Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of the other junk I mentioned in here.
Ludwig's Metronome
Chapter 4: Curse, Kiss, and Counterpoint
From the commencement of the planet's first morning, life had been perpetually evolving into more pristine and consummate forms. Each new species brought with it a more exceptional genetic code to better adapt and control its surroundings. All this evolution was made no longer necessary, however, when the perfect being broke out from the inferior dust and shone. His genetic makeup was so superior that he knew it was only a matter of time before all other life forms would bow in utter humiliation before him…not that Kudo Aoki was bragging, of course. He had so much wholesome humility secreting from his body that he would put Buddha to "crying for his mama" shame in a Holiest Being SmackDown special. It was at this moment while facing an actress in a heart-rending love scene that this genius had another mind-altering epiphany. The goddess of Venus must have slapped his butt as a baby or something, because there was no humanly way possible for a man to be this good looking. He licked his teeth and watched his reflection mimic him in the girl's glasses. Oh yeah, he was smoking. Look, he could even flip his hair back, and it fell perfectly in place.
"I..I..love you. Don't you remember me?" the short actress spoke in awkward monotone. "We used to ride our cheeseburgers together and laugh at the birds that gathered around us while we munched on our bikes…no, sorry. The other way. We used to ride our bikes and laugh at our cheeseburgers while we munched on the birds. You remember that, don't you? I have never forgotten it for a second."
Kudo glanced over to the man sitting in the sidelines. He was going to take that? What a useless director. Oh, well. Time for him to shine, and the worst his costars were, the better he looked.
He flipped his face away in irritation—he bet his hair was really doing magic here…enough for two thousand Japanese women to fall down stiff at the sight of his oozing sex appeal—and shoved the girl's hand away. "No, I don't know you," he growled. "I've forgotten everything. I've forgotten all about our promise that we would stay close even though we were in different countries. I don't remember all the times I wrote to you or the agony when everyday my mailbox was empty. I had just recently been able to forget how much a fool I was waiting for you for five years, like a lovesick, abandoned puppy, so leave me alone." Good. He made himself sound more desperate as he went through the lines. He was an acting god.
The girl in front of him made a rather odd expression. She squashed up her face like a pug dog, and her face turned red. Was she trying to cry? She looked like she just got electrocuted while holding it in for the bathroom. "Bu…but I…" the actress whimpered.
The set door slammed open and in walked a force that compelled all eyes to follow her every movement. Tsuruga Kyoko eyed the two of them steadily with an odd hint of panic in her eyes. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She seemed almost fragile in that position, but when she reopened her eyes, her expression had hardened. Her lips twisted into a smile, and she sauntered to Kudo's side.
"What are you two doing in here all alone? You'll make me jealous, don't you know?" she spoke with affected lightness. She turned to the girl. "Did Kato tell you the good news yet? You were the one I wanted to be the first to know, since we are becoming such close friends." She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers to draw attention to the enormous rock embedded there.
Kyoko smiled benignly but then let out a pernicious glare that lasted a blink of an eye, so short that Kudo was not sure that it actually happened. The effect of it, though, was imprinted on the other actress's face. Her eyes became huge, and she trembled as she took a step back. Although Kudo was sure that that expression came from pure terror of Kyoko, to the onlooker she appeared as if she was sincerely shocked that her new friend had stolen her love.
"I…I…didn't…" the actress stuttered. "Uh…I'm sorry…I…think I'll leave now…Congratulations…you two…" The girl stumbled out of the room, still nervous under Kyoko's predatory stare.
Kyoko remained in the same position. Wasn't it her line now? Why was she still staring at the door? Slowly Kyoko turned around. Kudo was surprised to see a painful expression of guilt on her face. She avoided his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced her mouth into that twisted smile once again.
Kyoko wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled down his face. "…Now that we're alone…" she murmured as she reached her face to his lips. Ah…Showtime. His mouth inched towards hers as his arms reached behind her back. The cameras could not see his hands slide lower and lower. Nor could they see his thumb and index finger as they pinched sharply. Kyoko's eyes flipped open.
His lips hovered a centimeter from her face. "If someone pushed you out of a plane, the flab of your butt would decimate an entire city. I thought actresses were supposed to take care of their bodies," he whispered.
That did it. Her eyes turned red, and the aura around her went black. Her hands wrapped around his neck where she quickly and effectively cut off his air passage.
"You asked for it, you imbecile," she growled as he gurgled and wheezed. His skin turned cold, and for a moment he swore he saw hundreds of floating demons pull his hair, bite his limbs, beat his chest, and taunt him with threats of how he was going to be cooked a flambé and devoured. Kyoko's reaction this time was definitely scarier than before.
"CUT. Tsuruga-san, let go of his neck. You're going to kill our lead actor!"
Kyoko blinked, and the aura around her faded. She released his throat, and he fell to the floor gasping for breath. Kudo was pretty sure he had just been forced through the CliffsNotes version of Dante's Inferno but, looking at the director's furious expression, it was totally worth it.
"What the heck were you thinking? You might have been a big shot in the other dramas you've worked in, but here we don't suffocate our coworkers!" the director boomed.
Kyoko looked away and clenched her hands at her side. "I…apologize for my unprofessional behavior." Then, so softly that Kudo had to strain to hear, she murmured, "What the heck? That lecherous narcissist didn't even pass out. He hardly was 'suffocated'. Why do I have to be yelled at and not that moron who ruined the scene?"
Kudo snorted under his breath and had to actively fight the small smirk threatening to reach his lips.
The director was not appeased by her curt apology. "And what were you acting in that scene? I have told you again and again that I want a villain that audiences love to hate. Chouko is a detestable character whose main goal is to destroy the two heroes' love. What was with that guilty expression you looked at Emi-chan with?"
Kyoko took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "A woman who steals a man's love letters from his mailbox, sends fake letters back to the girlfriend, and chases him with no success for five years is not someone completely confident in herself. She would have gotten bored long ago if she were doing this just to create havoc between the two characters. It makes much more sense if Chouko is an insecure girl who pretends to be strong. She feels that what she is doing is wrong but hardens herself because she is terrified of losing the man she has made her crutch for all these years. And she feels dirty for all the things she has done whenever she looks into the face of—"
"Don't tell me about the character," the director snarled as he stomped up onto the set and loomed over Kyoko. "Emi-chan's character is pure and white, while yours is dark and black. You two serve as perfect contrasts. You're just trying to steal away all the attention from Emi-chan with your complex mumbo jumbo."
