Merry Christmas, happily holidays, and many thanks for all my readers for their support this past year. I still own nothing.
Takarada Lory looked down at his phone and tried valiantly not to sigh. He had told his granddaughter repeatedly that sighing let good luck escape, and there was no reason to bemoan one's existence. You simply did your best with what you had and good things came of it. It probably helped that in his case, Lory had more good luck than he really knew what to do with.
Which was why he was so concerned about his efforts with Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko. True, there was something going on between them. But it could not be called a "relationship." Cain and Setsuka Heel had reduced the awkwardness between the two actors, made them more comfortable around each other, and had them trading secrets and jokes with ease and smiles.
"Hooray for hiding behind the façade of siblings," he grumbled, looking over a railing down into LA Hearts where Ren and Kyoko were currently having lunch with Yashiro acting as the uncomfortable third wheel at the table, trying to escape and being dragged over and over again back into the conversation. Beside Lory, Maria stood on her tiptoes, peeking over the edge as best as she could and frowning.
"What do you mean, Grandpa? Aren't they having fun? And they're keeping Yashiro-san there, so no one will gossip about them like they did earlier in the summer. Poor Onee-sama. It was such a shock for her."
"I still haven't forgiven Ren for that," Lory muttered. "It was a perfect opportunity and not only did he let it pass, he bungled it so badly that this is the result. I could kill him."
"Grandpa, you can't keep trying to set them up together. I'm going to marry Ren-sama."
"At this rate, you just might," her grandfather agreed with a pout. "Why are they so slow!"
"Onee-sama isn't interested in men," Maria reminded her grandfather. "She keeps telling you that. Why won't you let it go?"
"Because she's lying," Lory said firmly. "I'm sure of it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she was already passionately, overwhelmingly in love with Ren and just too silly to do anything about it."
"If she was in love with him, she would have told me," Maria challenged with a touch of asperity. "She'd let me know so that we could be proper rivals."
"Maria, have you ever considered that she could be aware of her feelings and might be hiding them because she thinks that you have a better chance of snagging Ren, even with the age gap?" His granddaughter stared and blinked.
"But… But… That makes no sense! Onee-sama is a good person and would tell me! She wouldn't imagine such a crazy thing."
"So you don't think you would beat her?" Lory asked, amused. Maria blushed.
"Of all the girls Ren-sama knows," she said with as much haughtiness as she could muster, "he likes Onee-sama and I the best. If he had to pick one of us right now, he'd pick her because of his work and his image. But since Onee-sama doesn't want him, I have time to grow up and be far too pretty and amazing for anyone to complain."
"Do you want to take him from Mogami-kun?"
"I'm not taking him! He's both of ours, and she doesn't want him for anything special." Lory sighed.
"I wonder," he mused, looking back down again into the dining area, watching Kyoko sigh and bury her face in her hands as Ren and his manager walked away down the hall. She did not look like a girl who was in emotional equilibrium. "Would you hate her if she did love Ren?"
"Why? I might punish her for not telling me, but Ren-sama is the best. Of course she would fall in love with him."
"What about Ren? Do you think he could fall in love with her?"
"Well, he does already love her," Maria pointed out. "He takes care of her and worries about her and is a good friend to her. Kind of like a brother. And she is amazing. I guess he would only have to notice that she is a woman and she could trap him."
"So how would you suggest pointing out to him that Kyoko is a woman?" Lory asked, trying to restrain an amused smile.
"Well, he sees her looking pretty all the time. I guess that doesn't affect him very much." Lory choked on a snort, but Maria did not notice. "Maybe he thinks she's too young? After all, she is still in her teens, and people treat Ren-sama like he's in his late twenties, even though he's only four years older than her."
"Age might be the problem," Lory agreed. "But I don't know-" Suddenly, he smiled. One of those smiles that Maria had come to dread. "Maria, Kyoko's birthday this year will be her eighteenth, right?"
"Yes. But I don't see why that-"
"You don't need to. Come on. We've got plans to make. We'll need to have our Christmas party early this year, by the way."
"Why?"
