Fairy Wings
"MO! I can't believe that President Takarada expects us to spend the entire day in character while we're poked, prodded and generally annoyed by hundreds of crazy fans," complains LoveMe number two to her fellow prisoners in pink. Her two companions glance up from the banner they are hastily covering with glue and glitter in a frantic attempt to complete the veritable mountain of chores foisted on the LoveMe section as part of LME's first ever Family Fun Festival scheduled for this coming weekend.
"It won't be that bad, Moko-san," promises Kyoko as she grabs the shaker bottle of gold glitter from her best friend's hand and shakes a large quantity over the glue outline of the final 'E' in WELCOME. The original member of the LoveMe section slips unconsciously into her glowing expression as a partial resident of the magic kingdom. She gently clasps her hands while an ear-to-ear grin stretches across her animated features. "It's gonna be just like a school festival only instead of all our classmates, we get to celebrate and play with all our wonderful co-workers, family and friends."
Kanae groans and flings her hands into the air. "You are impossible," she accuses the golden eyed actress before turning her attention to the third member of the cursed section. "You agree with me, right, Amamiya-san?"
Chiori expertly snaps the cap back on her industrial sized bottle of glue before glancing towards the actress she considers her senpai. She twitches her nose and lips a bit like a rabbit as she considers her answer.
"I think it will be a good experience to ad-lib with our characters," she finally replies before amending her statement. "As long as the president doesn't expect us to do anything embarrassing, we should be fine."
"Fine? MO! Have you seen the dresses we have to wear for the greeting and opening ceremony? I swear I would rather wear my stupid uniform."
Moko's negative comment about the costumes provided for the LoveMe girls for use during their greeter duties instantly returns Kyoko from her partial trip to LaLa land.
"But, Moko-san, those dresses are beautiful!" gushes the quirky young actress. "You will look utterly gorgeous in it. The length is perfect for your long legs and the cut of the bodice will nicely accent your lovely curves. You will look perfect."
"Perfectly awful," mutters Moko. "I'm gonna look like I fell into a giant garden of pink zinnias and decided to wear a blossom as my skirt."
Chiori snorts at the description. "You could always just pretend you had wings and were a flower fairy," the third LoveMe member mutters in an attempt to make a joke.
Instead of laughing, Kanae's eyes suddenly fill with fear, and she turns in horror towards her best friend. It is too late though. The image has struck LoveMe number one and both dark haired girls can do nothing but watch Kyoko's eery transformation to a full magical land inhabitant. Chiori and Kanae shudder at the blissful expression on their friend's face and whisper a silent prayer that this won't come back to bite them in their tender backsides.
"No! Absolutely not!" insists Kanae as she stomps her foot, folds her arms, and glares at the offending accessory being held towards her. The irate actress glances to her companions. One is sceptically holding her own accessory at arm's length and staring at it as if it might explode at any moment. The other is holding the newest addition to her costume as if it were made of delicate and beautiful spun glass.
"I refuse to wear this idiotic thing," Kotonami states firmly as she refuses to take the accessory from President Takarada's aide. "It's bad enough that I have to wear a hideous pink dress that not even a fashion refugee from the Isle of Ugly would wear. I will not wear that... that... thing!"
"But Moko-san," pleads a voice from further down the line of LoveMe girls. Kanae shudders and tries her best to keep from looking. Unfortunately, her will is not strong enough to resist the moaning of her best friend as she draws her nickname out once again in a pitiful whine. As if under the power of an unknown force, the actress turns to her friend. She desperately hopes that she can convince her companions to refuse the newly added contribution to their Family Fun Festival outfit. One peek at her best friend, and she knows that all is lost. Kyoko stands at the end of the line already dressed in her own ridiculously short, hideously pink, gauzy dress that unfortunately appears to have been designed by Tinkerbell's tailor. Against her chest, she clutches an elaborate set of gossamer wings in delicate shades of swirled pink, lavender and silver. The pure rapture on Kyoko's glowing face bathes the entire room in warmth.
