Imperial Entanglements
Disclaimer: I do not own SkipBeat! or any of the characters from the Manga. This story is entirely fictional and is not meant to cast aspersions on the true Japanese Imperial Family in any way. None of the names, personalities, or events in this story reflect true events in any way. The true Japanese Imperial Court is intricate and complicated beyond the easy understanding of a foreign commoner such as me. Nevertheless, I'm confident that someone will still be offended by my characterization of this fictional family. For that I can only apologize.
Summary: There is a black sheep in the Imperial Family, and he is making life difficult for everyone. In desperation, the Empress decides to settle her youngest son down by forcing him into a political marriage to a commoner. He fights back by choosing, Mogami Kyoko, someone who he thinks his family will hate.
Chapter 4 – Dancing Golden Eyes
Prince Takahiro woke and stretched, and then he groaned. His head ached and reminded him that he and hard drink had never agreed. He reached up and rubbed his stinging eyes as he tried to push back the pain and the shame.
It wouldn't have happened if that girl hadn't shown up at the party. She wasn't actually the girl who haunted his dreams, and he knew that, but she reminded him so much of the other one… It had made him angry. It had made him want to shout. It made him want to cry… and so instead he drank.
The sun streaming through the window told him that he had overslept and missed breakfast. He felt uneasy about the lack of information coming out of the ladies wing of the palace grounds. When he first thought of throwing that oddball actress in pink into the mix, it had seemed like a good idea. Now he was questioning his decision. His mother, the Empress, was a highly intelligent and politically savvy woman. His father, the Emperor, often said that she was his right-hand and the brains in the family. So what had possessed him to try and play games with her?
There was a gentle knock at the door and Takahiro's manservant entered the room, followed by a maidservant carrying a tray of food, juice, and coffee. The man came to a stop next to the bed while the maid arranged the meal on a small dining table, bowed, and exited. After the door was closed, the prince said, "What's on my schedule today, Katsukawa-san?"
The dignified looking young man stood almost at attention as he replied, "You are supposed to join the Prince Regent to meet and greet last year's Koshien winners. That is at ten this morning… in one hour. The Emperor has asked you to join him and the rest of the princes for lunch. In the afternoon you have polo and Shinkendo*. After that your schedule is free."
Takahiro frowned. His brother wanted him to accompany him, and then his father? That was highly unusual, and it suggested that someone was trying to keep him out from under foot. He sat up and dangled his legs off of the side of the bed, trying to ignore the pain in his head. The manservant pulled a silk robe off of its stand and held it out. The prince stood and slipped first one, and then the other arm into the sleeves. The servant moved in front of him and finished tying the robe shut before moving aside to allow the prince to take his place at the table. Takahiro tried to hide the shaking of his hand as he reached for the cup that his servant poured. He smelled the strong scent of coffee wafting toward him and smiled ruefully. They usually gave him tea. He was only served coffee after he had been drinking. "How many people know that I came in drunk last night?"
Katsukawa kept his face expressionless as he answered. "You're security team brought you in through the south entrance, so very people saw you…"
The prince sipped his coffee and closed his eyes to feel the coffee do its work. "So what you're really saying is that a few people know, so my mother knows, right?"
"That sums it up rather succinctly, Your Highness."
"Kyoko-chan, if you won't sit still, I can't work my magic," Jelly Woods declared as she pushed the nervous girl back into place. For such a tiny woman she demonstrated remarkable strength.
Kyoko scolded herself and tried to settle down, but her agitation wouldn't allow it. "Gomen nasai, Jelly-san. I'm just…"
"May I interrupt?" Lory asked, stepping into the costume and makeup room that Jelly had established as her base of operations in the Takarada mansion.
Jelly looked up at the tall man desperately, "Darling! Perhaps you can do something to help Kyoko-chan settle down? If not I will never get her ready in time!"
Lory chuckled, "I have just the right cure. Mogami-san, I have your sempai on the line. He's on a break right now. Can you spare the time to speak with him?"
Jelly watched with fascination as Kyoko's face transformed and almost glowed when she reached for the phone. The girl was so absorbed in the phone conversation that she didn't even notice that Lory and Jelly had nodded to each other and drifted out of the room.
"… and I don't even understand why She would ask for me… all I do know is that I'm going to go there and make a complete fool of myself and then…"
"Kyoko-san," Ren finally broke through Kyoko's soliloquy with the most direct method, "Why do you think that you're going to mess up?"
