1. Start the Game
Shadowed Moon: a side story to Dark Moon
Synopsis: Hongo Mio (Mogami Kyoko) is a girl who holds an inferiority complex towards her beautiful and intelligent sister, resulting in a very isolated childhood. Ever since a severe injury left a terrible scar on her face, Mio's introverted personality became even more extreme. At the age of 16, her gloomy and bitter outlook on life has utterly taken over her life, leaving a girl who is full of hate and does not know happiness. But when high school teacher Katsuki (Tsuruga Ren) enters her life, will he be the one to thaw her heart and teach her happiness… and love?
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"So, what do you think?" Director Ogata asked anxiously, eyes filled with nervous hope. He had just handed Ren and Kyoko their scripts, detailing the new plot in the Tsukigomori spin-off.
Ren was the first to look up, his expression contemplative. "I think it'll be interesting, since the plot is entirely different, but the characters remain the same." He chuckled, "Especially since this has never been done before, so it's sure to garner plenty of viewers' interest."
Ogata's face broke into a relaxed smile. Half the battle was won. "What about you, Mogami-san? What do you think?"
"I think it'll be interesting as well," Kyoko flashed a bright smile at the director, "but why are we doing this?"
"Oh… that's because the characters of Katsuki and Mio, which the two of you portrayed, were the ones that struck a chord the most with the audience. I have to agree; both your acting skills in Dark Moon were truly superb." Ogata paused for breath, then continued. "Mind you, this is just an experiment, but I'd really like to see the onscreen chemistry between the two of you, with characters that the viewers are already familiar with."
Kyoko was out of her seat in an instant, grabbing the willowy director's hand in euphoria. "Oh, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll do my best, Director Ogata!"
Ogata could only offer a weak smile in reply to Kyoko's obvious overenthusiasm. He clasped both Kyoko and Ren's hands in his own slender ones, declaring, "Let's make this a success!" It was oddly reminiscent of the first time they agreed to work on Dark Moon, and he hoped that it would turn out to be equally successful.
Director Ogata watched the backs of the two lead actors exit the room, and sank into his chair with a heavy sigh of relief. At least his flimsy excuse had held up in the face of their questions. After all, he couldn't have possibly told them the truth:
Actually, it's because President Takarada insisted that I cast the two of you as the main love interests, and I didn't want to be out of a job, which would have been what happened, had I refused.
That would have gone over like a lead balloon. But he wondered, what did Takarada Lori have up his sleeve now?
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Takarada Lori sat in his obnoxiously large office, garbed in rich silks and resplendent jewels. Today's theme was Arabian kingdom, and he, of course, was the Arab King. He was staring hard at the list of choices displayed on the large 108-inch LCD screen. Scrolling down, he finally found a satisfactory option. The tiny highlighted bar moved down before stopping. Lori pressed the console button twice, selecting and confirming his choice.
Aim: Steady relationship
Role: Matchmaker
Lori settled himself comfortably in the plush couch, gaming console fitting snugly in the palms of his hands. He had never lost once in his favourite love simulation game, and he didn't intend to this time.
The game had started.
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AN: Right. So. My first Skip Beat! fic. Recently fell in love with the manga and anime, and was inspired! I lose inspiration easily, though, so let's hope I see this fic through. R&R! :D
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