The gauntlet has been thrown at the feet of all skip beat fan fiction writers... Do you dare to accept the challenge?
Rules:
In five chapters or less, write a story that keeps true to the character's personalities (which means having a rational reason for personal growth) and allows Mogami Kyoko to not only see Ishibashi Hikaru as a potential suitor but also acknowledge him as a forerunner for her heart (in other words, establish that he has a portion of her heart reserved for him that says 'boyfriend' not senpai, co-star or even best guy friend).
Alternative reality fictions will not count as part of the challenge (in other words, no removing Ren or Sho from the universe to make it work). Good luck if you are up to the challenge! Oh and if you write it, please mention Hikaru Challenge in your summary... have fun!
A/N: The image utilized for this story is kindly loaned by Pengin-chan at deviantART. I greatly appreciate her assistance in the loan of her art. If you like her skills, please take the time to check her other work on deviantArt -me
"Mo! I can't believe you are getting to take an all expense paid vacation as part of work," complains Kotonomi Kanae to her fellow LoveMe prisoner and best friend, Mogami Kyoko.
The golden eyed actress glances from the medium sized suitcase she is repacking for the second time in an attempt to fit the formal cocktail dress and slinky heels that Kanae kindly loaned her into her already overstuffed luggage. She smiles earnestly for her friend before returning to her task.
"It's not a vacation, Moko-san," reminds Kyoko as she finally succeeds in closing the zipper with everything packed safely in place. The younger actress rubs her hands together at the completion of her task then stands.
"I am only getting to go because Bo is needed for part of the cruising with your favorite celebrities campaign. I'm sure I will be spending most of my time sweating inside my stuffy chicken costume and being attacked by small children. That is definitely not a vacation."
"Well, I guess spending all your time in the company of a hoard of over-indulged and rambunctious children would put a dampener on any trip," Kanae admits as she imagines being forced to spend even one day on a cruise ship with her younger siblings. The dark haired actress shudders at the image and quickly reverses her previous statement when she expresses her sympathy for her best friend's LoveMe task.
"Wait a minute, if you are spending all your time as the stupid chicken, why do you need my cocktail dress?" LoveMe number two suddenly realizes.
Kyoko tilts her head to the side and frowns slightly. "Sawara-san insisted that I would need some kind of formal wear for eating in the dining room on two of the days on the trip. He said that if I didn't have the proper attire that I wouldn't be able to enter to eat."
Kyoko pulls a list from her purse and shows Kanae the detailed information that the department head provided LoveMe number one about the trip. The beautiful actress marvels at the detail in which the Talent Department Director outlined his instructions for her friend. Kanae can't decide if he did it to be helpful or if he did it for his own peace of mind. After all, Kyoko does have the tendency to attract strange and extreme situations. Moko shakes her head as she decides Sawara was most likely hoping to avoid any drama that would return to cause him stress. He has enough stress as it is with managing their normal professional lives on top of his duties as head of the entire LME talento section. The over-worked manager really doesn't want to face the international implications of setting an unguided Kyoko loose on the unsuspecting world.
Kanae herself shudders at the infinite possibilities an unsupervised Kyoko could encounter. Pushing aside her fear and hint of remaining jealousy, Moko asks Kyoko when she will be leaving. The chicken-girl explains that Toyokawa Kojiro, the manager for Bridge Rock, will be driving her and the Ishibashi-onii-sans to the port.
Kyoko glances at her watch and squeaks as she realizes that she only has five minutes to get to the lobby to meet with her ride. Flinging her arms around her best friend, LoveMe number one swears that she will miss LoveMe number two and begs her not to find a new best friend while she is gone.
"MO!" exclaims Moko as she half-heartedly attempts to escape Kyoko's crushing embrace. "You're only going for five days. It's not like you're leaving for the rest of your life."
Kanae continues to try to disentangle herself from Kyoko's clinging grasp but finally gives up and returns the hug. She figures it will end the torture quicker.
"You're going to be late," she prompts Kyoko when she has had more than enough of the physical exchange.
Kyoko squeaks once more as she drops her arms and grabs her bag.
"Have fun," calls LoveMe number two to LoveMe number one's back as she sprints from the room with her small suitcase in tow.
"Byyyyye Mooooookooooo-saaaaan!" echos down the hall in the wake of Kyoko's rapid flight.
Kotonami Kanae allows herself a moment to grin over her friend's silly antics before replacing her smile with a look of determination. She stands tall and strides confidently from the LoveMe lounge. She has five days of freedom from her best friend and greatest rival. She plans to make the most of it. A determined glint enters the actress' eyes. She has the perfect chance to close some of the self-perceived gap between her and her best rival while Kyoko is on her trip. Kanae is practically giddy with excitement. She has a call back audition for a lead in a highly anticipated drama later this morning. She smiles.