"Because Kyoko and Ren are going to be busy on your birthday. They'll be out of town."
"What? But they didn't say anything yesterday when I talked to them!"
"That's because they don't know it yet." Maria groaned as her grandfather practically skipped up to his office, stroking his chin and grinning madly.
~…~
"Hello President," Kyoko greeted with a bow, taking the proffered chair and smoothing her skirt as she sat down. He gave her a smile.
"Hello Mogami-kun. I'm glad to see you are in good spirits. Are you looking forward to Christmas?"
"Yes. Maria gave me the invitation to her party just now. I was a little sad that she didn't invite me to help, but she insisted that I be just a guest this year. I guess she was worried about me being trapped in the kitchen again."
"She's a good girl," Lory agreed. "How are you and Ren doing?" He noticed her stiffen for a second before she answered.
"No one really comments about us anymore," she answered. "We mostly only meet openly at LME, and the staff here doesn't encourage rumors spreading, thanks to you. Everyone else has accepted that we are just friends since Dark Moon and that is all."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Well, I think it's strange to think that Tsuruga-san would take me as a friend, but he keeps telling me I shouldn't think like that and I'm getting better about not 'talking myself down' all the time," she answered, her mouth awkwardly forming Ren's frustrated reprimand.
"Well, I suppose that's better than it could be," Lory sighed, adjusting something on his desk so that his Father Christmas sleeve would stop getting caught on it. "Have you two been getting enough time together?"
"Sir? We see each other from time to time, as one would expect, since he's so busy all the time. Sometimes we'll talk on the phone if something time sensitive comes up."
"I guess I'm just wondering if you've finished adjusting. I know both of you had some problems right after you stopped acting as Cain and Setsuka. It was an abrupt transition and I think that contributed to the rumors that started floating around back in July." Kyoko winced.
"It's still a little strange sometimes," she admitted slowly. "Especially when he's making fun of me. I have a hard time remembering to not call him Cain and start responding like Setsu would. I still don't see why people think I was flirting with him though." Lory did not answer. He would not have been able to keep a straight face.
"Well, I've been thinking about it," he told her. "I do feel like you and Ren did not have time to say goodbye to those characters, like you have with your others. No ending party or anything like that."
"Does every drama or movie end with a cast party?"
"I suppose not. But the party does add a sense of closure, wouldn't you agree? You don't have trouble with accidently becoming Natsu or Mio, do you?"
"Not really. Although, I don't see most of the cast from Dark Moon or Box R."
"True. Well, I'll think about it some more. Have you had any job offers over Christmas?"
"Just the one tomorrow. Not over the holiday itself."
"Ah. The commercial. Are you excited?"
"Well, it's not my first commercial, so I feel more calm than I have about my role in Fading Summers. I've never had a male costar that is the villain with me, and I was worried about that, even though it has turned out alright so far. I feel like I know what to expect with the commercial a bit more."
"How are you handling Shizuka's character for your drama?"
"Well, her obsession with her partner is a little hard to convey, but the director hasn't complained about it yet. And Tsuruga-san has helped explain some things to me that have helped."
"Really?" Kyoko flushed.
"Yes. It's really remarkable how good of a professional he is. I wish I could be that dedicated to acting."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine. As for the commercial, it's for gifts that are perfect for Christmas couples right? Sounds like your taking the LoveMe initiative seriously." Kyoko's face darkened slightly.
"Yes. It's not something I would normally like, but I don't have any conflicts, and I feel that it would be arrogant to turn down an offer that I need and might help my image. And Tsuruga-san pointed out that if I ever wanted to be cast in my ideal roles, I would need to learn how to act romantically, because most of the characters that I would want to play would most likely be involved in a romance."
"How thoughtful of him."
"I'm grateful that he's willing to scold me when I become ridiculous."
"Well, I hope you two will continue to get along. And I'll see what I can do about a cast party for Cain and Setsuka. You two deserve a break anyway."
"Thank you, sir."
