DISCLAIMER : I don't own Skip Beat!
Chapter 7 : A trip to the beach!
Kyouko couldn't believe her luck: they were going to film at the beach! The part they were about to shoot was a bit far in the story: Ryu was opening himself to Eri, and she wanted to help him see life in another light. Thus, she had researched on the internet (Ryu had a hard time explaining things to her, and she somehow succeeded in learning lots of things about humans) about what would make them happy, and she had discovered that there were a few things that worked well: going on a vacation, eating good food, and falling in love. She had opted for the first one, and so she had convinced him to go to the beach.
Kyouko dreamily sighed. The beach... That was a place she'd always wanted to go. She was happily packing (the cast was supposed to meet the following morning to depart), but then, a thought occurred her. She was going to the sea... and she didn't have a bathing suit! She shrugged. She'd just have to buy one at one of the nearby stores when she'd have time. But still, she didn't feel completely prepared, and she spent a rather agitated night.
"Look, Kyouko-chan! It's the sea!"
"Where, where?" Kyouko looked around, until her eyes met the sparkling blue sea. They were in the bus that was transporting them to Shirahama (they had flown from Tokyo to Osaka, and then had taken the bus). "Whaaaa, it's the sea! Satsuki-san, it's the sea!"
Hondou Satsuki was Kyouko's hair and make-up artist for the DYFS project, and the two girls had got along really well together. Satsuki was always cheerful, and sometimes acted like a spoiled child, but she was a really nice person. She was as excited as Kyouko to see the sea. She was also completely crazy about clothes, Kyouko had discovered when she had talked about her lack of swimsuit. The woman had then excitedly suggested (or rather, forced Kyouko to agree) that they would buy one right after they got off the bus. Kyouko had barely managed to restrain her from doing so, and they had decided that they would wait until they were settled in the hotel they were staying at.
When they finally arrived, it was pretty late, so the two girls hurried to the nearest store, since they would only start shooting the following day.
Kyouko soon found out that Satsuki-san was not only crazy about clothes, but also frightening. She wouldn't let her off the hook with a plain swimsuit. She made her try on very fluffy ones, cute ones, sexy ones, and couldn't help but squeal each time Kyouko showed her how she looked in them. After a very long session of parading in more swimsuits that Kyouko could count, Satsuki-san finally settled for a red bikini, with orange flowers on it. There were simple but nice knots on the chest and the hips, plus one behind the neck (this one was the only one that was supposed to be used. The rest was pure decoration).
Of course, Satsuki bought one for herself too, but she didn't waste any time looking for it. She just laid her eyes on a white and blue bikini (the shape looked similar to Kyouko's), and decided on it without even trying it on. They both bought matching pareos with their swimsuit, and went out of the store.
"Kyouko-chan, the weather is still pretty nice, wanna go for a quick dive?" Satsuki-san asked the girl once outside.
"It's a really good idea, Satsuki-san! Why don't we go change at the hotel, then come back? That way we could inform the director of our whereabouts in case something comes up." Kyouko suggested.
"In case something comes up? Are you worried that something bad might happen to us?" Satsuki asked, a bit surprised. Kyouko quickly shook her head.
"No, no, of course not! Er... I guess I'm not really used to be to some place I don't know..."
"Don't worry, I've been around here once, so we won't get lost!" Smiled the woman, thinking about how cute and innocent the girl seemed to be.
Kyouko however hid a sigh. She had almost let slip something about the stalker incident. Since then, she had been very cautious, and always notified to someone if she were to go somewhere alone.
Half an hour later found the two girls happily playing in the water. The hotel had lent them a balloon, and they really enjoyed themselves. Kyouko burst out laughing when Satsuki tried to catch the ball and fell flat on her back with a loud splash. The girl looked so pitiful with her hair down, glued to her face, that Kyouko really couldn't help it. In retaliation, Satsuki half-drowned her. Ensued a battle of who would drown the other more, and the ball was left to drift away without them noticing.
When they did, it was already too late to retrieve it, and that put an end to Kyouko's happiness.
"Whaaa! What will they say! The hotel kindly let us borrow it and I repay this kindness by losing the ball!" She wailed on the way back to the hotel.