"Kyoko can have her vacation," mutters Moko softly. "I'm staying and working on my career. After all, how much growth can she have as a chicken in five days. It's the perfect chance for me to work on catching up even if it's just a bit."
Meanwhile, the topic of Kanae's competitive musing has reached the expansive lobby of LME and flung herself to the ground at the feet of Toyokawa. The actress belts out a hearty apology even as the manager cringes back from her exuberant display.
Interrupting the spirited attempt to make amends, Toyakawa points out that the actress has arrived before any of the boys did. This observation instantly halts Kyoko's admission of guilt as she looks around for her missing costars.
From the hallway leading from the employee entrance, Hikaru and Yuusei meander casually into the lobby dragging large suitcases on rollers behind them. Kyoko jumps from the floor and offers her senpais a pleasant greeting. Before the boys can return her welcome, Shinichi careens across the lobby and skids to a halt by the other three Kimagure Rock regulars. Dropping his large duffel bag, the blond celebrity bends at the waist and tries desperately to catch his breath.
A bit like a sheepdog with four wayward lambs, Toyokawa herds the four celebrities out the door and into a company van. A LME driver has maneuvered the vehicle into traffic before Shinichi finally succeeds in regulating his breathing and stammers out a disjointed apology for being late.
Toyokawa waves away the excuse. He had actually told the celebrities to show up half an hour before they actually had to leave in hopes of ensuring that they were on time. The older man glances back at the flushed and excited faces of his charges and he shakes his head. He's not about to admit that he manipulated them so easily. Instead he decides to once again review the expectations for the trip. All four hosts listen politely to his reminders even though Kyoko's already heard the speech twice and the boys have all heard it at least three additional times.
For the next forty minutes, the manager repeats their itinerary as well as a list of extensive rules ranging from no drinking and picking up girls to no attempting to escape on any of the lifeboats. He even hands a copy of the ridiculously long list to each of them. When Toyokawa finishes his rant on the regulations, he asks if they have any questions. Kyoko, Hikaru and Yuusei stare at him with glazed expressions but Shinichi can't resist causing a little mayhem.
"I have a question," he mentions. "Can I yell, ICEBERG at the top of my lungs from the observation lounge?"
"Shinichi," growls the Bridge Rock manager.
"It'll be okay, sir," promises Hikaru as Yuusei smacks Shinichi in the back of the head. "We know the drill and will be on our best behavior."
Toyokawa sighs. "I know you will. Just stick to the schedules I gave you and please don't do anything too foolish. Please."
Once again, all four talents honestly promise to behave as the van pulls up to the unloading zone along the pier.
The driver assists in removing a very large trunk on wheels from the back of the van.
"Everything for Bo is in the trunk, Kyoko-san. I checked it myself this morning," explains Toyokawa and Kyoko nods in understanding. When she moves to take hold of the handle of the bulky trunk, another larger hand beats her to it.
"I'll get if for you, Kyoko-chan. You just carry your bag," instructs Hikaru who smiles sweetly at the youngest member of their group. The oldest member of Bridge Rock has already handed off his suitcase to Yuusei in preparation of helping their youngest and sweetest co-star.
When Kyoko attempts to protest, her senpai insists that it is his job as the leader to make sure all their props make it safely onto the ship. Accepting his explanation, Kyoko grins and turns her attention to the huge ship along the pier. Entranced by the allure of the luxury vessel, Kyoko begins wandering towards the gangplank. The Bridge Rock boys move to follow their cute female co-star but their manager calls out to them one last time.
"Remember the three unwritten rules or you will regret it!" he calls in warning.
"We remember, Toyokawa," the trio repeats in unison as the idols rush to reach the side of their cute co-star who happens to be the subject of all three unwritten rules.
With apprehension evident in every breath, the manager for Bridge Rock watches as his three charges clamor to catch-up to the young actress on the gangplank.
"Please don't forget those three rules," the older man pleads to the wind. Given the LME president's reputation as an unpredictable and eccentric man, Toyokawa does not want to imagine the consequences if something bad were to happen to the older gentleman's favored pink-clad ambassador of love. The manager gave the boys the extra three rules because, to be perfectly honest, Toyokawa really likes his job. Avoiding angering Takarada Lory seems like a good way of ensuring that he keeps it.
