Kaorin71: Alright! It's been a while since I last wrote a one shot. Firstly, I might've gotten the concept of First Aid totally wrong so don't mind that too much. I'm not really very knowledgeable with those things. And yeah, this story was inspired by our First Aid lesson in MAPEH. I was about to sit down and review for our exams when I popped an idea for this story. And that's why I fear for my MAPEH grade. Anyways, I enjoyed writing this, especially the last part, so I hope you guys enjoy it as well! R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat.
Kiss Of Life
"We're here!"
All of them glanced at the little girl who had just yelled. Maria grinned childishly, blushing under their gazes. Beside her, Kyoko was giggling softly. At her right sat Ren who seemed very happy with his position.
They were inside Lory's grand limo. Everyone thought that he had no other limousine bigger than the one he uses to go to LME. They were wrong. So wrong. If his private limo had only six stereos, this one had eleven medium sized ones and one enormous model at the very center. The black car could already be compared to a bullet train, in terms of length. How it managed to fit in Tokyo's narrow streets, no one knows for sure.
Stopping her laughter, Kyoko smiled at the girl. "It's alright, Maria-chan. You were just excited. It is your first time being at the beach, right?"
Nodding, Maria beamed at her. "Yep. And I'm with nee-chan and Ren-sama! It's so exciting!"
"Hmm," Kyoko hummed, agreeing with her. "It's gonna be fun with you and Tsuruga-san along."
"Hey, have you completely forgotten about us?"
Opposite the three sat the irritated Kanae and Chiori. Both of them were wearing their Love-Me uniforms, much to Kanae's dismay. Apparently, when Lory announced that the cast of 'True Faith', the movie Ren and Kyoko co-starred in, would have a trip to the beach, the girl pleaded for the two to come with. They were given the permission to go, on the condition that they wear the horrendous pink uniforms the entire day.
Realizing her mistake, Kyoko said, "I haven't forgotten about Moko-san and Amamiya-san. I'm really glad to have you two here."
"Hurrah," Kanae muttered sarcastically, frowning.
Before Kyoko hade the chance to explain to her, the car stopped. All who were on it snapped back to reality. Then the chauffer got out and opened the door for them. Everyone quickly got up, took their beach equipment and stepped out into the sun.
Kyoko let the others out first. After ensuring that they were all gone, she picked up her things and proceeded outside the car. She was immediately greeted by the warm breeze. It blew her glistening orange hair as she pranced on the hot sand.
"It's wonderful!" The young actress exclaimed, holding unto her pink hat.
"Would you like to swim?" Ren asked casually, offering a hand out to her.
Smiling, Kyoko took his hand into hers. "It's my pleasure, Tsuruga-san."
She was about to follow him when she remembered that she had to change first. Ren agreed with her, seeing that there was no way he could swim wearing that awfully hot suit of his. And one more thing: he was pretty much likened to the idea of seeing Kyoko in her swim suit.
The two of them parted for a while. Kyoko decided to undress along with Kanae and the other girls. The actor stared at her retreating figure for a while then went on his own way. But before he could even go further, a devilish voice interrupted him.
"Excited, aren't you?" Yashiro, appearing from behind the food stall, said. Like Ren, he was in his business clothing although that expression on the manager's face didn't match his outfit. "I'm sure your hopes will be dashed when you see Kyoko-chan in a typical swim suit. Do you want me to go after her and switch her swim wear with a bikini? Or maybe you -"
"Yashiro, stop, please," Ren sighed. "This is supposed to be my stress free day. You can do whatever you want, except to torture me."
Yashiro's jaw dropped open. He couldn't believe that Ren could resist the temptation of seeing his loved one in a bikini. What kind of monster are you? He asked mentally. If it were me, I wouldn't give it a second thought. You're too much of a gentleman!
A thought then came into mind. "Oh, I get it. You don't want to see Kyoko-chan wearing any kind of clothing. Do you want me to steal her garments away and -"
Ren's hand quickly shut Yashiro's mouth before he says anymore scandalous things. Sighing for another time, he said, "I'm happy to see her in any kind of clothing, except an indecent one. Now, if you don't have anything more to do other than make my love life miserable, just go on and order some food."