"Kyouko-chan, you won't bear this alone! I'm at fault, too, so we'll take responsibility together." Satsuki said, her face as solemn as a stone.
"What did you two do to have such unhappy faces?" Both girls turned around to see one Tsuruga Ren standing behind them.
"Oh, Tsuruga-kun, you're here already? I thought you couldn't come until tomorrow?" Asked a suddenly smiling Satsuki. Both girls bowed to the man, Kyouko lowering her head more than usual. 'Crap, I bet he's going to scold me for that, too', she thought.
"Well, it seems that I could finish my work earlier, so I came here." Ren smiled back to her, before turning to his kouhai. "So, what's the matter? What's the so terrible thing you did that you'll both take responsibility for it?"
"Er... We, hum... We lost the balloon that the kind people at the hotel lent us." Kyouko said in a very small voice.
"Was that a special balloon?"
Satsuki answered before Kyouko. "I don't think so..."
"Then I think that an apology and the promise to replace the ball will be enough to be forgiven. There's no need for you two to get so worked up over such a small thing."
Satsuki looked at Ren with stars in her eyes. "Yes, you're right, Tsuruga-kun! Thank you for making us realise this! Then we'll be going to just do what you said! Have a nice evening!" She bowed to him, and before Kyouko could even utter a word, she took her with her and walked towards the entrance of the hotel.
Once they were out of Ren's ears, Satsuki excitedly turned to Kyouko. "He's so cool!"
"Huh?" Kyouko looked at her, rather dumbfounded. "Who...?"
"Tsuruga-kun, of course!" She singsonged. "This body, this voice... and his kindness! No wonder he's so popular among girls! Aaah, how I wish I could be in your place, Kyouko-chan! Playing against him must really be thrilling! And in a romance drama, too! Lucky!"
"Hum, I guess I am lucky. It's not everyday you get to play against the most skilled actor of Japan... But somehow, it's a bit intimidating, too, for a rookie such as myself."
Satsuki paused, looking at her friend in wonder. "A rookie, huh? Kyouko-chan, I don't think that you can be called a rookie any more. Sure, you've been in this industry for less than two years, but since you've been in all of those popular dramas and commercials, it only means that you're as talented as a full-fledged actress. I mean, which rookie could possibly star in a drama opposite Japan's biggest actor? You've got to have a better opinion of yourself, Kyouko-chan." She smiled, before adding something more.
"Besides, I think you've caught a certain someone's eye already... Don't you see the way he looks at you, sometimes? That's something else to be jealous of..." At that, Kyouko blushed.
"Eh? No way! What are you talking about, Satsuki-san? I couldn't possibly catch anyone's eye in THAT way, because I'm way too pl-..." But she didn't finish her sentence, remembering her previous discoveries about how some men could see her. "I mean," she tried again, "apart from Tsuruga-san – who is my senpai as well as my co-worker in this case –, I'm not even close to any guy! So how could have I attracted their attention?"
Satsuki stared at her. 'Is she really that dense?' Seeing at how Kyouko hadn't even thought about the man in question being Tsuruga-kun, she supposed that the answer was yes. She shrugged.
"Oh, well, if you haven't noticed, then I suppose it's not my place to tell..." 'Though, I pity the poor man, as I suspect he's been at it for a while...' she added silently, while listening to the abnegations her friend was sprouting.
The following day, Kyouko was torn between the desire to run to the sea and drown in it, and to dig a hole right there and bury herself in it. There was simply no way she could muster the guts to play that scene.
It was nearly lunch time, and the director had decided that they would shoot a part that involved Eri choosing a swimsuit. Of course, Ryu had to accompany her, and things wouldn't go smoothly, seeing as Eri didn't have a single clue as to why she had to put clothes on when she was supposed to go into the water. What was the point of getting them wet?
If it was only about voicing her doubts, Kyouko would just be fine with it. But of course she had to act Eri's sceptical view on the matter, by tugging at the material, whining about the stupidity of it all, and choosing to minimize the effort of drying the cloth by trying on the least covering piece of swimsuit Kyouko had ever seen. All that while showing it wasn't a big deal.