Kanae sighs. She removes her left arm from its defiant position on her chest and holds it towards Lory's aide. Moko cringes as the man places her own set of fairy wings in her outstretched hand. She moans slightly as she wonders once more why she does the things that she does. Disgusted with herself and her costume, the actress dangles the offending wings from her fingers. She can't believe that she is going to go out in public like this.
Kanae glances once more across the room to watch Chiori assist Kyoko in attaching her wings to the back of her costume. In silence, she observes Kyoko dance around the room like a kindergarten girl at her first dance recital. The golden eyed actress radiates happiness and excitement. Kanae sighs once more before shaking her head and letting her lips quirk upwards in a soft smile.
"I blame you for this," she mutters to Chiori as the third LoveMe member approaches her to aid in affixing Kanae's wings to the back of her dress.
"It could be worse," Amamiya offers. "We could have to..."
"MO!" screeches Moko as she turns and slams her palm over Chiori's open mouth. "No more helping," she orders as her eyes glare deadly daggers at the third LoveMe girl.
Even though his face is covered by his costume veil, Lory's aide expertly schools his expression despite his amusement. No matter how professional he is, he can't control the twinkle of amusement in his eyes though as he watches the antics of the president's pink ambassadors of love.
About ten minutes later, LoveMe number two and three sedately follow a demonstrably more excited LoveMe number one from their small dressing tent situated near the side of the Takarada Mansion. The pink trio weave their way through the various stands where the final touches are being put on a wide variety of food and game stalls. As the girls round the corner of a cotton candy stand, they almost collide with a pile of boxes. The boxes are being carried in the arms of a panting man.
Concerned for the struggling LME employee whose identity is concealed by his burden, Kyoko enthusiastically offers to help him and pulls the top box off the pile. She reveals the startled and sweating face of a handsome man with soft chocolate eyes and messy brown hair. The young man has obviously been working quite hard. Kyoko smiles and asks where she can take his box.
"Just a couple rows over, Kyoko-chan," answers Yashiro Yukihito as he rests his other two boxes on the ground. He bends slightly and wipes his face with his stained t-shirt.
All three girls gape at the normally immaculate manager for LME's number one acting talent.
"Yashiro-san?" questions Kyoko sceptically.
The manager grins. "I guess I'm not exactly dressed normally today, huh?" he admits.
Kyoko grins in reply. "You look quite comfortable but don't you need your glasses?"
Yashiro retrieves his boxes from the ground as he explains that they would have been in the way today so he is wearing his contacts. The man adds that the individual talent managers are in charge of the talent show this afternoon and so he hopes she will stop by and watch a bit of it.
Carrying the third box against her chest, Kyoko diverts her path to head towards the small secondary stage that was constructed in President Takarada's huge back yard. Yashiro falls in line behind her. Sighing at the delay, Kanae and Chiori bring up the rear of the make-shift parade. When they reach the newly constructed stage, Kyoko's large box is confiscated by Toyokawa Kojiro, the manger for Bridge Rock, who quickly carries it back stage.
Yashiro thanks Kyoko for her kind assistance. Before the three LoveMe girls can leave though, the manager can't help but compliment the young actresses.
"By the way, ladies. You all look lovely in your costumes. Like perfect garden fairies," he states as his eyes take on the slightest bit of a naughty expression to accompany his grin. "Oh, and Kyko-chan. You should try to stop by and show Ren your costume. I am sure he would appreciate seeing your beautiful wings and dress."
As Kyoko nods enthusiastically and promises to show her senpai, Moko grumbles under her breath that is isn't her wings he'll be admiring.
Chiori glances at her companion with a slightly confused expression as Kyoko leads them back towards their original destination. She can't quite put her finger on it, but she knows that something about Tsuruga Ren bothers Kanae. She recognizes the symptoms of jealousy given her own struggles with the dark emotion. Amamiya just can't decide if it is professional or personal jealousy weighing the heart of her temporary companion. Although she has recently begun to feel more comfortable with the second talented actress in the LoveMe section, the Softhat loan hasn't felt comfortable enough yet about questioning her on it. Deciding that it really isn't any of her business, Chiori dismisses the thought and concentrates on following the actress she considers her senpai.
