Welcome to the next installment! We're entering into the second act so to speak! Fun fact, I spent most of my time outlining and editing snickering to myself because I rolled the dice of cliches and tropes, and they all came up with (drum-roll please) EAVESDROPPING!

Also, my apologies about the time of the wait, a month ago today I bought my first house. ANOTHER fun fact, house-buying/moving from apt to house, is a long and difficult process and it's been two weeks since I painted and I'm still washing it out of my hair. -_-

One last thing, I hope everyone remembers that when I started this, I said I did it because of wish-fulfillment and the slightest whiff of plot. A great deal of what I write is straight up wish fulfillment that I would LOOOVE to see Nakamura-sensei do.

In any case, I hope you enjoy!

...

I turned thirteen this week. And I got my first monthlies last week. Okaa-sama was partially teasing, but today she gave me this journal and said that if I was turning into a young lady, I should then begin to record my experiences to reflect on them as I get older. That way, they can always stay with me. Onee-chan teased me and said she'd tried the same when she'd been given a journal a few years ago, but it hadn't lasted a week for her. And I thought much the same as she did...but…

Otou-sama asked an odd question today when we went to pay our respects to nii-san. Naturally, it was just the two of us, as okaa-sama and onee-chan had to stay so the inn wasn't left unattended. It had been a while since otou-sama and I had spent time together just the two of us.

But, he asked me if I had anything I wished would come true in the future. Maybe he meant it as, something I hoped would happen? But anyways, I tried making otou-sama laugh, like nii-san and I used to do, and I said if I had a wish, I'd wish to eat some of the fancy candies that'd been getting really popular these days. Nii-san and I used to make him laugh with that kind of thing all the time, and otou-sama did smile.

But then, he looked so serious, then asked again, if I had anything I truly, honestly wished would come true in the future. I mean, I was growing so big, and learning so much, and I'd just turned thirteen. What would I truly, honestly, wish for now that I was getting more grown up? Something that maybe I'd never thought of before.

Really though, what could I have said? I thought real hard but I just couldn't put it into words then. We're all so sad these days, and so tired. But, otou-sama, I don't know if I could ever tell you, maybe it's selfish of me...but truly, all I really want is for all of us to be happy again…

Excerpt from Yoneda Yayoi-sama's diary, Summer, 1945

The day after the Box 'R' wrap party, although that fact was not yet known to him, Sawara Takenori entered his office and nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw someone waiting for him. Glasses glinted in the light as they looked up from their paperwork splayed out on Sawara's coffee table.

"Sawara-san."

"Himura-san. Er, how are you?" Sawara eyed the social media head assistant nervously as he set his briefcase down next to his desk.

"I've been better."

Sawara laughed nervously as he thought furiously about what possibly could have happened that this department head's assistant had needed to meet with him so early.

"Can I, ah, help you with something?"

"Get the Mogami girl a manager." Sawara hid a flinch as Himura-san shot him an annoyed glance.

"She, um, keeps saying she doesn't need one, so I'm afraid that my hands-"

"I don't care how you convince her, I want it done. The Box 'R' event last night didn't even have media coverage and her appearance with a certain individual there caused their hashtag to trend last night on Twitter." Himura-san rested his chin on his hands as he shot Sawara another look.

"Do you have any idea what kind of problems that can cause?"

Sawara was pretty sure he was going to be told anyways so he kept quiet.

"It causes paparazzi! Paparazzi, Sawara-san!" Sawara tried his best to not groan out loud as Himura-san descended into a full on rant for the next five minutes.

Sawara truly did not actually understand what had happened, so by the time Himura was gesticulating wildly and swearing up and down about how lucky it was done by random passerby instead of Kyoko's cast-mates, Sawara was well and thoroughly bewildered. He sighed and interrupted the other man.

"Himura-san, please, I haven't the faintest idea what happened. Would you mind explaining it to me?"

"Your LoveMe number one showed up with our number one actor, Sawara-san! To a freshman wrap party! Can you honestly tell me that that girl doesn't need a manager?! A manager from here in LME could have at least warned her what kind of response that would bring! We all know Tsuruga can handle himself, but she's new to this! And honestly, it must have been pure dumb luck and maybe loyalty that no one in the party tweeted about it, and it was only the passerby outside that did, but that was a very close call!"

Sawara rubbed at the headache that was beginning to throb at his temples. Himura-san continued.

"And in case you didn't know, but somehow, Tsuruga has inspired enough vitriol from certain fans of certain talents from Akatoki, that they then started their own hashtag of 'hate him hate that show now too.' What do you imagine the producers behind that show would say if they had known that was a thing? You are very lucky I was keeping an eye on things last night and got it under control within my department."

Sawara groaned and lowered his head to his desk. Himura-san huffed.

"Are you listening?! Are you going to get that girl a manager or not?!"

In an effort to appease the man, and presumably his boss as well, Sawara pulled himself back up. "I will do what I can, Himura-san."

Himura-san gathered up his paperwork, shot him another irritated glare and sniffed, "You'd better. I have another reckless talent to see, excuse me." He then stalked out and Sawara watched him leave, still awash with stunned disbelief.

Well, he'd been meaning to introduce Kyoko-san to Kurosawa-san soon anyways.

The week after the Box 'R' wrap party had convinced Kyoko that no matter how smoothly she thought things were going, real life would swiftly reassert itself and let her know that she was incorrect. She had met with a nervous and agitated Sawara the day following the party and had been told of a new LoveMe task that she was needed for, and then been introduced to one Kurosawa-san.

She was then informed that due to this new task, and her other duties, Kurosawa-san was now to accompany her as her temporary older woman had nodded at her politely and Kyoko had tried to smile back. The other woman hadn't even let a muscle twitch in her cheek. A bit shocked at that, she'd turned back to Sawara to suggest maybe someone else, but he'd stopped her before she could speak.

"Try it for just this week, Mogami-kun! What'll it hurt, hm?" Sawara had shot her a hopeful look, nervously tapping his fingers on his desk, and that had made Kyoko's eyes narrow. He was hiding something. But she'd let it go. Kurosawa-san had seemed a bit quiet, but had started flipping through her schedule in a brisk, business-like manner, so she'd agreed with little debate.

That was her mistake.

Kyoko was hard pressed to remember another time in which an individual had so thoroughly infuriated her within the span of a week. The first day had been fine, if a little frustrating to have someone follow her every move. But then the rest of the week had happened. And now...now Kurosawa-san was outrageously overstepping her boundaries and Kyoko had had enough.

Near shaking with anger, Kyoko pushed open the door to Sawara-san's office door. She'd planned this so he would just be returning from lunch and didn't have a meeting to go to for another hour.

"Sawara-san. I must speak with you."

Kyoko's coldly furious voice made the hairs on the back of Sawara's neck stand up and he peeked out from behind his stacks of paperwork, already pretty sure he knew the source of her ire.

"Mo-Mogami-kun?"

"I was on my lunch break and she took my phone, Sawara-san. My phone. On my lunch break." Her voice became a hiss and Sawara flinched.

"Ah, I'm sure that was just a careless mistake Mogami-kun. She can be, er, a bit over enthusiastic shall we say?"

Kyoko stepped closer, glaring down at him from where he cowered.

"Tsuruga-san had been calling me. For the first time this week. She hung up on Tsuruga-san, Sawara-san."

Sawara gulped nervously as she stared him down.

"She has scolded me for being too clingy with my best friend. I let it go because I was at work and not on break. She's scolded me for my lack of care of my appearance. While undergoing training as a ninja. I let it go because perhaps I could have used another hairband. She has scolded me because I don't let her know where I am every second of every day. So I gave her a detailed and blocked out schedule of when I'm available. But this?"