Kyoko did not retreat. She continued with a quiet but firm voice, "Generally speaking no one is completely black or white. People by nature have strengths and flaws, and we all have reasons for how we become like we are. Emi-chan's character can be done very deeply as well. If you just let me work with—"
The director's face turned red. "Just because you've made a couple of dramas and won a few awards, don't underestimate the work of a talented actress like Emi-chan. She is just as much a seasoned actress as you are."
Kudo's eyebrows went up, and most of the crew gaped at the director. The term "seasoned" was a farcical embellishment at best. The grand work of Emi-chan was as the spokesgirl for SnapiHapi Cellular Phones, where she donned a skimpy, Lolita style dress, shimmied her shoulders, and sang in a child-like voice, "If you call me with another, I weally would be sad. But with SnapiHapi Cellular I'm super duper glad." With her as the spokesgirl, sale of SnapiHapi phones doubled within a few months, but everyone knew that was on account to the amount of cleavage she showed in the commercials more than any hint of acting ability. Kudo glanced at the director's belt and caught sight of a SnapiHapi fluffy-plushy blue panda phone. Well, that explained the casting choice.
"You have no right to argue with me. You are a blacklisted actor. No one wants to work with you. The only reason you're here is because Director Shingai works as producer of this drama and demanded that you act in it. Frankly, I still haven't seen this unrivalled work ethic and natural acting talent he kept harping on. The fact that no one has given you a job in over a year is proof that your acting is shallow at best."
Whoa… Did this director even watch what was coming out of his mouth? It was true that Kyoko had been blackballed in the Entertainment industry, but everyone knew it had nothing to do with acting ability or work ethic. Anyone who watched her acting impartially knew that she was the only actor in Japan who could rival the great Tsuruga Ren (well, except for himself, of course). Tsuruga Ren might be better at picking up skills at incredible speeds and manipulating his co-stars like puppets, but Kyoko had him beat with her bold and creative interpretations of her characters and her innate talent for disappearing within a role.
Kudo looked around him. Half the crew avoided their eyes from the scene, and the other half looked at Kyoko sympathetically. Amazing… When she had first come on set, the crew was furious about having to work with someone like her and bullied her nonstop. Looking at the scene now, it appeared that she had won the hearts of most of them. Well, she still had not won over the director, and he was really the only one who counted. It would be impossible to break the director's prejudice. Kudo smiled. That worked just fine for him.
After glaring at Kyoko for some time, the director spun around and stomped off the set. "Let's take a twenty minute break so that the great Tsuruga Kyoko can get her act together and not waste our time," he sneered as he marched to the studio's door.
Kyoko listened to the door slam shut and let out a heavy sigh. Kudo picked himself up off the floor and leaned his elbow on her shoulder. "You should have just played the part the way he wanted it played. Then your life would have been a lot easier. Did you think sneaking in the character would convince the director to let you do what you want, Kyoko?"
Kyoko turned to glare at him. "And what the heck were you doing, Kudo-san? Picking on me off set and leaking made up stories about a clandestine romance between the two of us is one thing, but when you are intentionally messing around with work, you've crossed the line."
Kudo smirked and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Who says it's made up? And didn't I tell you to call me Aoki? Think of our relationship."
"Delusional dolt," she muttered. Then, without warning, Kyoko stepped out from under Kudo's weight. Kudo had to catch himself from completely tumbling to the ground. "Fine. I'll call you Aoki-kun, if you start calling me Tsuruga-san. You're right. It would fit our relationship better seeing as how I am two years older than you and we are nothing more than coworkers."
Kudo straightened himself up and checked around to see if anyone caught sight of his unflattering moment. Then he turned back at Kyoko and switched back on the smile. "TSURUGA-san sounds so formal and distant. Besides, Tsuruga isn't your real name, is it? Everyone knows that."
"No, Ren hasn't legally changed his name back yet, but you can call me Hizuri-san if you want. If you really want to call me something special, I give you permission to call me Hizuri-sama, but only when we're alone. It would be too embarrassing if you called me that in public." She turned away from him and began walking off the set. "Now excuse me, but I have some business with the director."
Dang it. He could not let Kyoko leave their verbal duel with the last word. Kudo caught her wrist and twisted her around to face him. "You're not going to be able to convince the director to do things your way. You've already tried to talk with him, argue with him, bribe him with food, and stalk him at his house. None of those methods worked. Whatever you are planning now will just get you into more trouble," he said as he stared into her eyes.
Kyoko pulled her wrist away and glared at him. "I don't need to hear this from a self-deluded coward who never made any attempt to try from the beginning. I've done enough running away in my life. From now on I'm going to stand up and fight with all I've got." With that she flipped back around and stomped out of the studio.
Ren pushed down his chin and shoved his baseball cap low over his face. If he acted normally, there would be no reason for the policeman a few meters away to take notice of him. He just needed to stay calm and blend in with the rest of the crowd. Ren gulped in a breath and walked swiftly past the man in the blue uniform. For a moment he thought he felt the policeman follow him with his eyes, but the officer quickly became distracted by the bawling six year old that commandeered his leg while he wailed for his mommy and smeared his ice cream all over the man's trousers.
Ren's shoulders relaxed slightly, but he quickened his steps to his destination under the banner "Mito's 5th Annual Music Festival: Rare Instrument Appraisal and Auction." His eyes scoured through the people gathered at various tables. Then he spotted him. A stout middle-aged man with a receding hairline and an outdated tweed suit was conversing with one of the antique specialists in a back corner. Ren forced his way through the crowd and positioned himself within hearing distance of the two men.
"…Amazing, Professor Tomohiro, absolutely amazing. This is definitely an early nineteenth century original crafted by Maelzel himself. Look at the craftsmanship of this. You don't see this in the electric versions people use nowadays."
"Isn't it? And the scratch right here? You don't think it could be the one mentioned in Beethoven's letters, do you?"