At the top of the large slightly sloped gangplank, the four LME talents find themselves shuttled efficiently through the check-in procedure. They are each given a key card, check-in information, a card with cruise credits for expenses and a ship map with their welcome. The only snag arises when one of the ship baggage handlers tries to take the trunk housing the chicken costume. Kyoko explains a number of times in her impeccably polite manner that she needs to keep the trunk with her because she needs the prop for when the guests start to arrive. In turn, the handler insists that all luggage must be transported by baggage services.
"But this really is a special circumstance," Kyoko explains for the fourth time. Her tone reveals not even a hint of frustration as she pleasantly requests to please speak with his supervisor.
"You don't need my supervisor," scoffs the arrogant handler. "You just need to give me the stupid trunk."
The young man's rude behavior grates against Kyoko's years of proper training for the service industry. The misguided employee obviously needs a proper education in treatment of customers and Kyoko is the perfect teacher for this lesson. A sudden dark aura begins to swirl around the unfailingly polite teen as the shade of Mio slips into her stance.
"You will get your supervisor now," she informs the rude service worker with all the regal carriage and utter disdain of her iconic character.
Properly terrified, the shipman immediately scurries away to find his supervisor. The now haughty teen waits impatiently for the return of her next victim.
Someone clears his throat and calls her name; the actress turns to see why she is being interrupted. Hikaru stands smiling at her with his customary good humor and sparkle in his warm brown eyes.
"Hey, Kyoko-chan," he cautions. "Remember that this is a cruise with the stars of Kimagure Rock. Not Dark Moon."
Shinichi wraps his arm over his shorter friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, really, Kyoko-chan," the joker teases. "After all, Hikaru is cute, but really, he's no where near tall enough to be mistaken for Tsuruga Ren."
"Neither are you," quips Yuusei as he yet again smacks his buddy in the back of the head for harassing their chief.
"I could always put Hikaru on my shoulders," counters Shinichi. "Then we could pull it off."
The image of Hikaru on Shinichi's shoulders trying to impersonate her respected acting senpai is enough to drive the last vestige of Mio from Kyoko's body. The teen actress giggles at the picture in her head and a much more pleasant Kyoko greets the baggage handler supervisor when he returns to discuss her trunk issue.
While Kyoko and Hikaru speak with the baggage handling officer, Shinichi elbows Yuusei in the ribs and stage whispers that Toyokawa should be proud of them. They already obeyed unwritten rule number two. Yuusei shakes his head in disagreement.
"Nah, rule number two says protect the passengers from Kyoko-chan. That was a cruise ship employee. He doesn't count."
Minutes later, all four celebrities find themselves cruising down a carpeted hallway behind the baggage supervisor as he personally delivers Bo's trunk to Kyoko's cabin. The ship's officer keys open the lock on the door and leaves the prop trunk in the middle of the tiny space. He apologizes once again to the actress and Bridge Rock for the difficulty and tells them to contact him immediately if they have any further issues.
Kyoko follows the trunk into the room and squeezes past it to investigate what remains of the small room. The door into the tiny space opens directly into the sleeping area. Two single beds meet perpendicularly along the two bare walls. A small television hangs suspended from the ceiling near the foot of the one bed. To the left of the door is a small closet with two skinny, mirrored sliding doors. The closet butts directly against the only other feature in the room, a boxlike space with a door on the side that obviously leads into the bathroom. Before Kyoko can open the bathroom door to examine the additional space, she hears arguing from the hallway outside her still open door.
"This can't be right," states Hikaru.
Shinichi immediately replies, "I'm telling you that my map and form says this is my room."
Papers shuffle and Yuusei confirms that Shinichi isn't kidding.
"We have to get this fixed," firmly states the Bridge Rock chief.
"Fix what?" Kyoko asks as she pops back out the door from her room.
All three idols suddenly appear guilty as they try to look anywhere but at their young female co-star.
"Fix what?" Kyoko repeats.
Yuusei clears his throat nervously and Shinichi blushes. Likewise, Hikaru's face appears a bit red but his seems to be more related to anger then embarrassment.
"They seem to have made a mistake with the rooms, Kyoko-chan," explains Yuusei.
"Yeah, they put Yuusei and Hikaru in a room together," offers Shinichi.
Kyoko frowns because she doesn't understand why this would be strange. Yuusei and Hikaru are really good friends after all so it doesn't seem strange that they would be in a guest room together. The actress states this fact.
"Well, yeah, that makes sense," bites Hikaru. "The part that doesn't make sense is that they put you and Shinichi in a room together."
"Eh?" Kyoko croaks as she glances back into her tiny room and then back at her three co-stars.
"I guess we should tell someone about this. See if they can't find Shinichi another room," suggests Yuusei.