Kyoko's sneer was truly of terrifying Mio-quality and Sawara was hard pressed to not duck beneath his desk in fear.

"Mo-Mogami-kun, I'm so terribly sorry-"

"She. Hung. Up. On. TSURUGA-SAN!"

The growl that came from such a tiny body was truly something to witness.

"I will take care of it immediately, Mogami-kun. I'm so, so sorry." Sawara groveled some more, both terrified of her and appalled by the behavior of the temporary manager he'd given Kyoko. There'd been rumors that the woman was too harsh, but she'd been so polite and congenial when he'd met with her. He should have thought it through more. Himura-san had had him so rattled that day that his normal instincts must have been on the fritz.

"You had better, Sawara-san. "

"My, my, Mogami-kun, this is unusual of you. You've been so lively recently, I can't remember the last time I heard you so angry." The deep voice of the LME president startled both Kyoko and Sawara and they directed their attention to the doorway of the office.

Kyoko bowed her greeting, now feeling more guilty for unleashing so much anger on poor Sawara-san. "I apologize for my tone, President."

"Bah!" Lory waved it off. "It happens. Is there anything I can help with though?"

Sawara was quick to speak up. "Ah, no, everything will be fine. We're just sorting out what option will be best for a manager for her is all."

Lory began to look more intrigued. "Is that right?"

Sawara nodded and Lory tapped a thoughtful finger to his chin, "Well, if you don't mind Mogami-kun, I can have you meet with this fellow who just was released from another one of our talents because they're going on hiatus. He's a pretty friendly guy. What do you say?"

The two men looked at her and Kyoko fiddled nervously with the hem on her jacket as she thought it over. Eventually she nodded and Sawara felt a sense of relief flow through him, as if a huge burden just left him.

"Excellent! Well, I'll get him over here then. Are you free at all this afternoon?"

Kyoko nodded again. "I just had the LoveMe tutoring task from the acting school left for today."

"Oh, how is that going?" Lory asked as he sat down on the love-seat in Sawara's office and shot off a couple emails while Kyoko also settled into a chair to wait.

"Well, this is only my second session. I think it'll be a great experience to learn from, for sure. No one seems too frustrated with my lack of tutoring skills yet, so I think we'll be able to learn from each other."

Sawara smiled as he returned his focus to his paperwork. Kotonami-san had outright refused, insisting that she didn't have the patience, and Amamiya-san had said something similar. He'd thought Kyoko might be just the right fit for the job.

Lory and Kyoko chatted for a little longer before a soft tap drew their attention back to the doorway. Lory stood to go greet the man. Her first impression of him was that he was definitely younger than Kurosawa-san, with an easy smile and light brown hair.

"Kita Hideki-san, meet Kyoko-san." They nodded to each other and Lory clapped his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Kyoko had to stifle a chuckle as his knees nearly buckled from the force of it. Kita-san asked a few preliminary questions about her work and what her schedule was like and as they sat down to discuss it, Kyoko's second impression of him was that at the very least, he was a more relaxed, and sociable individual than Kurosawa-san.

They talked a bit more about her current duties, Lory and Sawara interjecting as necessary and Kyoko slowly grew more confident that this second choice would definitely be more viable than her first one. Kita-san's demeanor was pleasant and he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Lory whisked himself away from the conversation shortly thereafter and Kyoko went ahead and took Kita-san to the LoveMe locker room to get him acquainted with how things worked for her duties as a LoveMe member. They went on their separate ways a little while later, planning to meet up the following day after Kyoko's training session at the Uesugi dojo.

Kanae stepped into the LoveMe locker room a week after the Box 'R' party and was relieved to see Amamiya-san sitting at the table, perusing something on her phone.

"Hey, good morning. I've been meaning to get in touch with you." Kanae's sentence seemed to surprise Chiori and Chiori shot her a questioning look.

Kanae sighed heavily, "Kyoko's been dodging me. I keep asking about that party and she keeps changing the subject."

Kanae's sharp eyes caught Chiori's slight wince and her curiosity stirred to life. She pressed further, "Ah, that bad eh?"

Chiori shook her head, "Actually, technically, it went very well. We're not sure if Aoki's manager forced him to or what, but Rumi-chan let me know this week that she had received an apology for his behavior. Naturally, no one else did, but at least Rumi-chan got one."

Chiori hesitated, but Kanae would be the best one to ask, so she went ahead and flipped her phone around so Kanae could see what she'd been staring at. Rumi-chan had sent her this picture with just the caption of a question mark and it had Chiori unnerved, to say the least. "I've actually been wondering, do you know if this is typical behavior for these two?"

Kanae stared, shocked at the image on the screen. Kyoko was fitted snugly into the embrace of Tsuruga-san's arms as he grinned down at her while Kyoko hid a smile behind her clutch. When on earth had those two grown that close to each other?

Kanae's eyebrow twitched and a frown overtook her features. This girl…I knew she was hiding something from me! Memories flitted back into her mind of her meeting with Tsuruga-san's manager a couple weeks ago. She'd caught up with him after she'd ducked away from a furious Kyoko in the locker room, intent on asking him questions she knew Kyoko wouldn't answer.

"Yashiro-san, I'm sorry to bother you, but I needed to ask you something." her voice had stopped him from stepping into an elevator, and he had looked back at her inquisitively.

"How can I help Kotonami-san?" He had stepped away from the doors, so they slid shut again.

"Your charge...he's changed."

"Ah, well yes. That's true. Good catch there."

"Don't insult my intelligence. I want to know why." She'd stared him down until he'd sighed and looked away.

"He used to be so scared of not being the perfect idol and the perfect gentleman. Nowadays, my interfering with potential fistfights and telling him to be more polite to the people he works with is surprisingly common. I see I'm not the only one to notice."

A bit startled and confused by the response Kanae eyed Yashiro before she spoke again, "Is it ok for you to tell me this? That wasn't exactly what I was asking."

Yashiro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Really, I'm being open about this because I'm hoping maybe you can help me. Has Kyoko changed?"

Kanae thought back to the fury that had lit her face in the locker room. "Yes, yes, I believe she has. She's not nearly as demure as she used to be."

Yashiro tapped a thoughtful finger against his briefcase handle. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Has this change been gradual?"

"Maybe? And Tsuruga-san's?"

"His has accelerated some in the past month or so. But Kotonami-san, whatever you're worried about, he wouldn't hurt Kyoko-chan. That much I can tell you."

"Not purposely he won't. But he needs to think before he acts. If it were anyone else, people wouldn't think twice about him visiting our locker room this late at night. But his kind of fame comes with a cruel backhand. Tell him that for me, will you?" Kanae sent him her most intimidating glare but it didn't seem to do much.

Yashiro sighed again before shooting her a slightly embarrassed smile. "Kotonami-san, have you ever been in love?"

Completely thrown by the question, Kanae frowned and shook her head.

"And have you ever seen anything Ren appeared in when he was younger? Not the movies or the other shows, but the interviews and other publicity?"

"Why on earth would I have done that?"

"Ah, well, see, the Ren I knew when I first met him is so drastically different from the one I see before me now that I find it an amazing change. Look up some of those old interviews. You may be surprised. And, you may find your answer."

Kanae glared, "You're still dodging my question. Why is he acting so recklessly like this?"

Yashiro huffed out a small laugh before he replied.

"See, there's this thing that happens when you want someone's attention. It always happens as you start to really fall in love. First, you think nothing of embarrassing yourself as long as you get that person's attention. And then you grow more reckless in private. And then you grow careless even in public the more the person you like lets you get away with that kind of behavior. It seems silly to think that something like love can do that. But, it's true.