"Because I'm a nobody! I don't know how to talk with the Empress of Japan!"
Ren sighed across the phone and Kyoko felt as if she had just been NG'ed. "And all of this time I thought that you had grown as an actress…" Kyoko froze and her heart plummeted; she had failed her sempai and… "The Mogami Kyoko that I thought I knew would look at this as an acting challenge. She would consider the setting and the audience and she would have already been crafting a character to match the situation… Oh well, I guess…"
"Wait! Don't give up on me, Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko almost wailed in her desperation. "I'll do it," she said firmly, and Ren smiled as he imagined her expression; he loved her determined look. "I'll make a character that won't embarrass LME… or you, and…"
They continued to talk for ten more minutes, discussing the details as Kyoko's gifted mind crafted her character. Finally, Ren interrupted to say, "I'm going to have to go back on set soon, Mogami-san, but I wanted to point out one crucial aspect of this new character: The Empress wanted to meet you… not some character that has nothing to do with your true personality. So fashion yourself into someone who won't get flustered, but don't lose yourself in the process."
"But I'm so…" Kyoko stopped when Ren literally growled across the phone.
"Kyoko-san, you're doing it again. There are people all around you, just like me, who love you for who you are; not for some character that you have created. Let the Empress meet the girl we all love." Ren paused, waiting for her to self-implode or lapse into stammering denials, but she remained silent for a long stretch before softly replying, "Thank you, Tsuruga-san. I'll do my best." Ren wondered if she had caught his repeated use of Kyoko's most taboo word at all.
After she hung up Ren stood there looking at his phone with a concerned frown on his face. Yashiro stepped into the patio area and extended a bottled-water while wiping his sweaty forehead with his other hand, "How did the phone call go?"
Ren usually dissembled when it came to discussing Kyoko, but this time he felt the need to talk, "Kyoko has been invited to tea with the Empress of Japan."
"That's incredible!" Yashiro smiled happily, "Kyoko is amazing. Only two years on the job and she is already generating that level of attention. You must feel proud."
"I am proud of her… but for some unaccountable reason I'm feeling a little worried. I know that she'll do well… but still…" Ren decided to shake it off and head back to the set. After all, what harm could come from a visit to the Imperial Palace?
Outside of the Takarada estate a car was pulled far enough into a stand of trees so that it wouldn't be immediately noticeable from the road, or from any cameras that Takarada might have trained on the road. Miyamoto Taki would have preferred to sneak into the mansion, rather than watching the gate, but the security on the estate was legendary. Besides, all he needed to do at this point was to confirm a suspicion.
His usual target, Royal Prince Takahiro, had been behaving remarkably well in the past two days, until last night. Miyamoto hadn't learned anything new, and he was about to go fishing in more promising waters, when he overheard the drunken prince talking loudly with several friends.
"My muther," the Prince slurred and then pointed a finger at nobody in particular, "…you may call her Empress if you like… my muther has decided that I should get married! Can you imagine that? Me… married? Oh… and yeah… what else," he muttered as if trying to sort through his muddled thoughts, "… oh yeah… I'm to marry a commoner." His face showed that he expected everyone to look shocked and disgusted.
When nobody reacted he continued, "So I said to myself… 'self' (giggles)… it's time for war!" He leaned, or rather swayed forward, "Sooooo… what do you think that I decided?" He didn't wait for an answer; instead he tossed down his drink and sat back regally. "I decided to choose someone who my mother the Empress would never approve of… so I picked that Kyouko chick… you know… Mio."
Now he had their attention. One of the young men leaned forward, "Mio from Dark Moon? Taki, you really know how to pick them… though, you know, there is something about that girl…"
"D*mn right there is!" Another exclaimed, overly excited by too much alcohol, "Kyouko is the same girl who plays Natsu, that really hot chick on Box 'R! She's also, like, the angel on that 'Prisoner' PV and Nayoko on that new drama with the mayor who has a bunch of hot daughters!" The young college man leaned forward and said, "I'll tell you what, Taki: If your mother rejects her, you just send her on over to me."
Takahiro was probably too drunk to process everything he had just been told, but Miyamoto Taki, the reporter, had gotten it all. It hadn't taken much effort, just a few well-placed phone calls to fellow reporters, for Miyamoto to discover that Princess Noriko had made a trip to the Takarada Mansion on that very night, and that Kyouko had arrived shortly thereafter. He had used up a lot of favors, but a friend of a friend of a friend who worked in the Imperial Press Corps had confirmed that the Empress had scheduled a private tea with the young celebrity on this very day.
