I was furious with Kyoko for going to the Dark Moon party with Kijima. Here's what I wish happened.
As usual, a disclaimer: Skip Beat is the property of Yoshiki Nakamura sensei, and I do not own any of it.
Italics are only to emphasize, double quotes are used for conversations. Thoughts are written in normal script; please tell me if the thinker is not clear.
Kyoko Mogami stared at the mirror in absolute shock. A princess stared back at her, gorgeous in a pale pink evening dress, with silky hair flowly loosely unto her shoulders, and skin that could only be described as glowing. Yes, without a doubt this was a princess, sitting dignified and graceful, as delicate and beautiful as a flower. This could not possibly be her.
"How did this happen again?" she thought for the millionth time as she replayed in her mind the events that led to her current predicament.
She had been working in the Love-Me room, sorting out the mass of paperwork that Sawara-san had handed her, when she was disturbed by a brisk knock. It was none other than her belove-no, her esteemed senpai Tsuruga Ren at the door, looking as handsome as ever. Casually seating himself beside her, he had proceeded to chat about his day and enquire about hers, making small talk with random topics, till she had relaxed and let her guard down.
And then, in the same casual manner, he had dropped the bomb: "Kyoko-chan, as thanks for everything you have done for me, for the Dark Moon party, can I prepare a surprise for you?"
She could only nod dumbly as her grudge demons collapsed from his angelic smile. This was a true smile, warm and pleasant, very different from the bright, gentlemanly smile he flashed to disguise his anger. Her response seemed to put him in a good mood, and he chatted cheerfully for a few more minutes before leaving for his next job.
Aarrgh! Why hadn't she said No? Why couldn't she have thought of an excuse? Well, it wasn't like it was going to work anyway. He always knew when she was lying, and an excuse would most likely bring out the gentlemanly smile, or even worse, the puppy-dog pout.
Their time as Cain and Setsuka Heel had led to the discovery of her weakness to his abandoned-puppy-in-the-rain expression, which she had nicknamed the puppy dog pout. She thought back to the first time he had used it on her, making her agree to three pairs of outrageously expensive pants while shopping at Jeanne D' Arc. Her mind wandering to the events that followed, she shivered as she recalled the thugs leering at her and taunting her 'brother', causing her normally gentle senpai's transformation into the God of Death himself. True, Kain Heel had been scary, but his dangerous aura was nothing compared to the killing intent rolling off him as he faced those thugs; a dark, deadly aura befitting the mass murderer BJ. She remembered his petrified expression when she had cried out for him not to kill, and his subsequent breakdown and confession back at their hotel room. He had told her everything, how he had failed to meet director's expectations, the bullying he had suffered, and how he had turned violent. He had made no attempt to justify himself, openly admitting his wrongdoings to her. Finally, while recounting Rick's death, he had collapsed into tears, gut-wrenching sobs sending tremors through his huge body.
She had held him as he cried, stoking his head, comforting him, cradling him in her arms as he fell asleep. All the while, her mind was reeling. Tsuruga-san was Kuon Hizuri. Tsuruga-san was Corn. He was her Fairy Prince. He had come back to her, and had become her mentor and role model, always supporting her on her journey to rediscover herself through acting. His admission of his past had shown her the flawed, frightened teenager behind the actor's gentlemanly mask, and at that moment, all her locks had been blown apart. Even though she refused to admit it, even to herself, she had fallen for him.
Idly, she wondered if he had shared his past with the high school girl he was in love with. For some reason, she hoped not. The knowledge that he had confided in her, trusted her with his secrets, sparked a warm glow inside her sealed-off heart. She knew he could never love her back, but she was willing to do whatever he needed to overcome his past. Yes, it was foolish, she had done the same for Shotarou, devoting her life to him, and had suffered for it. But she also knew that Tsuruga Ren was not Fuwa Sho.
After all, it was fate. They had met as children, and had been finally been reunited after 10 years. She thought back to their time in the forest, how he had sympathized and comforted her, cheered her up when she cried, how he had 'flown' for her.
Anybody passing the graceful princess would have stopped stunned as her face lit up in an angelic smile, lost in the magic kingdom of her childhood memories.
Her face flushed red in embarrassment as she remembered the morning after his revelation. They had woken up cuddled together on the same bed, as Ren and Kyoko, not Cain and Setsu. He had been so relieved when she told him she wasn't angry that he kept his identity as Corn a secret, though she had sulked a little about his not correcting her pronunciation of his name. Repeatedly thanking her, he had promised never to keep secrets from her again. This made her feel special, but at the same time a little guilty, as she still hadn't told him that she was Bo.