"You are young Kotonami-san, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But to people my age, that behavior is so obvious that at most, we just indulge young people finding someone that they're that comfortable with. We find it amusing. And isn't that just terrible of us? If it'll help your peace of mind, I'll do my best to have Ren only act that way in private." Yashiro sent her another small smile before nodding and exiting to an elevator, leaving Kanae standing there in utter disbelief.

You lied Yashiro-san. Kanae thought viciously, two weeks later as she stared at the evidence of what he'd described to her. She had looked up what he'd suggested she look up. All she had found was a closed off individual that reminded her terribly of the young Hiou she had first met. What she hadn't found, was a satisfactory answer.

Irritation coursed through her as she shoved that train of thought aside and instead thought of her best friend. You've not been telling me the truth Kyoko. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the picture one more time before responding to Chiori.

"No," she said shortly, "That is not how they typically act."

Chiori's uneasiness deepened. "That's what I was afraid of. Rumor has it that LME strong-armed Sawara into giving Kyoko a manager because of how they acted that night. What do you think?"

"I think it's not only possible, but probable. Honestly, that girl causes so much trouble for me…" Kanae's grumbling trailed off as she stomped to her locker to start getting ready for the day. Chiori looked on, mood lightened by the amusing behavior. She had a feeling that the LoveMe trio might be sitting down to give their leader a stern talking-to soon.

Kyoko stumbled blearily into the supply closet, still trying to catch her breath from the rough exercise Uesugi-sensei had just run her through. He'd sent her off to grab some tumbling mats to practice some falls for a scene coming up with Momiji and, honestly, Kyoko was thankful for the breather. Due to her tight schedule at the moment, this was her only training session this week, and she'd only had the one the previous week as well.

It was true what they said about losing stamina the more you lessened your exercise regimen. Everything she was learning about exercising and rough training regimens gave her a new respect for athletes. She was definitely going to think twice the next time she came across a role that required this much physical exertion. Although, now that she thought about it, they'd be easier to do while she was still young. She yawned as she knelt behind the towering stack of differently-sized mats so she could pull some out without toppling the whole thing over.

Other than her typical duties and trying to get along with Kurosawa-san-now a moot point what with the manager shift-,she'd been working through the Mt Oguso script. What Takashi-san had given her included the script of Act 1, and a list of brief character biographies since the cast of characters was so large. Honestly, it was a fascinating read. She'd read it all in one sitting and then had spent all week rereading it at a slower pace to absorb all the little details and to try to infer the subtext of some of the relationships. Relationships were heavily influential in the storyline and it was fascinating to see all the interconnections and to think about the inner workings.

She'd called Takashi-san just that morning to let her know that she'd read everything but would need another week to decide. The themes were mature, and heavy, and she really wanted to get a handle on understanding them. For the first time in awhile, she hadn't asked Tsuruga-san or Moko-san for help.

After recent events, she'd really wanted to figure this out on her own and show them what she could come up with. She thought, if she got the role, (Takashi-san had suggested they meet up at the end of the week for her to do her first audition if that was agreeable to her), that she might show them her role by inviting them to participate in a tea ceremony. Uesugi-sensei had a space for it and it wouldn't be too hard to arrange. She giggled a little as she thought about that, internally hoping that they'd be very impressed with her take on such a mature and deep character.

As she'd reread the material, trying to discover her own Yoneda Yayoi-sama, she'd felt a small flame flickering to life deep inside her, where all her other characters lived. It was small, but already blazing bright. It was fanciful, she knew, but Kyoko knew that the hotter and brighter that flame burned, the more Yayoi-sama would demand to be seen. Much like some of her other characters, Kyoko knew it was the beginning of something new and scary, but she was confident that, with a little time, she would be able to handle this role.

Kyoko was aware that something about Yoneda Yayoi-sama unsettled her. Maybe it was the strength of the emotions she felt the character rousing deep within her, urging her to let them free. That emotional influence was pretty similar to how other characters had affected her though, so she felt that might not be all there was to it. She was getting better at controlling that part of her acting method the more she got a grasp on the technical side of things.

Perhaps it was the secrets Yayoi-sama knew, but chose to keep quiet about, all in an effort to protect those that meant the most to her. Kyoko knew how that felt, all too well. Maybe she was really just feeling a false confidence and actually wasn't grasping the mature themes as well as she thought.

She sighed, exasperated with herself. Kyoko didn't know all the reasons yet, but knew that Yayoi-sama was going to be very very different from anything else she'd played. She shoved aside her insecurities as she tried once again to get her thoughts back on track. She wasn't sure yet where her confidence came from, but she knew this was a role she could get a handle on. She just needed a little more time to adjust and tweak the character she was creating and to comprehend everything the script said-and didn't say. Kyoko knew that those two aspects were vitally important to understanding Yoneda Yayoi-sama.

But, she quickly stopped herself from daydreaming too much. She had to think in the here and now to complete Momiji's training and she feared she'd dawdled too long by now. She scooped up a couple mats, readying herself to stand back up, but froze in place as the closet door suddenly banged open, loud angry voices filling the space.

"Kimi-chan, you need to stop and think about what you're doing!"

"Oh give it up! This is all I've thought about for a week solid! That man has never been so reckless! I approach him, he gently brushes me off. I insinuate an attachment, he gently reminds me that he cares for me as he cares for all his coworkers. I blatantly proposition him, he just sends me a smile and politely turns me down! Trust me! I know what I'm talking about!"

Kyoko did her best to suppress a gasp of surprise by clamping one hand over her mouth and breathing out through her nose slowly. She'd know that voice anywhere. But what was Morizumi Kimiko doing here? Was did she need to be at a dojo for? And oh dear, what a forward individual she was, thought Kyoko as she started contemplating the nature of what she'd just said.

"Kimi-chan, I get that this is upsetting but-"

"Oh please, if you had any sense, you'd be insulted. How bad does it look on the rest of us if a man of his age and stature makes time with such a young girl? And especially someone that's not even officially under an acting department yet!"

"Kimi-chan, that's going too far! You have no idea what those pictures are about, and besides, they're near enough in age that LME would laugh a scandal off in a heartbeat. Have some common sense!"

Kyoko was growing more and more curious as she also picked out Hiromune-san's voice. What on earth could they be referencing? And when had those two become so close? She heard Morizumi-san stomp around some more, and other noises as if she was throwing things about carelessly trying to find what she was looking for.

"Kimi-chan, please see some sense." Hiromune-san's cajoling voice filtered through the loud banging noises, "And maybe you should calm down a bit so we can get on with our training. We've already kept sensei waiting. I don't want to keep getting NG'd by Director Ogata just because the two of us can't sync up our fight styles for this episode." Hiromune-san's coaxing seemed to settle some of Morizumi-san's anger and Kyoko just heard her huff, grab something by the sound of it, and storm back out. Kyoko sat frozen behind the stack of mats as Hiromune-san sighed loudly.

"Honestly Tsuruga-san, how do you make women go crazy like that? Unbelievable…" His exasperated muttering was still loud enough for Kyoko to hear and she felt her eyes widen in surprise. She sat there, trying to muddle through the context of the conversation she just heard and make sense of it, while Hiromune-san grabbed what he needed and left as well.

The first thought that dawned on Kyoko was that Morizumi-san was absolutely shameless, if what she'd said about approaching Tsuruga-san was true. The next one was that Tsuruga-san must have the patience of a saint if he'd kept gently rejecting her. The third was her trying to wrap her mind around Tsuruga-san being so reckless. Wait, did he have a date recently with that girl he likes? Did paparazzi happen to photograph them or something? She desperately tried to ignore the painful ache that shot through her as she thought of that.