Hikaru's wrist watch begins to beep. In frustration, he depresses the silence button with considerable more force then needed.
"We'll have to worry about it later though. We only have ten minutes before we need to report to deck four to stand with the crew during the captain's welcome address for the passengers."
Kyoko squeaks and rushes back into the room she is to share with Shinichi. The door slams shut in her haste. She immediately flings open the trunk and digs out Bo's costume. Although unhappy to have to wear the costume over her regular clothes since the baggage handlers have not arrived with her suitcase, Kyoko rushes into her chicken costume. She places her card key in the over-sized ship officer's hat that was included specifically for this appearance and slams the chicken head onto her shoulders.
Although normal doorknobs are tricky for Bo's wings, Kyoko has no problem with the lever door handle on the exit from her small quarters. When she joins the Bridge Rock boys, she asks if one of them would be kind enough to hold her key since she can't really take a purse along with her costume. Hikaru's hand reaches immediately into Bo's hat and retrieves her card key. Pulling his wallet from his pocket, he places her key along side his own and tucks his wallet back in his jeans.
"Come on, Bo," Shinichi calls companionably as he flings his arm over the chicken-girl's shoulder.
Yuusei flops his own arm over Shinichi's shoulders and pulls him forward towards the elevators leaving Hikaru and Bo to follow. As the foursome waits for the elevator, the oldest Ishibashi offers to attach Bo's hat to the tiny velcro spots in place on the costume. Hat now in place, the chicken and Bridge Rock step onto the elevator and ride to the large open lobby located outside the main entrance of the formal dining room.
When they step off the elevator, a blond haired, blue eyed shipman dressed in the tradition white uniform worn by most of the visible crew, rushes to their side and escorts them up the elegant grand staircase to the fifth floor terrace that overlooks the lobby below it.
"Thank goodness you made it on time," mutters the officer in heavily accented Japanese. "Our guest last trip was so full of himself and would show up right at the time to start so we never had time to breath for fear he wouldn't be there on time."
Yuusei grins and offers "We will make sure to be early. Anything to help out."
The officer smiles in return. "Great, I already like you better then that prima donna Fuwa."
At the mention of Fuwa Sho, a cold draft seems to permeate the air around Bo and drifts outward to encompass the shipman and the Bridge Rock trio. All four males shiver. The officer wonders absently if the air conditioning is working strangely but the Ishibashis just glance nervously at their mascot. Hikaru, in particular, finds himself staring at the feathered fowl for a moment longer then his friends as he suddenly has an insight. Tucking the thought away for later consideration, he returns his attention to the shipman. As the cold finally seems to seep away, the officer offers his right hand in greeting as he introduces himself. Hikaru tentatively shakes hands with the officer.
"I'm Jason Wright. If you need anything, let me know."
Seeing an opening, Hikaru asks if it would be possible to get another room for them.
"There's something wrong with your rooms?" Jason asks with concern. "You're in 714 and 716 right?"
Shinichi blushes slightly while insisting that the rooms themselves are fine.
"The problem is we need another one. Shinichi and Bo can't stay in the same room together," explains Hikaru.
The officer looks at the idol as if he is a bit of an idiot. "So one of you change places with him."
Now both Yuusei and Hikaru blush to match Shinichi's blood-filled cheeks.
Kyoko watches her friends struggle and she desperately wishes she could just tell them not to worry about it. After all, she shared a hotel room with Tsuruga Ren while they were the Heel siblings so staying a couple nights with Shinichi won't be so bad. Unfortunately, Bo isn't allowed to speak so all she can do is stand and try to pantomime that they can just let the topic drop.
"Um, that won't work either," mumbles Hikaru before he steps towards the officer and whispers in his ear. "Bo's played by a teenage girl."
"No way," exclaims Jason as his eyes fly to the obviously male chicken that is flapping its arms in a panic. He starts to chuckle. "I'll see what I can do for you, okay?"
All three boys thank the officer before he winks at Bo and excuses himself to check on another room. Unfortunately, Jason returns a few minutes later with bad news.
"I can't help you guys. I got nothing to offer. We're booked solid full. You're lucky you didn't get bumped into the staff general quarters where you would be sharing a bathroom with a bunch of other people. I guess a lot of folks are excited about the chance to sail the seas with real celebrities. Last trip was the same way."
The trio of idols exchange concerned looks but assure the officer that they will deal with the problem themselves.
Within moments, the LME talents and their liaison officer are joined by the captain and his first officers. Jason introduces the celebrity guests. The captain kindly invites them to eat supper at the head table with him this evening and the talents graciously accept the kind gesture.