The assessor scrutinized the four-sided pyramid box and then sighed. "We have no way of telling. Right now it's worth in the million yen range. If you had proof of Beethoven's ownership, this object would be virtually priceless. You said that you just found it, didn't you? So, there's no way of backtracking the previous owner and seeing if he had any certificates or an idea how this piece found its way to Japan?"
Tomohiro looked at the object for a long time. "No," he said finally. "There's no way to do that, but maybe I can find something through my own research. Thank you for your help." Tomohiro picked up the wooden object carefully and turned to leave.
This was his chance. Ren snatched hold of the man's arm and jerked him to a halt. The man's gaze switched from surprise to annoyance. "May I help you?" he huffed.
Ren stared at the box and then tightened his grip. Red marks appeared on the man's flesh. "…I know what you did," Ren hissed.
"Excuse me?"
"If you think you are getting away with it, you are mistaken. I will hunt you to the ends of the earth if I have to."
The old man stared into Ren's dour eyes and then clicked his tongue. "I don't know what you are talking about. You must have the wrong person," he growled. "Now, excuse me." He yanked his arm out of Ren's grip, but this jerk sent the box tumbling out of his hands and onto the table beside him. The wooden door burst open and the pendulum began ticking away. Tick…tick…tick…chh…tick…tick…tick…chh. Ren froze. The sound caused his head to buzz, and Ren winced at the pain. He reached over to stop the oscillating piece of metal, but the older man slapped his hand away. The man quickly gathered the box in his hands and sprinted off into the crowd. Ren watched him as he disappeared. Then his eyes molded into a threatening glare.
"Cut. Fantastic job once again, Tsuruga-san. We don't need to do any retakes. Why don't you guys take a well deserved break, and in a few minutes we can continue with the next scene," the director boomed through his megaphone. "Thanks for your work today."
All around Ren, people chatted excitedly as they watched him head out from under the camera's line of sight. The older man from the last scene approached him and actually giggled as he shook Ren's hand and bowed, telling Ren that working opposite him was the highlight of his life. His marriage to his wife and the birth of his children followed closely behind, of course. Ren politely smiled and thanked him. Then he headed to where his manager stood.
"Good work today," said Yashiro as he handed him a bottle of water. "You seem especially tense in your scenes today. It really gets the viewers wrapped up in Sato's quest."
Ren gave Yashiro a half smile as he occupied himself with twisting off the bottle cap. As he tipped the bottle up to his lips, however, he noticed that Yashiro was glaring at him.
"…What?" he asked, as he grew nervous under Yashiro's incessant stare.
"…You played that scene a little too intense, if you ask me."
Ren looked at him oddly. "The director seemed to think it was all right," he defended.
Yashiro snorted. "Other than what you did a couple days ago, you could sneeze on a piece of paper, and everyone would call it art. Not that that is bad, mind you. And you did do well in that scene, but I'm not an idiot who has been with you for a decade and can't tell when you are purely acting or when you are putting yourself into the scene. You are really tense about something. What's going on?"
Ugghh. This was not something Ren wanted to talk about right now. He had been struggling all day not to think about it.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Yashiro-san," he stated, as he pulled out the script from Yashiro's hand and flipped through it in an effort to transmit the message "I don't want discuss it. Please shut up now" over the airways and into Yashiro's dogged mind.
"Was Kyoko-chan awake last night? Did she tell you off for coming in so late?"
Ren's arms and face tightened up. "…No…She didn't say anything bad. Who said it had to do with Kyoko?"
"Your moods are always about Kyoko-chan," stated Yashiro. "Hmmm…. If you aren't mad that she yelled at you, then you are probably upset…at not having enough time to spend with her. My wife wanted me to invite the two of you over for dinner, but I think it would be better to let you have some more alone time tonight."
Ren sighed in exasperation. "Do you know where the director went? I think if I could improvise a small part in the next scene, I could portray Sato's feelings more effectively."
"Hmm? Oh, a grip said something about someone waiting for him in the administration room. I'll show you where it is."
Yashiro guided him through the large convention center and to a small room closed off from the rest of the building. Curtains hung in the windows.
"…Let me see if it's safe to interrupt them," he said as he slid open the door a crack and glanced inside.
Yashiro remained frozen in that peeping tom position for an oddly prolonged moment. Then with the same speed as a housewife snatching up the last hundred yen mackerel from the rest of the shopping mob, Yashiro slammed the door shut and spun back towards Ren with panic in his eyes. "Let's…let's let them talk alone for a bit. …It looks important. You could ask the director your question after he returns to the filming area," he sputtered out.
He snatched onto Ren's coat sleeve and had pulled him several meters away from the office before Ren even realized he was moving. When did Yashiro become this strong? And what the heck was he so scared of Ren seeing? In the distance Ren heard the door slide open. Curious, he glanced over his shoulder. What he saw made him stop immediately. Yashiro was caught completely off guard, and he flung backwards into Ren's chest and slid onto the floor. Ren remained still. There, coming out of the office, was the director and a face Ren knew all too well. The man's features seemed a shade more angular and his body appeared slightly stockier, but he still wore that same cocky expression Ren remembered from seven years before. Ren watched as the director spoke something to the man with a smile and then shook the man's hand. They both gave their farewells and parted. The director left to the filming site, and the man headed to the building's exit. Neither spotted Ren or Yashiro.
After he observed that both men were completely out of sight, Yashiro slowly picked himself off the ground and gave Ren a nervous glance. "…He must be here to talk about the theme song that he's writing for the film," he said. "…I…don't think it has anything to do with you. …Why don't we go talk to the director now?"
Ren had not moved at all. His eyes had not left the spot where the man once stood. "He still dyes his hair blond," he muttered, after a long pause.
Yashiro eyed Ren, clearly confused, but Ren remained silent. His jaw clenched up as his hand formed a fist at his side.
"What…the heck…is this?" Kudo breathed with his eye glued to the crack in the door and his body crouched up in a ball. He had followed Kyoko to watch her fail once again at her feeble plans of persuasion…but he never expected this. No begging, no weeping, no declarations of quitting or fake suicide threats. Instead, as the director lay unconscious on the couch, Kyoko tussled merrily around his office decorating the room like an overexcited new bride. …This was her master plan. She should know by now that she could never win over the director's respect. To the director she was the furry white mold that proliferated its soldiers on the leftover rice and forced the rice into a smelly, oppressive dictatorship, and if he was forced to work with her, he would not tolerate her to have any creative input in this project. But here she was hanging up posters, moving in statues, and generally tidying up the place. Kudo faintly heard the sound of scissors but could not see what she was cutting. Must be some craft thing girls always liked to do. Who knew the famous Tsuruga Kyoko was so housewifey?