Bewildered, and stuffing heartache down deep where she could ignore it, she stood and grabbed her mat to hurry back to Uesugi-sensei. She knew she was going to get scolded for being late in returning, but her tumultuous swirl of emotions had her so distracted she didn't even panic at the thought. And, unfortunately for her concentration, that befuddling conversation stayed with her for the rest of the day.

I turned 16 today. Onee-chan teased me mercilessly all morning. But, the party Mi-chan and she threw was so fun. She and Mi-chan surprised me so much with it. Even Daisuke-san was able to make it! It'll be something I'll cherish for a long time. I do miss nii-san at times like this, but okaa-sama always knows how to cheer me up out of my funk when that happens. She let me have a wonderful chocolate dessert!

Now that otou-sama is being requested more to travel to the Tokyo Embassy, we see him less, but even he surprised me with being able to make it to the party. Today was such a special day. I'm truly honored to have the family I do.

Otou-sama did tease me some though. He said he's already had to turn down a marriage proposal for me. How silly! My studies haven't even been completed yet and he's always said that his daughter's learning comes before everything else. Silly otou-sama…

Excerpt from Yoneda Yayoi-sama's diary, Summer, 1948

Takashi Chiyo blew out a frustrated sigh and stretched her arms behind her head. She'd been perusing Yayoi's character diary as a sort of reflective and meditative method as she thought over some production problems with her project. Her eyes drifted to the small wall calendar behind her desk and she frowned. It'd been two weeks since her visit to Kurosaki's set and Kyoko had only called her once to let her know that she was reading through it and was sorry for the long wait.

Chiyo didn't mind that necessarily. Tsuruga had been so busy that when Shingai had given his manager the offer, the man himself hadn't been able to read through it until a week later if she recalled correctly. A very similar thing had happened with Oohara-san as well. Two weeks was just longer than what she'd anticipated, she mused as she rubbed her eyes and yawned tiredly. Taking another glance at the diary, she nibbled on her lower lip as she thought things over. Perhaps she could give Kyoko a call herself? No, maybe not, she didn't want to scare the girl away.

Chiyo groaned and stretched again. She'd have to deal with this later. She needed to get ready for her meeting so she could leave in time and she still had proposal notes to go over. She, Shingai, and Tsuruga needed to be at Fuji TV for an investment meeting in a mere two hours. The investors were either in or they weren't. When Tsuruga had asked to accompany them, she'd been surprised, but pleased. So, in a last ditch effort to get them all on board, despite the delays, they might as well bring a strong, united front and all their persuasion that they could. She stood at her desk for a moment, but closed the diary, softly patting it. I promise I'll do my best Yayoi-sama, you deserve nothing less.

She was pretty positive that the occasion called for the red dress.

...

Shingai watched, partly in amusement and partly in concern, as Takashi-san pulled out her typical notes and her recorder as she tried to settle in for their meeting, while also attempting to assuage the concern of one Tsuruga Ren.

"Tsuruga-san, I promise you, as an attached executive producer for this project, you have every right to be here. Not only have you already invested your time as a consultant for casting and the historical research, but you've already invested monetarily. Really, you've gone above and beyond and anyone here should take that effort seriously."

Shingai had been surprised when Takashi-san and Tsuruga-san had revealed a certain casting choice, but it had certainly made it easier for the three of them to plan out trickier aspects of the project. He'd genuinely had had no idea who to cast for Lieutenant Commander Taylor and honestly, it'd been a bit of a relief to know he'd had no need to.

"Takashi-san, aren't I too young for the others here to take seriously? I know I offered, but now I'm heavily reconsidering." His brow was deeply furrowed as he expressed this and Shingai reached around to pat his shoulder comfortingly.

"Don't stress about it too much Ren-kun. I was involved with these as an intern at about your age. If you speak smartly, and have something important to say, people will always listen. And hey, we all gotta start somewhere, hm?" Takashi nodded along as Shingai spoke and Ren's brow smoothed back out a little.

"Well, alright, thanks for that." Shingai checked him over periodically throughout the following hour as their meeting got underway and Takashi and a couple of the potential investors and producers chatted about location possibilities. He seemed to have tensed again when Shingai had looked last and Shingai frowned as he tried to understand where it was coming from. He turned his gaze to the individuals on the other side of the table and saw a couple were preoccupied with messing with their phones while sneaking peeks over at Ren. His frowned deepened.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." Shingai cut off one officious-looking individual he vaguely recognized from a banking conglomerate. Takashi stared, taken aback at his disapproving tone of voice.

"I would like you to focus on this meeting, not your phones. We are here for a particular project that is very important to us, and while Tsuruga-san is attached to this project, his attendance here is not actually so important you need to interrupt what this meeting is actually about by texting about it." Shingai stared down the two individuals to the left of the fellow from the bank until they flushed and pocketed their phones, the others of their group looking faintly scandalized by the behavior.

Ren tried his best to not feel embarrassed, but he also felt that maybe some damage control might be in order. Shingai was a hell of a director, but when it came to these meetings, he was less inclined to pander to egos, and well, Ren was told he was charming for a reason.

He cleared his throat lightly and leaned forward, forearms resting on the table, "I apologize gentlemen, has my appearance caused some disturbance I can clear up?"

The younger, twitchier man of the two that had been using their phones rushed to speak up, "I'm actually incredibly curious. What's your role in this?"

Ren hid a wince. Right to the point then. "If all goes well, not only will I be a consultant and executive producer, but I'll also be starring in this project. I came across Spring at Mt. Oguso through Director Shingai here, and it's become very dear to me. I want it to be one of the highlights of my career as an individual in this industry, so I want to do whatever I can, help wherever or however I can, so it can succeed."

Takashi hid a smile as his impassioned speech drew more interest in the gazes of the various potential investors and producers. He was a better speaker than he gave himself credit for.

An older woman spoke up next, her voice thin and slightly disapproving, "I see. As we are all here to see if we can help you all out with this endeavor, I find myself wondering, what could a star like you see in a period piece such as this?"

The hint of condescension in her tone as she said 'star like you' made Ren's temper flare but he held it in, keeping it tightly leashed and instead smiled back at her.

"This industry is about the stories we tell. And each of us involved take on some part of the title 'creator'. I take joy in breathing life into my characters so others believe in them. Directors take pride in pulling all the loose ends together to form the big picture. And writers are the spark and the foundation from where the stories begin. I could go on, but I digress." The silence of the room as he spoke was telling. Takashi wasn't surprised to find herself once more experiencing the charisma of the young man seated next to her and it boded well for his future that he could speak so well now. Ren continued, passion threading through the words he spoke.

"When Spring At Mt Oguso came across my desk, I knew it was special as soon as I finished reading the first ten pages. I knew it would be a project I would be proud to be a part of. I knew that no matter the character I had, it would be an honor to play them.

"People in this business talk about having a production sort of take on a life of it's own. Sometimes you just read a script, or talk to the people involved with it," Here he gestured to Takashi and Shingai sitting beside him, then continued, "And you realize there's something a little bit unusual about it. You get this sense that the work you will be doing for it is bigger than just the words that you say, or the story you're following. It has a deeper meaning, and the implications of it are deeper than what you see on the surface. These types of projects are so rare. We are passionate about this, because we know it will be worth it. We might not be able to tell you exactly why, but that's because we can't. Not until it's finished and you've watched it with your own eyes."

