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T-Lea: Well, I'm posting the first chapter to see how it goes... Sorry for the long wait. Characters might be OOC.

Kyouko's gone!

Panting, sweating, panting again, and even more sweating.

"Uh, I didn't expect you to come running so quickly."

Ren stood before his manager, Yashiro, bent over with one hand on the side of the brick wall as he stood on Yashiro's step with beads of sweat glistening in his hair and his breathing labored. He had a black leather jacket draped over his shoulders, and his heavy breathing hovered on the chilled air as Yashiro examined the young actor in concern. It seemed as if he had run all the way there at the mention of Kyoko being in danger, which made a wicked smile curve the manager's lips.

"Wh-Where is the bastard that did it?" Ren demanded through gasps, as he attempted to straighten himself up again. "No one messes with my Kohai!"

Yashiro's wicked smile broadened. "Are you jealous, Ren?"

Tsuruga Ren looked up into his manager's face with an exasperated expression. "What? What are you talking about, Yashiro?"

"Nothing, nothing," the manager quickly amended, suppressing laughter. "Anyhow, it seems Kyoko has been missing for about five hours now. I heard from an inside source that something has been troubling her lately, too."

Ren straightened himself up as soon as he caught his breath, and then threw an irritated glance at his manager.

"You aren't going to tell me who this inside source is, are you?" he grumbled, arching an eyebrow in uncertainty.

Yashiro smiled teasingly at him. "Nope."

Ren heaved an exhausted sigh, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Even in times of trouble—and serious trouble since it involved Kyouko—the harsh manager was still in the mood to tease the young actor. While Ren would have shrugged off what Yashiro had said in any normal situation, he couldn't let these remarks go unnoticed. Kyouko was in danger—possibly even her life—and the manager really wasn't being of any use, which made Ren grow angry with each second passed. This was Kyouko they were talking about, and Ren wasn't going to stand around and waste his time while the person that hurt her was still at large.

"Yashiro, just tell me what you know!" Ren growled, seizing him by the shoulders. "Was it that Fuwa Sho again? Or. . ."

Yashiro's smile lowered into a frown at Ren's urgency.

"Well, I received a phone-call from Marie that she saw Kyouko with a strange man earlier today," Yashiro began in a small voice. "She told me that the strange man said something to her, and then she left unexpectedly. Since then, she didn't show up for work or had any contact with anyone that called her."

Ren's mind was working frantically. Knowing Kyouko, she was probably conned into being lured away from where people could see her, and then abducted. After all, she was naïve, so there was a high possibility that she was tricked.

"Have you contacted her guardians?" Ren asked of the manager.

"I did."

"And. . .?"

The manager sighed heavily. "It seems as if she hasn't showed up yet."

"What?" Ren was growing impatient and frantic, indeed. He should have gone to work that day, after all!

"Should we contact—"

"What, with no evidence and no leads on the strange man that she was seen with?" Yashiro cut him off sharply. "No, we shouldn't contact the police. Besides, Kyouko always turns up in the end."

Ren had to admit to himself, of all the stupid things Yashiro did, this had to be the most stupid. Kyouko was in danger!

"I see it's obviously bothering you," Yashiro continued, strolling past Ren towards where his vehicle sat. "Let's go to the studio and see if we can get any eye-witnesses and info. I'm sure somebody knows something."

Yes, Ren thought to himself, clambering into the car and starting the engine, somebody must have noticed something suspicious.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Kyouko all day. Sorry, Tsuruga-san."

"I think she was with Kotanami-san. . ."

"I haven't seen her all day, sorry."

"Me? I was in the dressing rooms, and she didn't come in at all."

Ren stared blankly at Kanae Kotanami as she said this, obviously stricken by horror. Nobody had seen her that day, and hadn't even noticed that she even went missing. Not any of the people in the studio noticed the strange person that had abducted her! What was wrong with these people?

"Now, Ren, calm down," Yashiro advised nervously, noticing his aura of death creeping up over his figure again. "I'm sure someone here has seen her. Right, Kotanami-san?"