Back in sight, Kyoko let out a deep sigh. She brushed off her hands and smiled at her work. Then she bent over a new bag and pulled out the oddest of items. What the? Was that even safe? She tied on lit candles around her forehead. Was she planning a murder/suicide because she was that upset about the role? He always thought Kyoko took her job too seriously, but this was over the top.
"Hummmdoooommsstoocoooomeommmm." Was Kyoko chanting? Kudo squirmed around to find a better view. "I evoke the evil spirits to curse you. Give me a chance to act out Chouko right or you will find yourself in your worst nightmare. Do not discriminate against me anymore or my curse will plummet onto you without mercy and you will reach the fate you have been dreading all your life. Hummmm. Remember, no matter where you go, my eyes are always watching you. Ooomm." After a pause, she walked back in sight as she took off the candles and blew them out. Then she gathered her bags and turned to exit the room. Kudo was about to slide away from the door, but when she abruptly stopped, Kudo froze as well. Her eyes stared at something on the wall in an exhausted sort of way. Then she caught what she was doing, shook her head fiercely, and slid back on her fallen smile. She pushed open the door, and Kudo found his body suddenly crushed by the weight of the door swinging into the back of his head.
As the door swung back to a close, Kudo watched Kyoko prance away in a confident mood. …She seriously did not think that 'cursing' the man was going to solve all her problems, did she? As quietly as possible, Kudo snuck into the room and took a closer look at the decorations Kyoko had put up. That girl must be mentally unbalanced. There did not seem to be a link to any of it. Kudo walked over and shook the recumbent body sprawled on the couch.
The man's eyes shot open in a flash, and he sprung to sitting position, pummeling Kudo's nose in the process. "Wha…What's going on? Where am I?" he babbled as he frantically flipped his head around.
Kudo cradled his nose in his hand. …That really hurt. If it left any mark, he was going to sue the butt off this director for damaging his precious merchandise. "Ouch…Relax… You're in your office. The break is almost over, and its time for us to get back to work."
The director shot his eyes to Kudo. Slowly his rapid breathing relaxed, and his clouded eyes cleared. "Oh…It's you, Kudo-kun. I just had the most awful nightmare that…" His voice cracked to a stop, and his eyes nearly popped out as he stared at the room. A promotion poster was hung with Edo period samurai dressed in kimonos and topknots. Another poster showed Michael Jordan making a jump shot. In one corner sat a rotund gold Buddha laughing up a storm. In the other corner a stuffed bald eagle was lifting its wings for flight. The director stood up in a daze and stumbled to the coffee table where two dated photographs stood side by side. Cautiously, he picked them up. Kudo looked over his shoulder. Odd. Though the two photographs were both of men from much older time periods, they looked very similar to the director…well, except that they were both missing their…
"Give me a mirror," the director growled.
"Wha…"
"Are all actors airheads? A mirror. Now."
Kudo reached in his pocket and pulled out the small compact he always carried. The director snatched it, flipped it open, and started examining his head. He gasped as he touched his forehead. He twisted his neck and checked behind him. A louder gasp. He flew over to the sofa on which he was laying moments before. Short, black strands lay scattered like soldier's bodies across a battlefield. With care he picked each one up and cradled them in his hand. A look of mourning was sketched on his face.
This was getting out of control. Kudo put his hand on the director's shoulder. "Relax," he said. "This is all Tsuruga Kyoko's plot to break you. She was the one who set this all up. Pathetic really. I even saw her doing this silly little curse…"
"Curse?" The director shot his face up, and horror shone out of his eyes.
Kudo crinkled his brow in disbelief. "…You don't seriously believe in all that voodoo bull?"
The director looked down. "…No…no, of course not," he mumbled as his hand absentmindedly reached up to the side of his head. His eyes grew darker. "That girl is asking to be crushed."
Kudo smiled. As he strode out of the office, he glanced over to what caught Kyoko's attention earlier. It was a photograph that had been on the man's wall for years. The director stood with his hand on the young Tsuruga Ren's shoulder on the last day of the drama "Mars Cluster". Both wore triumphant smiles on their faces.
Filming began again, and Kudo watched as Kyoko acted with Emi-chan on stage.
"Cut. Stop filming," the megaphone boomed. "Tsuruga-san, you are one step away from being fired."
Perfect. The director was angry. Served that girl right.
"You think you are so great? You want me to read what the newspaper writes about you? It says here that…" Silence. The director's face turned white, while his mouth swung open and close like a carp out of water. Kudo glanced over to where the director was staring. Besides the small promotion piece on their drama, Patrick Stewart's face peered out from under the headline, "Star Trek Movie Sequel Number Thirty-four In the Works".
The director looked up, visibly shaking. "On...on second thought…just do what you were doing. …I might as well see what you are trying to do before I reject it."
Kyoko grin broke past the sides of her face, and she started bowing repeatedly in gratitude. What a shameless girl…and what a spineless director. It looked like he had to take control of things himself. As Kyoko continued to gush out praises to the director about how noble and virile the director was, Kudo wandered over to where Emi-chan stood.
"How are you doing acting opposite Tsuruga Kyoko?" he asked casually as he stood beside her.
Emi watched through her fake glasses as Kyoko forced the director down to give him a Kyoko shoulder rub special. "She's scary but totally amazing. Look how she changed the director. ...I wish I had super powers like her."
"Oh, you don't want super powers like that. The way she cheaply throws herself around to get what she wants. A pure hearted girl like you should never think of going as far as she goes," Kudo spoke quietly.
"What are you talking about? Weren't you the one drooling after her and harassing her since the first day like a dog in heat?"
Ouch…whatever happened to Emi's innocently sweet persona? Well, he needed to bring out his secret weapon. He drooped his eyes up and puckered his lips. He allowed his eyelashes to flutter. Not very manly but effective. Emi looked like she did not know what hit her.
