Hello all!
My deepest apologies! I had to skip a week between posts, because I absolutely had no time to write anything these past two weeks. This month, I'm working approximately 12-14 hour days every single weekday. So far this week, I've clocked in about 65 hours of work. The irony is that since it's grad-school related, I'm not even getting paid; I'm technically paying to be there. It's been probably the most physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing month I've had to live through so far… and it's not even the end yet. Ha…ha…ha…
Unfortunately, there's a 50% chance I'm going to have to skip the update next week as well and only post every other Saturday - at least until the end of March. (Please don't be mad!) April should be a better schedule for me, since I'll be with a different doctor who actually believes in work-life balance. Haha
I do have a treat though! Extra long chapter today~! Tada~! The saga between Aiko and Ryota continues as Ren tries to desperately hide the realization of his feelings from Kyoko. You can think of this story arc as a mash up of the Dark Moon Katsuki and Karuizawa arcs with a surprise twist at the end!
As for you Sho haters, don't worry! He's only going to be around for a few more chapters – just to stir the pot and break the status quo. Then he'll be gone for quite some time (good riddance!). Hehehe
Enjoy!
CH7
Mesopotamian, Grecian, Mayan, or Chinese… whichever barbaric, ancient civilization came up with the idea for masks had the brilliance equivalent to a thousand Einsteins, decided Kyoko as she hid her darkening mood behind her white masquerade mask.
"Your performance was so splendid!" Cooed the elderly wife of some British ambassador. The woman's snow-white curls bobbed enthusiastically as she nearly wriggled in enjoyment. She whispered her next question conspiratorially. "So? How long have you two been dating? No couple I know can have that kind of synchronization without a deep understanding between one another!"
Masks— the savior of her life and the protector of her pure, maidenly soul! Long live masks!
"My apologies, Lady Ashton," Ryota replied in English with an extraordinarily bright smile. "I believe you are mistaken. While it is true that Koiso-san and I are old friends from high school, we have never dated."
Kyoko felt a small muscle tic begin to eat away at her innocent, I-don't-know-English smile. Dating… dating meant they were in l-l-lov… meant they were going out. Never! Kyoko would never again succumb to the wiles of a filthy emotion like romantic l-l-lo—.
"Now, now, you can't fool an old woman's eyes, young man," the matron tittered, flapping a hand at Ryota. "I've watched hundreds of couples in love in my lifetime!"
Kyoko's mask, her acting mask, was quickly failing her. The white fabric over her eyes and nose couldn't hide the twitch dragging down one corner of her mouth. And no mask could hide her treacherous feet as they began to subtly inch themselves away from Ren.
Lady Ashton however, pleased with herself but quite unaware of the effect her words were having on her Japanese counterparts, continued with a wink. "You should be careful to ask her out properly soon then. She's quite a catch, my dear!"
Masks! Failure of society! So feeble and weak and easily broken!
Kyoko was fighting with every fiber of her conscious being not to drop Aiko like a tub of rotten natto and make a break for it.
As if sensing his partner's growing intent to flee, Ren moved to end the conversation.
"I see your point, ma'am," Ryota said with a laugh, reaching behind his head to rub it in a gesture of shyness. "Koiso-san is a rarity indeed and an irreplaceable part of my life. However, you will have to excuse me, Lady Ashton. I have been negligent of my partner."
Kyoko nearly cried in relief. Her precious Tsuruga-san… Long live her senpai!
Not one to sabotage her own fun, Lady Ashton winked again at Ryota. "Alright, young man. But make sure you think about what I've told you! You two would make a perfect pair!"
Ryota merely bowed in a Western fashion, and Kyoko, following his lead while trying not to show the abject horror on her face, curtseyed in the way Maria had taught her.
As the two walked away, Kyoko debated whether or not to have Aiko ask about the conversation. Aiko, who was not fluent in colloquial English but was insecure about others' perceptions of her, would want to know what Ryota had talked about with the British ambassador's wife, especially if the older woman had said something about Aiko.
