A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! To everyone still following this story, thank you so much for being patient! I want this to be a good story, so I am taking more time with each of the chapters! Thanks to Nimblnymph for beta'ing for me and I hope everyone enjoys this next installment! Thanks again!
Shinigami's Wrath
He sat in his car until he saw Kyoko emerge from the L.M.E Building, climb onto her bike and take off down the street. She was always in a hurry and Ren wondered where she took off to every night. She was an intelligent girl; surely, there was no need to study that much? Shaking his head at the direction of his thoughts, he started the powerful engine of his sport coupe and pointed it in the direction of home.
She was a teenager--and his co-worker--and she didn't remember who he truly was. Of course, she'd have no reason to match up Ren Tsugura with her 'Corn'. However, that didn't mean that he didn't remember the bubbly girl she'd been.
He still saw glimpses of that euphoric child that had chased rainbows and dreamt of princes on white steeds. But those glimpses very rarely managed to break through the aggressive, bitter shell that life had thrust upon her. No… that Fuwa had forced upon her.
Ren ground his teeth and clenched the steering wheel with white-knuckled ferocity. Fuwa. Where did he stand in Kyoko's estimation? He hoped she wasn't trying to become famous simply to reunite with the jerk. On the other hand, it would be equally disastrous if she was so saturated with hatred that she'd take Fuwa down at all costs, even if it meant her future as well.
Why was he, Ren Tsugura, so concerned with these questions? Why did she haunt his thoughts every day? Was Bo the Chicken right, was this the beginning of love? He hoped not. He wasn't able to give into these feelings, this interest. Nothing could come of it. He was four years her senior, and sometimes those four years felt like four decades.
Oh, Kyoko had come a long way since she'd first started. She was plucky and intelligent, but he was more impressed by her tenacity, ingenuity and the sheer latent talent that shone through at the oddest times. Most of all, through her adventures, he could see a burgeoning sense of accomplishment and pride shine in her eyes. Whenever he saw that, he had to fight the urge to smile.
The beeping of his onboard computer interrupted his reverie. He looked down, and sure enough, it had triggered the garage door for his parking area and he had driven right by it. Cursing at his one-track mind (of late), he turned the car around and entered the garage.
"Miss! More Sake!" A drunken voice called out.
"Yes sir." Kyoko hid her irritation behind a calm smile and approached the table, kneeling gracefully. Daintily picking up the bottle with both hands, she poured for each of the men at the table and backed away.
Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she counted the minutes before it was time to close. She still had a history test to study for after her shift and she hadn't been sleeping well lately. It had been close to three weeks since the first note arrived and just a few days ago, she'd received a third.
She had gone to her locker as soon as the final bell had rung at school. With her mind filled with what work she had to bring home, she opened the door and looked to the top shelf where her books were kept. There, perched on top of her English book, feigning innocence, was a white envelope with her name printed in now-familiar block letters.
Even thinking of it now made cold sweat pop out on her forehead and slide down her spine. She shivered and her trembling fingers barely maintained their grasp on the empty sake bottle. Now they-whoever they were-knew where she went to school? It shouldn't surprise her, they seemed to know everywhere else she went.
She remembered how she'd struggled with maintaining her composure as she opened the letter. Inside was another blank sheet with the stark sentence of "YOU'VE BEEN WARNED" printed on it. After reading the single statement she had whipped her head around, watching the surrounding people with suspicious eyes. Could one of them have been her stalker, waiting for her reaction to their 'present'? Everyone had looked normal enough, so she dumped the books in her locker and had beat a hasty retreat to Darumaya.
Sighing to herself, Kyoko returned the empty sake bottle to the bar area in Darumaya. Somewhere along the past couple weeks, she had lost her anger. It had been replaced by another emotion. Fear. She conceded defeat to the stalker on that point. He had won by stealing her security and replacing it by paranoia. She had, however, held on to her determination. She wouldn't quit Dark Moon. She would keep on with her normal life and to hell with the consequences. She needed the experience and income that she got from working on that show. Not only to beat Shotaro, but because--
--"Miss?! Can I have some tea, please?" A blunt female voice shocked Kyoko out of the memory.