Miyamoto was on-hand outside of the Takarada estate earlier in the morning when the girl arrived by bicycle. He had made an educated guess that Kyouko would go there because of several rumors that she was a close personal friend of the younger Takarada heiress… and because LME stars often went to the mansion to be prepped before an important event. Now all that was left was to confirm that Kyouko did indeed go to the Imperial Palace.
At 9:30 am a black Toyota Avalon, the official car of choice for the palace, swung into the drive and waited as the gates slowly swept open. Moving quickly but cautiously within the shadow of the trees, Miyamoto moved so that he could get a line-of-sight picture of the front stairs of the huge mansion. His long, powerful telephoto lens allowed him to get a remarkably clear view of the front marble steps. He almost dropped his camera as a lone Japanese girl glided gracefully down the stairs, bowed to the chauffeur, and took her seat in the back of the vehicle. Kami-sama… was that really Kyouko?
The Empress tried to read through the folder on her desk, but it was impossible. Ever since her morning debrief with Noriko, her niece, she had been… eager? Excited? This is crazy! She shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts, but the feeling of anticipation remained. The life of an Empress might be described as difficult, but easy. It was difficult in that there is much expected: she must attend charities, host dignitaries, and set the standard for Japanese women in everything that she does. Yet it is easy in other ways: an entire staff was standing by with the express purpose of seeing to her every need. More importantly, an entire staff was standing by to prevent any but the most qualified and trusted people from imposing on her. This prevented a lot of unwanted difficulties, but it also meant that life could be rather regimented… rather controlled… and rather boring.
When she was as young as Noriko, before the previous Emperor had passed away, she and her husband had at least a modicum of freedom. But once her husband became the Emperor, it seemed as if she didn't own even a moment of her own time. That is why she had been excited when Princess Noriko described her visit to the Takarada mansion… and the fascinating young lady who would be coming to tea today. "According to Takarada Lory, you'll never know what she'll do next. He told me that she is the most gifted actress he has ever met. He alluded to the idea that she's missing something that she'll have to find before she can reach her full potential… though he wasn't really clear on that. What I do know is that she wasn't like anything I was expecting."
Nakage Yoshiiku knocked lightly on the doorframe, causing the Empress to look up from her stack of documents. "The car is at the front gate, Your Majesty."
She smiled genteelly and pushed her seat back, "Excellent. Are the preparations in place?" It was a rhetorical question and she chided herself inwardly, but the majordomo merely replied, "Everything is in place. Shall I greet her, Your Majesty?"
"Please do so, Nakaka-san."
Fate, if you believe in such things, often hinges on the smallest of decisions. Hitting the snooze alarm, stopping for lunch, or even picking a different tie in the morning can change your day… or perhaps even your destiny. On this particular morning the sky was a cloudless blue and the sun was shining. It was the perfect spring day, and the Empress decided to take the tea out of doors, at the stone fountain in the middle of the garden.
The garden of the Imperial Palace was as large as five city blocks, and there were flowers from all over the world, received as gifts from heads of state and others from more than one-hundred different countries. It was a beautiful place to anyone… it was a magical place for someone who could see fairies. If the Kyoko had attended the Empress in the palace, she would have been stiff and formal. Instead, by the time she had reached the center of the garden, Kyoko was in an ecstasy of discovery, and it was reflected in her golden eyes.
In the years to come, whenever the Empress would remember their first meeting, the first thing that she would remember would be Kyoko's dancing golden eyes. Only after she was able to rip her gaze away from those eyes was she able to take in the rest of this interesting young lady. Kyoko was dressed in a beautiful Furisode, in a deep royal blue with golden flowers and silver stems and leaves in intricate patterns. Her hair, which had been returned to its original raven color, was done up in a formal style, with intricate pins holding it in place and two butterfly hairclips adorning each side. The hairstyle highlighted her beautiful face and slender neck, making the small girl look taller. To complete the image, Kyoko had pulled from years of training and her posture and walk was picture-perfect… she looked every bit the princess.
Nakage had known his Empress' concerns well, so he watched with a mixture of pleasure and amusement as his lady took in the vision before her. He too had been surprised by the young lady who had stepped gracefully out of the car; no small feat for a woman in a kimono. He had taken the time to see Kyoko in each of her film guises and he was aware that she was a chameleon, able to transform into an entirely different person over and over again… yet even he had been taken aback by this stunning slender beauty.
