Chapter Ni (Two) people! Ready for it?
Too bad. I've got a quick message first. Guess, hehe, I probably should have mentioned this in my first author's note, but I'll put it on here, and even bold it so you all will read it. Howzat?
IMPORTANT NOTICE: I UPDATE MY STORIES ONCE A WEEK, ON MONDAYS.
This way, everything is at a set schedule. Don't keep checking back here, except on Mondays, as those are the only days I post. I made this schedule to ensure that I have enough time between school and band to write out the chapter.
I bet all those who skip over the author's note (it's okay, I do it sometimes too) got the memo. It's not shouting, by the way, it's just to make sure you guys know my schedule. ;D Just think of it as a TV show: a new episode airs on Monday each week. Sorry about not stating that earlier.
San. Ni. Ichi….Go!
Burning Blue: Chapter Two
"Hello?" Ren asked as he answered Takarada Lory, the president of LME's, call.
"Ah, Ren! I was wondering if perhaps you could meet me in my office tomorrow morning? I've checked your schedule and I believe you're free at the time!" Lory exclaimed. Well, the man exclaimed pretty much everything. It's hard not to when you're riding an elephant, or marching at the head of a parade. Which Lory often was. At this moment, though, he was merely sitting in his office, petting a leopard.
Ren sighed. (No, not because of the leopard. He would if he knew about it, though.) "Alright, Takarada-san. I'll be there. This doesn't have anything to do with Mogami-san, does it?"
Lory had to keep from laughing. Of course it had something to do with Kyoko! Playing matchmaker was much too fun to abstain from. "No, of course not, Ren! Buh-bye!" He hung up, leaving Ren staring at his phone.
Suddenly exhausted, Ren began to massage his temple. "Why can I never believe a word that man says?"
…
Kotonami Kanae sat, arms crossed, outside of Takarada Lory's office. Why, oh why, did he wish to see her? She had a busy schedule, you know. But not as busy as the man's sitting across from her.
Okay, Kanae might have understood if it was just her talking to Lory. But why was she going in with Tsuruga-san? Right now, he sat across from her, on a plush bench against the opposite wall. As far as Kanae could tell, nothing connected the two of them, except maybe…
…
"Kyoko-chan! Hey!" Takumi called, running after the young actress as she was about to exit the doors of the building.
Turning around, she smiled and waved to Takumi. "What is it, Akiyama-san?"
Catching up to her, he stopped and gave her a toothy grin. "Listen, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come with me for some tea and miso soup? I was thinking we could run through our lines for the next scene together, and just enjoy a nice break from filming."
Don't even think it. I know you are. Drop that thought immediately. I have already explained that young Takumi harbors no feelings of love for Kyoko. Rather, the two have become like brother and sister. Siblings do actually go out to eat with each other. You just don't see it often because most times, siblings have a tendency to hate each other. Or at least fight all the time. Don't ask me why.
You 'only children' won't understand this.
Uh, right. Kyoko and Takumi…brother/sister relationship. Remember that.
"Sure, I'd love to!" Kyoko replied, happy that her schedule was actually free until noon, leaving her three empty hours this morning. She'd been planning on visiting Tsuruga-san, but when she called, Yashiro-san said he was busy. In an important meeting with Takarada-san, or something like that.
As they exited the building, Takumi pointed to his car, a small station wagon. Kyoko was a bit surprised by its beat-up state, knowing that he could easily afford better. When she posed the question to him, he shrugged it off. "I bought this car when I was sixteen, after several odd jobs. I love it, and I refuse to get rid of it until its time."
Kyoko nodded. "I understand." The two walked over and Takumi gestured for Kyoko to get in. She happily did so. Once she was situated, she looked up at the driver's seat and asked, "Hey, Akiyama-san? I-uh, I know this is presumptuous but-"
"Come now, Kyoko-chan, spit it out already!" Takumi said, already smiling to himself, since he had a guess what her question might be.
Taking a deep breath, Kyoko said quickly, "Can I call you Takumi-kun?" Nervous, she closed her eyes, but ended up peeking through the slits to see Takumi's reaction.
Laughing, Takumi turned around and gave her a thumbs-up. "Of course!" he said. "We're friends, aren't we?"
'Friends'.
The word echoed around in Kyoko's head as she sat in the backseat, becoming lost in a dream world, as she was prone to do.