But to Kyouko, it WAS a big deal. A very big one at that. Parading in sexy clothes in front of Satsuki-san was one thing, but parading with almost nothing on in front of a camera AND Tsuruga-san was a whole other matter. Of course, Ryu would make Eri wear something more appropriate, but first she had to show up in that... that poor excuse of a cloth!
Wailing, Kyouko quickly reached for her phone (she had a ten minutes break before the dreading scene), and called the only person that could give her the strength to accomplish her job.
"Moshi moshi... Moko-san?"
"Ah, it's you. What do you want, this time?"
"MOKO-SAAAAN! I'm doomed! I'm going to dieeeeeeeeee! Please, save me!"
"..."
And then the line was cut off. Yelping, Kyouko quickly redialled Kanae's number.
"MO, if you're going to just wail without explaining anything, I'm hanging up!"
Once the shoot was done and okayed, Kyouko slumped in a chair, trying to catch her breath. Her face was so hot! She had got 5 Ngs, and had needed some ice to cool her burning cheeks more than once. It wasn't fair, she thought. Tsuruga-san had been able to completely stay in character, since he was supposed to act like a normally embarrassed man. He could blush all he wanted, it even was what the director was looking for. But Kyouko... She couldn't blush, because Eri didn't know what she was doing. For her people, going in the water naked, even around guys, was a normal thing to do. So why should she be embarrassed to be seen (barely) naked by a man? See how it was unfair?
"Mogami-san?"
Kyouko raised her head. And then lowered it again.
"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san, for making you do such a simple scene so many times." Ren sat in the chair next to her, and sighed.
"I don't think it was an easy scene to do. It takes a lot of courage and self-control to complete it. And the more you try, the harder it is, I think. May I ask how you managed not to blush the sixth time?"
"Er... I don't think that's a good idea..." Kyouko's cheeks got even redder, if possible.
"Why?" Ren was curious. For the last take, the girl had managed to make her blush completely disappear and had really looked like she was bored to death.
"Hum... because it's not very... flattering..."
"Not flattering? For me?" Kyouko could only nod.
"Please, Mogami-san. I promise not to get angry." Kyouko sighed. Why did he have to be so curious about it?
"I... imagined that we were both octopi, so that showing you a swimsuit was really as ridiculous as Eri seems to think."
Ren stared at her. Then his shoulders started shaking. He hid his face behind his hands, and tried to muffle his snickers. An octopus! She had imagined he was an octopus! That was something quite unexpected. He tried to stop himself, but really couldn't: he burst out laughing.
"I'm... pffff... I'm so-hahaha... I'm sorry, Mo-pfff... Mogami-san! I know I shouldn't be laughing... Here. Let me calm down for a minute." A few seconds passed, before he burst out laughing again, with muffles of 'octupus' in between his laughs.
Kyouko stood up, apparently aggravated with the man's behaviour. With a loud huff, she walked towards her dressing room with all the dignity she could muster. Which wasn't a lot, as it had been pretty much killed by Ren's growing laughter. The nerve!
That incident had at least made something clear to the witnessing people of the cast. The actor and his kouhai were very close to each other, in a way that would cause gossip to grow at a sky-rocketing speed.
To apologize to the girl, Ren had followed Yashiro's advice, and invited her to dinner. He was shot down mercilessly as Kyouko had already planned to go eat with Satsuki in one of those restaurants that were close to the beach. After a lot of persuasive words and pleas ("Mogami-san, please, would you let me apologise properly already? I really want to invite you – the both of you – to dinner, wherever you want to dine, so please, open the door!"), it had been decided that the four of them (Satsuki, Yashiro, Ren and Kyouko) would eat in a small but cosy restaurant that had a view of the beach and was a bit far from the hotel. Satsuki had outdone herself with Kyouko's outfit and make-up. The girl looked really mature, and the dress (although a casual one) fitted her perfectly. The only thing she was having trouble with was the heels, so she had to rely on Natsu's walking attitude if she wanted not to make a fool out of herself. Satsuki-san herself looked pretty good in her suit. She almost squealed when she saw the two men waiting at the entrance of the hotel for them. "Gorgeous!" She whispered to her silent companion, as they approached their dates.
"Tsuruga-kun, Yashiro-san, you look great!" Satsuki enthusiastically said.
"Thank you... Hondou-san, is it?" Answered Yashiro. "You and Kyouko-chan look lovely!"