Kyoko was completely unaware of the feelings of her host or the majordomo. She had walked through the garden in an enchantment, but now she found herself standing in front of real royalty, and she felt a moment of terror. She managed to push it back, however, by reminding herself that she could not and would not disappoint her sempai. Instead, with the grace of her childhood training, she brought her hands together in front and executed a perfect bow, "Your Royal Majesty, thank you for inviting me."
Those simple words were enough to snap the Empress out of her euphoria, and she returned the bow much more deeply than protocol required for a commoner. Nakage's eyes widened, but he remained silent and stepped back, his mission complete. The Empress gestured to the small table, "Please join me."
Kyoko nodded and glided to the table. She waited for the Empress to take her seat, and then she followed suit**. Out from among the rose bushes a lady stepped forward with a tea service and she bowed before setting the tray on the table. It was a western-style set because the Empress didn't wish to embarrass her guest; in case Kyoko didn't know the proper etiquette involved. The servant reached for the elaborate china tea pot, but the Empress said, "That won't be necessary, Minabe-san. Mogami-san and I will be fine." The lady bowed and stepped backward until she was among the rose bushes, and then turned.
Kyoko sat perfectly upright as she waited for any signal from the Empress. The older woman seemed to be looking straight into her soul, but Kyoko didn't fidget before the customer. Finally, she said, "Will you serve please, Mogami-san?" The Empress watched with interest as Kyoko moved, her every gesture was perfect, and the older woman became increasingly curious. She nodded gratefully as her tea was filled and as she sipped, she watched Kyoko doing the same. "Mogami-san, may I ask where you were trained?"
Kyoko set her cup down, her finger touching first so that the cup settled soundlessly, "I'm afraid that I don't understand, Your Majesty."
"Etiquette, manners, deportment… which finishing school did you attend?"
Even on that sunny day, the Empress felt as if the temperature cooled for a moment. Kyoko felt her demons rising, but she kept them in firm check and didn't allow herself to dwell on the idea that she had been trained to become that jerk's wife. "Actually, Your Majesty, I was trained to become an okami-san. I have never attended any finishing school."
The Empress winced inwardly at her mistake. This young lady had such grace and deportment that it made her forget the growing dossier that had been built up on the girl, "Forgive me for my mistake. I hadn't realized that the training for an Okami-san was so… complete. Your mannerisms and grace are quite impressive for one so young."
Kyoko almost lost her composure as she began to protest and then stopped herself. It took every shred of control she had to reply, "You are very kind, Your Majesty."
The Empress frowned. When Kyoko had first arrived in front of her she had been glowing and excited; now she was self-controlled and dull, like so many others who approached the Empress. She wanted somehow to break through this young lady's shell. "Mogami-san… that sounds so formal… may I call you Kyoko-san?"
Kyoko's eyes widened in alarm, and for the first time she lost a bit of her composure, "Ha-hai… I mean…" Kyoko stopped stammering when she saw and heard the almost godlike person across the table giggle. "… Your Majesty?"
"Thank you, Kyoko-chan… I was afraid that I would have to spend my entire tea-time with an automaton. Please relax with me… I am quite as human as any other woman, and I wanted to get acquainted with the real Kyoko… if you will permit me?" The almost pleading look that the Empress gave her broke through her defenses and Kyoko had to smile and nod, despite her misgivings. Kyoko remembered Tsuruga Ren's words and realized that he had been right once again.
"Good," the Empress said as she personally replenished Kyoko's tea and served the younger girl a dainty rice cake, "Why don't we start with you telling me a little bit about yourself: For example, how did you get into acting?"
For the next hour, far longer than had been planned, the older and younger woman talked. The Empress exerted all of her formidable social gifts to draw Kyoko out. Kyoko was enchanted by this dignified woman who seemed to be genuinely interested in her. She was so relaxed, in fact, that her demons didn't even rise when their conversation drifted near taboo subjects such as her reason for moving to Tokyo, or her family background. They talked of the entertainment industry, of LME, of Kyoko's various parts, of Maria and Moko-san, and of Tsuruga Ren.