She chuckled. He had actually believed she would be so disappointed she would never speak to him again! As if she could do that. You might not be a fairy, but you are definitely a prince, she thought to herself, trying desperately not to think of him as her prince. Entertaining such notions would only lead to heartbreak, she knew.
When they separated from Jelly's make-up trailer he had seemed okay, if a bit tired. They had met up for dinner at Ren's apartment in the evening. He assured her that he was alright, but she had insisted on staying the night. As she had thought, he woke up in the middle of the night, screaming incoherently and drenched in sweat. She held him till his nightmares stopped, and had once more woken up in his bed in the morning.
That had led to several embarrassing consequences, foremost a shift to first-name terms, as they used to be when younger. Oblivious of her surroundings, she repeatedly hit her head, turning bright red as she recalled that conversation. "Really, Kyoko-chan, I think its too much to call each other by last name when we are sleeping together, isn't it?" he had said. Honestly, the indecency of that man! They were simply sharing a bed together, so he shouldn't say sleeping together like it was a romantic relationship! Not that she minded him calling her by first name, in fact she found herself liking it very much. It took all her acting skills to stop herself from blushing every time he said her name.
His acting as BJ brought back his past, and he suffered traumatic nightmares, mainly of Rick and Tina. He was unable to sleep without her by his side, and this had led to the embarrassing situation of her temporarily staying over at his place for an indefinite period.
And finally, it had led to this. "Kyoko-chan, as thanks for everything you have done for me, for the Dark Moon party, can I prepare a surprise for you?" It seemed unbelievable that such innocent words would cause so much mayhem.
He had picked her up from LME at four pm, taking her to a super-ultra-posh beauty parlor, where he had already made an appointment. The make-up artist had done wonders to her, turning her into the ojou-sama of her dreams. When she saw the pale pink gown, she couldn't help dancing in delight. So this is why he said to bring Princess Rosa along, she thought, admiring her reflection in the mirror. The gem perfectly matched her dress, as did the elegant heels and silky scarf that formed part of the outfit. She frowned as she thought how much everything had cost. This man, did he think for even a minute before throwing his money like this? Yet she couldn't help being pleased with the extent of his efforts. No Kyoko, don't think of it as special treatment, don't think of it as affection, he's only your senpai, only a senpai...she chanted feverishly, but her traitorous mind whispered to her that he wouldn't go so far for a simple kouhai.
A soft knock, and the man himself entered the room, picture-perfect like the model he was, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of the beauty in front of him.
Ren was dumfounded. He had always thought her beautiful, but even he could not have predicted that she would be this breath-taking. She's gorgeous; he thought, his mouth open, still standing at the door, everything else forgotten. Maybe he should just forget about the party. He could take her out to a romantic dinner, just the two of them, and then maybe go for a stroll, under the stars, and then he would confess his feelings for her, and then-
"…..and I'm really happy, but you needn't have gone through so much trouble for me, Ren-san." He jerked back to reality, startled. He had been too busy admiring her to listen to what she said. Focus, Ren, Focus. You know your limits, and that's going too far. Though that would be nice…
Shaking his head to clear all deviant thoughts, he replied, "This is nothing compared to what you've done for me, Kyoko-chan. This is the least I can do to express my gratitude. Now then, shall we go, Princess?" She nodded shyly, accepting the arm offered to her, and they left for the party.
Excited whispers broke out the moment they entered, everyone wondering who Tsuruga-san's beautiful companion was. Meanwhile, Yashiro, who had already arrived, began to mentally squeal in delight. Arriving in a taxi, as per Ren's request, Yashiro had suspected that the reason for such a request was related to Kyoko-chan, but he hadn't held high hopes. After all, his charge had so far made only small and insignificant progress in his love-life, so it was too much to hope that the coward Ren had actually asked Kyoko-chan to the party. But apparently he was wrong, as they were walked in together, an elegant and charming couple.
Kijima could only stare with awe at the gorgeous woman beside Ren. He made a mental note to stay close to her throughout the party. It looks like she's Ren's girlfriend, but it doesn't hurt to try. He sighed. But his opponent was Japan's most eligible bachelor….