"Huh?" She quickly recovered and smiled politely at the table next to the sake-drinking executives. "Of course, Ma'am. Please excuse me." She padded over silently on tabi-covered feet carrying a pot of tea to where the woman and her party sat.
She was dumbfounded at who could be after her. They knew where she lived, worked, and went to school. Of course, one day of observing her could provide anyone with that information.
Her life, as busy as it was, was a blessing in disguise. During the day, all of her activities kept her from thinking too much about the threats. Not so during the night, however. That was the time when everything came back to haunt her. Not just the notes, but also all of her insecurities, worries and problems. Those letters were at the forefront of her mind though. As she alternated between trying to figure out who was behind them, and feeling frightened in the dark hours, she would toss and turn fitfully and the idea of sleep went right out the window. Akiko in the make-up booth at the studio had been struggling lately trying to make sure the dark smudges under Kyoko's eyes were hidden each day she had to play Mio.
She poured herself into work and school in the efforts of exhausting herself so much so that she could sleep. She worked longer hours at the inn, took on any kind of job around the agency that she could find (even fetching President Takarada coffee from a café thirty blocks away from the office). Anything to wear her out that much more so she could collapse on her bed at the end of the day and pray for a dreamless sleep that never came.
Because she made herself so busy, she had no time to eat, though she didn't have much of an appetite anyway. She began to notice last week that her clothes were starting to hang off her. Rei in the costume department was getting frustrated because she had to keep taking in the clothes she wore as Mio. But Kyoko couldn't help it. She didn't have time to eat during the day and at night she was too busy trying to get sleep. Instead of sleep, however, she ended up struggling with the 'what-ifs' and 'could-bes'.
Kyoko refocused on her job and served the woman her tea, soon immersing herself into work with a fervor that had become familiar over the past couple weeks. After a few hours, the last patron was shown out the door and Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she could escape to her room.
"Kyoko, wait!" It was the Taisho's wife.
"Yes, Okami-san?" She paused on the stairs. The older woman came walking around the corner holding a tray of rice balls and a pot of tea.
"Here's some study food. Good luck on your exam tomorrow." She smiled warmly.
"Thanks." Kyoko took the tray and carried it up to her room. Instead of her History text, three notes were spread out on her desk. They were all printed on the same paper, in the same ink and with the same font. If she were playing a detective, how would she think? She stroked her chin as she thought. Suddenly her eyes brightened. Ahh! Fingerprints!
But…she'd handled them a lot. Hers were probably covering any of the suspects' prints by now. That and she didn't have a fingerprinting kit. She furrowed her brows in thought. The words were printed using a computer so she couldn't compare handwriting. Maybe there was DNA on the envelopes from the perpetrator sealing it? Whom did she know at a lab? No one. Kyoko gave a defeated sigh. Crapcakes. She couldn't do anything to track the stalker herself. She just didn't have the resources.
Absently, she bit into a rice ball and chewed thoughtfully as she stared at the notes. Maybe President Takarada might have an answer? She rejected that idea as soon as she thought of it. He might take her off Dark Moon and even the Variety show. She'd lose income and valuable experience that she needed. Shaking her head in denial, Kyoko made the decision to keep this situation to herself. After all, it had been almost a week since her last note arrived, maybe whoever they were got sick of the game and decided to move on?
Not completely satisfied with the idea that it was over, but determined to solve the mystery on her own, Kyoko cracked open her textbook, "Meiji Era Japan…" she read aloud around a half chewed rice ball. Quickly she was immersed in the text and forgot for a blissful moment the danger lurking in the shadows.
The next day, a lone figure walked through the doors of the building and entered the wide-open area of the L.M.E. lobby. Kanae Kotonami preferred to get to work early, before everyone showed up. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked. Absently, she tucked her long black hair behind her ear and readjusted her hold on her bag. She exuded confidence and poise in her black pants suit and white silk shirt.