For her part, the Empress was wholly fascinated with the young lady. Not once in more than an hour had Kyoko slouched or moved with anything less than grace, and yet her gestures and expressive face demonstrated a lively and headstrong girl who had faced many challenges and had never lost her joy of life. She noticed other things too: she noticed that the girl avoided any but the most casual reference to her family. She noticed that all of the good memories that the girl spoke of were confined to the two years since she had joined LME and began to pursue acting. And the Empress noticed that this gifted young lady had experienced a great deal of heartache already… though she'd tried to hide it from the older lady. Several things were clear: Kyoko took acting seriously, and it was her passion. Kyoko took friendship seriously, and she would die to protect her friends. And Kyoko was not as immune to love as her veiled denials might imply: Whenever she spoke of Tsuruga Ren, her eyes sparkled almost as much as they had when she had first walked through the garden.
This last revelation disturbed the Empress, though she didn't allow it to show on her face. Somewhere in the last hour she had begun to really like this girl… and to even contemplate what it would be like to have her as a daughter-in-law. If the girl's heart was already taken… Spontaneously, before she had even had the chance to consider her own words, she said, "May I ask how you met my son?"
Kyoko looked confused for what seemed like minutes, but was only seconds. Then her face showed alarm, and she cried, "I'm sorry! I didn't know who he was and I was talking with Moko-san and not paying attention. I should be shot… or poisoned… or…" her ivory skin was pallid white as she faintly asked, "…do you still behead people?"
The Empress tried to cover her mouth to suppress a giggle… that became a chuckle… that devolved into an outright hysterical laugh. From the bushes several servants began to move forward… hesitated… and looked at each other in alarm before fading back out of sight. Finally, when she could get control of herself, she said, "It was just a question, Kyoko-chan (more giggles)… you're not… in trouble. I only wanted to know how my son knows you."
Kyoko had watched the Empress' fit of laughter with shock and a certain morbid curiosity. She felt relieved that she wasn't in trouble, but she couldn't imagine where the question was coming from. After a moment to organize her thoughts, she gave a brief description of the even briefer incident. The Empress listened carefully and heard what Kyoko didn't say, as well as what she did say. She frowned just slightly, "I hope that my son was not too rude to you and your friend, Kyoko-san. He can be…"
Kyoko quickly waved her hands to forestall the Empress' words, "It was nothing, honestly Your Majesty. I slammed into him, so naturally he wouldn't be happy with me. His companion… well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that any fault was my own… and I apologize if I offended him in any way."
The Empress felt a little sad that she had been correct in her assessment of her son's motives: he didn't want to marry this girl; he simply wanted to de-rail his mother's plans. That idiot boy should have done his homework better. He thought that he was throwing an uncouth street rat into my lap. Instead he chose a princess. Perhaps fate has intervened?
Their tea ended pleasantly, and once again Nakage led Kyoko through the winding garden. Once again the flower fairies from throughout the world danced around her and greeted her as one of their own. Once again her eyes lit up with delight at meeting new magical friends, and her face was aglow with life. And once again, fate intervened: The tea was only supposed to take thirty minutes, so the staff who had been instructed to keep Takahiro busy and away from the garden allowed him to leave. The meeting with the Koshien athletes had gone well, but the baseball team had another appointment and didn't linger at the palace. Still aching slightly from his hangover, Takahiro went to the one place where he always found solace. And as he stepped into the garden, Nakage led the glowing beauty out. Kyoko, though startled, was too enchanted at the moment to react negatively towards the young man. She simply smiled, bowed gracefully, and continued to follow the majordomo to the car.
When Prince Takahiro finally regained his breath… and his ability to think straight… the official car was already driving away.
Notes: This chapter bounced around a lot, but I hope that it still made sense. I realize that I made the Empress seem too casual, and yet I think, in this situation and setting even a person of such high social stature might want to shed a little dignity in favor of the chance to get to know someone so interesting.
Everyone is deeply concerned over who is going to win Kyoko's heart... and I'm not telling. I will only promise that I'll try to keep the chase interesting. The pace of the story is about to pick up, and Kyoko is in for an interesting ride.
Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing... it encourages me and helps me to find time for this amid a very busy schedule.
Other than those items, I don't have much else to write at the moment. Please enjoy.
Koshien is a stadium where both the high school and the professional baseball teams play their championship games.
* Shinkendo is the revived art of samurai-style swordsmanship.
** I don't know what the actual protocol is in an informal tea setting with someone as high-up as an Empress. I'm only assuming that she would sit first