The pair went first to greet Director Ogata, who was wiping his eyes after tearfully thanking all the cast and crew for making Dark Moon a success. Ogata was surprised when an unfamiliar beauty in pink greeted and congratulated him enthusiastically, bouncing on her toes, nearly jumping in joy that Dark Moon had surpassed the original Tsukigomori. Do I know her? He wondered. Observing the Director's obvious confusion, Ren suppressed a small smile, which was mirrored by Yashiro when he joined his charge. Ren glanced at his manager's gleeful face, and mentally groaned as he realized Yashiro was in fan-girl mode. That face promised that Ren was going to suffer many, many questions on how he had gotten Kyoko-chan to go to the party with him. Meanwhile, the other stars inched closer to this group, curious about who the stunning woman with Tsuruga-san was.
Kyoko, oblivious of both the attention she was receiving and that Ogata had not recognized her, continued to gush, "Thank you so much Ogata-san, for giving me a chance to participate in your production, and for accepting my Mio—"
"EH, KYOKO-CHAN?" several voices burst out at once, the loudest being Momose-san and Oohara-san. "You look absolutely stunning!" Kyoko smiled, shyly accepting their compliments. While she did not consider herself beautiful, even she had to admit she looked good tonight. Kijima was stunned. This beautiful woman is actually the scary Mio?
Chatting pleasantly, Momose-san couldn't help but notice that Tsuruga-san, after escorting Kyoko-chan inside, had slipped his hand around her discreetly, appearing to keep his hand on the table behind him, while in fact his hand was on her waist. And Kyoko-chan didn't seem to mind it at all. I thought so! I knew they were close, but after Karuizawa I began to wonder if they were more than friends, now I have proof!
With a mischievous smile she asked, with deliberate calm "So, have you two finally decided to announce to the media that you're dating?"
It took Kyoko a minute to realize that the question was directed at her. It took another minute for her to realize that 'you two' meant her and Ren. And then it took her a full three minutes to process that 'you two' had been followed by 'dating'. Her and Ren-san, dating? Surely she must have misheard. She simply blinked.
Meanwhile, beside her, Ren's mind was working in overdrive. What should he do? Should he respond? HOW ON EARTH should he respond to that? A denial would reduce his already minute chances with the girl who only thought herself his kouhai, and would leave Kyoko open to the men staring openly at her, especially Kijima, who hadn't taken his eyes off her since they entered. But he couldn't say yes, could he?... Maybe he should say yes, and then keep Kyoko quiet with a good excuse. But that would lead to huge problems later, especially if the president or the media got involved. And there was also the issue of how Kyoko would react. He turned to her. Confusion was written all over her face. He mentally groaned, picturing her reaction when it finally sunk in. "I could never date my senpai!" she would declare, indignant at the very suggestion. He sighed. Whatever happened, he was doomed. He only hoped she wouldn't avoid him later.
Momose-san giggled at their stunned faces. "Was it supposed to be a secret? It was obvious from the beginning. After all, you both were always chatting and having lunch together."
Kyoko's mind had finally accepted the reality of the situation. DATING? Momose-san thought they were dating? How had she come to that conclusion! And what did she mean obvious? Her eyes widened. Did Momose-san realize that Kyoko had fallen in love with Ren? Oh no, that would be a disaster…
Ren was having similar thoughts. Were my feelings so obvious that even Momose-san noticed? Did all the co-stars know? Like Yashiro, did the entire Dark Moon cast laugh at his insignificant progress behind his back? Would they point it out to the oblivious Kyoko? No, that can't happen. He HAD to fix this. He knew she wouldn't return his feelings, but he wanted to at least tell her himself, rather than somebody else informing her.
"I remember Kyoko-chan and Tsuruga-san continuously calling each other during the shooting at Karuizawa. Also, didn't Kyoko-chan go to Tsuruga-san's room after the stalker incident?" Momose-san continued, oblivious to their inner turmoil.
"Aah, so that's why Tsuruga-san rushed over to Karuizawa, he was worried about Kyoko-chan! You're so lucky Kyoko-chan; you have such a caring boyfriend! I'm so jealous!" giggled Oohara-san.
Ms. Izuka joined in. "The way Tsuruga-kun believed in Kyoko-chan when I tested her Mio made me wonder….so you two are together after all?"
Taking their dumbfounded looks as affirmation, Todou-san, who played the head of the Hongo family, suddenly declared, "It was obvious to me that Tsuruga-san and Kyoko-chan were very much in love when I saw them hugging passionately at Karuizawa." This was received with many giggles and sly glances at the frozen couple. "And apparently director Ogata has seen something too; see how red he's turned!"