Takashi sent a quick glance to the older woman that had asked him about it and if she was judging her right, she was a bit surprised at the passion of the younger man in front of her. The silence held for a long moment before the woman smiled, years appearing to fall off her face as her wrinkles deepened with the movement, and she replied, "You speak very much like another young man I used to know. I'm pleased that there are still romantics in this new technological age of ours."

Ren couldn't hide his blush then. He hunched in a little on himself as the rest of the room laughed quietly as the tension broke.

Shingai sent him a knowing smirk and that left Ren feeling even more unsettled. The meeting quickly got back on track however, and Ren was able to rebuild his more reserved facade. As the meeting continued, the more experienced individuals in the room hashed out the logistics of one location or another, costuming, how many set crews would be needed, and the length of the filming for the cost of all of the above and then some. Honestly, the thought put into the logistics made Ren's head spin. While it was obviously important, he felt very much out of his depth and was unable to provide much assistance in that area.

But, when all was said and done, Takashi left with more support, monetarily and otherwise, and so, they called it a success. Feeling a bit ragged by the end, Ren turned to the other two, grateful he'd been able to count on them to back him up.

"Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this."

Takashi was the first to respond, "You should know better than most Tsuruga-san, my letting you do this isn't entirely altruistic. I know my limitations. While I already had one juggernaut of this industry, to see this catapulted into the world as it deserves, I knew I would need at least one other. And that's you."

Ren laughed lightly, "Still though, I believe this is a genuinely mutually beneficial partnership."

"For sure Ren-kun. Without a doubt," Shingai sent him a reassuring smile that Ren returned.

Takashi shook her head lightly as Shingai started to tease Ren about his fans and began to gather up her stuff. A notification lit up her phone, and as she read the confirmation email, she couldn't help but smile. The red dress had done her some good today.

Unfortunately, despite the overall positive impression of her and Kita-san's first meeting, Kyoko began to have her doubts about him as the week wore on. While her week working with Kita-san didn't cause the same frustrations as Kurosawa-san had the week before, a whole host of other ones cropped up with him.

She gave him her schedule, he didn't appear to do much with it, and was the complete opposite of Kurosawa-san about it as a matter of fact. She asked questions about the industry and things she still needed to learn, and he wasn't able to answer much. He had interrupted a LoveMe trio meeting (well, actually, they'd been giving Kyoko a good scolding about professional behavior in public because she was now a celebrity that, honestly, she felt she'd earned) and hadn't apologized to them about it. He had just dragged her out of it because he'd scheduled an interview for her and not told her. The last straw was when Kurosaki had sent in preliminary edits of her and Tsuruga-san's work and he had opened the email, promptly scoffed, and clicked away from it. As she was looking at the exact same thing at the time, she grew rather concerned.

"What's wrong, Kita-san?"

He shook his head at her, smiling in a way that she found remarkably patronizing, "We'll need to schedule a meeting with that director. He is not using the material you gave him well at all."

He looked like he was about to delve into that further and she held up a hand. "That will do, thank you."

While Kita-san stared at her as if she'd suddenly grown two heads, she gathered up his briefcase, slid her arm into his and marched him from the LoveMe room they'd been using and deposited him and his things on the couch in Sawara's office. Sawara stared at them in despair and he dropped the file he was holding.

"Oh not again. What happened?!" As Sawara asked this, Kita-san's face grew more and more discomfited.

Kyoko arched a brow. "I find his work ethic lacking and his judgement of what we do as artists in this business to be sub-par and his manners are terrible." She crossed her arms as Sawara stared up at her.

A faint chuckle came from the doorway. Feeling a strange sense of deja vu, Kyoko glanced over her shoulder and was not surprised to see the LME President there again, same as the week before.

"I'm afraid that was my fault, my dear."

"I'm sorry?" Kyoko looked between him and Kita-san in confusion. Kita-san hunched his shoulders and then Lory spoke again.

"I had hoped Kita-san would be more businesslike with you and be inspired by your work ethic, but it appears he just needs to be retrained. He's grown too comfortable with his work."

Much of the confusion Sawara and Kyoko both felt cleared up at that. Sawara looked at the younger man with some sympathy. He then sighed and gazed back up at Kyoko.

"Well I do apologize for this mess, Mogami-kun. I'll have to check my list again before I have another manager I can introduce to you," Sawara said.

Kyoko nodded, thinking over how hectic her life had felt recently. "That's fine, Sawara-san. It does appear that I am actually in need of one these days."

"Mogami-kun," Kyoko looked back at the president in surprise, "I really do think Yashiro-san is the best fit for you right now."

"Sir, please, we've discussed this. You know I think Tsuruga-san needs him more." Kyoko frowned at him. Lory sighed.

"My dear, I do understand. I would stop bringing it up but Yashiro-san refuses to stop bringing it up to me. What would you do in this situation if you were in it?" He gave her an elegant shrug. Kyoko turned her frown to the floor as she mulled this over.

Finally she straightened her spine and looked back up at Lory. "To the best of your knowledge, do you think Yashiro-san could manage us both efficiently enough to not overwhelm him?"

Lory stepped closer to give her a soothing pat on the shoulder. "My dear, not only do I believe that, but Yashiro-san insists on it." He smiled down at her comfortingly.

She pondered that some more before nodding decisively. "Sawara-san, I appreciate your help with this, but I'll take Yashiro-san up on his offer for the moment. But!" She held up a finger as she looked between Sawara and Lory. "I'll only keep him so long as he doesn't get overwhelmed, alright? Deal?"

Sawara and Lory exchanged relieved looks. "Deal."

Kyoko smiled at them, happy that they'd reached an agreement. She then excused herself, as she had to get to the Darumaya for an evening shift and she'd have no time for dinner if she lingered too long.

Lory swiftly dismissed Kita-san and said his goodbyes to Sawara so he could catch up to her. He had come by originally for an entirely different reason and had been distracted from his original purpose.

"Mogami-kun." Kyoko turned and looked at him questioningly as he walked closer to her.

"Mogami-kun." The deep voice echoed down the corridor and Ren found himself stopping dead before he turned the corner to get to the LoveMe locker room. The president's voice was unmistakable, and Ren had been doing his best to avoid the man recently. What with the production meeting he'd just come from however, perhaps it was time to tell him the truth.

He faintly heard Kyoko's inquisitive response, and crept further near the corner to pick up what they were saying.

"I've heard that both Producer Kuresaki and Director Kurosaki have been very pleased with your work recently."

"Oh, that's very kind of them to say." Kyoko's sweet and shy voice made Ren's lips twitch into a soft smile.

"You know, I'm rather surprised at your evolution these past couple months."

Ren's brow furrowed. It would only be right for someone inexperienced to be increasing their success if they worked as hard as Kyoko did. He wasn't sure what the president meant by that. Apparently, neither did Kyoko.

"Sir?"

Ren heard Lory heave a dramatic sigh, as he was wont to do.

"You are so bright and so loving these days. And it is obvious to those who know you. It used to be that you'd hide those emotions, just for fear of having them. What's changed, my dear?" Lory's voice was gentle, but knowing as he asked this.

Ren was stunned as he heard Lory place an oddly heavy emphasis on "loving." He knew he didn't know everything there was to know about Kyoko, but clearly he had missed something in the past couple months that Lory was comfortable enough to bring up with her in a random corridor right out in public. What on earth could they possibly be referencing?

The silence wore on and Ren strained his ears further. Eventually Kyoko spoke again, hesitant and unsure.

"I, I don't think I get what you mean sir."

Ren risked a look and saw Lory gazing down at Kyoko, a fond look on his face.