…
Kyoko's best friend was not so happy.
If she had to listen to another word from the president's mouth, she felt like she was going to explode in rage. Why? It had to with LoveMe's next assignment.
Ahem. To quote Mr. Takarada: "Kotonami-kun, Ren-san, thank you both for choosing on this day to meet with me."
As if we had a choice. Surprisingly, though the two would never know, Kanae and Ren had exactly the same thought at that moment.
"Now, I have called you both here to talk of a very important person."
Oh no, it is about Kyoko. The planets must have been aligned on this day, for two people to be having exact, word for word thoughts at exact, second for second time.
"You see, I want to do something for this person, and it also involves helping another important person." After stating this, he glanced pointedly at Ren.
Oh God, he means Ren.
Oh God, he means me.
"I believe that these two people, namely the latter I mentioned, need to be given a kick in the rear to realize-" Takarada halted as he found himself hastily interrupted by Ren.
"Sir, I can only guess as to what you're talking about, but why does it involve myself and Kotonami-san? And should you really be meddling in these two people's lives? Perhaps they don't want your help."
Lory flapped a hand. "Ridiculous. Whether they want it or not, my help is entirely needed. And, as you seem to have guessed, it involves you two because you," and here he glanced at Ren, "are one of the people in question."
Kanae had somehow managed to remain silent through this, but now she had to speak. "Mo! How does this involve me?"
Lory sat back and rested his hands on his lap, smiling devilishly. We all know this is never a good sign. "It involves you, Kotonami-kun, because you are the LoveMe member I am assigning my all-important task to."
Sighing, Kanae asked, "What's the 'task'?"
Now, Kanae sighed because of Lory's puppy-dog eyes, of which he gave her right after stating his sentence. Obviously, he had wanted her to ask what it was. And surprisingly enough, turning down a middle-aged man with puppy-dog eyes is harder than it seems…as Kanae just found out.
Perking up, Lory answered, eyes twinkling mischievously, "Your task is to help me force Ren to confess his undying love for Kyoko."
"WHAT?" Ren leaped out of his chair. "What are you talking about, Takarada-san?" he asked nervously, taking furtive sidelong glances at Kanae. "Haha, that's a wonderful joke sir! Really, it truly is! Oh, you got us-"
"Stow it already, Tsuruga-san. Mo, you really do like Kyoko. And hear I'd thought maybe my eyes were tricking me, for the likelihood is just so small," Kanae said, raising an eyebrow at Ren's shocked expression. Well, okay, he had a shocked expression for a moment. But then it got replaced by his 'Gentlemanly Smile.'
Squinting, Kanae held her hand above her eyes, as if shielding them from a light. "Mo! Kyoko was right, that is a scary face."
Ren's smile grew broader. "What face? Scary? Me?" he asked innocently.
"Sit down, Ren," Lory commanded. "Now, Kotonami-kun, like I said, I'd like you to help get Mogami-kun and Ren-san together as a couple."
Crossing her arms, Kanae leaned back in her chair. "And how do you propose I do that?" she asked. "I'm a member of the LoveMe section too, if you recall. Something about missing a vital emotion? Why do you want me to help get a couple together?"
Lory nodded. "I understand your reasoning. However, what I ask of you isn't that hard. My request is that you spend a little time with Ren, to better understand his feelings for Mogami-kun, and then push, subtly mind you, Mogami-kun towards Ren. Direct conversations and inevitably thoughts to him, bring him to her mind. And maybe, that girl will learn to love again."
And thus everything turns full circle.
As I said at the beginning, Kanae was not very happy. Well, actually 'exploding with rage' was how I put it, wasn't it? And now you know why.
Kanae didn't want to help the president with one of his stupid schemes. She didn't want to be a double-agent against her friend. She didn't want to play matchmaker. And most importantly, she didn't want to lose her best friend to some guy, even if it was the super gentleman Tsuruga-san.
However, she wanted to see her friend happy, because that would make her happy. Kyoko's moods could sometimes be infectious. The only problem was: Kyoko was very, very dense when it came to love. There was no possible way she would believe her sempai, Tsuruga Ren, Japan's Number One Hottest Male, who could literally have any woman he could want, would fall for her. Not possible.
In fact, Kanae hadn't quite believed it herself the first time she learned of Ren's infatuation. She began to put the pieces together after watching how Ren acted around Kyoko. At first, she doubted his feelings were real, but upon closer observation, her worries were assuaged, and she began to truly believe that Ren loved her friend.