"Eh no, I didn't- I didn't mean- I didn't see anything- I mean I didn't mean to see- I wasn't- I didn't spy on them! I swear! I didn't see much either- it was nothing- I didn't see- I mean- I saw nothing!" the director's blushing face and frantic stammering only reinforced the belief that he had caught them being lovey-dovey when they thought no one was watching.
Yashiro was dumbfounded. They had hugged? When? How could he have missed it! How dare Ren keep such a thing from him! His charge was definitely going to lose his cellphone again if he refused to spill the beans! MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT HAD DIRECTOR OGATA SEEN?
Momose-san countered, "I think they were close even before Karuizawa. That's why Kyoko-chan was so distraught when Tsuruga-san's Katsuki was criticized. Do you remember how she began to cry, even though she was being praised?"
Kijima sighed. She was clearly Ren's girlfriend, and apparently they had been dating a long time. Shaking his head, he walked off. No wonder Ren had whisked her away when she turned up before the car chase scene. He would do the same if he had such a gorgeous girlfriend. Oh well, there are many other beautiful girls at the party…
Meanwhile, Ren and Kyoko listened dumbly as incident after incident was recounted. One co-star had done a minor role in Ring-doh, and wasted no time in describing how Ren had carried Kyoko-chan princess-style when her ankle was broken; conveniently omitting the fact that Kyoko had struggled and shouted at him. Co-stars from LME testified that the two were seen together several times, and that Ren often dropped Kyoko home. With absolute conviction that they were in a relationship, the crowd proceeded to guess how long they had been dating.
Deciding to tease the couple even further, Oohara-san leaned towards Kyoko and asked in a carrying whisper, "Sooo, are you both living together?"
Ren's eyes widened and Kyoko winced. How could they answer such a question? The truthful answer was yes, but would be taken as admission of not only a romantic, but also a passionate relationship. Serious damage control was necessary, Kyoko decided. "It isn't like that-", she began, unsure of how exactly to explain.
Unfortunately, this seemed to add fuel to the fire, as they were assaulted by a flood of excited questions. "Eh, you're living together!" "But Kyoko-chan is only 17, isn't she?" "What does age matter in the face of love?" "What's it like to sleep with Japan's No. 1 actor?" "Ren, you lucky guy!" "Congratulations, you both!" "You are perfect for each other!"
And finally, the thing everyone wanted to know: "Are you two engaged?"
This was too much. Kyoko had been silent through most of the conversation, but this was the last straw. Not only had they insulted her senpai by suggesting he was involved with a plain newbie like her, but they had actually accused him of having dishonorable intentions towards her! Ridiculous! He was a perfect gentleman! He would never-
Unbidden, the face of the Emperor of the Night interrupted her thoughts, murmuring in a low, seductive voice, offering to teach her how to kiss. He was only acting, she tried to convince herself. As if he would be interested in a plain and boring girl like her! Outrageous! Here she paused. Why had no one protested at the idiocy of the whole idea? Did they really think such a relationship was possible? Now that she thought about it, they had actually said that Ren was lucky, not the other way around!
Did everyone really think she was good enough for Ren-san? She thought she was plain, but Moko-san had frequently shouted at her for such a self-depreciating attitude. A lot of people said Natsu was pretty, but she had never considered it a complement to her own appearance. And so many people said she looked lovely today. Could it be? Could she really be beautiful? With a shy glance at Ren she wondered, does he think I'm beautiful?
Kyoko was jolted out of her thoughts by the most shocking question of all, "Kyoko-chan, are you pregnant?"
Even if she was pretty, even if he liked her (though she still believed it unlikely), this was simply too much. "WERE ARE NOT ENGAGED AND I'M NOT PREGNANT", she wailed loudly, managing to support herself on the table before she collapsed in shock. Unaware of her distraught state of mind, Momose-san casually enquired, "Why not? We can see you love each other very much."
Ren had ENOUGH. A furious Kuon broke through the gentlemanly façade. THREE TIMES. Three times this babbling, nosy, annoying crowd of people had openly declared his love for her. He knew he didn't deserve her, but shouldn't he at least get a chance to tell her his feelings in his own words, explain how important she was to him, how much he treasured her?
Glancing sideways at Kyoko, he was not surprised to find the interrogation was affecting her badly. She was pale and looked about to faint, clutching the table for support as she trembled at the relentless questions.