Kyoko, however, felt that her mind deserved a vigorous scrubbing after dwelling on the accursed topic of dating and romance. She just wouldn't bring it up, and the subject would die a natural (and much deserved) death.
"Aren't you curious what Ashton-sama and I were speaking about?"
Kyoko nearly jumped. She turned up to glower at Ren. Her eyes nearly narrowed; Ryota wouldn't want to speak about that kind of thing… As far as Kyoko knew, Ryota merely considered Aiko an old friend – and was not interested in more. Was Tsuruga-san just tormenting her? Another test, perhaps?
Thinking fast, Kyoko bought time by curtseying cordially to a few lower house Diet members, who found the foreign gesture amusing. Her hand hovered a hair's breadth above Ren's elbow as she allowed him to lead her around the periphery of the room. Once out of the line of sight of others, Kyoko was back in her Aiko persona and had come up with a response.
Aiko pouted profusely and turned her head to the side in defiance. "No. I don't want to know—"
Ryota quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. "Really?"
"Yeah," said Aiko, crossing her gloved arms across her chest. "Who cares that you can speak common English so fluently? No one. Hence, I don't need to know. Don't want to know. Go brag to someone else."
Eyes full of laughter, he replied teasingly, "Oh, is that so?"
"That is so. Don't forget that I was still the one with the highest score on the English exam right before graduation. I just… chose to focus on other things in college."
Feigning concern, Ryota sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the side. "Koiso-san… You really shouldn't continue to live in your past glories like that…"
Before Aiko could retort angrily, a familiar voice interrupted her.
"Pardon me, honored guests. Would you care for any refreshments?"
A waiter in a tuxedo and crisp white shirt tucked into a black cummerbund offered a tray of champagne glasses. The man came up to only Ryota's shoulder, but his medium-length brown hair was slicked back handsomely. A familiar face smiled at Kyoko.
Kyoko blinked in surprise. Hikaru-san! She had heard from Kanae that the Public Security Intelligence Agency had insisted on sending a team of agents to assist LME with its undercover security and surveillance at the party, but she hadn't known that it was going to be the Kimagure Unit.
Maybe it had been mentioned at the most recent briefing. But considering that she had been focused on trying to apologize to Ren, she had been quite distracted…
But Kyoko mentally breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice knowing that their back up from the PSIA was so reliable. She had gotten to know the three Ishibashi brothers due to various circumstances during which the President had lent her out as Bo—.
Oh no. What if Hikaru told Ren that she was—!
Now quite the opposite of relieved, her heart leapt to her throat as Ren, as Ryota, smiled extremely brightly at the waiter and took a champagne glass off his tray. Trying desperately to channel Aiko as her mind raced, Kyoko stuck her hand up and shook her head to reject the alcoholic drink on autopilot.
Since everyone was pretending not to know each other now, maybe none of the Ishibashi onii-sans would have a chance to talk to Tsuruga-san about the giant chicken who heard that he had a crush on a high school girl, but he was lying to her about—.
"S-sorry," Kyoko distractedly stuttered, clinging to Aiko by a thread and trying to come up with an excuse for the horrified expression that had escaped her control. "I can't. I'm—"
"Not thirsty?" Ryota interjected, over-indulgent curiosity filling his eyes. Kyoko realized her mistake and stiffened. In her haste to cover her previous mistake, she had been about to say 'under age', but Aiko was already 22 years old, already past the legal age of drinking. Even if Kyoko herself were under age, such a weak excuse would not pass the heavenly standards of Tsuruga Ren.
Aiko should have taken the drink, if only to hold it.
Now cheeks aflame in embarrassment at her string of rookie mistakes, Kyoko tried desperately to rectify her error. Despite the fact that it was only Hikaru, it was a strict LME rule to keep up all aspects of the act at all times until the mission was over, except for emergencies. One never knew who was watching or listening.
Ren had drilled into her over and over again that one small slip, one misspeak, could jeopardize an entire mission.
"I-I… Um…. Can't drink that much…" Kyoko eeked out, haltingly. "I don't do well with alcohol… Thank you though."