As Ren was going away, Yashiro called, "I get it. You want to eat lunch with Kyoko-chan. Alright; I'll get you the food. I'll make sure to notify her."
Making a mental note to kill his manager later, Ren quickly went on his way. He got changed quite fast, probably because of his motivation to see the actress in more exposed clothing. He silently admitted that it wasn't right to think like that but reminded himself that he was a man and it was normal to have illicit thoughts on the woman he loves.
But still, Ren told himself as he tried to find the others. I shouldn't use that as an excuse. Anyway, Kijima and her stalker aren't here so I might as well enjoy my time with her.
While he was reprimanding himself, he caught sight of Kyoko's orange hair. He stopped in his tracks, observing the swim suit the girl was in. Surprised, he squinted to take a better look. Yep, no doubt about it. That clothing she had on was a school swim suit.
Well, come to think of it, there's no way that she could own a bikini or such, Ren thought. At least she wore something.
Disappointed, he started to walk up to them. As he was trudging along the hot sand, several gazes turned to him. Women's gazes. He guessed that none of them had ever seen him in swimming trunks, not to mention topless. Some of the girls tried to lounge for him while the others tried to hug him. Running gracefully, he cursed himself for having such an attractive body.
But if these girls liked me shirtless, maybe there's a little chance that Mogami-san would also, Ren told himself, lifting his mood a bit.
The girls were trailing behind him. Once, he was ambushed by a middle aged woman hiding behind the stall. She managed to hold unto his trunks. Ren had to shake her hands away before her could run along. But by that time, he was already surrounded by a lot of fan girls wanting to embrace him.
From the distance, Kyoko and Maria watched what was happening to the actor. The little girl had a concerned expression on her face while the older one had an amused look.
"Nee-chan, Ren-sama is in danger!" Maria cried out in alarm. "We have to save him!"
Chuckling, Kyoko said, "Tsuruga-san is fine. I bet he's even happy to have his fans around him. He's that kind of a man."
Unknown to them, Ren wasn't a bit happy on seeing them. He would've been happy if they would crowd him in his press conferences and in his movie premieres. But not here. Anything that would hinder him from seeing his loved one is a nuisance.
One of the girls grabbed his face and tried to kiss him. That was when a nerve snapped. It seems like they triggered Ren's bad side. He glared at them, making the girls whimper and flee. Some of them took longer to realize his anger and still clung on him. Shaking his head, Ren walked away from them lest he does something drastic.
"That's not very gentlemanly, is it, Tsuruga Ren?"
Stopping in his tracks, Ren turned to the direction of the annoying voice. There stood an irritating blonde haired singer. The teenager had this smug expression on, one that Ren wished that he could punch off his face.
"Fuwa," he said in a low voice. "How come you're here? Shouldn't you be in some private hotel room making out with various girls?"
"Hey, don't make me look like a playboy," Sho told him, running a hand through his hair.
Oh, you're not? Ren mentally inquired, resisting the urge to hit him. If it weren't for the fact that they had a large audience, Ren would've attacked him. But if Kyoko would allow him to finish this demon incarnate, he would be happy to oblige.
"I don't have any time to play with someone like you," Sho told him haughtily, waving a hand in the air. "I've only got one reason why I'm here and that's because of my agency's vacation trip."
"Are you sure you're not here to stalk Mogami-san?" Ren asked, taunting him.
Smirking, Sho replied, "Don't compare me with you, bastard. And what's with your abnormal formality? You still can't call Kyoko by her first name?" When Ren didn't answer, he laughed. "Man, what a sissy. How do you expect her to find out that you're heads over heels in love with her?"
Tightening his hands into knuckles, Ren said, "That's up to her if she wants to find out. And the formality isn't much of an issue. At least I know how to respect women, unlike a certain someone who just call them by their names and in a very rude manner, too."
"Oi, don't ridicule me, Tsuruga," he said. "I may have broken her heart but at least I'm always in her mind. You? I doubt that she even thinks about you in her free time. You're just some kind of a teacher to her. An upperclassman in the acting industry. Nothing more, nothing less."
