Reaching for Number One
A/N: KyokoRen Week 2018, the final prompt, Star. So it took me a while to come up with an idea I liked for this story. Hopefully it's okay! Thank you again to everyone who read my stories! To those who reviewed it, thanks for the feedback!
. . .
"Noo! I'm too nervous. I don't want to look!" Kyoko says, covering her eyes.
"Mo!" Kanae says, exasperated, "Do you want me to read it to you?" They were at LME looking at the latest entertainment news.
"No... I just... need to wait a moment. I need to prepare myself."
Peeking through her fingers, Kyoko looks at the list. The official ranking of star popularity in Japan for the past year. There were top 10s for both male and female stars, and then a list of the top 100 most popular stars.
Starting with the top 10 women, Kyoko scans the list.
"Your here!" She says, glancing at Kanae. "Number 8, too!"
"Kyoko!" Kanae says, shaking her head.
"What?" Kyoko asks.
"Look again!" Kanae says, pointing to the middle of the list. Number 5: Kyoko (actress, LME).
"What?" Kyoko says, double checking she was seeing properly. "I'm number 5!"
"Only you would miss your own name." Kanae says, "Well, shall we check the others?"
Looking over the men's top 10, it was no surprise to see Ren at the top again. Number 1: Tsuruga Ren (actor, LME). Most of the rest of the list was a collection of actors, idols and musicians. What did surprise her was the absence of a certain singer's name. Looking on to the Top 100 ranking, Kyoko found her and Kanae's names (Number 9 and 15 respectively). Ren was down a slot, at number 2 with a popular world famous female singer at number 1. It wasn't until number 31 she found what she was looking for. Number 31: Fuwa Sho (singer, Akatoki). Kyoko didn't know what to think. She did it. She had gotten her 'revenge'. She had finally surpassed Sho in the entertainment industry.
There is soft knock and the door opens slightly. Kyoko oblivious to the noise, sits at the table, still in a confusion of emotions. Kanae, getting up, greets the newcomer and says, "She might not notice for a bit. She just saw the rankings. I need to get to my next job, so I guess I'll leave her to you?" Grabbing her things Kanae goes to the door, looking one last time at the two in the room. The newcomer had gone over and taken a seat near Kyoko. Well if anyone can help Kyoko, Kanae thought, it was him.
It was some time before Kyoko even realised Kanae had left the room. Glancing over she was shocked to see her friend's things were gone and it had gotten so late. "Are you back to the land of the living?" a man asks.
"Ren!" Kyoko says, whipping her head around, shocked. "When did you get here?!"
"Oh, about 40 minutes ago." Ren responds, chuckling a bit at his girlfriend.
"Wah- 40 minutes?!" Kyoko replies, embarrassed.
"You were quite intent on your thoughts. Kotonami-san also left then." Ren says, answering her unasked question.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Kyoko says, covering her bright red face.
"Because it's so amusing to watch you think." Ren teases.
"I did it." Kyoko mumbles through her hands a few moments later.
"I know."
"I don't feel happy though. I don't really feel anything."
Leaning over, Ren slowly pries Kyoko's hands from her face. Looking her in the eyes he says, "Maybe because acting has become something more than just revenge? That your goal for revenge is something you stopped trying for a long time ago?"
Kyoko thinks over this for a moment. Nodding, she says, "I think your right. It was my motivation at the start but now... It's just something in my past." With a cheeky smile she adds, "Now I'm just trying to best you!"
"I look forward to it!" Ren says, teasing, "You better hurry before I head to America!"
"You're on!"