Somewhat back in control of Aiko, Kyoko gave Hikaru a wavering but appropriately polite smile and turned back to Ryota. She tried to ignore the long, concerned look the waiter gave her as he bowed and continued his rounds to the rest of the room.
"Hmmm, that waiter…" Ryota mused as he raised his glass to his lips. He glanced down at Aiko, and Kyoko felt herself slip a bit at the unexpectedly predatory edge to his gaze. "He seemed quite interested in you, Koiso-san. And you seemed quite flustered at his attention. Is he your type, perhaps?"
'Oh no!' Brain frozen in fear, Kyoko didn't hear the second half of his musings.
That sharp glare… Ren was mad at her again. He couldn't have figured out she was Bo, could he? Not even Agent T was that good. It have must been because Hikaru surprised her, and she made so many mistakes! He was frustrated that he had to cover for a newbie on such an important mission… After weeks of avoiding her, ignoring her during dancing practice, and now, his reaction to her many consecutive slip-ups, he was disappointed in her… Kyoko was sure.
A cold, heavy dread clenched at her heart.
In her silence, Ryota had checked himself and glanced away. "My apologies; that's not my business. What were we talking about—?"
"I'm… sorry…"
Kyoko's thoughts continued to race. For the time being, maybe she could end their partnership on this mission early, so as not to prolong his torment. After all, Tsuruga-san often worked solo nowadays. It might be unforgivable to desert a mission like this in the middle, but she wasn't quite abandoning her post. She was confident she could find an excuse to switch to Moko-san's partner and help guard the PM.
For Tsuruga-san, it would be better not to drag out their current situation, seeing his extreme exasperation with her. She would apologize with a thousand dogezas after, and try to cobble together whatever remained of his desire to train her as his kouhai. It would be best if she could beg for his forgiveness immediately, but Aiko would never bow her head to Ryota in public.
The thought of his disappointment twisted like a knife inside her gut.
"Sorry?" At her apology, Ryota had stopped. His eyes widened in confusion as he gazed down at his dance partner. "What—?"
"I-I…" Aiko fiddled nervously with her gloves.
Was he playing dumb now, trying to cover his disappointment at her lack of progress? All the more reason to retreat for now and try to remedy the situation after the birthday gala.
Eyes wide and pleading, Aiko looked up at her partner.
"Ryota-kun, come with me. Please? Somewhere we can be alone."
Unbeknownst to Kyoko, Ren nearly choked on his champagne.
Clearing his throat, Ryota grimly if not clumsily set his half empty champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter and offered his arm to Aiko, who settled her hand lightly on the crook of his elbow.
"What… did you have in mind, Koiso-san?"
Kyoko knew that their assignment was to patrol the Grand Hall, but she figured that the security would be good enough with Kanae shadowing the Prime Minister himself, not to mention the Kimagure Unit and Kijima and Momose, who had also secretly entered as part of the dancing group.
She just needed a moment away from everything to quietly propose her plan to Tsuruga-san. Then he could be rid of his useless kohai, if only for the rest of the night.
Kyoko only hoped and prayed that he didn't want to get rid of her permanently.
Catching sight through the window of the bamboo and granite of the patio below, she offered, "How about a walk around the Inner Court?"
She heard Ren heave a sigh from above her and winced.
He was definitely mad!
-x-
'Now, Ren. You will not lose control or do anything that will frighten Kyoko or make her hate you or scar her heart permanently. You will remain in control. You are an adult. Love is merely a distraction from your plans. She is off-limits!'
Mentally coaching himself and feeling quite pitiful, Tsuruga Ren hid his hammering heartbeat behind the smooth, slightly curious mask of Ryota. He had slipped up a couple of times during the night already, but fortunately for him, Kyoko hadn't called him out.
Though Ryota didn't have a romantic interest in Aiko written into his character description, for some reason he had been pushing to broach the subject with her. Once after their conversation with the British ambassador's wife and again after the PSIA agent's interruption, which had so flustered her—
Speaking of which, how did she know that guy? If the profile given by Kotonami-san was correct, that was Ishibashi Hikaru of the PSIA. He was not even in LME, but he obviously knew Kyoko. And he seemed especially concerned about her…
Internally grumbling, Ren moved on autopilot to guide Kyoko downstairs and out to the Inner Court. The minimalistic beauty of the bamboo grove and the cool gray granite walls was lost to him, as he was distracted by something that felt a tad too much like jealousy. Hearing someone gently call his name brought him back into character.