~…~
Kyoko sat stiffly next to Ren on his couch, trying valiantly not to cuddle up to him, put her arms around his neck, and tuck her head under his chin. The hardest part about getting used to touching Cain had been accepting how easy it was to touch her senpai. When her own embarrassment should have stopped her, Kyoko had simply stopped thinking and let her limbs do what they wanted. They had wanted to be around Ren. A lot. Now it was a hard habit to fight.
"So the filming went well?"
"Yes. My costar was pretty well behaved. It was his first time acting in an even slightly romantic role as well, so he was a bit stiff at first, but once I convinced him that I wasn't any more experienced than he was, he seemed to settle down some."
"Did he ask for your number?" She felt a certain tenseness coming from his side of the couch.
"Yes. How did you know? I told him I only had a work phone and I didn't feel comfortable using it for personal calls, which I felt bad about later because I realized I call you all the time."
"Well, normally it's about something related to your work." He had relaxed. She was not sure what had bothered him, but she tried not to think about it too much anymore. He always reassured her that she was not the source of his anger, and she could not ever figure out why he did get angry. The closest she had ever come to an answer was Kanae suggesting again that he was jealous, but why Tsuruga Ren would be jealous of anything having to do with her, Kyoko had no idea.
"Anyway, the filming went well. We mostly held hands and showed off the gifts that we had been given. He kissed my cheek once. Well, a half dozen times because he kept blushing afterwards and the director said he was being silly."
Ren's hand reached out and stroked her cheek a few times, his gaze a bit serious. "Were you alright?"
"Yes. I remembered what you said about acting and getting used to touching my costars. I just pretend it isn't me, which is more or less true anyway. And I try to be as professional as I can afterwards, so that they don't mistake my behavior as anything other than a temporary work arrangement."
"See? You're doing just fine," he smiled, stroking her cheek one more time. She wished he would stop. She was having a hard time not leaning into his hand. "You've grown a lot these last couple of years, haven't you?"
"Well, in some ways," she agreed with a sigh. "In others I'm as ignorant as ever. I'm really worried about what I'm going to do later when I'm given roles that are even more romantic. I don't know how I'm going to hide my ignorance, even if I am professional enough to not let the actual contact bother me."
"You'll cross that bridge when you come to it," Ren reassured her. He changed the subject abruptly. "Are you ready for Maria's Christmas party?"
"Yes. I was surprised that it was so soon. I don't know if I'll be able to finish her gift by this weekend. But I think she'll like it."
"Is it another doll?" Ren asked in amusement. Kyoko stuttered for a few moments before she found her voice again.
"I didn't mean to be officious! And it isn't another doll, I promise. I haven't given one to anyone else, I swear! And I got rid of most of my old ones and-" She stopped, slamming her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said. Ren had an odd look on his face, a bit dazed and slightly amused.
"You have your own dolls of me? More than one?" Kyoko whimpered. Ren tried to hide his laughter by covering his mouth, but he was very soon in stiches, hunched over and trying not to fall onto the floor.
"It isn't funny!" Kyoko snapped. Ren snorted and tried to compose himself, tears in the corners of his eyes.
"So, what do you do with these dolls?" he asked with a smile, another chuckle escaping.
"Nothing," was her biting retort. "I just make them. It started from me being too cheap to buy voodoo dolls and turned into… that." His amusement made her anger flare, but she was glad that he was not angry at her. Really, it was embarrassing how many tiny versions of him that she had lying around. And it had been incredibly hard to get rid of her old ones.
"You aren't cursing me with them, are you?"
"No! How could I be so ungrateful?"
"Well, then I guess there is no harm in it." He paused for a moment, looking at her thoughtfully. "How realistic are they?"
"You saw Maria's, didn't you?"
"Yes. That wasn't exactly what I meant." Kyoko felt her cheeks burning.
"Oh, you mean- I don't- Umm. They're not… completely realistic," she tried, twisting her fingers together. "That would be… wrong."
"I guess so." Kyoko stared. Did this man have no sense of decency?
"It would be very, very wrong," she told him sternly. "Completely inappropriate. And I couldn't do it," she added.
"Why?"