"MOKO-SAN!" an enthusiastic voice shook the walls and caused the woman to freeze in place, hunching her shoulders and grimacing in embarrassment.
"Keep it down, Kyoko, you're causing a scene!" Kanae hissed in annoyance as she glanced from side to side to make sure they weren't doing just that.
Kyoko was glad to see her, as they had both been busy with separate projects for some time. She had always felt a bond for the other member of the Love Me Section of L.M.E. Kyoko bounded up to Kanae to glomp the longhaired girl while ignoring that said girl fought to get out of the embrace.
Kanae paused in her efforts to extricate herself from Kyoko's spastic grip. "Kyoko, have you lost weight? You're thin as a rail!" she exclaimed in sudden concern.
"Oh that? Yeah, gotta keep in form, ya know!" Kyoko laughed loudly and struck a pose.
"Of what--a toothpick? That's hardly healthy." Kanae admonished, setting the other girl at arm's length.
"Shut up, I'm not that skinny, Moko-san!" Kyoko chuckled, pulling herself out of Kanae's reach. "Anyway, what projects are you working on now?"
Kanae ignored Kyoko's pathetic attempt to change the subject. "Uh-huh. So that's why your clothes are hanging on you and you look like a linebacker with those smudges under your eyes." She folded her arms and stared at Kyoko.
Kyoko fidgeted slightly. "You didn't answer my question. What are you working on?" She evaded Kanae's topic choice. Besides not wanting to talk about her troubles, she really did want to know what her friend was doing lately.
Kanae waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, they have me as busy as you, I would guess. I have a big project I'm working on now and I really like it." She tucked her hair behind her ear again and smoothed out the wrinkles in her suit from Kyoko's earlier embrace. "You still don't look well, Kyoko. What's wrong?" She asked in genuine concern.
"Oh, I'm fine, healthy as a horse! I hate to cut this short, Moko-san, but I have to get going to the set. Dark Moon is a never ending project!" Kyoko glossed over Kanae's empathy and bounded energetically away, leaving a bewildered Kanae staring blankly after her.
She waited until she got around the corner of the lobby and out of Kanae's sight before slumping against the wall tiredly. This was bad, people were starting to notice. But Kyoko couldn't let the higher ups know. They would take her out of work and then she'd never get anywhere near Shotaro. Not to mention she had grown to love what she did, especially working on the Dark Moon set. She would be sad when the show was finally finished, but hopefully the future held more projects. Well, there wouldn't be if word got out that she had a psycho on her tail.
Kyoko pushed herself off the wall and walked through the building and down the alley behind the offices to the soundstage where the show was being filmed. As she entered the cavernous building, the familiar sights of all the equipment greeted her. She heard the comforting sounds of cameras, lights and props being moved around. Here was a place where she could lose herself and forget her troubles. Here, Kyoko Mogami ceased to exist the moment she entered the dressing room and Mio took her place. The place was bustling with activity, people, and action. She smiled to herself as she delved deeper into the world of Dark Moon.
When she had first devised her plan for revenge by joining show business, she had never thought that she would enjoy it. She had viewed it as a cross to bear or a necessary evil for her to go through to get to Shotaro. But now, months into her new life, she found out that it was something she truly loved to do. It wasn't a hardship for her to come to work. Even more so now with the arrival of those accursed letters. There was no way she could quit, she'd finally found something that she enjoyed doing for herself. And that was something too precious to her to lose.
The morning passed quickly for her and before she knew it, it was afternoon and just about lunchtime. Miss Mimose, Mr. Tsugura, she and a few of the extras were milling around chatting. Here was where she had a problem with her day. She found it difficult trying to portray a carefree Kyoko. She was always be thinking about the unknown threat hanging over her, especially here at the Dark Moon set. Even though the work calmed her and gave her a purpose to her day, her mind was still busy asking questions that she couldn't answer. Determined to keep the trouble to herself, she made sure to put more enthusiasm into her laugh, and to elaborate unnecessarily to questions, true to Kyoko form.