Ren was so close in losing his temper when Kyoko came up to them and interrupted the fight. She faced Sho with a scary expression on. "You, get the hell away from here. Don't ruin our day with that horrible attitude of yours."
Upon seeing Kyoko defending the man, he said, "What's this? Japan's most desirable man can't even defend himself? You still need a plain and boring girl for protection?"
At the mention of the words 'plain' and 'boring', Kyoko picked up a stone and threw it at the singer. Unfortunately, by that time Sho has already fled, having anticipated the attack. He stuck his tongue out in a childish way at the young actress before finally disappearing from their line of view.
The girl was about to heave another stone in his direction when Ren touched her shoulders gently. "Mogami-san, he's not here anymore. You can relax."
His words proved to be effective when he saw Kyoko release her hold of the rock and exhaled softly. Her face was still red from rage, but other than that she was okay. "I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san. That devil is just so immature. He just can't beat you in a fair game that's why he's trying to get you in a scandal."
"It's alright, Mogami-san," Ren assured her, chuckling a little. "Shall we get back? Maria must be getting impatient from waiting."
When he said that, Kyoko suddenly remembered something. "Ah, yeah! That's right. Maria-chan wanted to play with us. She said that it was beach volley ball… or something that involves a ball."
Finishing their little conversation, the two of them headed back to the rest, preparing themselves for an exciting day.
At the distance, Sho bit angrily into one hot dog sandwich, staring murderously at the man beside Kyoko. He cursed himself for being such a coward and leaving the girl with the actor. As he ate his snack, he accidentally bit on his tongue. Suppressing a yelp, Sho struggled to keep his feet on the ground, still looking at the two.
"They make a lovely couple, ne?"
Tearing his eyes away from the two, his gaze then fell on the woman beside him. She was wearing a red hot bikini, something that matched fairly well with her attitude that day. The soft yet malicious smile on her lips was something Sho dreaded - and hated.
Sitting down by the side, Shoko said, "They sure look good together, there's no doubting it. A petite orange haired teenager with a mysterious dark haired man. Not only do they look good with each other but they also have the chemistry to be a love team."
"I get your point already. She fits with him, not me. Yeah, I know that," Sho grumbled, checking his tongue for blood. "You don't have to tell me that every time we see them."
"So you're admitting that they were meant for each other?" Shoko teased. Somehow, she was getting more Yashiro like with each day that passes. It just delights her to see her talent squirm.
"I'm not admitting anything!" Sho yelled, earning him some curious stares from the people. Lowering his voice, he said, "It's not like they're a couple or anything. They just look good as a love team. But I bet Kyoko isn't even thinking of loving him. That's one thing I'm totally positive of."
Tapping her finger on the table, she told him, "Yeah, since you broke her heart. But, with the attitude Tsuruga is showing her, the day might come that she may actually love him. Who wouldn't fall in love with a man like him? Japan's number one and most desirable."
"No," he murmured, taking a sip of his cold drink. "No way. That won't happen."
"But if they become a love team, on a commercial or on a television drama, that feeling might just develop," Shoko further said. Then she noticed the gang playing. Pointing to them, she told him, "Hey, look. They're playing a game of volleyball. They're on the same team, too. What if she realizes that she loves him because of this game? They say love comes at unexpected times."
Crushing the plastic cup in his hands, Sho hastily stood up. He threw the crushed plastic on the sandy floor as he advanced towards the LME gang. Shoko stifled a laugh, knowing what scandal might come of what's about to happen.
Well, as they said, 'If you can't do anything about it, you might as well grab some popcorn, sit back and watch the show', the manager thought evilly, reaching for a pack of French fries Sho left behind. This is gonna get interesting, if I don't get fired right after.
Meanwhile, as the singer grudgingly made his way to them, Kyoko and the others were having a game of volley ball. Chiori, Kanae and Maria were all in one team. In the other team, there were Kyoko and Ren, with one member lacking.
"How can we play without one more player?" Maria cried out, taking a peep at the other actresses and actors bathing in the sun. "Why won't they play with us?"
"I guess we'll have to make do with just two players," Kyoko told Ren, smiling. "I just hope we don't lose, though."