"My dear. I am nothing if not a meddling old man. I've asked to see some preliminary footage of the roles I referred to earlier as I had a hunch that they may have had something to do with your recent behavior. In fact, I just finished watching them a little while ago. Didn't you find those silly, bothersome, 'loving' emotions to be ugly? But even outside of your roles, you are freer with them now. It made me curious. Was it Momiji that made you this way? Was it something else? I'm afraid the preliminary footage has only stoked my curiosity and solved neither of those questions. So?"

Ren was careful to only peek a little to avoid their notice, but his heart was pounding in his chest as he watched Kyoko try to respond to Lory's inquiries.

Uncertainty still prevalent in her tone, she said, "That's a complicated subject. I mean, I know I can play Momiji well. And I know that that is because of what I've learned about my own feelings. Has she changed me? Maybe. Perhaps she's made me more aware...But what does that matter? Experiences change you. It's to be expected." Kyoko shrugged helplessly up at him.

Ren had to smother a snicker as Lory heaved a great depressed sigh.

"You're as pragmatic as ever, my dear Mogami-kun."

"I am sorry, sir." She seemed genuinely apologetic and Ren had a great deal of difficulty smothering his amusement so he remained unnoticed.

Lory pondered her some more and spoke again. "That neatly avoids actually answering my question, however. It's undeniable that I have seen you evolve into something else than what you were that day in my office in March. If you're not sure if it was Momiji, what do you think it might be?"

"What does it matter?"

"Oh, do a daft old man a favor and satisfy my curiosity before I die of old age."

It was Kyoko's turn to let out a dramatic, put-upon sigh with great gusto.

"Fine. I can't tell you specifically a what, I'm sorry to say. But I can tell you the reason why." She hesitated and Ren found himself straining with great effort to not move closer, so fascinated he was by the conversation the other two were having.

"I don't find love itself to be an ugly emotion. I recognize that my love for Shotaro was foolish, and I can believe now that it was a truly blind love that I felt for him, at least, I think so. But, coming to that realization, I also began to understand that I wasn't upset that I had loved. I was actually upset because of how that emotion made me behave. That's...that's a bit hard to describe and it took me a very long time to really understand." She sighed and squared her shoulders as she continued.

"Even now, after all this time, I am happy to portray a Momiji that shows through her actions how much she loves, but also shows all the fears she has in her love. I am proud that I do it well. But President," she stopped a moment to eye him in consideration and Lory twitched an eyebrow up, intrigued by what she was saying.

"You think love is the greatest force humanity has. And it certainly can be. But every great thing has a downside. For all love can make us kind, it can also make us cruel. I don't want to be cruel. And if I must love, if it is as inevitable as you say...at the very least I can just let it make me kind." Nodding sharply at the president, Kyoko then turned on her heel and left him there to ponder her words. Hearing her steps, Ren went to hurry away, but-

Both Ren and Kyoko paused as Lory called out after her, "Mogami-kun!"

Lory waited until he knew he had her undivided attention, "This may not mean much, coming from your overbearing president," His outrageous wink made Kyoko snort a little as she shared in his good humor. "But Mogami-kun," his voice gentled and Kyoko blushed at the kind look in his eyes, "I am so very proud of the young woman you've chosen to become. I know that the path forward will be tough, but it will take you to some amazing places you could not have gotten to otherwise. If you find yourself having a hard day, please remember that, alright?"

Kyoko swallowed thickly past the emotional lump in her throat, blinking rapidly so as to avoid crying over Lory's kind nature. "Thank you, sir." She bowed deeply and he waved her off again.

"Any time, my dear."

Heart going a mile a minute at Kyoko's revelations, Ren scrambled to backtrack his own path as she started making her way towards the part of the corridor Ren had stashed himself in. Once far enough away, he retraced his steps so he could safely and 'accidentally' bump into her. He'd been looking for her for a reason after all.

Director Konoe was stepping into an elevator after a late meeting to get to the underground parking lot of LME when the other occupant already in it stopped him short.

"Hey, Ogata, right?" Konoe nodded in greeting to the slighter man as he finished stepping into the elevator.

"Ah yes, that's how I prefer to be known, thank you." Ogata smiled slightly, looking him over curiously.

"I'm Director Konoe, I'm really glad I got to meet you in person. Your work with Tsuruga Ren and Kyoko-san of LME in Dark Moon was fantastic."

Ogata couldn't hide his shock, but did his best to respond,"Oh, er, well thank you. That's not something I hear every day. Did you work with them on something as well?" Ogata tilted his head in curiosity as he tried to place if he knew this man's projects.

Enthusiastic as ever about his current project, Konoe opened his mouth to gush about the two actors that had so amazed him before he promptly shut his mouth again, biting his tongue so as to avoid breaking the privacy clause in their contracts.

"Ahem, ah, well, no, I haven't worked with Tsuruga Ren and Kyoko-san specifically on any particular project, no, not in as many words so to speak…" he hedged and thought to himself, because you know, the Heel siblings were who were contracted actually, if I recall correctly… He then decided the best way to distract Ogata would be to mention Dark Moon some more.

"Your production just did so well for their characters in particular that they really stand out, you know? Everyone did so well, of course, you casted so well! But to me, they had a special, um, I guess, ah, a special vividness? Just, well done all around!" Konoe cleared his throat nervously, hoping the elevator ride was almost done and that he'd successfully distracted Ogata.

That did appear to be the case. The younger man was nodding along, "Yes, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to cast those two in something else I direct, that's for sure."

The two directors smiled amiably at each other and when the elevator dinged, and they both got off on the underground parking level, they shared a small laugh.

"Well, I hope I don't make you uncomfortable if I walk out with you," Konoe spoke first and Ogata laughed it off politely.

The two directors strolled through parking lot, heading to the exterior doors and exchanging other pleasantries when a familiar voice echoed through the cement lot and had them stop in their tracks, peering back over their shoulders in curiosity.

"Kyoooooko-" Ren drawled and then sighed as Kyoko only twitched a little before walking out through the parking lot doorway. He'd followed her when she'd mentioned needing to meet her ride that Lory had offered her and he'd convinced her to take the long way down the stairwells so he could try to talk to her a little longer. She'd not protested the suggestion, and had instead appeared to mostly be lost in her own thoughts.

The longer it'd stayed that way, the more quickly Ren's ornery nature had reasserted itself as he'd been unable to broach any topic with her that went beyond basic pleasantries. He didn't know what was occupying her mind, perhaps her conversation with Lory, or who knows what else, but he'd not been able to see her in person for two weeks. And as Yashiro had put it, he was growing ever sulkier when he didn't get to be around her.

The fact that she was there in front of him, and behaving in the most polite, professional manner that she could, was tying him up in knots. He wanted her to look at him differently again, like she had the night on the balcony. He wanted his name to fall from her lips as sweetly as it had that night when she'd thanked him. In truth, she had all of him tied up in knots, and maybe it was petty, but the parking lot was deserted, and he'd risk angering her if only she'd turn and look at him beyond how a co-worker would look.

He hurried his stride so he could get nearer to her, then leaned in close and repeated himself, a bit louder this time, "Kyooooko!"

That seemed to get to her, and she whirled on him, eyes flashing as she slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't call me so familiarly! What if somebody hears you?!"

As soon as she let her guard down as she huffed at him, he acted. Quick as could be, he snagged her hand, gently pulling it from his mouth and dragging it up behind his neck while he wrapped his other arm around her back.

"There, that's better." he placed his hand in the middle of her back and pressed firmly to fit her in close to him in a snug embrace. Kyoko stared back at him, flabbergasted at Ren employing such a tricky move. She then started to scold.

"Tsuruga-san, you know you shouldn't act so improperly, people will get the wrong idea."

Ren pouted down at her, willing to lay it on thick if it kept her from noticing that she'd yet to back away from him.

