AU notes: This story takes place about 1 year in the future from manga chapter 215/216-ish (which is currently in April of the second year since chapter 1). In this alternate timeline, Kyoko reconciles with her mother. Kyoko is technically still in the LoveME section... but she has debuted as an actress, with her first lead role in a movie.

Chapter 1: You trembled like you'd seen a ghost...

Three years have passed since Fuwa Shou disposed of the "boring, unattractive girl" from his hometown. That girl was a fool in love with an even greater fool. Though Shou figured that there was nothing she could ever do to hurt him, being the untouchable pop star that all the girls love, it turned out he was wrong. Fortunately for her, when he tore apart her illusions of a fairy tale life, she discovered a hidden strength she didn't know she possessed. Over time, she built herself up again, working toward what she thought was the ultimate revenge: becoming an even bigger celebrity than Shou.

And it happened.

As strange as it seems, considering her unquenchable thirst for revenge at the beginning, the hatred Kyoko held for Shoutaro had dwindled to a tiny blip on her grudge radar. Three years of training and sacrifice in LME's LoveME section had finally paid off. She was a maturing actress, busy enough with lead roles and social appointments that she no longer needed the motivation of destroying a childhood rival and former love interest. The work she did now was for to achieve her own goals. Besides, she and Tsuruga-san were particularly happy together, taking their budding relationship one small step at a time. Next week would mark their one month anniversary since they'd started dating. Looking back to what she'd had with Shou, the comparison made it all the clearer how callously he'd used her. Regardless, Kyoko chalked it up to her own youthful ignorance and moved on.

The spring breeze fluttered around the orange-haired beauty, whipping her floral scarf pleasantly behind her. Though it wasn't her trusted bicycle, which the President had forbid her from riding since her debut, she found equal joy in riding behind Tsuruga-san on his motorcycle. She felt like part of the scenery in a way she never could inside a car - the early morning smells of bread and coffee greeting her eager nose and the rush of dew-laden air against her cheeks made this commute something precious to her.

As she relished in the rare opportunity to ride to work together with her beloved, her phone vibrated wildly, as if demanding her attention. The young woman didn't notice at all. Watching the endless line of business suit commuters they passed on the sidewalk, Kyoko tightened her grip on Tsuruga-san's waist. Among the scooters, his Ducati accelerated, slicing through traffic like a hot knife through butter. Next stop: LME.

"Good morning, Kyoko!" greeted her manager, Kimura-san, as she stepped forward to carry her charge's helmet. The clacking of her black heels echoed in the parking garage. As the young actress removed the safety gear, Kimura-san admired the outfit she'd put together: a deep purple shrug sweater over a white sheath dress patterned with red and purple floral designs and the scarf to match. But, as her brown eyes reached the hem of the dress, she physically winced with disapproval.

"Kyoko, what are those on your knees?"

Kyoko glanced down in confusion. "Uh, knee-pads?" she replied, not following why her manager was so angry all of a sudden.

Tsuruga-san chuckled to himself as he parked the bike in his usual spot. Since Mogami-san was never fully aware of her appearance, he felt that her new manager was a perfect fit. Kimura Touko was a fashionable woman in her early thirties who was never afraid to speak her mind.

Case in point, Kimura-san was berating Kyoko for her half-assed fashion sense.

"No. Don't ever wear those again in public."

"But Kimura-san! Other than the head, motorcycle-related injuries occur most often on the legs and knees. I was only trying to protect myself."

"Do you even realize that you're an idol? No, not just an idol, a freaking super-star?! You can't go around town looking like a safety advertisement!"

Kyoko pushed her fingers together mumbling, "I wouldn't mind promoting proper bike safety to my fans…"

Shaking her head, Kimura threw a glance at Tsuruga-san that said "She isn't going to give up on this one, is she?". Ren shook his head, smiling a little at her frustration. With a sigh, she let the subject drop.

"You'd better at least have brought a proper pair of shoes today." Those running shoes will be the death of me.

