AUTHOR GREETINGS: After about 4 re-writes, a sidetracked one-shot, and several sleepless nights worth of pondering, we finally have a new chapter! It's not a proper SB story without our favorite Shipper on Deck, Yashiro. Hope you enjoy!
Yashiro Yukihito always assumed he knew Ren fairly well after all of their years working together. While he caught hints, here and there, that the actor may have had a bit of a wild past, to him, Ren was the consummate professional who faced every day with a 'can do' attitude and a well-practiced smile. It was that very smile that made him a force to be reckoned with both on and off camera. The speed with which he could put someone in their place while still appearing friendly and harmless never ceased to amaze.
Today, that smile was missing.
There was no frown, per se. Rather, in front of others, Ren managed to maintain a fairly neutral poker face and an even tone of voice. Most everyone around him believed he was feeling under the weather and politely left him alone as he retreated to his dressing room between takes. Yashiro knew better, however. During those breaks, Ren's face took on a wholly different expression; his brows furrowed, lips slightly pouted and eyes full of anguish. He studied Ren closely, his brain frantically scrambling to find a word to describe how he looked. It was almost as if he was…
"Brooding," he said aloud.
"I'm sorry, Yashiro-san —," Ren looked up from his script, clearly puzzled. "What did you just say?"
"I said you're brooding! Every time you come back here, the room feels like some sort of suffocating den of teenaged angst. What is with you today?"
"I don't know what to tell you," Ren sighed deeply and returned to reading his script.
Yashiro threw his hands up in frustration and turned away to continue pondering. There had to be some reason why he was acting like this. The realization hit him suddenly and a mischievous glint sparkled in his eye as he turned back towards Ren.
"This is about Kyoko-chan, isn't it?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you, Yashiro-san, so I suggest you give up now," Ren refused to look up and kept his eyes glued to the pages before him.
"I knew it," Yashiro squealed, knowing Ren would have corrected him if he guessed wrong.
"Please don't —," Ren started but Yashiro prattled on.
"You haven't seen her all week! Of course, you're in a bad mood," he mused, resting a hand on his chin.
"This really isn't —," Ren was cut off again.
"But you get to see her tonight again for Tragic Marker. Shouldn't you be happier?"
"Yashiro-san —," Ren tried again but he heard Yashiro gasp loudly.
"You're afraid to see her tonight," he said accusingly. "What did you do to her?"
"Since you would not let me get a word in edgewise during your wild deductions, Sherlock-san," Ren rolled his eyes. "I don't see why I should tell you."
Yashiro huffed and gave up. He knew there was no chance he would get anything else out of Ren. He would just have to watch them carefully when they met up with Jelly Woods tonight. Looking anxiously at his watch, he saw that there was only two more hours to go. He glanced over at Ren and saw him look at his own watch before sighing loudly once more and returning to his script.
A knock on the door broke the taut silence and Ren was summoned to film the last scene for the day. Grateful to get away from his manager's constant questioning, he rose from his seat and followed the assistant back to the set as the gentle sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.
Kyoko returned from taking Bo's costume to be cleaned. Tonight's post-show dinner invitation, courtesy of the Ishibashis, would have to be turned down. It was unfortunate, really; tonight she would be resuming her act as Setsu and she was dreading having to face Ren again. Almost anything else would be preferable to that and she wished with all her might for something to delay the inevitable.
She was still not yet ready to reveal the secrets of her heart to him. In all honesty, she was not sure if she ever would be, but she promised her best friend to properly consider her options. However, proper consideration would be a lot easier if the mere thought of talking to Ren didn't send her mind reeling and her heart rate skyrocketing. If anything, she wanted to get it out of the way so she could stop having panic attacks every time she thought about him. She may have believed she had lost her mind over a guy before but, this time, there was no doubt that she was going crazy.
After changing out of the clothes she drenched with sweat while in costume, Kyoko was nearly finished packing up her bag when she heard a knock on the door to her changing room. Outside her door stood Hikaru asking about her dinner plans. She politely declined to join everyone stating that she was going out of town tonight for another job. It was mostly true, even if it wasn't for a legitimate acting role. Cain and Setsu Heel would be meeting up with the rest of the Tragic Marker crew for a location shoot tomorrow morning. Hikaru warned her to be careful in the weather as it looked like it was going to rain at any minute.