Smiling back, he replied, "Don't worry about it. Let's just have fun with the game."
At the other side of the sand, Chiori and Kanae were sweating profusely due to the Love-Me uniforms. They were forbidden by the president to remove the horrible overalls, even under the hot sun rays. If they changed out of those, Maria would tell on them. Lory scared his grand daughter to do so.
"I wish this game would be postponed," Kanae grumbled, wiping her neck with a handkerchief. "Man, if I only knew that we were to wear this pink curse all day, I wouldn't have come."
"But, hey, it's sweating is one way of losing weight," Chiori told her. "At least we're getting something worthwhile."
"Ren-sama, nee-chan," Maria wailed, waving her arms helplessly. "I can't find any more players for your team."
Waving back, Kyoko yelled, "It's alright, Maria-chan. We can play with just the five of us. We're out to have fun anyway, not to have a contest."
Heeding her nee-chan's words, Maria nodded and took the inflatable ball from the nearby bench. She gave it to Chiori, due to the fact that she couldn't hit the ball very well. Chiori gladly accepted it, wanting to sweat her way to a slimmer body. However, she didn't seem to be very talented in the game either. As she hit the ball, it went sailing to the east instead of going towards Ren and Kyoko.
"Oh, sorry, Mogami-sempai," Chiori yelled to the other team.
Turning his head to Kyoko, he inquired, "Mogami-sempai?"
Scratching the back of her head, she replied, "Uhm, I'm not sure how that happened either."
Chiori started to run after the ball. But as she was approaching the object, a man beat her there. The blonde haired guy picked the ball up with one hand, raising it chest level. Kyoko, seeing the face of the man, scowled. She was about to storm up to him when Sho spoke up.
"Take it easy, Kyoko," Sho told her, twirling the ball with one finger. "I'm not here to fight with you or Tsuruga. I heard that you were lacking one member on the team. I just thought that maybe I could fill in the position."
Frowning, Kyoko replied to him, "Do you think that I'm an idiot? Why would I let you play? You'll only ruin our game."
Smirking, Sho held the ball tighter in his hands. "Well, if you don't let me play, I guess this ball is mine. Finders keepers, anyway."
A gasp came from Maria's lips. She can't let that ball be taken away from her. That ball was a gift her father gave her last month when he returned from America. If possible, she'll sell her soul to the devil first before she lets anyone take her gift away.
"No one's gonna invite me to play? Then I guess I'm leaving now," he said in a sing song tone, turning his back to them.
"Wait!" The little girl yelled. "Okay, you can play."
The other three looked at the girl as if she were insane. Maria, however, stuck on her ground and resumed to her position. Kyoko, knowing that she can't do anything, decided to cool her temper and prevent herself from choking the teenager. Ren hoped that someone would be strong enough to pry him off the singer if ever he loses control.
"That's the right decision," Sho smirked, joining Ren and Kyoko on one side. He glanced at the two. "You should be thanking me. If I didn't arrive, you would be lacking one player."
"We'd rather lack one player than to have one who's useless as dirt," Kyoko hissed, feeling her blood pressure rise.
After that, no more insults were exchanged. They went on with the game. Maria's side got to serve first. It was an unofficial game so the usual rules didn't apply. Their mechanics was simple: if the ball drops on one side, the other side gets the point. It was a hit-or-be-hit game.
Sho tried to hit the first ball with his left forearm. Unfortunately for him, instead of his forearm it was his fingers that made contact with the ball. It bounced off to the other side, inches from the line.
"It's not fair," he complained. "We should have a net. One damned line won't determine anything."
His little complaint got everyone's blood boiling. Since they didn't bring a net, they decided to make an improvised one. Say, like having Yashiro stand in the middle of the two sides as the net. If it weren't for the fact that Maria was Lory's grand daughter, he wouldn't have done such a dangerous thing.
The game continued. It was Kyoko's turn to serve. Although an amateur, she hit it fairly well. The ball sailed precariously above Yashiro's head. Kanae got to hit the ball with her arms. When they saw the ball enter their side, it was Ren who sprang into action. As the ball got back to Maria's side, Chiori did a good job in receiving the ball. Again, it went to Kyoko's team. Sho tried - again - to get the ball but it just bounced off his head.