"Of course!" Kyoko replied, rummaging through her large purse. Her hand grazed her phone, which shivered with a missed call warning. "Oh," she said, pulling the cell out of her bag, "I missed a call. Please excuse me." Bowing to both of them, she headed into the office for some privacy. Over her shoulder she added, "Thank you for the ride, Tsuruga-san!"

"It was my pleasure."

"'Tsuruga-san', huh? She still isn't calling you 'Ren'?" Kimura-san snickered, tucking a lock of her wavy black hair behind her ear. "I figure you've got a long road ahead of you, lover-boy. Will you ever get to second-base, I wonder…"

"Please keep those thoughts to yourself," grumbled Ren as he followed Kyoko into the office to find Yashiro-san. Despite the obvious benefits to Mogami-san, there were a few problems with having such an outspoken woman around.

Plopping herself into the first chair she found, Kyoko slipped into her obligatory "cute heels". About the phone call, since only a few people had access to her phone number, she figured it was probably Kanae confirming their supper plans for tonight. So when she casually flipped her phone open to check her missed calls, she frowned at the number displayed. It wasn't an unknown caller, and the number looked familiar. She puzzled over it for a moment before deciding it was probably a co-star from one of her previous projects, and pressed the "send" button.

"..." the phone rang several times until finally a voice crackled over the line, "Kyoko."

Kyoko's breath hitched. That's why the number looked so familiar.

"Shou. Why did you call me?" Keep it short and to the point and maybe nothing bad will happen.

"I need you."

'Need', is it? Kyoko bristled. As in you Need someone to insult and infuriate?

She kept her answer ambiguous. "Hmm?"

"Please, meet me at the Tokyo Palace Hotel, Room 203."

The line cut out. As usual, he didn't ask - he told her exactly what he wanted her to do. Taking a deep breath, Kyoko speculated on what he could possibly want from her this time.

Things had been tense between them last spring when her TV drama Box R had come out. At first, the ratings had been dismal, but mid-way through the season when the bullying scenes became more intense, the show's popularity skyrocketed. That time, Shou felt the need to one-up her by launching a Japan-wide tour ending with a huge concert at the Tokyo Dome. Though he'd been acting like they were competing against each other for super-stardom status, he'd already been there ages ago. While he tried to rub it in her face by inviting her as his guest to the Japan Music Awards, she 'respectfully' declined. (Also, Tsuruga-san wouldn't have stood for it, had he known about the invitation.) Enough was enough. Though it was a huge blow to her ego, Kyoko realized that she might never be as popular as he was and there was no use in fighting him anymore.

But that was exactly when her own reputation had exploded. From the moment she received her first offer for a lead role to now, she hadn't had any contact with Shou - nor had she really thought about him. Did something happen, I wonder...

"Mogami-san?" called Kimura-san from the end of the hallway. "You're going to be late for your meeting."

Throwing Shou to the back of her mind, she sprang to her feet. "Coming!"

Later that evening, Kanae and Kyoko were enjoying a delicious sushi dinner at a new upscale restaurant. The owner had approached President Takarada in hopes that some of his up-and-coming artistes would grace his opening night with their presence. Though Kyoko hated these work-related public appearances, when she heard that her "Moko-san" would be there, she quickly gave her consent. It had been ages since they'd had a girl's night, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

As they waited for their next order to arrive, Kanae placed her elbows on the table and gave Kyoko the full force of her detective-like eyes. "Hey, Kyoko, what's on your mind? You seem a bit down."

Trying to make it less of a big deal, Kyoko shrugged, "It's nothing, really."

"Tell me."

"Well…" The subject was actually kind of hard to bring up, now that she had to. "Do you remember Shou?"

"WHAT HAS HE DONE TO YOU THIS TIME?!"

Cringing from her immediate response, Kyoko cowered under the table. "L-like I said, it's nothing."

Kanae scoffed, tossing her dark hair out of her face rather forcefully. "It's never 'nothing' with that bastard. He's always trying to find a way to screw you over. Since that crap he pulled at the JMAs, I vowed never to let you near him again."

While Kyoko waited for her friend's anger to subside, Kanae added, "And didn't you make a similar promise to Tsuruga-san?"