Ren, at the moment, was shocked. Kanae knew? If she knew, then maybe others did! And if others did-what if they told Kyoko? She wasn't ready to know his feelings just yet! She was still in high school! Okay, so she'd be graduating in a few months, but still!
"Would you quit with the deer-in-headlights I'm-so-horrified look! It's not very obvious, Ren, I promise. It's only apparent to those who know you well, or those rare few who can tell by how you look at the person." Lory drummed his fingers on his desk.
Ren looked at Kanae, who was still turning the assignment over in her head. "What about her? She doesn't know me very well!"
Lory held up a finger. "Ah, but she has seen you plenty of times around Mogami-kun, which would make it much easier for her to figure out. Right, Kotonami-kun?"
Blinking, Kanae started after being called to attention. "What, mo? Oh, yeah, that's how I figured it out. And don't worry, your secret's safe with me." All of a sudden, Kanae's face grew dark and menacing. "But if you ever lay a finger on Kyoko with the tiniest bit of intent to harm her, or your feelings ever turn out to be false, I will hunt you down and skin you for a throw rug. Do you understand me?"
Ren nodded, face dead serious. "I understand. But trust me when I say that I will do all in my power to keep Mogami-san safe from all harm, and that my feelings will never be false."
A clap from Lory's hands brought their attention back to the president of LME. "Then it's settled!" he said gleefully. "Kotonami-kun, you have your new assignment! Ren, maybe with a little help you might stand a chance. Now off you go!"
…
Takarada Maria couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Ren, her precious Ren-sama, loved her onee-sama? How was this possible? Before she could brood over the matter anymore, the clump of feet on the floor alerted her that Ren-sama and that mean girl would be leaving the room soon.
Hurriedly, Maria scurried away from the door to her grandfather's office, where she had been eavesdropping on their private conversation, and sought a place of solitude. When she found one, underneath the staircase, she set herself to the all important task of brooding.
Ren-sama liked Onee-sama. How could this happen? How?
Well, at least Maria knew that Onee-sama wasn't hurting Maria herself. From the sounds of it, Onee-sama didn't have a clue Ren-sama liked her. BUT-he liked her. Not Maria. Onee-sama.
Maria was torn. Normally, she would chase the girls after Ren-sama away. But the other way around? And with one of her most respected people? How could she stop Ren-sama, if he really loved Onee-sama? Plus, it was Onee-sama. Maria would never hurt her big sister.
Muttering darkly under her breath, Maria pulled out a candle and began to sort through her mind as to what type of curse/prayer would be appropriate in a situation like this. Or rather, whether a curse or prayer was appropriate.
Which one? Maria couldn't decide, but finally her eyes widened as she realized what to ask her candle for.
Lighting it, she closed her eyes, thinking, Please let Ren-sama be together happily with the one he loves.
…
Kanae glanced up nervously at Ren as they walked out of the president's office and down the hallways. He was annoyingly silent. Finally, after a good distance from Lory's workplace, Ren stopped and turned to Kanae. "Kotonami-san, you don't have to do what he says."
Instead of answering, Kanae kept walking. Man, this situation was awkward. Just…grah! Spinning around on her heel, she jabbed her finger against Ren's chest. "Listen up, you! First, he'll probably fire me if I don't do what he says. That man is not normal! Second, I want Kyoko to be happy. I know, at least at the moment, she likes being around you, even if she doesn't love you…yet. But maybe, someday, she will. Better get it over with now, though. Got that? I'm doing the task, and so are you! So get off your frightened tail and do something about your feelings, or I will. Are we clear?"
Ren blinked, shocked by her outburst. "Yes, of course," he replied suavely, though inside his mind, he was dealing with a maelstrom of thoughts.
"Good. Now that that's over with, I've got a drama to go work again, and I bet you do too." Huffing, Kanae turned and stormed off down the hallway, leaving a bemused Ren.
Watching her, he let out a small chuckle. She really does care about Mogami-san, he thought, though I bet she'd never admit it.
Glancing at his watch, he found that Kanae was right. It was ten o'clock, and he had to be at the set of Dark Moon by eleven. And if he was correct, which he normally was, Kyoko would be joining him at noon.