The clock on the wall indicated that she needed to leave very soon to avoid keeping Jelly, and Ren, waiting. She hastily grabbed her bag and walked swiftly towards the exit. As soon as she stepped outside, a strong gust of wind blew the door shut and there was a brilliant flash of light followed by the deafening crack of thunder overhead. Kyoko jumped and her back hit the closed door behind her. She began to rummage through her bag to see if she had an umbrella when she noticed her phone was missing. It was still plugged in where she left it to charge during the show and she forgot to pack it when Hikaru interrupted her. Cursing her forgetfulness, she turned to go back inside.
No matter how hard she pulled on the handle, the front door would not budge. Kyoko forgot the main doors were programmed to automatically lock behind people after a certain time of night to prevent any intruders from getting in after-hours. She cupped her hands against the glass and peered inside to see if anyone was walking by to try and get their attention, but the front hall was woefully deserted.
Rain was falling in torrents now and heavy winds blew forceful splashes of it under the overhang near the front entrance where Kyoko was now sheltering. She curled herself up in a corner as far back as she could go and helplessly watched the storm rage. Trapped between severe weather and a locked door with no umbrella or phone, she closed her eyes and her head limply fell back and hit the wall behind her as she tried her best not to panic. Her only hope now was for someone to realize she was missing and come looking for her. She really needed to be careful when she wished for things.
It was over an hour past the time Ren and Kyoko were scheduled to meet at Jelly's trailer. Yashiro watched Ren fidget uneasily as he stared at the tempest swirling just outside the parking garage. Even Jelly sat on the step of her trailer to watch the rain fall. The same thought was on everyone's minds.
"She should have been here by now or she would have called," Ren said, continuing to stare outside. "I should go look for her."
"Ren, you can't go out in this weather," Yashiro cautioned. "It's too dangerous."
"That is exactly why I need to go," he said, desperation lacing his voice. "She could be stuck somewhere and she's not answering her phone. Each time I try to call her, it goes to voicemail."
"We don't even know where she's supposed to be right now," Yashiro reasoned.
"Then call Sawara and find out," Ren nearly barked it out like an order.
Stunned, Yashiro prepared a gloved and and quickly dialed Sawara. After a brief conversation and profuse apologies for interrupting his night, he hung up. Ren looked at him anxiously.
"He said her job at TBM should have been her last one for the night," Yashiro said finally as he placed his phone back in his pocket.
"Then I suppose that's where I'm headed," he began to turn towards where he parked his car.
"Ren, you really should think about —," Yashiro began.
"This is not up for discussion," Ren interrupted. "Please wait here and I'll call you once I've found her."
"Hey kid, you'll probably need one of these for Kyoko-chan," Jelly suddenly appeared beside him with an umbrella in her outstretched hand.
"Thank you Woods-san."
"Just be careful and bring her back safely," she commanded.
Ren nodded, turned abruptly and jogged back to his car. He slowly pulled out of the garage and his visibility was nearly non-existent as the windshield wipers tried desperately to keep the rain at bay long enough to see the road. What would normally have been a ten minute drive, felt like an eternity as he slowly maneuvered his tiny car through the downpour. At least focusing his attention on the road prevented his over-active imagination from concocting any number of horrific scenarios in which he could potentially find Kyoko. Fear and worry ached in his gut and he clenched his teeth as he drove.
When he finally arrived at the TBM building, he made sure to park on the side that was shielded from the wind to make the journey back to the car a little less treacherous. Grabbing Jelly's umbrella from where he tossed it on the passenger seat, he hopped out of the car and dashed towards the main entrance.
Something in the back of Kyoko's mind told her to look up from her huddled position. She did so just in time to see the blurred outline of a tall figure run past. Instantaneously, she knew who it was; she could recognize that silhouette anywhere. They stopped, and seemed to be looking around quickly before turning back. She realized that, between the rain, the night's darkness and the lack of bright lighting around the entrance, it was probably impossible to see where she was sitting. Her brain short-circuited from shock and fright as she fumbled to stand up and get his attention quickly before he ran off. Kyoko lurched forward, opened her mouth and shouted the first thing that came to mind.
His clothes were almost completely soaked through as he scanned the entryway for any sign of Kyoko but it was too dark to see anything clearly. He turned around and started moving towards the side entrance when he heard a familiar voice calling out; despite the roar of the wind and rain, he heard it clear as day.
"REN!"
EVEN MORE USELESS CHATTER: Well, I went and ended on a cliffhanger... again. I wasn't originally planning to, but it felt like a really good stopping point before we moved on to the denouement. I'll be back with another chapter after Labor Day weekend (that's Sept 3 - 5 for you non-Americans) once I've fully recovered from spending 4 days at a con. See you then!
Author out!