"—ota-kun… Ryota-kun?"
Ryota blinked. "Ah, yes. My apologies. I was merely enjoying the night air. It's not as humid as I had feared."
Somehow without thinking, he had situated them on a stone bench in the middle of the bamboo garden. Soft moonlight filtered through the retracted roof, spilling into the courtyard below and highlighting the jewels that adorned Kyoko's neck.
The girl herself was silent, back upright and hands folded in her lap. The moonlight, though starkly highlighting her auburn hair, cast deep shadows over her mask, hiding her eyes. Now she was the one lost in deep thought.
Ren, however, drank in the sight of her. His eyes softened, and a warmth flooded his chest. One hand, traitor to its master's cause, reached forward to stroke her hair.
"I lied to you."
What.
Caught by surprise, Ren nearly pitched forward off the bench. His other hand took the opportunity to snatch the rebellious member and hold it captive by intertwining his fingers in his lap.
Confused as he was, a sharp pang resonated in his chest at the thought that Aiko had lied to Ryota – or that Mogami-san had lied to him. Unsure of how to proceed, Ren slipped back into the safety of his role. "Lied? What do you mean, Koiso-san?"
Oblivious to her partner's one-man melodrama, Aiko soldiered on, eyes fixed determinedly on the ground below the bench. "I-I lied because I said I couldn't handle alcohol, but actually I didn't want to drink."
"Didn't want to drink?" Ren blinked, taken aback by the unexpected triviality and was now completely confused. Why was Mogami-san bringing up that episode from the Grand Hall? Hadn't he already covered for her? Not that he minded.
"In truth," Aiko glanced down and blushed under her white mask. Ren's heart skipped a beat. "I wanted to be sober, so I could tell you something important."
That statement sent his mind reeling. Something important? In his experience with women, 78% of the time, "something important" usually meant a love confession. Given the need for privacy and sobriety during the conversation and Aiko's growing blush, the chances of it being a love confession increased to at least 94%.
Logic burst through Ren's thought process.
'But Mogami-san would never admit to loving a man, even under the pretense of an act. But 94%... Not even Mogami-san could be that dense as to miss the implications of her actions and words. Then… is this Aiko confessing to Ryota or Kyoko confessing to Ren?'
His hopeful heart started to beat faster at the thought.
Thinking that his silence was an invitation to continue, Aiko murmured, "I think I've realized tonight that…"
Ren waited on baited breath. The blush spread across her cheeks, and Aiko dropped her head into her hands, hiding her face. Ren almost reached down to touch her when she blurted out, practically wailing, "I've realized that I'm a terrible dancer!"
…What…?
Ren could have sworn he heard a shattering sound as his hopes and expectations crumbled to the floor.
Ignorant of her companion's confusion and poignant disappointment, Aiko's ashamed blush grew redder around her ears. The fingers covering her face muffled her voice as her words swept out like an unstoppable flood.
"Even after a year of practicing with you and learning from you… I'm still making obvious mistakes. I know I have a hard time staying focused, and many times, I can get stuck in my own thoughts. You have to cover for me so often, and I'm so appalled!"
Mentally shaking himself out of his confusion and disappointment, Ren cocked his head to the side as realization dawned on him. Kyoko wasn't talking about Aiko's dancing. She was talking about her own abilities as an agent. His gaze again softened as he looked at her, vulnerable and pained, as she admitted her insecurities behind the mask of her character.
Kyoko, as Aiko, paused for a moment. Slowly, shakily, her gloved hands dropped from her face. Her gaze was hollow.
"Maybe…" she said in a small, broken voice, "dancing just isn't for me after all…"
Ren felt his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth.
No. Quitting was not an option for someone as naturally talented as Kyoko, Ren decided quickly. And who had told her she was terrible at acting?