Social pleasantries out of the way, the captain approaches the highly polished brass rail and addresses the crowd of guests sandwiched into the lobby below them. His commanding voice formally welcome the guests to the ship and bids them have a pleasurable experience. He then introduces his first officers as well as the Ishibashis and Bo. The talents wave happily to the crowd before the captain finishes his speech and wishes them all a fabulous time.
"Alright, that is all we are gonna need from you until bright and early tomorrow morning. The captain eats dinner at 7 pm so if you report to the formal dining room at 6:45 pm, I will make sure that you are seated properly," offers Officer Wright before setting the celebrities adrift on their own once more.
When the talents arrive back at their two rooms, Hikaru kindly unlocks the room for Bo. He then follows the chicken into the room to discover that their luggage has arrived. The idol watches as Kyoko pulls the chicken head from the costume. Despite the short time in the chicken suit and the strong air conditioning on the ship, Kyoko's hair is plastered to her head by sweat and she pulls her arm out of Bo's wing to wipe the sweat trails off her face.
"How about you grab a shower and change, Kyoko-chan and then come over to the other room. We'll figure out something for lunch and stuff. Okay?"
"Sounds like a good plan, Hikaru-senpai," replies the actress with a happy grin.
Pausing for a moment as his thoughts stray to Kyoko's shower, Hikaru abruptly ducks out the door calling a hasty good bye. In the hallway, the twenty-one year old rests his head against the closed door as he wars with himself.
"Remember unwritten rule number three," he cautions himself as he squashes the image of warm water and sudsy bubbles running down his cute crush's body. Pushing himself away from the door, the oldest Ishibashi shakes his head and resolutely takes the four steps to his own room.
Entering a room the mirror image of the one he just exited and in which he can hear the faint sound of running water from Kyoko's shower does little to help curtail his wayward imagination. His band-mates make the situation even worse.
"We have an idea, Chief," starts Yuusei. "Why don't you swap places with Shinichi?"
Disbelief washes across Hikaru's face as he stares at Shinichi who is holding out his card key. The joker smirks.
"We can always tell Kyoko-chan that it makes more sense for you to stay with her instead of me. After all, she has to house Bo's huge trunk in her room so it's logical for you to stay in her room instead of me. Since your shortiness take up less space then I do."
For the third time today, Yuusei's hand meets with the back of Shinichi's head.
"Keep it up, Shinichi and you're gonna have no brain cells left by the end of this cruise," his buddy warns as he rubs his stinging hand.
Shinichi tosses his white card key in the direction of Hikaru as he turns his full attention to Yuusei.
"Bet my head can hold out longer then your girly hand."
The ribbing deteriorates quickly into a good-natured scuffle between the two younger idols. In moments, the two are wrestling on the floor at Hikaru's feet. They bump into his legs which finally forces the older member to reign in their antics.
"YO!" he yells to get their attention. Both wrestlers immediately let go of each other and return to their seats on the separate beds. Hikaru retrieves the fallen key card and twirls it in his hand.
"I can't stay in the same room with Kyoko-chan," Hikaru states firmly.
"Why not?" Shinichi demands. "You've liked her for ages. It's the perfect opportunity."
Hikaru sighs.
"That's why I can't stay with her."
Shinichi stares at his friend like he has grown another head.
"Help me out here, Yuusei," pleads their leader when he can't find the right words to express himself. Now the tall, dark-haired Ishibashi sighs and shakes his head.
"He likes her so he doesn't trust himself to stay with her."
"I don't want to break number three," adds Hikaru.
"Number three," repeats Yuusei with a knowing nod.
A light finally turn on in Shinichi's eyes. "Oh, I get it. Number three," he repeats with a grin.
"Alright," Shinichi states with a shrug and a bit of an evil grin as he reaches for the key card in Hikaru's grasp. " I guess I'll just make do with my soft and cute room-mate. I wonder if she snores."
Hikaru's fingers close tightly around the white plastic card before Shinichi can snag it from his hand.
"You're not staying with her either," Hikaru states firmly.
A bit of a hurt expression crosses Shinichi's face as he pouts that Hikaru doesn't trust him as much as he trusts Yuusei.
"No, idiot," Hikaru replies. "Yuusei's not staying with her either. I'll see about pulling off the mattress on the second bed in Kyoko's room and I'll crash on the floor in here.
Skeptically, his band-mates stare at the tiny floor space in the room. Both of them scoff at the logical but obviously cramped solution. Hikaru shrugs.
"Think of it this way. At least I'm short so I won't take up as much space, right?"