A loud cheer came from the other side as Kyoko went up to the singer. "You're making us lose, you idiot! At least out some use for that empty head of yours. Instead of using your arms, just use that hollow skull of yours."
Scowling, Sho got back into position. He frowned, seeing Ren getting intimate with Kyoko. You rat, he thought. With the next serve, I'm gonna make Kyoko turn her attention to me. I'll get you out of the scene.
Inhaling deeply, Sho gathered all his strength and swung his arm forward. It hit the ball - miraculously. There came a loud sound as the ball flew in the air. Yashiro ducked for cover, wanting to avoid getting hit. But to everyone's surprise, it didn't sail across the 'net'.
It went towards the waters.
Maria gasped in horror as the ball splashed down the water. It rose up, and then bobbed up and down in rhythm with the waves. Kyoko yet again scowled at the musician.
"Way to go, Sho," Kyoko told him sweetly. Although the tone of her voice didn't match her expression, which was twisted into a scary look. "I'm sure not even Tsuruga-san could best that stupid stunt you did just now."
Sighing in defeat, he said, "Alright. I'll get it."
But before he could even wade into the waters, Ren pushed him back. "Don't trouble yourself any further. I'm sure you're tired from playing already. I'll be the one to get the ball."
As Sho was about to protest, Kyoko got in the middle and said, "I'll just get it." Turning to Ren, she said, "No need to go after it. I'll be the one to apologize in place of this idiot."
"Why don't we just get it together, Mogami-san?" Ren suggested. "I can't let you go off by yourself. As your sempai, shouldn't I be making sure that you're safe?"
Her face brightened when he said that. Really clueless, Sho thought.
Kyoko smiled, saying, "Okay. It's fine, I guess."
Both of them then went off to chase after the ball. It seems like the ball was floating further and further from the shore. To avoid slipping, Kyoko tried to hang on to Ren for support. Since the actor didn't have any clothes on which she can clutch, she just stuck closer to him and had one arm over his neck. Ren, at the back of his mind, was too delighted to react.
Sho groaned, observing the two. If it weren't for his reputation, he would've pushed the man under water. Yeah. He would've put his hand on his head and push him down. Or grab his ankle then pull him down in the depths of the water. Any of the two would make do.
As they neared the position of the object, Ren gestured for Kyoko to stay still. "Don't move, Mogami-san. If you go further, you might slip and drown. I'll reach for the ball."
The actress immediately obeyed, seeing that he was right with one thing. At the moment, the water was already up to Kyoko's chin. If she happened to go with him and slip, she could really drown. As for Ren, due to his abnormal height, the water was only at his chest level.
Using his amazingly long arms, Ren started to reach for the ball. The waves, however, suddenly picked up speed and carried the object along with it. The actor groaned, following the ball.
C'mon, just drown already! Why won't that guy slip? Sho thought impatiently, watching Ren retrieve the ball. This is getting boring. I need something to keep my interest up. Something exciting. A Frisbee carelessly left on the sand caught his attention. An evil grin came unto his features as he took it into his hands. Okay, let the excitement begin.
Gathering as much power as he can, he used his right arm to hurtle the Frisbee into the sky. His throw was successful, seeing that the object even passed over Ren's head. But it made a swift U-turn, going back to shore. It, unfortunately, hit Ren's head with a soft bumping sound. The bump wasn't enough to make him fall, but it was the only thing needed to make him slip.
Oh, crap, Ren thought, going down. And to think that I can't even swim very well.
Loud gasps came from all around the area. Even those passer-by's were horrified. Imagine, the number one actor of Japan, dying because of a Frisbee that hit his head. That would be the most tragic, if not comedic, accident in the industry.
Sho tried so hard to suppress the laughter oozing out of his mouth. Now that's something exciting, he thought. I can't wait to see how that giant handles this situation.
"Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko called out, wading slowly in the water, trying to find her sempai. "Tsuruga-san? Are you alive? If you are then please answer."
Maria, being completely paranoid, wailed and called out to various people for help. Once her brain got back into function, she tried to get the lifeguard, if there is one. As for the rest, they were busy watching the drama that's about to unfold before them.