Taking a precious moment of silence to compose his response, Ren asked, "Do you love it?"
He watched in mild amusement as Kyoko flinched at the "L" word, unable to hide her revulsion behind Aiko. He quickly clarified, continuing her metaphor.
"Dancing – do you love it?"
A small, sad smile grew on Kyoko's lips, and she raised her head briefly to gaze at the clear skies above them. A few resilient stars twinkled beyond the light pollution of the city.
"Yes," she murmured. "It makes me feel more alive than I have ever felt before. I feel like my whole life has been lived for someone else's benefit. But every time I go dancing, I feel like I am finally learning how to do something meaningful for myself for once – not for anyone else. I feel like maybe a new 'me' is being born."
Sadness flickered behind her eyes, and Kyoko dropped her head. Ren could tell as she shifted back into Aiko. She sat more naturally and fidgeted more with her gloves, but some of Kyoko still remained in the elegant bow of her neck and the grace of her fingertips as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Ren sat, captivated.
"I call myself your rival because one day, I want to catch up to you," admitted Aiko. She glanced up at Ryota and smiled gently. "You're such an amazing dancer and an outstanding teacher. It is my dream to one day call myself your equal."
Fully understanding that the last half of her statement was aimed at Tsuruga Ren, he couldn't help but lean toward her.
Aiko, however, had turned forward, staring glumly down at the granite-tiled floor.
"But I think I've realized tonight that no matter how hard I struggle and no matter how fast I learn, maybe it is pointless for me. I will never catch up… Maybe it would be best if we aren't partners for a while—"
Looking at her dejected expression, something inside Ren snapped.
-x-
Fully prepared for rejection or a lecture, Kyoko waited in silence.
'Mogami-san… You're right. You aren't cut out for acting. It's been so much trouble having you as my partner this past year. I don't know what the President was thinking, pulling a talentless civilian into this work. Such a disappointment… You're not worthy to be my kouhai, especially since you only joined LME to get revenge.'
Something like that. But she would stay in character as Aiko at least until Ren dropped his act.
Instead, Aiko felt a pressure on her chin, and she realized a large but gentle hand was cupping her face, tilting her to look up at him. For once, Aiko didn't pull away from her rival in annoyance.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Ryota was looking down at her without his mask on – his costume mask or his gentleman mask. His jaw was firmly set as he gazed deeply into her eyes. Aiko felt pressure on her face as one of his thumbs traced an arc across her cheek. Frozen in place, she felt his thumb brush smoothly across her bottom lip.
What was Ryota-kun doing?
His eyes grew increasingly predatory. Hungry and wild. A confident smirk played across his lips. "Oh…. But you have caught me…"
In Aiko's eyes, Ryota was no longer his poised, gentleman self… Something was very off.
Buried within her character, Kyoko noted with growing alarm that Ryota's face— no— these were Ren's mannerisms, so it was Ren's face getting closer and closer to her own. His hand was slipping her white mask up and off her face, revealing the heavy blush underneath.
Her heartbeat quickened inside her chest.
Driven by instinct, Kyoko reacted.
NO! Never again!
-x-
Ren couldn't believe himself. He blinked. Then blinked again.
Mogami-san's petite hands were covering his mouth, pushing with all their might against his face. Somehow he had ended up practically hovering over her torso as she lie on the bench below, desperately using the granite as leverage to push up against him.
What had just happened? Had he really just lost control of his character?
A shocked laugh burbled up from within himself. He couldn't help it – the surprise prevented him from keeping his face straight as he doubled over on the opposite side of the bench. Swells of laughter echoed through the courtyard.
Was this how other people felt whenever they acted as his partner? Manipulated to move beyond their conscious control? What a scary thought! What a scary girl!
This had never happened before. Ren had forgotten himself. Even though he was acting, even though he had sworn to himself that he would never touch her, even though he had sworn on Rick's dead body that he would not allow anything to distract him – he had been led by someone else's acting, and he had responded, unconsciously.
But Ryota was not in love with Aiko, which only meant that Ren's actions had come from himself. That confirmed it, without a shadow of a doubt. The chicken was right.