Smiling to himself, Ren walked down the hallways to his car, where his manager waited impatiently. He bet Yashiro wanted to know what the second-ranked supporter of the Kyoko-Renship had said to his charge.
As I said, he was normally correct, such was the case this time as well.
…
If yesterday was bad, today was infinitely worse for poor Ishibashi Hikaru. He stood, mouth agape, staring through the restaurant window at Kyoko eating breakfast, or brunch, or lunch, or snack, or whatever! Forget it. She was eating food with an anonymous young, good-looking man. And worse, they were staring intently at each other, as if they were very focused on the situation.
WHY, DEAR GODS, OF ALL THINGS, WHY?
First, Tsuruga Ren pretty much openly declared to Hikaru that he was in love with Kyoko. And now, here she was, on a date with some random man!
Puffing his chest out, and setting his mouth in a determined line, Hikaru strode into the restaurant and right past the waitress covering the entrance. He marched straight to Kyoko's table, and put on a smiling face. "Hey Kyoko!" he said cheerfully.
Surprised, Kyoko looked up, then grinned. "Hikaru-kun! Would you like to join us?"
Now the poor Ishibashi was confused. Putting on a bit of a swagger, he laid his elbow on the table and looked from Kyoko to the strange man to Kyoko again. "Join you? But wouldn't I be interrupting?"
"Not at all!" Kyoko exclaimed, then pulled up a chair. "Come on, sit with us!"
This girl does not know how to handle a date, Hikaru thought. Still, it'd be best to take advantage. Why shouldn't he? He quickly grabbed a chair and sat down next to Kyoko. "So who's your friend?" he asked, looking pointedly at the stranger.
"Oh!" Kyoko almost leapt out of her seat in shock and shame. "I forgot to introduce you! Hikaru-kun, this is Akiyama Takumi. He's co-starring with me in a new drama! Takumi-kun, this is Ishibashi Hikaru-"
"From Bridge Rock! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Takumi exclaimed, holding out his hand for Hikaru to shake.
Glaring at it resentfully, Hikaru took his hand, squeezing extra hard, and let go. There. That would show Takumi how tough he was.
Realizing that Hikaru was jealous of him, Takumi's eyes took on a playful glint. "It's great to meet a friend of Kyoko's! She's really like the little sister I never had," he said, and grinned as he got the expected reaction from Hikaru.
The reaction? It was thus: when Takumi said she was like a little sister, all blood drained from Hikaru's face. No one would ever say that on a date, or if they ever even wanted a date. "Oh, uh, that's great!" he said, chuckling nervously.
Perking up from a thought, Kyoko said, "Would you like to watch us while we rehearse our lines, and tell us how we did?" Only now did Hikaru notice the packets of paper in each of their hands.
"Sure," he said, grinning uneasily.
As the two began to rehearse, he recognized that when he saw the two staring intently at each other, it was because they were rehearsing their scene, not staring into each other's eyes, or whatever reason Hikaru had come up with in his mind.
When they finished, Hikaru applauded, albeit quietly, as they were in a restaurant. "Great job! Listen, I think I have to go now. See you later, Kyoko?"
"Yep!" she replied happily.
When Hikaru stood up to go, Takumi did as well. "I'll see you out, if you'd like," he offered.
With a glance at Kyoko, Hikaru said, "Uh, sure, that'd be great!"
Once the two had walked outside, Takumi placed his hand over his mouth to cover his laughter. Fuming, Hikaru snapped, "It wasn't that funny!"
"Haha, my apologies!" Takumi chortled. "Listen, it's okay! I understand where you got the idea from, but believe me when I said she was like a little sister to me. It's a good thing she's so clueless in the relationship area, or you might have really embarrassed yourself."
"Like I didn't already," Hikaru muttered, but Takumi waved him off.
"Nonsense," the Kouen star said, "I was the only one who noticed, and I won't tell. I best be getting back now. It was nice to meet you!" Before leaving, he paused. "On a thought, how do you two know each other?"
Hikaru opened his mouth to reply, before remembering that Kyoko didn't want anyone to know she was Bo. "Uh, we're in the same agency, so we run into each other a lot," he said, knowing it was a feeble excuse.
"Uh-huh," Takumi said, eyeing Hikaru doubtfully. "Well, I'll be going now."
As soon as Takumi left, Hikaru began to search for a good, solid wall to bang his head on.
…
"Mio-san! What are you doing here?" Mizuki exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen.