Kyoko nodded. "It was just a phone call, honest. I'm going to tell Tsuruga-san tonight."

Their sushi arrived and Moko-san breathed out an exasperated sigh. "Well fine. What did he have to say?"

"That's the weird part, he didn't really say anything." Thinking back to their conversation, hadn't his voice sounded a bit muffled? Maybe he has a cold or something…

Soft, traditional Japanese music wafted around the girls as they chewed. Chimes and the strumming of a shimasen gave a misleading peaceful aura to the club. Since they were in a semi-private room, it felt more comfortable than the rest of the modern eatery. This wasn't really a place for conversations and candle-lit dinners, it was a place to be trendy and to be seen. As expected, the track skipped, repeated, skipped, and after bouncing between two notes for a full minute it dropped the bass.

"So why did he call then?" Kanae shouted over the aggressive electronic music.

For a second she debated not telling Moko-san, because she was sure to overreact. But when Kyoko met her friend's eyes, she found them full of concern.

"He said he needs me. He wants me to meet him at the Tokyo Palace Hotel."

"Well obviously you won't go," Kanae said dismissively.

"..."

"Kyoko." The club was getting louder, but Kanae wouldn't accept that as an excuse to drop the conversation. Frowning, she leaned forward and pleaded, "You can't just go to him every time he calls. Just because it's been a year, it doesn't mean he's changed."

Poking a mango roll, Kyoko muttered, "I wasn't planning on going. He just sounded so sincere I sort of wondered if maybe something had happened."

As usual, Kyoko was being totally naive.

"How about this, then?" Kanae suggested as she lifted her jacket from the booth, "I'll look into what's been going on with Fuwa. You sit tight for tonight, and I'll call you in the morning with what I find. You're not filming tomorrow, are you?"

"No, I've got the weekend off," Kyoko whisper-shouted directly in her friend's ear.

Heads swiveled to watch the two actresses leave. As usual, Kanae wasn't bothered by the bright flashes of cell phone pictures being taken in their wake, but it always made Kyoko feel uncomfortable. Her friend noticed her attitude shift and grabbed Kyoko's hand with a devilish smile, running out of the club and pulling her outside. Normally she'd be annoyed, but when Moko-san's laughing face looked back at her, she couldn't help but smile too. For a moment they were just two high-school girls enjoying a night on the town. It was moments like this that were the reason they were best friends.

They settled themselves in the limo that was waiting for them. "Alright, I'll call you in the morning. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure," Kyoko said, looking out the window. It wasn't like she even cared what happened to Shou anymore. More than anything, the desire to completely ignore his request was growing on her. What will he do when I don't come running to his side? She grinned inwardly. To her friend, she said, "Good plan, Moko-san."

The limo dropped her off in front of the Darumaya. She turned to wave at Kanae, but her hand wilted at the sight of her serious face peering out of the window.

"Please keep your promise, Kyoko."

Giggling with fake amusement, Kyoko replied, "Of course, Moko-san, no problem!" She saluted her friend happily, ignoring the feeling of annoyance that was simmering beneath the surface. Why doesn't she trust me?

Kanae waved hesitantly and rolled up the window. It was hard to be a best friend to Kyoko when she was constantly worrying about her. That girl seemed to attract trouble like a lightning rod. Sometimes wondered how much she was allowed to meddle in Kyoko's personal affairs without being a pain. But... when it came to Shou, Kanae's self-control disappeared because she knew the kind of damage he could cause with a single word from his obnoxious mouth.

In her room, Kyoko dialed Tsuruga-san number. It was late, but she knew he was a night-owl and wouldn't be going to sleep for a few more hours.

"Hello?"

"Tsuruga-san?"

"Ah, Mogami-san." She could hear the smile in his voice. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"It's about our… promise. I said I'd tell you whenever Shou contacts me."

"Did you see him?" he asked quickly.

"No."

"...Alright, please, go ahead."

Kyoko squirmed at the intensity of Tsuruga-san request. It was like he was preparing for war.

"Really, it's nothing," Kyoko started, feeling a nagging sense of déjà vu. "He called me and asked for me to meet with him."