As the pink winged fairies leave the stage area, they pass Lory's aide who is carrying a large picnic basket in each arm. The gentleman stoically reminds the actresses that they are going to be late if they do not hurry. Kyoko squeals and takes off at a sprint. The handsome dark skinned man watches Kyoko's two companions rush after LoveMe number one. He shakes his head at their useless attempts to call to Kyoko and beg her to wait for them.
"Good afternoon!" greets Kyoko warmly as she smiles brightly and hands a small purple flier with a map and schedule of the days events to a cute teenage girl who is hanging on the arm of a slightly older guy. "Welcome to the first Family Fun Festival," the cute teen adds as she hands a flier to the middle-aged woman behind the teens.
"Thank you, Kyoko-san," responds the older woman as she tucks the flier into her clutch bag hanging from her wrist.
"Would you happen to know where I can find Takenori?" the woman politely inquires.
Kyoko frowns for a moment until she suddenly realizes who she is greeting. She bows formally.
"Of course, Sawara-san," she helpfully replies. Kyoko sits her basket on the ground and opens the flier in her hand. She points to a spot around the corner of the mansion in the large open field on the right side of the building. "Your husband should actually be behind the main stage here. He is in charge of the opening ceremonies. Do you know the young men in Bridge Rock? If you can't find Sawara-san, the Ishibashi big brothers could point you in the right direction. They will be there too because they are hosting the welcome."
The talent head's daughter squeals before telling her mom that she knows who the Bridge Rock guys are. The excited teen drops her arm from her boyfriend and grabs her mom's arm.
"Come on mom, lets go find dad!" she exclaims as she drags her mother into the crowd. The young girl's forgotten boyfriend sighs resignedly and follows as he mutters how much he really dislikes those Bridge Rock guys.
Kyoko retrieves her basket of fliers and turns to greet the next person. LoveMe number one welcomes more visitors for almost ten more minutes before she is approached by someone else that she recognizes.
"Hey, girl," barks a slightly cracking voice from under a baseball cap.
Kyoko greets the youth and offers him a flier. The young adolescent waves his left hand which already holds one of the yellow fliers that Kanae is handing to attendees. The boy lifts his head more and brushes back his baseball cap to reveal his face.
An almost affectionate smile graces Kyoko's lips as she recognizes the young actor who has easily grown three or four inches since she last saw him in person. "Oh, I am so glad that you were able to come, Hio-kun," expresses the actress.
The young teen blushes just slightly as he quickly glances over his shoulder towards Kyoko's best friend. "Thank you for sending me the two tickets," he grumbles as he turns to head towards his school friend who he invited to attend with him.
"Wait, Hio-kun," Kyoko calls quickly before stepping close and bending only slightly to whisper in the young actor's ear.
"Moko-san will be hosting the obstacle course between four and five today so you might want to stop by and show her what you can do," she offers.
Hio clears his throat and says in his slowly lowering voice that he'll think about it. The young celebrity then throws back his shoulders and confidently strides in the direction of his friend. Kyoko turns back to the entrance and finds Lory's aide holding a new pile of fliers for her basket. He nods in the direction of Uesugi Hio.
"You invited Uesugi-san?" he murmurs softly.
Kyoko nods happily as she holds out her basket for the older man to refill. The quiet gentleman nods in return before approaching the other LoveMe greeters with more fliers for their baskets too.
Fifteen minutes and three more baskets of maps and schedules later, Kyoko happily greets her landlords to the festival.
The young actress had given the couple their tickets weeks ago and explained that she understood if they could not come for the entire festival because of the restaurant. She had also explained that if they wanted to at least come for the fireworks in the evening after the restaurant closed, then they could use the tickets to get in the gate. Although the Taisho does not enjoy all the theatrics that always pervade LME related events, he and his wife were tickled that their sweet border invited them. The gruff man had to agree with his wife when she stated that it was their duty as surrogate parents to support their daughter in her endeavor. Thus, he had arranged for one of his retired friends to come and cook in the restaurant today. His friend kindly brought his two daughters to act in the Okami-san's stead.