She didn't offer much to the conversation that went on around her, however. She still didn't feel totally comfortable with Mr. Tsugura yet, even though the Dressing Room Debacle had happened weeks ago. To keep the suspicion at bay, she responded with clever one-liners, and kept steering the conversation away from herself as unobtrusively as possible.
Ren wasn't buying her act. Kyoko was usually cheerful, but there was a forced edge to her laugh that he alone seemed to notice. This in turn made him quiet, speaking only to respond when someone asked him a question. It was difficult to focus on trivial conversation when his mind was occupied completely with Kyoko. Not once did his serious gray eyes stray from her as he wondered just what was going on. She had dropped weight and no amount of make up could hide the dark bruises under her eyes. She wasn't failing classes (he'd had Yashiro look into that), she wasn't using drugs (he'd had Lory look into that), and she didn't have excessive hours here at the studio (he'd spoken to Director Ogata). He had watched, helpless, as she struggled through the days, putting on a brave face for everyone else while something was obviously wrong with her. None of it made sense, why wasn't she getting help for herself?
Why did he care so much?
"Miss Kyoko Mogami?" A polite female voice called out.
He turned with Kyoko and looked at the young woman that was holding a long white box. She had blonde hair cut into a short bob underneath her jaw. White pants covered long legs and a hideous turquoise and white 'bowling' style shirt with the name Rika embroidered on the left breast. "Yes?" Kyoko asked softly.
"I have a delivery for you, ma'am." The woman handed Kyoko the box. "If you could just sign here…"
Ren watched Kyoko juggle the box and the miniature clipboard to sign the slip before handing the board back to the woman. The delivery girl bowed once before turning and walking away. Ren was puzzled by the appearance of the delivery girl. Something seemed familiar about her. He brushed the niggling thought off and looked on as Kyoko opened the box. Intrigue quickly was replaced by alarm as the blood suddenly drained out of her face and she swayed on her feet.
"Miss Mogami!" He rushed forward to steady her as the box fell out of nerveless fingers. He let it fall to the ground to focus on Kyoko, who was white as a sheet. He struggled against the urge to gather her into his arms. What had upset her so? Once he felt sure that she wouldn't fall, he dropped his hands and stared down at the ground where the white box had opened and spilled a dozen dead roses on the ground. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.
His concerned shout had drawn the attention of the rest of the crew and they started to gather around them. Ren wanted to drive them all back to give her some air, but he did nothing except stand silently at her side as people around them voiced their questions. His mind was whirling with questions as well, but he knew Kyoko well enough to not ask her. Instead, he held on to Kyoko's copy of the receipt from the florist that he had picked up when she had dropped the box. He would find out who sent those things to her. If it happened to be Sho Fuwa, well…then he'd take care of it.
Stammering uselessly, Kyoko knelt and gathered the brittle stems to shove them back into the horrid white box. "Oh, it's nothing, guys!" she laughed forcefully. "Looks like a fan waited too long to send the flowers!" She heard a few chuckles at that and steeled herself further. "Anyhow, our break's almost over, so let's get back to it and kick butt!"
Surprisingly, her step was steady as she stood and walked over to the garbage can to toss the box in. Thank god no one had seen her palm the florist card into her pocket.
On the back of the white card was one line: In Memory of Kyoko Mogami.
Kyoko fought her way through the rest of the day. She only breathed easier when Dark Moon was done with shooting and it was time for her to play Bo on the Variety Show. There she didn't have to constantly school her features and measure her responses because she was hidden in the chicken costume that couldn't speak on air. Even if the anonymity of the suit relieved her, she noticed it was harder for her to move around in it. It was probably due to her stress-induced fatigue if she had to guess. She hadn't meant to let herself get so out of shape, it was just that she had other things to worry about.
She waddled down the hallway after the show, staring longingly at the locker room where her clothes waited. She couldn't wait to get out of this makeshift sauna and back to the inn to work her evening shift.
"What's wrong, Bo? You look worn out." A male voice said.