"Actually, Kyoko has been forcing me to chase her around," he spoke, his voice dropping pathetically. "She was actually jealous of you. She knew that I liked you and blackmailed me into pretending I was in love with her. And look at the director. She was alone with him in his office for ten minutes, and he comes out with that completely changed attitude. Don't pretend you don't know what that means." Kudo bent to kiss her cheek. The girl stared at him and then turned bright red. Perfect. His job was done. He sauntered back off the set.
The director was in the process of dodging Kyoko's helping hands as he clutched his head fearfully. "Enough of this…" he shouted while shivering. "I'm not saying that I agree to your Chouko, just that I'll watch it for one take. Ladies, get on set."
Kyoko jumped back to starting position, but Emi held her place. "No!" she called out.
The director glanced over confused. "What?"
"I refuse to work with that manipulative hussy," she spoke. All people on set turned to stare at the girl.
After a long pause, the director was the first to speak. "…Weren't you the one begging me to allow Tsuruga-san to give you acting lessons a week ago?"
Emi's face turned red in embarrassment. "I don't care what I said before. I don't want to work with a woman like her. Rewrite the scene with her out, or I'm quitting."
Kudo looked over to Kyoko. Her eyes were frozen onto Emi's form. Well, it served her right. Anyone who pretended to be on some moral high horse deserved to be trampled on by her own beast.
"…That's a wrap. Tsuruga-san…good…job today. …You're free to go now."
Ren relaxed his arms and lowered the metal pipe he had positioned at a fellow actor's still trembling form. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and handed the makeshift weapon and towel to the stagehand, whose eyes watched him warily. As he walked off the set people pushed themselves out of his way and stared at him as he strode past.
"Are you ready to go?" Ren asked Yashiro as he slid off Sato's heavy jacket.
For the first time since the scene ended, Yashiro's stupefied eyes blinked. "…Oh…right. …Why don't you get changed while I finish things here and I'll meet you by the car."
Ren nodded and left to the costuming trailer to rid himself of the Sato's attire. As he strolled back towards his car, a man wearing sunglasses raced by. His lenses reflected a small scroll monitor the man was anxiously flipping through. Two girls were giggling on a bench over something on the screen they held in their hands. Ren was rather surprised that their cell phone was shaped and painted as his own head. …Creepy. Luckily, the girls were too engrossed with their phone to notice the real Tsuruga Ren walk by. Slowly, Ren reached into his wallet and pulled out the thin rectangular screen. It took all of yesterday and much of this morning to figure out how to turn this stupid thing on. Ren pressed down his left ring finger on the center of the screen, and suddenly the screen brightened and the banner "Welcome back, Tsuruga-san" flew across the screen. Fingerprint password protection. What a pain in the neck, and this meant that Ren had no chance in tricking Yashiro into helping him with this contraption either. Ren pressed on the computer icon in the lower corner. The all too familiar screen popped up, "We care about your financial security. Credit card and Internet capabilities require the special AFPI password. Please put it down now." Well, thirty-third time the charm. Ren pressed his right pinky on the screen. Red screen. "We're sorry. That was not the right password." What the heck did they want? He had gone through all of his fingers. Was he supposed to take off his shoes and move onto his toes? A new screen popped up. "We have noted unusual activity on this phone. Please keep the phone on as the task force investigates thi—" Ren slammed his finger on the off icon.
Internet was everywhere, but it seemed like he was the only one who had no access to it. Well, it might be for the best. Ren was not altogether sure he wanted to see what he wanted to look up. He had been a hair away from losing it this afternoon. Seeing Fuwa Sho so unexpectedly, he was dangerously close to strangling that idiot and demanding answers to his suspicions. His fist actually itched to be embedded in Fuwa's face. That would have made a great article. "Tsuruga Ren viciously attacked Fuwa Sho on set today. When asked why he did so, Tsuruga admitted to having no real reason, but upon further questioning he admitted to being a time traveler from seven years in the past. Hundreds of tearful fans line up outside Tokyo Matsuzawa Psychiatric Hospital to wish him the best at his new permanent residence."
…He definitely needed to calm down. He had jumped to conclusions about Kyoko's actions before, and he had found himself worrying over nothing…or more correctly, the wrong thing. But the more and more he thought about it today, the more he was dead sure that that was Fuwa Sho in the car last night. What was Fuwa doing with his wife in the middle of the night? No…calm down. Fuwa Sho causing problems was nothing new. He probably went to his house to annoy Kyoko but found she was asleep. That's right. Ren must have been mistaken about the bedroom's light being on. Kyoko could not have been lying about being asleep. Although a great actor, Kyoko was transparent when it came to lying. Last night she did not stutter, shake, avoid his eyes, or burst out apologies while bent in a dogeza on the floor. Her actions were seamless. She acted odd with the note, but that could have been for any number of reasons. It was probably just a harassment letter from that idiot. Fuwa Sho was just being the troublemaker he always is. Pathetic, really. Kyoko was married to Ren. Fuwa already lost. Still, the reporter's implication thundered in his ears. What the hell was the "Fuwa Sho incident"?
Yashiro waited for him by his car as he held a bright cellophane wrapped basket. "One of the staff seems to have left this for you. It's a little bit late but a rather sweet sentiment." Inside were a bottle of wine and an assortment of fruits and cheeses. In the center was a handcrafted sign that read, "Happy Anniversary, the Tsuruga Couple. Here's to wishing many more years of happiness." Yashiro stashed it in the back as he slid into the passenger's seat.
As Ren situated himself in his own seat, Yashiro's sharp gaze flipped to him. "I know you have been out of sorts since this morning, and seeing Fuwa here probably brought up some memories and issues that you were not expecting to have to deal with, but your mood has been affecting work and that's not okay," he spoke in a reprimanding voice.
Ren did not look up from turning the key in the ignition. "I don't know what you are talking about. I thought that I acted particularly well today," he mumbled.
"Yeah. You did. But they had to do a scene five times because all of the flowers withered into stubble as you walked by with your suffocating aura."
Ren's hands paused from setting the gears. "Flowers cannot wilt because of someone's 'aura'. They were just overheated by the camera lights."
Yashiro rolled his eyes. "Whatever it was, you were way too into your acting today. I think most of the crew was afraid that you would jump up and strangle them at any moment in search for news about your dead fictitious wife. You going to talk to me about what is actually wrong with you?"