After Kyoko joins the trio, an announcement over the loudspeakers instructs all passengers to meet for training on emergency evacuation instructions as outlined in their welcome packets. The four celebrities report to their designated site to learn all about safety jackets, lifeboats, and emergency procedures. Slipping from the back of the crowd before they are noticed, the talents escape to the ninth floor to visit the windjammer cafe and grab a bite to eat for lunch to tide them over until dinner.
Since the next day will be busy with planned activities, the foursome decides to take the opportunity to try the 18 hole miniature golf course on the tenth floor of the ship. Of course, the Ishibashis are recognized half way through the game and are soon surrounded by a bevy of cute girls and starstruck guys all wanting their autographs.
A bit overwhelmed by the fervor, Kyoko slips to the side of the mini-golf course and settles on a colorful bench in full view of her friends. The actress tucks her hair behind her ear and grins as she watches the clamor as the Bridge Rock idols thoroughly charm everyone. A winsome smile settles on her lips as she enjoys the show.
"Why don't you go ask them for an autograph?" murmurs a low, breathy voice in her ear.
Startled, Kyoko jumps and makes a very feminine and cute exclamation. The voice by her ear chuckles as the owner of the voice hikes one of his bare legs over the bench to straddle it. A bit nervous, the actress greets the handsome teenager in swimming trunks and a tank top who is smiling invitingly at her. The young man nods his head towards the idols and again asks if she wants their autographs. Shaking her head, Kyoko admits that she doesn't need them.
"Not starstruck, huh?" the guy inquires with a goofy grin.
Kyoko can't help but return the smile. "I guess not," she admits.
"Well, then if you don't want an autograph, would you like to go visit the observatory with me?"
Kyoko casts a suddenly nervous glance over to the crowd around her friends.
"I'm waiting for my friends," she admits. Anxiously, the teen licks her lips which seems to darken her companion's eyes slightly. His expression slips a bit from a friendly smile to more of a knowing smirk. His hand reaches up and trails his fingers down her bare arm. Now feeling more then just a little nervous but still not wanting to be rude, Kyoko replies that she is quite sorry but that she really needs to wait for her friends.
"I'm sure your friends won't mind if you slip away for just a little bit," coaxes the young man as his eyes slide once more over Kyoko's frame.
"Actually, I think her friends would mind if she did," states a slightly miffed masculine voice.
"Hikaru-san," Kyoko states with relief as she stands and moves closer to her senpai.
"Are we ready to go?" she asks happily.
"Yeah, we're done here," he states firmly as he takes Kyoko's hand and gives the sly male a hard glance.
Kyoko calls a polite good-bye to the slightly overly friendly young man as she allows her senpai to lead her away from them. Shinichi and Yuusei call farewells to the crowd of fans as they slip into formation behind Hikaru and Kyoko.
"Now that counts as number one, right?" Shinichi jokingly mentions. Yuusei grins in return.
"Yeah, that time counts as a number one," confirms the more serious Ishibashi. "That definitely counted as protecting Kyoko-chan from the passengers."
The rest of the afternoon ends up being a repeat of the mini-golf attempt and before long the four talents find themselves back in the boys' small room.
"Now what," whines Shinichi as he flops onto one of the beds. "We've pretty much been chased all over the ship now. Are we gonna spend the entire trip in our room?"
Yuusei unzips his suitcase and pulls out his PS3 and a bunch of wires.
"At least we don't have to be bored," he states as he sets to hooking the system into the tv on the wall.
After a dismal attempt at a fighting game, Kyoko hands the controller back to Shinichi and settles onto the one bed to watch. Before long, her eyelids droop and the extra early morning finally catches up with her. She comfortably naps to the happy sounds of her friends gleefully pummeling each other in two dimensions instead of the three dimensional scuffles she normally witnesses.
A half hour later, Yuusei offers his controller to Hikaru so he can have a turn at trying to beat Shinichi, the still reigning champ. The older guy shakes his head in disinterest as he returns his attention to watching Kyoko sleep and contemplating his observation from earlier that day. Another half hour later when Hikaru's watch beeps to warn them that it is time to head to supper, the oldest Ishibashi has finally come to a conclusion.
"After dinner, I'm gonna ask Kyoko-chan to take a walk with me. Do you think you can find something else to do?" he asks his friends.
They nod with grins on their faces. Shinichi can't resist and makes kissing sounds which of course earns him another smack from his friend.
"You guys realize you are really loud, right?" mutters Kyoko as she rubs her eyes and yawns.
Unaware of the effect it has on one of her companions, Kyoko raises her arms and stretches. Her movement lifts her top to reveal her smooth stomach. Hikaru swallows audibly at the sight of her cute bellybutton and Yuusei baps him lightly in the forehead with three fingers and mumbles the number three. Hikaru sighs and repeats the number.