"Thank you! But call me Satsuki!"
"If it's all right with you, then, Satsuki-san..." They went ahead of the road (they had to walk a bit to reach their destination), while the two actors stayed behind, one clearly thinking that her shoes were the most interesting thing in the world, the other unable to decide whether he was happy or angry at Kyouko's outfit. On the one hand, it really fitted her, but on the other hand... She would attract too much attention from unwanted sources (or, in other words, men). Finally, Ren decided to break the silence.
"It is a nice outfit you have here." Kyouko lit up at the mention of her clothes.
"Yeah, I think so too! It's Satsuki-san's. But... I don't think it suits me really well... I mean, don't I look weird?" She opened her arms to let him see the outfit better. "If Moko-san had been wearing it, I guess she would have looked splendid, but I just can't..."
"You're wrong." Ren interrupted her. "Let me correct my previous statement: you look stunning in that outfit."
His smile almost killed her on the spot. "T-Thank you..." She muttered, her cheeks flushed. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't really honest. Something seemed to bother him to no end, and that something could perfectly be the young girl herself. She gulped. 'What did I do... this time?'
"Y-You look really good yourself, Tsuruga-san." She murmured, her head still lowered.
And without further ado, they caught up with the pair ahead.
"Thank you so much for this diner! It was really good!" Satsuki exclaimed, after Ren had paid for the meal. Kyouko and Yashiro thanked him too, and they headed for the door. But Ren and Yashiro got intercepted by a group of men drinking at the bar. Apparently, they were acquaintances, so Kyouko and Satsuki excused themselves for a moment, promising the two men to wait at the door for them.
It was getting pretty cold outside, and Satsuki shivered. "Hum, Kyouko-chan, do you mind if we wait on this side of the road? It'll be less windy there."
"Okay."
But as soon as they got out of the entrance's view, a group of three men approached them.
"Hey there girls! What are you doing alone at this hour?" One said, a big fat smile plastered on his face.
"Surely, pretty as you two are, you don't wanna stay alone for long, do you?" Another added. He really looked like a hoodlum, with piercing everywhere and black, spiky hair. The first man laughed. His bleached hair was half covered by a bandanna, and his clothes were ripped in lots of places. The third man, a bit fatter than the other two, chuckled in a way that made the two girls shiver.
"Of course they don't want to be alone there. Who knows what kind of bad encounter they could make? So, won't you come with us, ladies?"
"We'll protect you from the bad guys, promise."
When the two girls didn't respond, the second guy became more insistent. He took Kyouko's arm and tried to drag her with him. "Come on, let's have fun together!"
Something snapped. The man looked at his captive, surprised that the sound was coming from her.
"Who. The. Hell. Do you. Think. You. Are?" Kyouko hissed at him, yanking her arm free. She had unleashed Mio, and the dark aura around her was almost palpable. However, if acting Mio had been enough in the past to frighten some youngsters back in Tokyo, here the effect didn't seem to be the same. Rather, such anger had excited the guy, who now was whistling.
"Wha, look at that fierce face! I like that. Now come on, show me more of your dark side! It's a real turn on!" He grabbed her arm again, while another took a hold of Satsuki. The poor girl was frightened.
"No! Let us go, please!" Hearing her scared voice, Kyouko resisted harder.
"Let her go, you moronic, stupid, monkey-faced bastard!" She scratched her opponent in his face, and bit his arm.
"OUCH! That bitch! It hurts! Let me show you how I tame little bitches like yo-...!"
But the man never had time to finish his threat, because he was suddenly thrown away, falling flat on his butt.
"Ough!" The other two turned around to see their companion on the ground. They then met with a pair of eyes that held the most murdering intent they had ever seen.
"I suggest you get out of here immediately." Was the low murmur they heard from the tall man before them. The threat was as strong as his voice was low. Without a second thought, the hoodlums collected themselves and fled like the Devil himself was hot on their tail.
Ren took a big gulp of air and the tension eased. He then turned to Kyouko. "Are you alright, Mogami-san, Satsuki-san?"
Both girls nodded. Satsuki sighed out of relief, and thanked the men for coming to their rescue.