"Don't ask indecent questions!" Ren chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"But you make such cute faces," he smiled, making her freeze. "How else am I going to get to see them?"
"Nii-san," she sighed, "you're not supposed to come out and play anymore. We're done working now." Ren frowned.
"Why is it that every time that I compliment you, you assume that Cain is the one talking?"
"Isn't it?" she asked, confused. "Because Tsuruga-san would have no reason to say those sorts of things to me." He leaned back, covering his eyes with his hand.
"Sometimes, I am very scared for you," he groaned. "I shouldn't keep letting you come over and cook me dinner. You're just way too vulnerable."
"Huh?"
"Time for you to go home," he said, standing and offering her his hand, ignoring her confusion. "Your landlords will be waiting."
"…Right."
~…~
Maria looked out over the guests and smiled happily. She and her grandfather had worked hard for this party, and she was proud of the results. The guests were chatting merrily over delicious food, the dance floor was full of twirling and laughter, and the entrance this year was much less ostentatious. Even if it was garnering a good deal of attention.
"Still busy?" a voice asked from behind her, amused and a bit wistful. Maria turned around and jumped into her father's arms. He had arrived that morning and spent the day with her. It had been a bit awkward at first, but they both had adjusted. Maria had had to leave him early to prepare for the party and was glad to see him again. He held her for a long moment before putting her down again and straightening her dress. "You've done an excellent job."
"Thank you. Grandfather did most of the hard work though. And he helped me when I got stuck. I'll be done greeting guests soon though. Once Onee-sama and Ren-sama get here that should be everyone. Based on when they said they would arrive, they should get here last."
"Tsuruga-san is coming with a girl? That's a first."
"Because they are good friends," Maria said promptly, a small frown on her face. "Onee-sama doesn't want to be in a relationship and Ren-sama isn't interested in anyone. He always says so." Kuoki gave his daughter a smile, but he shook his head.
"Part of being a celebrity is protecting people that you care about by pretending to be less interested in them than you actually are. Your mother was very careful with what she told reporters when she was dating me. Even after we were married she tended to be very careful about what she said in interviews. If Tsuruga-san was interested in a girl, he might try and protect her by not talking about it, especially since he is so popular."
"I suppose…" Maria mumbled, glancing off towards the entrance to see if her favorite people had arrived yet.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon," her father told her. "I'll go mingle for a little longer and you can come and find me when you're ready."
"Yes!"
~…~
Kyoko stepped out of the car and accepted Ren's hand with a bit of concern. She made sure her feet were stable before she let go. While she thought the dress and shoes were beautiful, she felt like she was going to fall over in the tall, thin heels. She was used to pretending she was unbothered by her clothing, but she would always prefer traditional Japanese outfits, where both her feet were placed firmly on the ground.
"Relax," Ren told her, linking his arm through hers. "You look stunning. You'll fit right in. And Maria would be glad to see you even if you showed up in rags."
"Would she be glad to see me with a twisted ankle?" Kyoko mumbled, earning a chuckled from her escort. "How did you convince me to let you do this?"
"I said please," he answered. "And you wanted to dress up for this anyway."
"The president volunteered to get me something if I needed it. And you told me not to randomly accept clothing from men."
"But it wasn't random. This is a very specific event. And we're friends, aren't we?"
"It was the shameless puppy face," Kyoko grumbled. "If you would just stop using that I would be able to say no."
"Well, that's a very poor incentive for me to stop using it. Come on. I think I just saw Kotonami-san enter."
Ren was right. Kanae had arrived just ahead of her best friend. But Kyoko's first glimpse of her was in the middle of the entryway, grinding something under her foot as a couple of footmen tried to revive a young man lying on the floor next to her. Kyoko recognized the man as one of Kanae's costars in her current drama.
"Mo- Kanae-san, what's wrong?" she asked in a worried tone, releasing Ren and hurrying over to her friend. "Did you… Moko-san did you hit him?"
"Mistletoe," Kanae spat, glaring down at the boy on the floor and jabbing her finger at the green smudge under her toes. "Our president's idea, no doubt. That… man was standing the closest to me when I walked in." Kanae looked behind Kyoko to see Ren with a slightly disappointed look on his face. "You're lucky I got here first," she observed.