"Your costume is quite lovely, Kyoko-chan," compliments the older woman. Although the Tashio is not impressed with the silly costume he is happy that it is less revealing then some of the costumes she has worn in the past.
"Thank you so much!" the actress gushes as she twirls a couple times. "See, just like a fairy."
Kyoko stops spinning. "I didn't expect you this afternoon. You didn't need to close the restaurant just to come," she expresses. Before she can apologize for forcing them to leave their business, the landlady pats her hand.
"Nonsense. We are very excited to attend your festival, Kyoko-chan, and we did not close the shop," countered the Okami-san. "The man who taught my husband to cook is actually enjoying himself today as he shows off his skills. We have everything covered."
Her husband grunts as he opens the flier and scans the map with a confused frown.
"We wouldn't have missed the festival that you worked so hard to help create," the Taisho states. "Even if it meant closing."
Kyoko gushes her thanks as the older man takes his wife's arm and leads her into the festival grounds on their way to investigate the food stalls available.
Although every LME employee was given ten tickets, Kyoko could only think of four people that she wanted to invite. She had given two tickets to Hio and two to her landlords. She and Chiori had both given four tickets to Kanae in order to force her to invite her family. Ren, having overheard the LoveMe trio discussing how to secure the three additional tickets for the huge Kotonami family, had kindly offered three of his to make the full 21 needed.
Kyoko's final two tickets had been sent to the delicate young man who rushes up to Kyoko just a few minutes before she is supposed to leave her greeter duties.
Director Ogata and his date, Asami Haruki, have both chosen to wear yukata in honor of attending the festival. Ogata's indigo summer robe is accented with a white and indigo striped obi. Asami wears a cream one with soft colored blossoms and a dark green obi. Both guests smile happily and compliment Kyoko on her costume. The director thanks Kyoko for kindly sending him tickets. He then laughs as he admits that Tsuruga sent him a pair too which Asami shared with her friend. Ogata smiles as if he has brought a lovely surprise for Kyoko. He steps back to reveal his supposed gift.
"Yo, Kyoko. What do they have you wearing now? Does your boss have an ulcer or something since all your uniforms are the color of pink digestive tablets?"
Kyoko stiffens at the sight of her previous prince and the current bane of her existence. Valiantly, she pastes a convincing smile on her face as she greets the Akatoki talent and his manager in her most professional and congenial manner.
Sho snorts.
"Mom would be so proud that you haven't forgotten what she taught you," the musician comments.
Before Kyoko can reply, Lory's aide taps her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me miss," he interrupts. "It is time for you to head to the stage for the opening ceremony.
Although Kyoko glances at her pink LoveMe watch and realizes that she should have five more minutes of greeting, she grabs the offered opportunity and hastily retreats while calling her goodbyes in her wake.
The silent man watches as Fuwa does his best to chase after the fleeing fairy, but he is recognized by a group of teen-aged girls who quickly put a stop to his pursuit as they scramble around him for autographs and pictures. Sho's manager rushes towards the gathering crowd to help protect her charge and also to protect the crowd from his possible bitterness from being thwarted in his chase.
The veiled man overhears Ogata lament that he had thought inviting Fuwa would be a nice surprise for Kyoko since they seemed so close during the Dark Moon filming. Asami pats her long-time friend's arm.
"It's okay, Hiroaki. You definitely gave her a surprise," assures his date.
Behind his veil, the aide again shows no emotion but in his mind he decides that he is quite positive that Kyoko could stand to have less surprises of that type in her life.
A/N: Ah, I know that I have two other stories going already and I probably should hold off on this one but Kuu and Dark are giving me fits for some reason so I decided to do this short little idea that I got when I was planning out the fairy tales for Innocent Whispers while I search for the proper weapons to use to knock my favorite character and my demon dude into submission. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this distraction... Me