Ren's eyes faced straight forward. Should he talk? Was it possible to ask Yashiro questions without raising his suspicions? The offer was tempting, but would Ren be able control himself once he started? Ren glanced over at Yashiro hesitantly. "What do you know about…" He stopped.
Yashiro looked confused at Ren's pause. "…About what?" he coaxed.
"…About…time travel." That's right. This was what he was supposed to be figuring out. Everything else was none of his business. "I…got handed a script, and it seems interesting. A man wakes up seven years into his future and has to pretend to be his future self until he finds his way back. But the script was only finished part way. How does he return?"
"He shoots the screenwriter. What a ridiculous and overused plot, and what a stupid main character. Why are you talking about work? I want to hear about your personal problems."
Ren gritted his teeth. "I'm serious. What do you think happens in the end?"
Yashiro rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "Well, its obvious that he will find a way back to his old time. The audience gets anxious if everything doesn't go back to normal. In most cases he would leave using an odd piece of technology. A mechanical time machine. An old, beat up DeLorean. A magic hourglass. An antique British police box. A phone call to a man with a goatee named Rufus. A government sponsored device run by convoluted pseudo-physics that lets someone leap into other people's anatomical forms. That sort of a thing."
"…There doesn't seem to be anything like that written in the script."
Yashiro shrugged. "The next choice is the whole natural phenomenon thing. He flies through a wormhole or black hole…Really anything with a 'hole' in it."
"He's not an astronaut."
"It doesn't have to be in space. There could be some type of time hole in the city. He just has to leap off of some recognizable landmark like Tokyo Tower, or Rainbow Bridge, or Mount Fuj—"
"Next option."
Yashiro thought for a moment. "It could be a dream sequence. He just needs to hit his head or get in a car crash to wake himself up."
"I tried that." The bruise on Ren's forehead still throbbed.
"…Huh?"
"I mean…he tried that." That was close.
"Has he seen a ghost or angel?"
"No…don't be ridiculous."
Yashiro looked annoyed. "How is this whole thing not ridiculous? Well, how about this…I saw it in a movie once. He sits absolutely still and concentrates really hard on going back home." Ren looked at him. Sounded stupid, but sadly it was the best plan of action he heard so far. Yashiro continued, "Of course all his emotions about the future time have to be clear. No one goes back home in a time travel flick until everything is settled. There. I've answered your question. Now are you going to tell me what's really bothering you or am I going to have to force it out of you?"
Ren's mind was still in turmoil as he drove his last leg home alone. That was right. He was supposed to be focusing on going back to the past. He should not be wasting time worrying about Fuwa here. Ren just had to find a way home and discreetly murder Fuwa in the past. That way, Ren would never have to worry about his actions in the future. Well, he might not legally be able to murder that idiot, but he would make darn sure that idiot's relations to Kyoko was completely broken off. He certainly would have that right knowing that Kyoko was his future wife. Ren drove past the length of road where he had met the red Ferrari last night. His hands tightened onto the wheel. A vivid image came to his mind where Kyoko was swung around Fuwa's neck. "Sorry, Ren darling," she spoke. "I thought I loved you, but I guess that my hatred of Sho just stemmed from too much love for him. Singers really do have more exciting lives." As she reached up to kiss that moron, Fuwa turned and flashed Ren a cocky smirk.
"Out of my head!" Ren growled. Talking to himself now… Glad Yashiro was not here to see that. But…come to think of it, that image was completely wrong. The Kyoko he knew hated Fuwa Sho. Fuwa would have had to do something enormous to get her to forgive him… wouldn't he? Besides, Ren might be seven years in the future, but Kyoko was still Kyoko. Just as Ren knew that he would never betray Kyoko, Kyoko was not the type of girl to have an aff… to break her marriage vows either. She was the most traditional and trustworthy girl he knew. Besides, even if his marriage was having problems, she was the type to attack and yell at Ren directly. She was not the type of person to do things behind his back.
That thought actually did make him feel better. He pulled into his driveway and unbuckled his seatbelt. He could curse himself. Why was he wasting time doubting Kyoko? Kyoko was sitting inside his house right now pregnant with his child. She had been trying to keep as quiet as possible, but he knew that she spent much of her mornings and afternoons with her head swung over the toilet. If anything was happening, it was all on Fuwa's side, and he should stop worrying so much about it.
Ren approached the entrance and adjusted the gift basket in his arms. His hand rested on the doorknob, but what he heard through the door made him freeze.
"—I can't deny it any longer. I've tried so hard to forget about you, but I can't. Everywhere I go and see it's you in my mind. I'm tired of pretending that there is nothing going on between the two of us," Kyoko's muffled voice cried out.
"But what about—" A man's voice. ...Was it…his? Ren clenched the doorknob.
"Forget about anyone else. Sure, other people will get hurt, but don't we deserve happiness? I don't want to live my life just doing what I'm supposed to do any longer."
"But…"
"Just kiss me." All right. Ren was one second away of storming in and following up with that murder plot he thought up in the car.
"…I'll do that, but are you sure you're of legal age? Your chest is flatter than a kindergartner. Really…no fun at all."
"DIE, MORON!" Kyoko's voice boomed out. A sharp thump was heard.
…Did Kyoko just follow up with his murder plot for him? Ren threw open the door, and it crashed to the wall. What he saw was a scene Ren would probably remember for the rest of his life. Kyoko looked at him surprised with her arm around a man neck. This man stared straight at Ren with a smirk on his face, which was odd as he had a butcher's knife sticking straight out from his chest. After a moment's pause, Kyoko quickly swung her arm off the man's neck. This caused him to come to terms with balance and gravity, and Ren watched as the two centimeter thick man came crashing face first to the ground.
"…Whaatt kkinnd oof kisss wwass thaatt? Iitt'ss nott aaa kisss withooutt soomme ttou—"
Kyoko jumped down and flipped off the voice recorder switch strapped to the back of the man's head. Hesitantly, she glanced up. "…Tou…tuti fruity lip gloss…was what he was going to say," she nervously spoke. She then picked up the man and pulled the butcher knife out of his chest. "This isn't too bad," she muttered. "He's still reusable."