"Oh yes," Kyoko agreed a bit breathlessly, trying to not imagine what might have happened if Kanae had not ground the offensive plant under her foot. If Ren had not been the one to kiss her, which would have been plenty terrifying, she might have had to give her lips to a stranger.
"Should we all head in?" Ren asked. "I think Maria isn't going to stop laughing until we greet her, and the president looks like he's about to cry."
"Well, he shouldn't come up with stupid ideas if he doesn't want his feelings hurt," Kanae snapped, grabbing Kyoko and hauling the girl into the room. "Come on. Let's go say hello to our hosts."
Kyoko smiled and allowed herself to be dragged along, greeting Maria and Lory happily, pleasantly ignorant of the looks she was getting. When picking her outfit, Ren had balanced showiness and modesty wonderfully, knowing what she would find comfortable, knowing how much he could handle, and knowing how much he wanted other people looking at her. The dress was white, long, and slim. Her hair had been pinned back simply and her makeup was natural. Ren was proud of the results and was glad that Kyoko had not argued with him too much as she had been dressed.
"Did you tell her the dress was a birthday present, or did you come up with some other trick to get her to wear it?" Lory asked as he shook Ren's hand.
"Other trick. I'm still working on the birthday present and I don't need to have another fight with her over whether or not I'm allowed to get her two gifts."
"I'm shocked there isn't a paper bag for her head in that ensemble."
"She's an actress, President. People are going to look at her a lot. I don't have to like it, but I do have to learn to live with it."
"Sometimes it amazes me how mature you can pretend to be."
Lory was distracted then by Maria, who wanted to know where her father was. She dragged Kyoko and Kanae off to greet Kuoki and left Ren to glance around in search of other people he should be greeting. He spotted Yashiro in a corner talking to several other people, but decided not to approach. His manager did not always have time to relax and socialize, and even if Yashiro did relax around Ren when they were alone, if they were in public together he always behaved like he was at work. Director Ogata was in another corner and Ren went to say hello, congratulating the director on his upcoming movie. Once he moved across the room, Ren caught people's attention and was quickly surrounded and bombarded with questions and season's greetings.
"He looks like he's going to die," Kanae commented as she and Kyoko visited the buffet table, getting food for themselves and the younger Takaradas. "I mean, he's smiling, but he's being mobbed. It doesn't seem real."
"He's more likely to kill someone," Kyoko commented offhandedly. Kanae shuddered.
"How can you like someone like that?"
"I respect him," Kyoko said firmly, her hand clenching around her drink. "Having a temper and still behaving politely is a good skill to have, especially as an actor." She was quiet for a long moment, her face distant. "And I think he's worked very hard to get to where he is."
"You're never going to tell me what happened, are you?" Kanae asked with a huff, grabbing her own glass and carefully balancing two plates. "That whole fiasco this summer didn't just spring from nowhere, and I know it."
"I already said-"
"You can't talk about it. Fine. I get it. I'm not angry about you keeping secrets anymore. We've made up and are friends again. But that doesn't mean I'm not worried." She watched Kyoko for a moment and sighed. "You do realize your eyes haven't left him for more than a minute since you walked in, right?"
Kyoko paled, her eyes growing huge. Her lip started to tremble. "Please, Moko-san, don't say it. Please, please don't say it again. It's not- I'm not- I won't look anymore. I'm not obsessed or crazy or desperate or anything, I swear!"
"Mo, would you calm down! Maria-chan is going to have a heart attack if she sees you like that. I'm not going to say anything so calm down. I'm not trying to attack you. It was a friendly warning, so that no one else gets ideas."
"Thank you," Kyoko gasped, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I'll be alright now."
"Would it be so terrible," Kanae asked, "if you did have feelings for him?"
"Moko-san, we've talked about this. I can't-"
"Take a chance falling in love again. I know. I heard you. But if your biggest concern is how he acts towards you, then would it be so horrid if you liked him? If you can like him and behave the way you do now and he doesn't have a clue, would it really be that dangerous?"
