suspicious accident. Things like this just didn't happen anymore. There were precautions, safety measures and Sacred Lotus was a large-scale production, directed by one of the most noted directors. There was no way something like this should have happened. He honestly didn't know what he was going to tell Ren when he returned from California, heaven only knows when. Lory didn't really say and only felt the need to tell him, he was working on a Top Secret project.

"Takarada-san... Something has happened on the set of Sacred Lotus... Kyoko-chan has been injured... Yes, Sir... Yes, they're taking her to Angel's Rest Hospital... Yes Sir, I will see you there." He quickly stored his phone, took a deep breath to calm himself and started his car. He didn't need to get into an accident on the way. It was bad enough that Kyoko-chan had been injured, he needed to be there for her if she awakened.


It was only a matter of time before Jouji Morizumi and Yuki Kuresaki combed over the various angles of footage that had been taken of that solo scene that Kyoko-san had been injured in. They had both suspected much over the years, but chose to ignore what was rumored and brought to their attentions. Jouji's eyes went wide as the evidence played before him and Yuki sighed in resignation.

"You do realize that this cannot be ignored. If the authorities do not see this footage, they will most certainly find their fingerprints on the rigging and scaffolding. Neither of them have a valid excuse for being on set or near the wreckage." Yuki informed him.

Jouji nodded. "There is also the fact that the cast and crew will verify that neither were anywhere to be seen during that time." He sighed while making a copy of the evidence they would need to hand over to the investigators and the authorities. It didn't matter anymore, his niece went too far this time and he most certainly was not going to protect her from the punishment that she deserved. He was nothing like his brother.


"Unfortunately the damage to her vocal chords is quite possibly permanent. We really won't know for certain until she awakens and we can assess her condition further. Fortunately, we were able to intubate her without any adverse effects. With a head and neck injury of this nature, it's just a matter of wait and see. She will most likely need physical therapy to restore mobility. Worst case? It's possible that she will either stay comatose or be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of her life." The doctor paused and took a deep breath while eying the array of strange personalities in the waiting room for the O.R. "As I said, we really won't be able to make an accurate diagnosis until Mogami-san awakens."

Lory shook his head sadly. "Thank you for your honesty doctor."

"You will be allowed in, three at a time. Try not to be shocked at her state." Doctor Tanaka told them before he left the room.

It was shocking to see. She would have looked like a sleeping angel if the lines, tubes, and monitoring machines hadn't been in the room. The sunlight just barely glowed around her, giving her a haloed appearance. Lory quietly cleared his throat. Yuki shook his head and Kanae gasped in shock.

Kanae carefully approached her friend's bedside and sat on the chair on the right side, the side closest to the door. She took Kyoko's limp hand in hers and brought it to her cheek, letting her tears fall freely. "How did this happen?" She mumbled, glancing at Yukihito.

He began to explain to the pair what he'd observed, in detail, then sat quietly on the small sofa on the opposite side of the room, near the foot of her bed.

Lory felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and took note of the name of the caller. "I need to take this." He held up his phone and left the room.

"Lory Takarada here." He greeted.

"Takarada-san, I think we need to speak regarding the situation with Kyoko-san. There is a matter that will need to be discussed as soon as possible concerning the circumstances of the accident." Jouji Morizumi told him. "How soon can you make time?"

"How soon will you need? Kyoko-chan just got out of surgery." Lory informed him.

Jouji sighed. "I think you'll need to hear this before it hits the media. Probably tonight. The recording and several pieces of evidence have been collected by the police and most likely, you'll start getting calls in the morning." He explained.

Lory looked at his watch. I suppose I can move a few things around. "I'm at the hospital at the moment with her manager and her closest friend."

"That's fine. I'll be there in twenty minutes. What room is she in?" Jouji asked.

Lory gave a little start at the request. It was quite out of the ordinary and it told him that Morizumi-san was concerned enough that he didn't care who heard what he had to say. "Um, she's in room 405. I'll let them know you're coming so they'll let you through."

"Very good. I'll see you then. Thank you." He finished and ended the call.

Lory reentered Kyoko's room at sighed tiredly. "Yukihito-kun, the director will be stopping by shortly to discuss the circumstances of the accident. I've been informed that the police have collected some evidence and I want you in on this meeting since you are her manager." He explained and turned to Kanae. "Kotonami-san, would you mind staying with her while we meet with him?"

"I don't mind, sir." She told him, while gently stroking her best friend's fingers and dabbing her own tears.


Kimiko Morizumi and her manager were enjoying their freedom on borrowed time. They never for a moment believed that they'd been caught on video, once again. If they had made that discovery, they most certainly never dreamed that the evidence would be willingly handed over to the police without second thought, and they definitely didn't think that Yukihito Yashiro would willingly give her uncle the information he needed to contact Erika Koenji and request that she contact the police with the evidence she had of the incident that occurred a couple of months ago on the roof of the shopping center.

No, so confident in their little schemes they had been, that they were out celebrating their success of finally eliminating the competition with dinner and a shopping trip at a few of the most notable boutiques in Tokyo to the tune of over 4.5 million yen. So busy with this little celebration where they, that they never suspected that, before Sayou took the evidence to the police, said footage flooded every social networking site that had anything to do with the entertainment world.

That evening, after she'd settled in for the evening with her new purchases and a feeling of satisfaction, she and her manager would be arrested simultaneously and driven to the local precinct to be processed for prosecution. There was no getting out of this one. All of the money in the world wasn't going to erase the evidence, and Japanese law enforcement did not arrest people unless they had enough evidence to lock away a perpetrator for a significant amount of time.