Alright, time to go, Ren decided. He'd take her back home, calm her down, confess his feelings, and then they'd sort out this mess. Staying would not only upset her more, it would also increase the gossip. Putting his brightest, most dazzling, and most terrifying gentlemanly smile, with a brief statement of "It is late, and we should leave", he scooped Kyoko into his arms and proceeded towards the exit. He reached halfway when the crowd's scorched retinas recovered and when the teasing began. "Ooh, are you embarrassed?" "Going to her house or your house, Ren?" "Heh, Can't wait to get back to bed?"
Ignoring the catcalls, Ren nevertheless heard the whisper as he exited, "If he hasn't proposed yet, he's definitely going to propose now."
Kyoko's legs seemed to regain some of its steadiness, so Ren put her down and they walked to his car in silence. He's furious, she thought dejectedly. He is never going to speak to me again. He'll probably ignore me forever….
Realizing that his mood was worrying Kyoko, Ren sighed as he tried to control his raging emotions. "I'm not angry at you, Kyoko-chan, I am just angry at them for ruining our evening", he said with a small smile. Kyoko peered into his face, then leaned back, satisfied that he was telling the truth. The ride to the apartment was quiet, the occupants lost in their own thoughts, both hesitant to discuss the party.
Only when they finally collapsed unto Ren's sofa did Kyoko dare to break the silence, "Umm, about today….. Thank you for the lovely dress and wonderful make-up. I felt like a princess." A soft smile graced Ren's features. "I wanted to make it a special day for you, as it is the end of your first drama, an important milestone in discovering a new you. I'm really, really sorry about what happened. It was supposed to be a relaxing evening, not a stressful and upsetting one."
"Do you think they'll just drop the subject if we don't say anything?" Kyoko asked hopefully. Ren shook his head, "Remember what I told you before. In the show business you have to deny things even if they're true…..and some things they said today are not entirely wrong." He glanced at her. His statement had brought a small frown on her face, but she seemed much calmer than at the party. If he was going to confess, now was the time.
Facing her on the sofa, he took a deep breath, "You see Kyoko-chan, that while they were wrong about the dating part, they were right about my feelings. The truth is, I love you. I love you very, very much."
He paused, searching her face for a reaction, any sign that she had heard him, had understood what he said. Her face was totally blank, her eyes wide in shock. At least she isn't running away. Yet. "You were special to me even when we were children" he continued, "With you I was no longer the talentless failure Kuon Hizuri; I was the Fairy Prince Corn. You have done so much for me, had faith in me when I couldn't find my Katsuki, my BJ…." He paused. Still no response from the frozen Kyoko. Realizing that this may be their last conversation, he hugged her tightly, trying to convey the depth of his feelings. "I love you. I love you. I love you.I love you." He chanted desperately, hoping to shake her out of her trance.
Finally she stirred, "You..love…me?" He nodded, not letting go, afraid to see her face, her anger, her rejection. She pulled away, and he sighed. I guess we can longer be even the senpai-kouhai we were. Composing himself, he looked into her eyes, to find them shining. "Oh, Kuon" she smiled, giddy with happiness, and kissed him. Ren froze in shock for a moment, and then kissed her back enthusiastically. Giggling, they cuddled together, laughing about the party and their reactions to the inquisitive questions, blissfully unaware that they would make tomorrow's headline:
"JAPAN'S NO. 1 ACTOR ENGAGED TO DARK MOON CO-STAR KYOKO".
Finally, they fell asleep in each other's arms, not realizing that elsewhere in the city Ren's trusty manager Yashiro was in complete fan-girl mode, recounting the evening's events to none other the Ambassador of Love, the President of LME Lory Takarada, who was flooding his office with tears of joy. The couple could not know that the headline would throw Kuu and Julie Hizuri into a ecstatic frenzy, or that they would take the next plane to Japan, excitedly shortlisting wedding gowns and party menus, eager to be reunited with their 'sons'. Most of all, they did not know that when the headline would be broadcasted on the following day's evening news, a certain bleached-blonde singer would throw his remote at the TV in rage, screaming curses and destroying half the living room in his fury.
No, the two slept peacefully, safe in the knowledge that they had gotten their 'happily ever after'.
This is my first fanfic, so please take your time to review, as that would give me courage to pen down my other ideas. Constructive criticism is appreciated; please forgive me for any grammatical errors. Also advise if I should split this into a two-shot.
Phew, my first story, done! This is much harder than I thought. Thank you for being my very first review.