Kyoko froze with her eyes wide inside the costume. It was Mr. Tsugura?! She flapped around, flustered and turned to face him. "Uh, nothing." She managed to squeak out. "How are you?" Why did he have to find her now?! She was due to work at Darumaya in forty-five minutes and it took twenty just to get there.
"Me?" Ren looked surprised, and then looked down at the ground near Bo's feet. "Ah, I don't know. The same I guess." He sighed and leaned up against the wall where Bo stood. Slowly he slid down until he was on the floor; he bent his right leg and rested his arm on it. "To be truthful, I'm concerned about a person I know." He said slowly as if not sure of his words.
"Oh really?" Kyoko answered distractedly. Seriously, did Bo the Chicken have priest robes on? Why did Mr. Tsugura feel the need to confess to a chicken? Although this wasn't the first time Bo had helped Mr. Tsugura out. Still, she could hear the tick-tock of the clock in her head and yearned for the safety of the locker room that held her freedom.
"Something is wrong with her-something bad- and I don't know what it is." He stared at the ceiling as he talked, lost in thought.
Kyoko's mind was whirling and her jaw dropped. Shit, did he mean her? Crap on toast! What should she say!? "Umm…did you ask her?" Instantly she bit her tongue; that was a stupid thing to ask! She mentally smacked her forehead for good measure.
Mr. Tsugura looked from the ceiling to Bo, "No. I don't know how to address it. A person just doesn't randomly walk up and ask, 'Say, is everything all right and why is someone sending you dead flowers?'"
Crrrrraaaappppp…it was about her. She would have to tread carefully. Ren still didn't know who was in the Bo costume. "Well, if you're friends, you do," she replied simply, then realized what she had said. Oh! What was wrong with her mouth? It was saying the absolute wrong things at the wrong times!"
Mr. Tsugura looked perplexed for a minute before turning his face away from Bo to look down the hallway. "Friends? Oh, I wouldn't say we're friends. Co-workers on the same project perhaps." Liar, he thought to himself, fighting a blush.
Missing his expression, Kyoko felt a stab of pain. Not friends? Only co-workers? Wait…why did that hurt so much? She didn't need friends. She just needed the experience and popularity that L.M.E had to offer. "Well then, if she doesn't ask you for help, I guess you have no business butting into her problems. Who knows, maybe it was just a prank!" she responded hotly, without thinking. Quickly, she recovered enough to bow once. "If you'll excuse me, I'm late for my next gig."
She turned on her back claw and stalked to the locker room. Well, he had answered her unasked question that had been lurking in her mind for a while now; she was just a co-worker to him. "I didn't need your friendship anyway, Ren Tsugura!" she growled softly to herself. She reveled in the appearance of her grudges that were swirling around her with her dark thoughts as she changed clothes. The grudges hadn't appeared often in the last few weeks, and the sight of them reassured her that her anger was still there and the stalker hadn't won completely.
"Miss Mogami?" A soft voice called out, causing Kyoko to shriek and jump around to face the new intruder. Honestly, what was with people barging in on her when she was changing?
"What is it?" she shot back angrily.
"I'm terribly sorry for frightening you, my name is Yumi and I'm here to get the Bo costume for its weekly cleaning." The girl had the good sense to look contrite. She was a mousy looking individual with shoulder length brown hair and dark eyes. Yumi had on gray overalls with a pair of sneakers and wore a cap pulled low over her face.
Kyoko eyed the teen warily. "What happened to Kome?"
"Kome?" The girl blinked, "She's on vacation with her family this week. I think they went to Okinawa" Yumi walked forward to grasp the costume and duffel that the head went into.
Kyoko chided herself. People were allowed to go on vacation. There was no cause for her alarm. The girl seemed okay, she even felt a bit familiar for some odd reason. Shaking off her paranoia, she grinned at the girl, "All right, take care of it for me, will ya?"
"Of course." Yumi bowed and left.
Kyoko looked at the clock and cussed. "I'm so late!" She dashed for the door, switching off the light and leaving the room in darkness.