Still sitting at the table, Mio glanced towards her, raising an eyebrow. "This is my house, is it not?" she asked quietly.
"W-well yes, of course! I just-I just didn't expect to see you here!" Mizuki said, stuttering.
Mio watched Mizuki. "In the kitchen. Why not expect me in the kitchen?"
"Well, th-that's because-"
Mizuki was cut off as Mio slammed her fists onto the table, then stood up abruptly. She walked over until there was only a foot between herself and her cousin. "What do you want, being in the kitchen?" she asked, her voice syrupy and laden with disdain.
Mizuki gulped visibly. She was terrified of Mio. "I was here to-to prepare some food! For lunch! Th-that's all!"
Smirking, Mio shook in silent laughter. "For dear Katsuki, I presume?"
Her cousin froze in shock. Mio knew? But-know one had been able to guess! They really didn't even have a relationship going...they just liked each other's company. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.
"You're happy, aren't you?" Mio asked, eyes hard. "You're always happy. And now you have a wonderful boyfriend. Well, I certainly didn't expect my perfect cousin to steal something...or rather, someone. But you have done it."
Mizuki took a step backwards, inching her way towards the door. "K-Katsuki-kun and I aren't dating! A-and I didn't steal-"
"Congratulations are in order, I presume," Mio said with a smile. Her face froze in its dark expression. "Do you hate Misao?" she asked quietly.
Mizuki looked frightened, but then shook her head. "No. I don't hate your sister."
"DON'T call her that!" Mio hissed, shoving Mizuki against the wall. "And I thought you were finally beginning to understand me. Look, tell your boyfriend to keep a close eye on you. Why? No one likes you, Mizuki. He pushes you away. Misao despises you. I hate you. Don't cross me, if you know what's good for you. Now leave." Pushing Mizuki aside, Mio stormed out of the room.
Frightened, Mizuki watched the door, waiting for her cousin to come back. Her eyes wandered to the kitchen counter, but on a second thought, she walked out, deciding it was best to follow Mio's orders instead.
"CUT. Take five, everyone," Director Ogata called, then beckoned for Mio, well, now Kyoko, and Momose Itsumi, the actress who portrayed Mizuki, to step forward. "That was amazing, you two! I was worried, because it was such a long scene, but it looks like what they say is correct. 'Third take's a charm!' Go, take half an hour, an hour if you'd like, and reward yourselves. You deserve it."
Itsumi smiled. "Thank you, Ogata-san!" she exclaimed, then ran off. Kyoko bowed and said the same thing.
As she wandered back to the dressing room to remove her wig (she decided it would be best to leave the scar make-up on, so they wouldn't have to reapply it later) she bumped into Ren. "Tsuruga-san! Did I do well?" she asked, excited.
Ren smiled down at her. "You did great, Mogami-san. Would you like me to take you out for lunch as a reward? I have no scenes again until three."
Kyoko was about to refuse, when a thought entered her head. "Can I choose the restaurant?" she asked.
"Of course," said Ren, beaming.
As they walked together towards the dressing room, Kyoko smirked to herself. With me choosing, she thought, I can make sure Tsuruga-san eats properly for once!
...
So, SweetSarah8 gave me an idea. I wasn't planning on putting much of Hikaru in, but I did because she wanted to see more. Out of curiosity, what would you all like to see in this story? I don't intend to get to the climax for a while, so maybe I can take a few requests and see what I can do. What do you think? If you want to see something in the story, let me know! ;D
Now to reply to my reviews!
Jhiz: Thanks! I'm glad you like the start, the drama, and the narrator's voice. And thanks for being my first reviewer! ;)
Shiroyuki76: Thanks for the help on the names! I went back and corrected the mistakes. Be sure to let me know if you see anymore!;D
Amanthya: Thanks! I'm glad, that even without a plot, you like it so far!
SweetSarah8: You see a lot of potential? That's great! Oh, and I put in some Hikaru. Poor guy. xP
Runadaemon: Virtual treats are very cool. ;P Hmm...that's not good, if you feel like you've heard it before. Hopefully, as it continues, I can take away that mindset.;)
bosk: Awesome! You think it was funny? Haha, that's great! I've never thought of myself as a comedic writer, but I'm glad that someone's actually enjoying it!
As always, reviews and constructive criticism are forever welcome! See you in chapter three!