"Have you guys always talked in code?" Kyoko inquires innocently. "Or is this a new thing? I don't ever remember you doing it before."
Shinichi laughs and assures her it is a new thing. Although she feels slightly left out, the actress still smiles as she stretches once more. For some reason she does not understand, Hikaru bangs his head against the wall and mutters three a couple more times as his buddies laugh hysterically.
Dinner with the captain ends up being a rather quiet affair but the food is incredible. Captain Jensen warms to Kyoko and her perfect manners quite quickly. He spends most of the meal regaling her with somewhat technical stories about his pride and joy. The teen actress can not help but smile at the similarities she notices between Hizuri Kuu's idiot parent routine about his son, Kuon and Captain Jensen's proud boasting about his glorious ship, the Sea Sprite.
After a decidedly delicious flaming brandy ice cream for dessert, the four talents find themselves shuttled efficiently from the formal dining room once again by their liaison officer Jason. He kindly shows them out a service entrance to the dining room to help them avoid the crowd. Once in the utilitarian hallway, he reminds them of their morning meeting in the theater and gives them directions on getting back to the public area of the ship.
Approaching the entrance to the lobby, Hikaru places a restraining hand on Kyoko's arm before she can follow Shinichi and Yuusei through the door.
"Um, Kyoko-chan," he starts as she turns and shares her cute smile that always makes the idol feel warm and tingly. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"
Remembering their adventures during the afternoon, Kyoko is not sure that wandering around the ship is the best idea. Hikaru grins.
"It should be getting dark so if we walk on one of the outside decks, I think we should be fine."
Trusting her senpai's judgment, the actress nods. A walk after their large dinner sounds perfect to her.
As predicted, the friends find the forward balcony on the seventh floor relatively free of guests and shadowy enough that even if a large crowd were to gather that it would be unlikely they would be recognized. The two talents stroll for a while before finally settling against the rail to watch the slowly darkening ocean slide past the ship. Their friendly banter falls quiet as they stare out to sea.
Deciding that it is now or never, Hikaru finally plunges into the conversation he has been planning all evening. Despite his fine plans, his mind suddenly blanks as he watches Kyoko's soft, relaxed expression as she contentedly rests against the balcony rail.
"Do you have a thing for Fuwa Sho?" Hikaru blurts into the silence then immediately wishes he could take it back as the happy expression on his crush's face instantly changes into a disgruntled expression.
"Why would you think that?" hisses Kyoko as a creepy cold aura swirls around her.
Ignoring the temperature change, Hikaru plows into the conversation. "Well, how can I not? You tend to react very strongly anytime someone mentions his name."
"I have no interest what so ever in that arrogant, selfish, self-serving excuse for a musician," Kyoko states firmly and a bit loudly. She moves to pace but Hikaru's hand once again on her arm stalls her movement.
"Look, Kyoko-chan, I don't mean to make you upset but I have known you for a long time now. I'm your friend and I care about you deeply. I really wish you would trust me with whatever it is about him that upsets you so much. Perhaps I can help you deal with it. Even if I can't do anything, at least talking about it can help. I may not have the longest legs but I do have two great ears."
For a long moment, the young woman just stares up at her older friend as she considers his offer. It has been so long since she has truly spoken to anyone about her ongoing issues with her childhood friend. As Kyoko peers into the shadow of Hikaru's caring brown eyes, she suddenly realizes that she wants to talk about it. She wants to share the hurt with someone. When she had told Moko-san about her circumstances so long ago, it had been a spiteful, hate-filled story and her best friend had railed against the bastard musician with as much venom as Kyoko had coursing in her own veins. When she shared the story with Tsuruga-san and Yashiro-san, it had seemed almost clinical in expression which makes sense given how professional and calm her senpai and his manager always are.
Kyoko takes a deep breath as she decides that perhaps telling her compassionate older friend can help in a different manner.
"It's a long story," starts Kyoko. "Maybe we should sit down for it?"
The two companions settle into a pair of deck chairs and Kyoko starts her tale. She tells Hikaru about her best friend growing up and how he dreamed of being a rock star. The teen explains her joy when her beloved friend, the boy she thought was the prince in her childhood fairy tale, asked her to accompany him to Tokyo. Kyoko relates how she worked three and sometimes four part time jobs to support herself and Shotaro when they first moved to the city. With a bitter smile on her face, she conveys how thrilled they both were when he was finally scouted and given a contract with Akatoki Agency. Her acidic smile slowly shifts to a frown of sadness as she tells Hikaru about overhearing her supposed prince reveal himself to be an evil toad.