"Did you agree to meet him?"

"No, he hung up before I could answer."

"Hm." Ren rubbed his eyebrows. He had been lounging on the couch when she called, reading a potential script half-heartedly. With just the mention of Fuwa's name, he was instantly on full alert. "What were the exact words he used?"

The annoyance bubbled again. Kyoko remained silent for a moment, not liking the way everyone was treating her. Of course Shou was bad news, but to think that everyone was so certain that she'd blindly follow his requests was a little irritating. Especially coming from Tsuruga-san.

"Mogami-san?"

"..."

"...Kyoko?"

"What does it matter, what words he used? It's not like I'll see him. Surely you know me better than that?"

Ren closed his eyes. "Don't be like that, Kyoko. I'm just trying to protect you."

Her heart warmed a little. "I know," she sighed. "I just wish that everyone would stop treating me like a child."

With the mention of "everyone" Ren's suspicion deepened. Though he could tell she wanted to be reassured right now, his own desire to further investigate the matter won his attention. "Who else have you told? When did this happen?"

Again, Kyoko jumped on the defensive. "I promised I would tell you as soon as possible. Do you think I would keep this from you for even a day?"

"Mogami-san, I -"

"You know, I'm actually quite tired. I think I'll hang up first. Goodnight."

As soon as she pressed "end" she regretted getting so temperamental. She wasn't usually like this; maybe Shou had her more on edge than she thought. But what could she do about it? She'd promised Moko-san to wait until morning. With a heavy heart, she got ready for bed. Promising herself she'd apologize to Tsuruga-san in the morning, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The morning was full of uncomfortable thoughts. She didn't want to be treated like she couldn't handle herself, but at the same time she was getting all worked up over a stupid phone call. Moko-san was right. If she just ignored him, Shou would probably lose interest. He wasn't important enough to cause fights with her best friend and boyfriend.

She was washing the breakfast dishes when her phone rang.

Expecting Moko-san, she quickly answered. "Yes?"

"If I stopped by your house, would you let me in?"

"Shou?" she coughed, caught completely off-guard.

Moko-san, this doesn't count as breaking my promise, right?

"I'm just outside." Again, his voice sounded softer than normal.

"What happened to the Palace?" she asked, trying to buy herself some time as she peeked out the front windows. Sure enough, Shou was standing with his back to her and his phone against his ear.

"You didn't come." He said it like it was obvious.

"Well, go back to your fancy suite. I haven't decided if I want to see you yet."

"..." His shadow darkened the doorway ominously.

"..." Crouching on the other side of the door, Kyoko's breathing stilled, as if worried that any sound she made would count as an invitation to come in.

His hand reached out to the door, but he balled his fist before it made contact.

"I'm sorry." He hung up.

As his form retreated, Kyoko breathed a shaky sigh of relief. What the hell was that about? Going back to her dishes, she shook her head. Whatever, at least he left.

When Moko-san called an hour later, Kyoko was outside, taking a walk to clear her head.

"I think I found something."

For some reason, Kyoko felt her heart race. "Yes?"

"Well according to the internet, Shou just returned to Japan from his World Tour."

"World Tour?! He has fans in other countries?"

"Yeah, apparently. I searched his latest album and half of the songs are in English."

Turning herself back in the direction of home, Kyoko thought about it. If this was about Revenge, then maybe he was just trying to get her attention so he could brag. A world tour was a big deal, after all. But it didn't feel like that was his purpose. From the two conversations she'd had with him, he actually sounded beaten down.

That gave Kyoko a hunch. "Did the concerts go well?"

"What do you mean?"

"How is the album selling? Where is he on the charts?"

"Mo, I don't know," replied Kanae defensively. "I didn't look into that."

If her theory was correct, Shou's appearance could be something much more serious than she'd originally thought.

He'd said "I'm sorry."

With a sudden realization, Kyoko covered her mouth.

"Kyoko? What are you thinking?" There was a familiar thread of worry in Kanae's voice, but Kyoko chose to ignore it.

"I'm just heading home. There's something I need to do. Talk to you later!" She hung up her phone and ran.