"Actually, I did see her this morning," Kanae told the both of them thoughtfully, and Ren immediately pulled himself out of his gloom. "She seemed to be in a hurry, and then the President requested she'd have a word with him."

"'The President'?" Ren and Yashiro exchanged curious glances.

"Did you see her again after that?" Ren pressed.

Kanae shook her head.

Ren exhaled a heavy sigh. Well then, to the President. He might have an idea as to who that strange man was, and then Ren could relax and return home to sleep off his fever. And Kyouko could go on living as Kyouko, and Ren could go on living with his secret gnawing away at his insides.

Sounds like a fun life, doesn't it?

"I haven't." Ren frowned as the President turned towards him. "But, the girl did seem rather frantic this morning. Let us sit and talk for a while, eh?" He gestured to a mug of coffee sitting under Ren's nose.

Kyouko was out there someone in the clutches of a sick, perverted, strange man, and the President wanted to have a cup of coffee?

"No, thanks," he grumbled, turning away from him and starting towards the door.

"What's the rush?" the President, Lory, called over to him in complete bewilderment.

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" Ren demanded, rounding on him.

"What, that Kyouko suddenly went missing and was last seen with a strange man, hasn't answered her cellphone in hours, and has yet to be seen by any of her friends or relatives?" Lory repeated simply, folding a leg over the other. "I certainly did, Ren. I'm not deaf, you know."

A vein twitched in Ren's temple. Of course not. . .of course.

"Mind repeating that so it filters into your thick head?" Ren grumbled between grit teeth, so lowly that no one could hear him. Just standing around wouldn't do anything for Kyouko.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Yashiro chewed on his nails as he observed the atmosphere between the two, waiting, just waiting, for the exact moment Ren's head would explode. This was definitely not good at all. Ren's temper was reaching dangerous level, and the President was just sipping his coffee oblivious to all of it.

"Take a seat, Ren," the President offered, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. "Yashiro already informed me that you decided to take the day off because of your health."

"I must decline," Ren replied on a more composed tone of voice. "Thank you."

"Such a shame," Lory sighed, setting down his own mug of coffee. "I prepared enough coffee for everyone to share. Anyhow, I can understand. You want to go after Kyouko and stop her."

Ren froze where he stood, his eyes wide with terror.

"'Stop. . .her'?" he echoed hollowly.

"Why, yes," Lory said, examining a fingernail. "After all, this strange man could be her. . .boyfriend." Something hard struck Ren in the gut. "But, that doesn't matter to one as inexperienced as you, does it? Oh, what am I thinking? Ha ha! This is Kyouko we're talking about—a girl with acquired taste. That man would have to be her childhood friend for her to fall in love with him. . .in which case. . ." The President's eyes came to rest on Ren again, who was now holding his breath as he tried his best not to expose his true emotions. ". . .you should hurry before she says, 'I do'."

The world spun in a full swoop. Ren could see it now: a ring on Kyouko's finger from a strange man that was neither worthy nor could understand her. A man that didn't have a right to Kyouko's love, even if he might have been her childhood friend. A man like Fuwa Sho that would one day hurt her in the end. A child from that man that would leave her. . .

Ren's heart leapt into his throat. What if he wasn't good enough for Kyouko?

"Ah, Marie!" Lory suddenly announced as the door at the end of the room opened and a small girl came in.

"Oji-san, there are men here that say they know Kyouko," Marie called over to him.

"Well, bring them in!"

Marie opened the door, and Ren's heart slammed hard against his chest in rage as his eyes fell upon two men he didn't want to see at that exact moment, especially since Kyouko had gone missing. Two men, or rather, boys—since they were both equally immature—that could possibly be responsible for Kyouko's disappearance. In fact, Ren was sure of it!

"So," Ren grumbled to himself, "the suspect returns to the scene of the crime."

T-Lea: Here's the first chapter of The Proposal Plan. Sorry, guys. I'm not sure if this one is going to have as much humor in it as the last one, but it will have romance in it, and there will be an ending that I think everyone can appreciate. Maybe. Anyway, please review to let me know how I'm doing. Depending on whether or not everyone likes the first chapter, I may or may not continue.