I can't find Tsuruga-san, Kyoko thought, panicked. Where is he? He won't drown that easily, would he? He should know how to swim. He is Japan's number one. Don't tell me he's not that adept in swimming… Noooo!
The young actress was so close to hysteria when a tall and muscular man arrived, swimming at the speed of light. She blinked twice, wanting to confirm if what she saw was true. It is real. That man, in just a mere second, has already found Ren's body. Everyone gasped as he carried him to the shore.
"He's fine. Unconscious, but fine," the man said.
"But he's not breathing!" One person in the crowd remarked, pointing at his chest. "Give him CPR, mouth-to-mouth or something!"
Scratching his head, he said, "Actually, I don't know how to do CPR."
"How can you be a lifeguard if you don't know how to give First Aid?" Maria cried out, still frantic.
"Don't blame me. Two of us were actually stationed in this area. My partner is the one who knows how to give CPR," he told them. "He's on a vacation, though."
Due to the noise of the people, this actor finally regained his consciousness. What's going on? He thought, feeling somehow disoriented. Then he heard the people squabbling. Why would they give me CPR? I'm totally fine. I -
To get things over with, Kyoko pushed through the crowd. Swallowing hard, she said, "I can do it. I'll give him CPR." It was our lesson back in Kyoto, she added in her mind.
Although the girls did not like the idea that another girl would be able to kiss the actor, they couldn't complain. She was the only one around there who could perform CPR. Besides, they took into consideration the fact that she was also an actress. Kissing was something they go through every damn filming day.
On second thought, I still am unconscious, Ren mentally said, not making a move. He tried hard not to breathe because if he did, it'll give everything away.
It's okay, Kyoko told herself, bending down near his face when pushing on his chest didn't work. Her heart was beating rapidly, too rapid to be normal. There's nothing malicious about this. It's just First Aid, nothing more. Tsuruga-san has probably gone through a lot of scenes like this one. I'm sure this won't be much for him.
She leaned closer to him, preparing herself for the worse. She actually wished for Ren to wake up so that she won't have to go through doing that. All around her, girls would utter a gasp for each second that passes. It was like they were watching some kind of suspense film.
I guess there's no helping doing this, Kyoko sighed, tilting his head upwards. I just have to get it over with and -
Surprise. Yes, that was what everyone felt. In one quick motion, someone ran past the crowd, went up to the two and jerked the actress backward. Kyoko, being unprepared with the abrupt action, got shocked and stumbled back unto the crowd. Kanae and Chiori caught her, preventing any more unwanted accidents. All of them stared at the person who knelt down and kissed the actor in the lips.
It feels weird, Ren thought, feeling the pressure on his lips. Is this person really Kyoko? And what's with the silence? It's not very reassuring.
Slowly and carefully, the actor opened his eyes. At first, he couldn't see anything. His vision was in a blur. Then, it slowly got better and clearer. And as he saw the true identity of the person in front of him, he couldn't help but wish that he should've just died.
"There. He's alive. Are you people satisfied?" The singer yelled out loud, wiping his lips. On his face, a disgusted expression was on.
Sitting up, Ren tried to prevent himself from killing the man. He glared daggers at him. What kind of an idiot are you, Fuwa?
An idiot who won't just sit back and watch as you steal a kiss from her, he told him telepathically, spitting on the sand.
Not wanting to see his face anymore, the actor stood up. He was sure that this would probably get into the news later which irritated him even more. He stormed away from the area, carrying a dangerously evil aura. Everyone watched him take his leave, still shocked. Then they all turned to the singer.
"What? What are you guys looking at?" He questioned, still kneeling on the sand.
Instead of answering his question, there were some people who murmured under their breaths. Sho couldn't make out some of the words, but he was sure he heard something like 'Sho' and 'gay' in the same sentence.
Disgusted, he started to protest. "Hey! You guys got it all wrong! There's nothing wrong with saving a fellow celebrity, is there?"
His explanation just fueled up their murmuring. Now, he was really sure that someone put 'Sho', 'Ren', 'relationship', and 'gay' in just one sentence. Getting desperate, he turned to the still baffled Kyoko for help.