Hikaru murmurs quiet words of support throughout the story and Kyoko soon finds herself pouring every frustrating detail into the open. Vowing revenge and joining the entertainment industry, appearing in his PV, challenging him on the premiere Kimagure Rock show, the problems with Vie Ghoul, his unprecedented success with his most recent release, and finally his atrocious behavior at Valentine's Day spill from her mouth in ever increasing speed and frustration.
As she finally falls silent with another deep breath, Hikaru lets out a soft whistle.
"Wow," he states as he shakes his head in amazement. "You're right. He is a arrogant, selfish, self-serving bastard."
Kyoko smiles bitterly at the confirmation.
"But, you are forgetting something really important," the older talent expresses.
Kyoko frowns as she tries to think about what she could have missed.
"I can't possibly be forgetting anything," she mutters grumpily. "Oh, except for the time he failed to recognize me when he pulled into the service station where I was working and then didn't know who I was even after shaking my hand and greeting me."
Hikaru shakes his head and smiles tenderly.
"Kyoko-chan, do you like being an actress?"
"Of course, I love it," she instantly replies. "It is the most amazing job imaginable. Nothing can compare with it."
Hikaru asks another important question. "Do you enjoy your friends now?"
Kyoko smiles softly. "Yes, absolutely. I have a wonderful best friend and even a new pink pal, I have a little sister, three hilarious big brothers, and an incredibly impressive acting senpai. Heck, I even have a pretend papa waiting for me to come and play in America and a totally crazy and eccentric uncle who frightens yet thrills me every time I see him."
"What other good things do you have right now in your life?" prompts the oldest Ishibashi.
Kyoko thinks for a moment. "I have a lovely place to live with two kind and caring people. I get to go to a great high school. Oh, and I am getting to go on a cruise on a luxury liner to somewhere I have never been."
Hikaru grins. "Exactly. You have a lot of wonderful people and activities happening in your life. You have people who love you and a job that you love. The thing is though that would you have thought to pursue any of these things if you had not sought a way to get back at your selfish prince?"
Kyoko considers this for a moment before admitting the she would not have.
"So in essence, you owe a good bit of your happiness right now to that arrogant, selfish, self-serving bastard."
"But he broke my heart. He shattered my ability to love. I'm broken and I'll never be whole again," laments the actress as her grudges swirl in agreement at her back.
"Baloney," states Hikaru.
Kyoko stares at her senpai for a moment.
"Baloney?"
"Yes, baloney," reiterates the idol. "You still love lots of people and lots of things. It's trust you are having problems with. You should be in the TrustMe section not the LoveMe section. Everyone who meets you and really gets to know you can't help but love you, Kyoko-chan. You're sweet, hard-working, intelligent, and incredibly talented. You're a breath of fresh air every time you walk into a room. You have no idea how thankful I am every day that I have had the chance to meet you. You need to learn to trust yourself again. And trust your friends more. We will help protect you. And if somewhere down the line, you decide you are ready to try trusting someone with your heart once again, well, you will have had a learning experience that will help ensure that the next guy you give your heart to isn't such a jerk."
"And even if he turns out to be a turd, you will still have all your friends to help you put the pieces back together."
Kyoko stares at Hikaru with a skeptical expression on her face. Hikaru grins a goofy smile and taps Kyoko twice on the nose with his pointer finger.
"Just think about it, Kyoko-chan. And remember that I am more than willing to listen to you anytime you need a good set of ears. Or a shoulder to cry on. Just don't expect me to get anything off the top shelf for you, okay?"
As intended, Kyoko giggles.
"I can remember that. I'll just get Tsuruga-san to get me stuff up high. After all, he is really tall."
Hikaru suddenly yawns which makes him realize how very late it is. Embarrassed at how long they have been out on the balcony, the idol apologizes and recommends that they head back to their rooms to sleep. He walks Kyoko to her room and pulls out the card key that he still has. Unlocking the door, he goes in to retrieve the mattress from the second bed. Kyoko tells him that he really doesn't have to sleep on the floor and that she does not mind sharing a room with one of the Bridge Rock boys.
Hikaru shakes his head and insists that this is the best solution. Reluctantly, Kyoko finally agrees. Hikaru shifts his mattress out into the hallway before wishing his companion good night.
"Remember to lock the deadbolt after I go," he reminds her. Kyoko nods and follows him to the door.
"Good night, Hikaru-san. And thank you for tonight. I will think about what you said."
"Good night, Kyoko-chan," he replies with a tender smile.
"Have pleasant dreams, Sweetheart," he quietly adds as he slips out the door leaving a suddenly blushing girl behind him.