"I thought they would leave us alone when Kyouko-chan released Mio-sama, but it seems that there are people that aren't scared of her... That's a first! On the contrary, I never would have imagined that Tsuruga-kun could get so frightening with just a few words!"
Ren smiled apologetically to her. "I'm sorry to have scared you."
"Oh no, not at all! I should be the one thanking you for saving us!"
They resumed their walk quickly, and then they separated. Or at least, it was Kyouko's intention to bid the men goodnight and follow her room-mate, but it wasn't Ren's.
"Mogami-san, can I have a quick word with you in private?" He then smiled at Satsuki. "It won't be long, I promise."
"Then... I'll go ahead! Goodnight, Yashiro-san, Tsuruga-kun." The girl vanished into the elevator, along with Kyouko's hope of getting away from the terrifying actor. "I'll catch up with you later, Yukihito."
Said man eyed Ren warily, before heading to his own room. He was pretty sure that Ren was about to frighten the poor girl to death, and he was certain it wasn't what she needed most right now. He shrugged. Since he had been excluded from the conversation, surely Ren wouldn't want to hear his advice.
"Please follow me." They walked to Ren's room in absolute silence. When he closed the door, Kyouko couldn't help but compare the sound to the closing door of Hell. And she was on the wrong side of that door.
"Have a seat." Kyouko quietly did as she was told, and waited. Ren had his back to her, as he was standing on the other side of the room. The waves of anger flowing off of him didn't convince her that she would get out of here alive.
"In all honesty, I don't know who I should be more angry at. Should it be at you, who instead of trying to get help from us, tried to fight them off on your own, or... at me, for even letting you out of my sight for a moment?"
Kyouko felt ashamed and angry at the same time. Ashamed because she was a burden for her senpai, who had to watch out for her even outside of work, and angry because she really was powerless against men. She hated that she couldn't protect herself, let alone her friend. And she hated being afraid of them. It had been the same with the Beagle, though now she wasn't afraid of him, thanks to her senpai, once again.
"I'm sorry for always causing you trouble..." She softly said, her eyes carefully hidden behind her bangs. He didn't need to know that she had been so frightened that she was on the verge of crying now that the pressure was easing.
"No, that's not what I meant... After all, didn't I promise you that I'd protect you? I barely made it this time, and that's what angers me most." He turned to her, and finally noticed her trembling figure. 'Crap', he thought, 'I'm not supposed to make her cry!' He carefully approached her. "Mogami-san?"
She said nothing, afraid that her voice would betray her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she jerked at his contact, as if he had slapped her. That made him worry even more.
"Mogami-san, look at me. Please." The gentleness of his tone made her obey, and he froze at what he saw. She really was trying hard not to let her tears fall, and her eyes showed just how much she was frightened. He didn't hesitate a second before pulling her into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, Mogami-san, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scolded you. I shouldn't have let you out there alone. I'm sorry..." A soft whimper reached his ears, and he pulled her even closer, as he felt wet tears dampening his shirt. The whimper soon transformed into words he could barely make out.
"I hate it... I really hate it... The fact that I'm powerless against men... That I'm completely at their mercy... A mere toy in their hands..." She had gripped his shirt so tightly that he was wondering if the material would ever return to a normal form. "If only I could find a way to fight them off..."
At this Ren froze. That didn't sound like a bad idea... He slowly detached himself from her, enough to be able to raise her chin towards him. Her devastated face was something that hurt him deeply down his heart. He'd do whatever would be possible to stop her from ever looking like that again.
"I think that your wish can be granted, Mogami-san." She blinked at him. 'How?' Was the question her eyes asked him. "If it's alright with you, I could help you learn a few moves that would make a guy think twice before bothering you." Surprised, Kyouko couldn't help but stare at him in wonder. Why would he do that for her?
"I know it would be hard for you to follow a professional course, both because of your financial situation and the little spare time you have in your hands." She was about to protest, probably about his own lack of free time to spare, but he continued before she could speak. "Let's think about it this way: your payment to me would be the cooking lessons you're giving me, and I would be less worried about you if I knew how well you defend yourself. So, do we have a deal, here?"
Kyouko's smile was a good answer enough.
And chapter 7 edited! We're getting closer to a new chapter! (Beta, anyone?)