Ren was in love with Mogami Kyoko.
'Oh. Mogami-san…'
Discerning a dark, foul mood swirling in the air behind him, Ren turned slowly on the bench to face the inevitable wrath.
"Oh, I see…" Kyoko muttered as she snatched her mask from his bashful hands. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to keep in character as Aiko. "You live in Europe and America for two years – two years! – and you turn from a polite Japanese man into a playboy."
His laughter subsiding, Ren could only listen in amusement as the girl he loved continued to verbally insult him.
"Pervert. Manipulator. Gross. Double pervert," Kyoko continued muttering, the avenue of Aiko enabling her freedom to speak openly. She jammed her mask back on, eyes narrowed into hard slits as she scowled at him.
"My apologies, Koiso-san. Your face was…" Ren trailed off, thinking quickly. Then he looked her square in the eye, shrugged in a heavily Westernized fashion, rolled his eyes, and sighed. "But really, Koiso-san. Is that how you thank someone who's trying to help you?"
-x-
"And that is why you need to be careful when you tell a man that you want to be alone with him," lectured Ryota as he wagged an index finger in the air. "I know that Japan is a conservative country, but not everyone is as respectable as I am."
Kyoko narrowed her eyes. Was this her punishment from Tsuruga-san for putting on a bad act and making so many mistakes? This was so outside the character of Ienari Ryota… it was suspicious. Suspect. Creepy, in fact. In her opinion, the world would be a much safer place without Ryota's unsolicited demonstrations of respectability.
But Tsuruga-san hadn't sent her packing. Maybe he didn't hate her as much anymore… Her heart lightened a bit at this fact.
Aiko would blush and announce loudly that she didn't need Ryota's help, so Kyoko prepared to launch back into the act. However, a voice cut through the humid night air.
"Hah! More like, not everyone is as big of a cad as you are."
The two LME agents whirled around. Kyoko narrowed her eyes into the darkness. The voice was familiar –hatefully so –but it couldn't be!
To her growing horror, her suspicions were confirmed as a tall blonde man in a sophisticated suit sauntered out of the bamboo grove's shadows.
There were just too many great comments this week, so Mailbag has 6 instead of 5. :D THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS!
Guest –You took the words right out of my mouth. Rutoh-chan wrote "Caught in the Act," which at least partially sparked the plot bunny of this entire story. I love her one-shots, which each focus on the cover of a volume of the manga.
MWEH – Thank you for the compliment! It's always a big pet peeve of mine whenever characters do something OOC in a fanfic. An author spends all this time crafting this amazing plot, but breaks the illusion by inserting their own characters merely wearing the skins of the fandom's cast. And agreed! I've seen too many people paint Sho as a sociopath/rapist with a heavy dose of antisocial personality disorder… Lol.
Aikori Ichijouji – That's really cool! I wonder what circumstances allowed you to perform an exhibition waltz. That sounds like so much fun! Thanks for the compliments and review :D
SilverInu93 – Will you hate me if it is actually coincidence? Haha – That's one thing about Sho that irks Ren to no end. Fate seems to continually throw Sho into Kyoko's path, even though Ren wants her to have no contact with Sho at all, so she can move on with her life and repair her broken heart (preferably with Ren, lol). But this arc (and a little after) will be the last we see of that "self-absorbed arrogant B*****d" for a while. ;)
deets1 – I'm super excited that you've picked up on the subplot going on with Ren! It's probably one of the biggest character changes I've decided to make, just to up the irony and melodrama at the end. Thanks for the review and hope to see you back!
cleocat333 - Indeed! One of the things I like best about the manga is that the main characters are employed as actors, but everyone is simultaneously putting on an act for others and sometimes for themselves (Ren and Kyoko pretend they don't love each other; Sho pretends he's not interested in Kyoko; etc). It's one of the deep Shakespearean-type ironies that I love about Nakamura-sensei's work!
Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews, the faves, and the alerts! It's so exciting to see that people are actually reading this and really enjoy it. Thanks for making my 65-hour workweek tolerable! Hahaha