Ren looked at her uncertainly. "…What are you doing?" he asked.
Kyoko looked as if she was caught stealing the last cookie. "…Acting practice," she finally spoke. "I'm getting better."
Ren looked around the room. Besides the cardboard cutout in front of him, its identical twins filled the rest of the living room, though their fate looked much worst. Some were decapitated. Some had their limbs chewed off. Some had unflattering drawings of pimples and Satan goatees scribbled all over their faces. Most had something chucked through them. One surprisingly had stuffed animals shot through its body. That must have been quite a throw to give that fluffy pig enough velocity to be lodged through the man's mouth.
Ren looked back at Kyoko. "Is your role Godzilla?"
"No," spoke Kyoko as she heaved a great sigh and fell onto the couch. "It's for Winter Solstice. I keep letting my personal feelings for the co-actor show up on screen."
…Personal feelings? Ren glanced over to one cardboard man who had his eyes literally burned out. "Co-actor…That wouldn't happen to be the 'singer and now up and coming actor Kudo Aoki', would it?"
Kyoko looked at him hesitantly. "Yes. …Why are you smiling?"
"…Oh, no reason. Go on."
Kyoko sighed. "He keeps going out of character when he knows that the sound would be muted in the final version. At first I stayed in Chouko's character, but after hearing his childish jokes, she smacked him across his face, swore that all the years of fantasizing about him was a waste of her life, and swore never to see him again…which, you know, is probably the best thing for her, but it completely eliminates the drama's plot for the next ten episodes. So I decided to quickly switch back into myself for those soundless scenes today, but my reaction was…worse. I've been working with these Aiko dummies to see if I can better control myself."
"I…see."
Kyoko stared at the Kudo-cutout for a moment and then glanced back at him. Suddenly her eyes grew wide in shock.
"Oh, I haven't even said hello! You got home early. Was there not much traffic today? Sorry about the mess. I thought I could clean it up before you got here. Let me help you with your coat. Are you hungry?"
"Uh…no, not really."
"Good. Let's go make some dinner." Kyoko spotted the basket in Ren's hand. "Is that for me? How sweet… You shouldn't have." Kyoko took the basket and examined it more carefully. Her eyebrow cocked up. "Giving alcohol to your pregnant wife… You really shouldn't have…"
Ren had completely forgotten the thing was in his hand. He followed Kyoko as she moved her way to the kitchen. "It's not from me. It's a belated anniversary gift to the both of us from a staff member at work."
Kyoko stopped and turned to him with astonishment etched on her face. She examined the package closely like it was a disguised bomb about to explode and then read the small sign poking out from the middle. She looked back up at Ren and an enormous smile was glowing off her face. "What a wonderful person! And you can't get an assortment of cheese like this easily in Japan."
The two began cooking, but somehow it wound up with Ren in front of the small Korean style grill. "What are you doing? You're burning the meat," Kyoko chided Ren as she sat on the counter next to him.
Wow, that piece was getting burned. Why were they all getting done at the same time? Couldn't they each just wait until Ren was ready to work with them? "…That's how I like my meat," Ren mumbled as he pulled the blackened piece off the grill and went to save the next piece.
Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Stop lying. You like your beef medium rare." She reached her hand through the cellophane and into the gift basket besides her. "Odd. This basket has napkins that have 'Phoenix Moonlight Bar' imprinted on them. Did this person nab these while visiting Arizona? A secret Japanese tourist paper napkin thief? I hope that doesn't cause any diplomatic issues to blow up." She pulled out a shiny red apple and took a large bite. "So how is work going?" she asked
Ren looked up from his meat scramble. "Good," he said. "Really good actually. The staff is friendly and professional, and the plot is exciting. Moreover, I find that I can easily identify with the character, which seems to help my acting seem more authentic."
Kyoko's face turned serious, and her smile faded away. "I know," she muttered as she stared at her half eaten apple. "That's why you took the part in the first place."
Ren looked over to her confused. What did he say that put her in such a despondent mood? "…How are things going with your drama? Well…other than the issues with your co-actor."
A pause, and then Kyoko lifted her face with her beaming smile back on. "Oh, everything is great," she said as she slid off the counter and grabbed the plate of Ren's finished charcoal meat. "Everyone seems to really like me, and it's a real blast working with everybody on set. Don't worry about me." Kyoko set the meat on the table and sat down.
Ren turned off the grill and joined her. As he sat down, the dilapidated cat he had spotted his first morning here jumped on his lap and started meowing for its share of meat. "It doesn't seem like everything is all right if the actor is harassing you with such inappropriate jokes," he said as he scooped some meat and vegetables onto his plate and snuck a small morsel to the furry scrounger. "Talk to the director about it. It makes me rather angry that you have to put up with that kind of stuff."
Kyoko had been eyeing the cat on his lap as it struggled to gobble down the rock meat without choking with an odd displeased look, but as Ren finished speaking, she flipped her head up. "Huh?" she questioned. Then, with an odd glint in her eye, "...Oh, if you're willing to help me for a bit after dinner, I think I know of a different way to get him to shut up."
After the two of them finished dinner, Ren found himself in the exact same position as the executed Kudo dummies. "You want to do what?" he asked incredulously.
"Seduce him. It's the only way," said Kyoko as she fussed with his outfit to make him look more in character.
"I don't see how this is a good idea at all."
"Well, I've been thinking. The only way I can act the way I should is if he acts the way he should. Now the scene is that I'm the one chasing him. He is really in love with the female lead's character but feels betrayed by her. The expression that he should have in this scene is one where he looks baffled deciding whether he should be true to his feelings and go back to Emi-chan or try to fall for me and forget about her. Since I am not the main driver for his feelings, I've been thinking that there's no way for me to force out that expression, but it occurred to me tonight that that expression looks very similar to a man who's facing a girl who had just taken her clothes off and is bewildered as to how he got there."
"You're going to take your clothes off?"
"No, just metaphorically speaking."
"I think I still object to you taking your clothes off metaphorically speaking."
"Stop talking. Just stand there and get ready to be seduced. If I can get you to show that expression than I can definitely shut that man up."
It suddenly occurred to Ren that he was in a rather dangerous spot. Kyoko primped her hair and stood opposite him…and stared at him for a long while.