"But Kyooooko, hugs are such a great comfort aren't they?"

"I don't need any comforting!"

"I never said it was you who needed it. How presumptuous." He teased lightly, as he trailed the hand still on her wrist back down to the small of her back and clasped his hands together there.

Kyoko was utterly bemused, but moved her hand to his forehead, "Are you sick again? What's wrong? Why do you need comforting?"

He caught her worried gaze and felt a little guilty, but not enough to stop, "Yes, I feel just terrible."

"What's wrong?"

His lips twitched as he tried to hold back a smile at her serious demeanor. As solemnly as he could manage, he replied, "Oh I've felt just awful. My favorite partner in crime never returned my call this morning so I made sure to finish my work early to come see her and she hasn't even yet asked how my day has gone. That's just too mean right? So not nice. You agree, right?"

His earnest and outrageously childish behavior caused Kyoko to pause as she thought through was he was saying. Then her face flamed in embarrassment as she realized what he meant. Ren tried his best to control his amusement, but as he watched it dawn on her what he was saying, a snicker escaped.

"Oh! You're a horrible tease you are! Let me go!"

He tightened his grasp on her as she tried to wiggle free. Kyoko groaned in frustration as he didn't let go. She glared up at him and huffed.

"Really Tsuruga-san, you should know better than to act so childishly! What would others say if they saw you right now?"

Ren shrugged affably, "I think I can only answer questions addressed to Ren today."

"Oh you're incorrigible!"

He grinned down at her, "If you didn't love it, you'd shoot me down cold."

Kyoko's outraged gasp at his bold statement made him snicker again. He had half a mind to back off, but Kyoko had yet to try to get away from him again and he was going to prolong this as best he could.

"Well? Your Hime-sama had no problem telling me no. I must not be that bothersome." Ren teased.

Another scolding seemed like an appropriate response to Ren's behavior but Kyoko stopped suddenly and thought over what she was doing. Had she unconsciously been egging him on? Had she really been so selfishly pleased he was paying her so much attention that she'd been doing that? Morizumi's remarks flitted through her mind once more, and not for the first time that week. This time though, Kyoko looked past her own appalled response to Morizumi's brazenness and tried to analyze Ren's behavior. His behavior was radically different from how he acted from, apparently, everyone else according to Morizumi.

Hmmmm...maybe… Kyoko relaxed marginally, and felt his warm hands press on her back. She relaxed her grip on his sleeves and returned the hug he'd been giving her. After a moment, she again tried to step away. This time, his hands dropped and he let her go. Doing her best to work past her fluttery and shaky emotions, she peeked up at him and smiled tentatively.

"There, is that better Ren?"

The brilliant smiled he shot her would have made her knees buckle if she hadn't locked them in preparation for it. Bulldozing past that, she spoke again.

"Well, if that's all you needed, Okami-san must be really wondering where I am, so I do need to go."

Ren caught her elbow before she could actually get away. "Actually, I came looking for you for a reason. Tragic Marker's premiere date has been set and I want to call in that favor."

Kyoko froze, knowing what he was about to ask before he even said it.

"Will you attend it with me? I can think of no one better to go with." Ren held his breath as he waited for Kyoko's response. It might have been pathetic, but he hoped that calling in the favor from the Box 'R' party would get her to say yes. Time seemed stretch into eternity as he waited but eventually, Kyoko nodded in assent. Ren felt relief wash over him and he returned Kyoko's shy smile with one of his own.

"I do really need to go now though." her voice was soft and sweet and Ren let go of her elbow, feeling both happy and rather guilty for keeping her from her duties.

"Yeah, of course, sorry to keep you. Thank you for agreeing to come with me. I'll text you the details, alright?"

Kyoko nodded and went on ahead in a hurry, hoping the driver was still waiting where he normally would be. Ren watched her go fondly, leaning up against a pillar and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He breathed out slowly, elated beyond measure that he'd be able to take her to the premiere and that he'd been able to hold her again.

"I'm a damned fool." He said aloud, amazed that his heart was racing over such minuscule progress. He blew out an exasperated sigh and thumped his head back on the pillar.

Unbeknownst to the two younger people, two directors had heard their entire conversation, and were completely gobsmacked. Ogata and Konoe exchanged disbelieving looks at they looked between Ren at the pillar and Kyoko's swiftly retreating form. They hurried out their exit, keeping as quiet as possible and after a moment of just standing there at the entrance, Ogata spoke up.

"Did you-?"

"Yep."

"So I'm not hallucinating?"

"Nope." Konoe's thoughts were buzzing over what he'd just witnessed. Not for the first time did he ponder the circumstances of the hickey incident. But surely their president wouldn't allow such unprofessional behavior right?

Ogata was thinking much the same as Konoe, if about an entirely different scenario he had witnessed months ago. He internally bemoaned his fate and wondered if he'd ever get the truth about Ren and Kyoko's relationship.

Kyoko had been in a daze the entire night after Ren had asked her to the Tragic Marker premiere. She'd helped out at the Darumaya mostly just on auto-pilot, trying not to get too excited over how much attention Ren paid her. Morizumi's conversation and Ren's behavior caused her thoughts to whirl around so much that she'd just decided to sleep on it. She and Takashi-san had set up a time to audition for Mt Oguso the next day, and Kyoko realized that she would need to all her attention and focus to be able to pull it off to her satisfaction. She went to bed determined to put it out of her mind, and woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed and ready to go.

Three hours later, she was pleased with what she'd accomplished so far. While she had been afraid she might fumble with the Oguso audition due to nerves, Kyoko's practice with the Darumaya Okami-san had paid off. Kyoko had gracefully completed the requisite tasks required of a budding proprietress-to-be, such as the tea ceremony, and she was now waiting for the Director and Takashi-san to give her the go ahead for the second half.

She could tell Shingai was pleased. From what she could gather of Takashi-san's more reserved regard, she thought that she may have succeeded, but was more unsure of that. Their conference now appearing to be over, they turned to her once more. Her nerves settled and she smoothed her face free of worry when Shingai only directed her to a seat so she could settle in for the second part of the audition.

Takashi then began to ask her questions to see how well she understood Yayoi's character and Kyoko felt a shiver of deja-vu. Takashi-san was much kinder than Iizuka-san, but was just as thorough. Though, I should have expected that. She's the writer after all. Kyoko forced herself to focus and not let her thoughts drift away and she slowly grew more confident in her replies as Shingai kept giving her approving looks at her answers. Takashi-san remained as reserved as she ever appeared.

"And what of Yamamoto Daisuke? How does Yayoi-sama feel about him?" Kyoko thought she might have misheard, but it seemed as if Takashi-san's voice had hardened slightly as she asked the question. As her ears picked out the undercurrent of the question, Kyoko hesitated ever so slightly before replying.

"Yayoi-sama will probably always love him, no matter what. Their growth from childhood friends to husband and wife was slow, and considerate. Their past might be heavy and painful at times from their losses, but she's a very happy newlywed." She heard the uneasiness in her tone as soon as she heard herself say the words. She caught the glance the other two shared and stiffened as she realized that they'd noticed.

Shingai's face grew inscrutable, but Kyoko was intimately familiar with the look in Takashi-san's eyes. It was one that let her know she had been weighed carefully, but had been found wanting. Through all of her soul-searching for this role, she had not realized that this woman's opinion of her suddenly mattered to her very much. Surprising herself at how quickly she fell to the floor in a dogeza, she began to voice her many apologies. The smack of her hands on the floor startled Shingai enough that he half-rose out of his seat in alarm and was about to ask her if she was alright, but Takashi raised a hand to halt his words.