"Yes." Kanae gave Kyoko a cold stare.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing. I just-"
"When you feel like being honest," Kanae snapped, "we can be best friends again. I don't care if it is just lying to yourself, I don't need a friend or a rival that can't be honest." She stormed off before Kyoko could answer, handing over the food she had brought and starting a conversation with Kuoki about his work. Kyoko did not interrupt her, but devoted her attention to Maria, smiling as cheerfully as she could. She would not embarrass her friend, her boss, or her senpai by breaking down into tears right here. She had been through enough painful experiences over the past several months to have learned how to keep a straight face in front of strangers.
She would cry herself to sleep alone, where no one was listening. It was easier to pretend she felt nothing in that solitary darkness.
~…~
"Mogami-kun, Ren, come here!" Lory called, waving them over to the gift table. Most of the guests had left already. Kuoki had taken Maria up to bed with her new stuffed rabbit, Kyoko's present, and Ren had thought it was finally time to get Kyoko home. She looked very tired. And stressed.
"What is it?" Kyoko asked, glancing around. Lory smiled.
"My present to you. Don't worry, Yashiro and I worked on it together so everything should be perfect."
"Sir?" Ren asked, his brow furrowing. Anything Yashiro had helped with meant schedule rearranging. Any changes in scheduling meant-
"You're going on vacation!" he told the nervous couple, throwing his arms up in the air and smiling. "The theme for the trip is 'Family Centered Christmas' and the two of you get to spend Christmas with your families."
Ren and Kyoko both stiffened.
"I don't think-" Ren began.
"I know. You don't think you have time, and it could be troublesome, and then there's this thing where you don't want anyone meeting your parents," Lory agreed, waving these concerns away with his hand. "But this is a special family Christmas. You'll be spending it with your sister." Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Sir, I don't have a sister."
"And Mogami-kun doesn't have an older brother. Yes, yes, I know. Jelly will have to prep you before you leave, but I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun. And I'll be sending you down to Kyoto, so it should be nice and nostalgic for both of you."
"Tsuruga-san has been to Kyoto?" Kyoko asked, looking up at him in confusion.
"When I was younger, yes. I lived there for a very brief period of time."
"Since he won't let anyone meet his parents, and since I promised you a cast party, I figured a vacation in Kyoto would be best," Lory explained. "You'll get to wrap up your roles as siblings at long last, and since you did live there for a long time, you should be able to visit people once the roles are over, Mogami-kun. I know you may not really want to see anyone, but this is a chance for you to try. And you won't be alone," he added gently.
"I would hate to inconvenience Tsuruga-san by dragging him along," Kyoko protested. "I'm sure he has better things to do than-"
"We'll go," Ren interrupted. "It will be good for both of us to get out and have a vacation."
"Excellent. You'll head out on the twenty second and have two days in character before Christmas itself. Hopefully you can wrap things up in that time. Then is Kyoko's eighteenth birthday, and since you'll be the only one there to celebrate it with her, you better make it count, Ren."
Ren could not be absolutely sure, but he was fairly certain he had never wanted to strangle his boss more than he did just then. He opted for smiling more widely instead.
"I'm sure Kyoko's friends will want to celebrate with her before or after the trip."
"You're planning on shirking?" Lory asked with a large grin. "There's no day more special than the actual birthday, you know. And this is her eighteenth."
"President, Tsuruga-san doesn't have any obligation to do anything for me," Kyoko protested, looking between the men anxiously. "Honestly, I don't expect him to-"
"Mogami-san, the president is teasing me because he has been very bored lately. Don't mind what he says. I'll be happy to share your birthday with you, and I will not be troubled at all."
Kyoko nodded in acceptance, but was inwardly very concerned. This trip looked like a recipe for disaster, and Kyoko just wanted to go home and stay by herself. Let the president complain about his love initiative. She was not looking forward to Christmas anymore.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks as ever to Will who put up with editing at a rather crazy time for her, and who will probably be having to work at even more inconvenient times for the next chapters.