"…I just thought of something," she finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm not really the seductress type." Her face sank. "What was I doing all this time? I should have read more corny, cheap romance novels for this par… What a minute…I can think of a human example I can model her on. Okay, let's start again." Ren stared at her with trepidation as she prepared herself once more to act out the scene.
Kyoko's voice rang out, this time huskier and more passionate than what he heard before. "—I can't deny it any longer. Everywhere I go and everything I see, it's you in my mind. I'm tired of pretending that there is nothing going on between the two of us." Kyoko's eyes had not left his eyes. They seemed to force him down in his spot. "Forget about everyone else. Don't we deserve happiness? I don't want to live my life just doing what I'm supposed to do any longer."
Oh, that was right. He was supposed to be attempting to break Kyoko's character like her co-actor. He opened his mouth to speak but froze when he saw how her expression changed. Her eyes held a power he had never seen in Kyoko before. It made him both want to run away and never move from his spot again. Only one name for it came to his mind…Queen of the Night, and not the fat opera character either. Kyoko slid one hand slowly up the front of his chest and softly around his neck. Then her other hand moved up, and her thumb grazed his lips.
She moved closer to him, and her breath grazed his skin as she whispered, "Have you ever kissed someone?"
The fact that he very much had made no impact to the fact that his conscious was now screaming "Danger Zone" at the top of its lungs, but his body had absolutely no ability to move.
Kyoko pulled his face down by his tie. "Shall I teach you how?" she purred as her eyebrows rose suggestively. This all seemed very familiar, but Ren was not able to process it further as his lips were commandeered by Kyoko's sensual mouth. Something in the back of his mind warned him to stop, but a greater voice justified that if she was offering free lessons, he might as well sit at the desk like a good boy and call her sensei.
Kyoko released his lips. "…I win," she quietly triumphed.
Ren looked down at her. "…Complain to the director. You are absolutely not allowed to do this with—" Kyoko rushed her lips back to his mouth.
...He really needed to get control of the situation or… Ren felt her hands slide up his back. His body burned for her touch. His thought process was quickly turning into white noise, but one thought struggled to make its was through. Was he really allowed to be doing this? Kyoko released his mouth and started sticking butterfly kisses to his neck. Who knew butterflies could burst into fireworks? Well, she was his wife. It would be ridiculous to claim that a married man was not allowed to do this. Ren pulled her closer to him and kissed her passionately back.
Ren's mind was now to the elementary point of cognition. He loved her hands softly caressing his hair. Her lips tasted so good. Did someone leave the heater on? How did they teleport to the bedroom door? Her body felt so soft. What was the purpose of them wearing so much clothing?
Kyoko sighed as he slid his hand underneath the lining of her clothing and onto the silky skin of her back. Her sound jolted Ren's mind back to life. She was not his wife. Kyoko's hands caressed his collarbone. Well, she was going to be in the future. Kyoko fiddled with his top button. His future self wouldn't mind too much, would he? He pushed Kyoko down onto the bed and passionately forced his lips back onto hers.
Then he froze. Yes, his future self very much would mind this. It made no logical sense, but if Ren was married to Kyoko, he was very much sure that he expected to be present each and every time something like this occurred. If he were his future self, he would send a terminator or something back to the past to eliminate his imprudent self. Ren looked down at Kyoko as she worked down his shirt buttons. Kyoko… She had no idea that he was not her husband. He had just abandoned her during her doctor's engagement, and here Ren was jumping into a new situation to hurt her. Ren sighed.
Kyoko had completely undone his shirt and moved her mouth back to his as she began to pull off his shirt with her hands. At the same time Ren pulled himself up with his arms. Kyoko was left puckering in the air, and she opened her eyes confused.
"I can't do this," Ren whispered.
Kyoko pulled her lips back to their normal position. "…Huh?"
Ren struggled to force his breathing back to normal. "…I need to go downstairs."
Kyoko stared at him. "…Now?" she questioned after a long pause.
Ren turned his head away. Looking at Kyoko in that prone position under him was making things much more difficult. "I…I still haven't memorized the script for tomorrow. I need to go and work on it."
Kyoko blinked. "…Aren't you acting the subway chase scene tomorrow? It doesn't have any words."
"…There's still stuff I need to work on…Like facial expressions, running fast...and…stuff."
Kyoko stared at him. Ren noticed her arms were still frozen holding his shirt half way down his shoulders. "…Now?"
Ren pulled himself up and off the bed. "…So I'll come back to bed after I…am done with everything I need to do. Go on and go to sleep. Don't wait up for me." Kyoko continued to stare at him. Ren pulled his shirt back on his shoulders, gave an awkward smile to Kyoko, backed himself to the door, and exited the room.
Ren leaned against the door and sighed. Then slowly he ambled down the stairs and into the kitchen. He traipsed over to the refrigerator, opened the freezer door, and stuck his head in. …Id…i…ot... Ren let the frigid air freeze his fevered head and sighed again. What the heck was he thinking? Slowly he took his head out and looked around the room. Desperate for something to distract him, Ren moved over to the gift basket. Slowly, he unwrapped the cellophane and unloaded the perishable items to store in the refrigerator. As he took out the wine bottle, he noticed the napkins Kyoko had mentioned earlier. …It was rather odd for American napkins to be there. Ren moved his hand to pick them up, but something caught his eye. He shuffled through them and pulled out one hidden in the middle. Sure enough…it had handwritten writing on it. Ren pulled it out and read the spiky, ornamental cursive:
This is in thanks for your gift today.
Don't worry. None of the food is poisoned.
Best wishes on getting your work and family affairs in order.
From your Apartment 31 mistress,
Caitlyn Nox
P.S. Say hi to your wife for me.
Notes:
Hmmm. I was sick when I finished up this chapter. When I was no longer heavily drugged with cold medicine, I reread the note that I had written (Thanks Piacine-Jadeymay for bringing it to my attention) and realized that the only way that note made sense was if you squinted your eyes, bashed your head into the wall, and then consulted the little birdies flying over your head for help. This note is more concise and fits better with the story. I sincerely apologize if this chapter registers as updated when I change it. I know that it is disappointing when you expect a new chapter and its not there. On the other hand, there is another extra in the author's page (he he..."couple of days"). Thank you so much for the support!