"Please, we're a little startled. Would you explain why you're apologizing Kyoko?" the older woman asked.

"I'm sorry but I lied!" Kyoko winced as the words left her, but her hunch about the truth of Yayoi-sama's character had been bothering her so much it was the first thing that came to mind. Thankfully, the other two could not see her unease and uncertainty as she still had her face directed at the floor.

"What did you lie about Kyoko?" asked Takashi, terribly gentle as she questioned her.

"Yayoi-sama isn't a happy newlywed! She isn't hopeful for the future! She's terrified! She's terrified of losing her mother's respect! She married Daisuke-san because her mother approved. She is grateful that he cares so much for her, but she knows she wouldn't have chosen him herself. She will be proprietress after her mother because she's knows that's what her mother wants. She knows that disappointing her, and by default disappointing her father as well, would be an awful wound that would never heal.

"She's horribly aware that if her true feelings and wants are known, her family and her community will turn on her. She's self-conscious of her place in this town and it is vital to her that she maintains their regard and their love and respect. It is so much a part of her identity she cannot divorce herself from it." her rapidly spoken response had Shingai sitting back in his chair, astonished by the depth and force of the analysis.

Takashi's gaze held both amazement and sorrow as she looked upon her prostrated form. She had not known if Kyoko could fully understand the depth of Yayoi and had thought maybe she could teach her. But Kyoko already knew. She briefly wondered what experiences she had had to give her that understanding, but her pause had gone on long enough and tension was thick in the air.

"Please stand up Kyoko-san. I promise you it's ok to be uncertain about a character. That's what we're here to help with. Indeed, I am gratified you've thought so much about it actually." Kyoko's head rose as Takashi spoke and she was relieved to see a slight smile on the older woman's face.

Kyoko smiled slightly, "So, um, I'm right about her?"

Takashi returned the smile, "You've really begun to unpack the depth of Yayoi, I can tell you that much for sure. This first act sets up our little world here, and our cast of characters, but it is through the lens of Yayoi that we view them. And on the surface, she's an idealist, a happy newlywed, an honorable daughter and sister, and well on her way to becoming a pillar and leader of her community."

Kyoko waited to hear her speak more, eager to learn all she could about such a fascinating character. Takashi shared an indulgent glance with Shingai as they noticed the eagerness in her face. Takashi spoke again, choosing her words carefully.

"But that is the surface, and still waters run deep. She tells no one of what she really feels, and writes only in the journal her mother once gave her when she feel especially conflicted. But the actress that plays her must know her well. We need someone that can show her dichotomy in her actions, because it will not be in the words she will say. Because she does not feel secure enough to feel that she can trust others with her deepest thoughts and fears. At least, not yet."

Kyoko's brow furrowed as Takashi seemed to be done speaking. Her mouth opened, to ask a question or something, she wasn't too sure, and she wound up huffing in exasperation. Shingai chuckled as he watched her and the noise caused Kyoko to frown up at them, befuddled still.

"But she is also a symbol right? She's not just a character? Everyone in this story views her as a symbol of a happier future, that is abundantly clear in how they act and in what they say. But, but she also knows this. The weight of their expectations are a very heavy burden on her. But, but, she's more than that right? I know that...I…" Kyoko's voice trailed off as she twisted her sleeve hem in one hand and bit her lip in nervousness.

Takashi smiled again as she rose from her chair to come around and shake Kyoko's hand. Clasping the girl's hand, she was suddenly struck by its daintiness. Pushing the odd thought away, she spoke, "Have no fear Kyoko-san. I promise you, you and I can have many a long talk about it. You've excelled beautifully in this audition. I very much want you as part of this cast. But you have one more audition to go. The group one, alright? What do you say?"

Filled simultaneously with nervousness and glee that Takashi-san had liked what she'd done that much, Kyoko shook her hand and stood and bowed. "I am honored beyond measure and so grateful that you've offered me this opportunity. Thank you so much."

"That's that then." Shingai's voice startled them and Kyoko had to stifle a silly laugh at her own overly-excitable nature.

"We'll make sure to send you the details." Takshi informed her, "Oh, and do please look over the second act, it's essential to the group audition for you and a couple other cast members. Oh, also, one more thing," Takashi turned to her things and rifled through them to find a copy of the second act and a small journal. Returning to Kyoko, she held them out and the girl took them from her, looking them over curiously.

"That there is full of some excerpts from some things that I think you might like to use as reference material." Kyoko nodded as the older woman let her know this.

"I'll make sure to read through these, and let you know about the times I'm free. Thank you again." Kyoko bowed again as the other two began to leave. Takashi stopped at the doorway, looking back one last time.

"Kyoko-san, thank you." With one last fond look, Takashi and Shingai left Kyoko staring after them, exhilarated at the possibilities this role would give her. She knew she would treasure them, no matter what.

Mother,

Today marks the one year anniversary of your passing. I find myself writing to you still, even now. I know this letter will never find you, that you will never read it's contents and yet… I know only grandmother is left of our little family, but I dare not write to her. I was given leave to attend your funeral and she informed me then she has no wish to look upon me again. I too closely resemble her only child she told me, bitter and graying and so much older than the laughing, sweet woman of my youngest memories. And so, I find myself reflecting on what could have been… But I grow ever lonelier as I grow older and maybe someday, someone can read these words, and maybe...

Today also marks the end of my third month here at the Yokosuka base. Of all the locales I could have been sent to, this one was a surprise. My commander offered to station me in Europe outside of the growing conflict here in the region, for my exemplary service he said, and I was so tempted. But I chose here and I do not regret it. Perhaps I am so reflective due to it's surprising resemblance to home...

A half hour inland, and the view on the horizon is beautifully mountainous. The hiking trails of that mountain provide breathtaking views, and the gardens people have planted at its base and around the small town at its base are beautiful, and it makes me remember you and father playing with me in the gardens at home. I often walk in them just to keep the memory of you two alive and fresh in my mind.

Work is as exhausting as ever. We keep an eye on the individuals that are important, perform outreach and provide help as we are allowed, and strategize against the growing threat of communist spies and North Korea. It is work. As ever, the camaraderie I find amongst the people I serve with as I do my daily routine of duties remains scarce.

A local here called me solitary. Perhaps I am. But it does me good to see my people and the locals being able to communicate and reach out to each other in an attempt to bridge the gap. We are all aware of the crimes of the war, but outreach and building lasting ties are part of the job. I forced the commander to make sure we had Japanese-Americans among us just for that reason. It is too important of a thing to disregard. I like to think that you and father would be proud of me for sticking to my guns for that. The work is sometimes thankless, but it can be rewarding. But sometimes, when dusk falls and the moon lays heavy in the sky over the ocean… I pretend I'm here for a different reason.

I play games of pretend more often these days. I pretend I am but a child on adventure with you and father and we came just to explore the grand majesty of the landscape. I pretend that I receive letters from home, so as not to worry the others. I pretend that we were dealt a gentler, kinder fate. I pretend that I have the courage to strike up a conversation with whomever and whenever and act as the rest do. And I pretend that all my lies do not turn to ash in my mouth.

I have gotten better at these games of pretend.

All my love,

Jack

Excerpt from Lt Cdr Jack Taylor's Yokosuka Letters: Never Sent,

December, 1949

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Special shout outs to ktoll9, artistofthemind, Vaeneri, mengtoreality. That you guys keep reviewing every chapter and are so complimentary always makes me look forward to posting more just to see what you guys say! ^_^

And as always, brennakai and Cheshire2313, you're thoughts about the work I'm doing are fabulous to read about. You two inspire me a lot. Thank you!

Special thanks to j-otaku for beta-ing!