"Kyoko, do something. You know that I'm straight, right?" He told her. "I'm a good guy. I just tried to save Tsuruga."
Kyoko just stared blankly at him. Then without further a due, she stood up, not bothering to answer his pleas, and walked away. As she did so, she heard more and more controversies being formulated due to the incident. Shaking her head in embarrassment, she quickened her pace.
Along the way, she met the now eating Ren. Something was definitely wrong with the actor since eating wasn't usually part of his schedule. One look on Kyoko's face told him that she was also baffled with what happened.
He started to explain. "Mogami-san, I -"
Shaking her head yet again, Kyoko went on. She didn't bother talking with her sempai. Her mind was too messed up at the moment. Although her thoughts were in a chaos, there was one conclusion she could formulate with what happened.
I didn't know that Sho had that kind of an attraction to Tsuruga-san, Kyoko thought, shivering. To think that I even considered loving that bastard back then. And I didn't know that Tsuruga-san was that kind to just shrug it off and walk away. Or are they both…
Wanting to get it out of her mind, Kyoko walked back to the limousine, shivering at the memory of the incident.
A day after the incident in America, Kuu and Julie were having a peaceful Sunday morning. Kuu was reading the local newspaper while Julie was busy preparing the table. As the woman was going out of the dining room, Kuu called out to her.
"Honey, can you please turn on the television here?" He inquired, flipping the page of the newspaper.
She gave a curt nod as she took the remote and pushed the 'on' button. The television, which was placed exactly on the wall in front of Kuu, went on. Then she clicked the button for her husband's second favorite channel, which was the news in Japan. She knew very well that he liked keeping up to date with his son's affairs in the other country.
After doing so, she then proceeded to the kitchen to get the giant pot of Spaghetti. Kuu gently put down what he was reading on the table as Ren's name came up. He focused his attention to the television, not missing a single detail of the news.
"Ren Tsuruga, everyone's fantasy groom and my soon-to-be husband, is-" The reporter was cut off when someone shouted what seemed like a warning to her. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I mean, Ren Tsuruga, my ex-husband, is -"`Another shout. "Okay, okay. Ren Tsuruga, the hottest actor in present Japan who is nowhere related to me, was just reported to be linked to a certain someone in the industry."
Linked to someone? Could it be with her? Kuu thought happily, dancing around the room. Being the doting father he is, he patiently awaited the news. As he listened to it, his happiness was replaced with deep regret and sorrow.
"It seems like there was a certain incident yesterday at the local beach which fueled up this controversy. According to my sources, it is said that the actor is linked to the musician named Sho Fuwa, Akatoki's number one talent." There was soft mumbling from the reporter before she continued. "Let us watch the video a witness sent us."
As if her words weren't enough to shatter Kuu's dreams, the video flashed on screen. The man was cheering when it started, which showed Kyoko kneeling down to kiss the actor. But in one quick second, his cheering turned to sadness as Sho pulled her away from Ren, thus being the one who kissed him.
The reporter, when flashed back on screen, looked glum. "As you folks may see it, the news about Ren and Kyoko Mogami going out together is being challenged with this new issue. Who is Ren really seeing? Is it Sho Fuwa, his once sworn rival now his ridiculous gay lover? Or is it Kyoko Mogami, his showbiz kouhai and co-worker?"
It's Kyoko! Kyoko Mogami! Mogami! Kuu thought desperately, banging his fists on the table like a child. It's not that damn singer! My beloved Kuon won't go after such a person!
As if in remorse, the reporter concluded the news. "It may take a while before we find out the whole truth. Once again, this is Asaki Tsuruga -" Someone screamed again, something like, 'You're fired after this!'. Coughing, she said, "I mean, Asaki Kurosaki, reporting live."
Kuu let out a ghostly moan, one that might scare off other people. When Julie entered the room holding the gigantic pot, she grew puzzled at her husband's expression. Putting the container on the table, she asked, "Why? What is it? Did Kuon get into any fights?"
"No, it's much, much, much worse than that. A hundred times worse!" Kuu exclaimed glumly. "I guess we won't be expecting any grandchildren anytime soon."