There. What a damn good girl I've been this week. By now I think the most fatal errors have been corrected. The story is twisting a lot and even I have a hard time following. The plot is going a lot faster than I originally planned too. I hope you don't mind. If I can get control over the story the pace will soon slow down I hope. Wish me good luck with that.
Well, I hope you've actaully read the changes, otherwise this chapter will make very little sense to you.
Enjoy the reading anyway. And please don't forget to tell what you think about the changes as well.
Falling down
"You threw Queen out?! Are you stupid for real? One of Europe's most influential supermodels and you threw her right out the door?!"
It was unbelievable! She had been late due to a phone call about another job she just couldn't cut off and then rushed here with a sample of cloths for the shot. Never had she dreamt about a photographer kicking the model out the door. She rubbed her forehead in attempt to ease the growing headache.
"Mogami-dono, I am sure Ishida-sensei is aware of what he has done," the president said so calmly she got anxious.
"I sure hope so! Takarada-san, are you even aware of what may happen now? After all, this is your business."
"I know Ishida-sensei and I have an apology to prepare for. The ad isn't the most important thing right now. You understand, don't you, Ishida-sensei?"
The photographer nodded, still on the verge of breaking down in a flood of tears. He had messed up big time and could only hope Queen had a heart somewhere that would at least forgive L.M.E for his idiocy.
Mogami Kyoko had to drag herself to the set, and once she got there she tried to become one with the wall. Not daring to look up in fear to meet anybody's eyes she quietly slipped, pressed to the wall, towards her lounge.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Her heart jumped out her mouth, her stomach turned inside out, her throat squeezed, her breath got stuck, her blood fell to her feet, her brain went blank and her body as she froze.
"Mitsuki... Why Mitsuki? Did Mio put a curse on you?!"
Mitsuki? Mio? Kyoko dared a peek and saw Oohara-san, red-faced and teary yelling at Tsuruga-san. They were acting out a scene.
She let her breath out. Most attention would be on the stage and there was a slim chance for her to get to her lounge unnoticed.
Just a little bit more.
"Huh? Kyouko-san?"
She had been spotted.
"Good thing you're here. We must talk about your..."
Talking? She wasn't mentally prepared for talking! The lounge was just ahead. She made a dash for it.
"...last scene...?"
Kyoko held the handle and couldn't let go. What was she doing? This couldn't go on. She had to go out there and do her work despite the stares, despite the whispers and despite how her stomach turned.
She wanted to throw up again.
"I must have... caught something bad."
There was a knock on the door, causing her to jump away from it.
"Mogami-san, are you there?"
The make-up artist. Everybody had probably seen her when she dashed through the set towards her lounge.
She felt sick.
"I-I'm here. You can come in."
Tsuruga Ren's head was swirling with thoughts that refused to leave him alone, hardly even when he was in character. Most of them circled around the gossip. It had always been the source of life for the entertainers and what kept them alive as much as their work. Every now and again a destructive rumour appeared and for most of the time the star fell once the rumours got overboard. Of course there were survivors, but they would never be clean from the rumours. Mogami-san would never be clean from those cruel rumours.
He knew for a fact that Mogami-san was untouched by a man and why she was so, but it wasn't like he could go out with that, for more than one reason. And she would never be able to persuade anybody she was still a virgin. Not completely. Mogami Kyoko was an actress and if anybody tested her they would believe she was acting.
Her mother had really put her in the mouth of dilemma.
Moreover, the newest add to the rumour was as true as saying Mogami-san was born as a male. There was no way she preferred women. Fuwa Sho was proof enough of that. But right now people were prepared to believe anything they heard about Mogami Kyoko. It was possible she had both lost and gained fans, and it was only a matter of time before these news reached the media and Mogami-san's reputation would be forever damaged. How was she feeling about all this?
He sighed. Right now he couldn't tell how the girl was feeling. She could be anything from angry to afraid. As a child Mogami-san had cried about not being good enough, and he had the feeling that she was still somewhat caught in the thinking that she had to be perfect and always do right in order for people to accept her. She had partly gotten away from that thinking, but the expectations she had on herself were still high.
The door opened.
"Wait here until we finish the stage, Kyouko-san."
Mogami-san stepped into the room and he stood to greet her. Her eyes were very calm for a person with so many negative rumours circling around her. But that was only until she saw him.
"Ah, Moga..."
In front of him the girl shrunk, paled and trembled. It didn't take a brain to tell she was scared. What had he done now? There hadn't been any tensions between them in some time. So why now?
She fell into seiza position and started to mumble.
"Good afternoon great sempai Tsuruga-sama. What a terrific day. I hope we can work together peacefully without any painful accidents..."
"Mogami-san? What is this about?" He sat on his heels in front of her. She refused to look up into his face and kept her eyes locked on his lower chest.
"Uh, we have a scene together this bright and happy day that should be to risen one's spirits. Then I was only thinking about what people say. So much has been said lately..."
Her face was tense and full of dread. Did she think he believed in the rumours? No. Mogami-san was probably thinking that the rumours had made him angry with her for some reason or another.
"Ah, Mogami-san, I'm... not angry with you or anything."
Finally she looked up into his face. Just a second though.
"But... I signed into the agency without permission from my mother. And there was this and then that..."
He sighed as she continued to mumble. Seeing her like this made it clear how far down the ranks she thought herself to be.
"No, Mogami-san. I'm really not angry with you." She looked up again. "I'm not angry but, I'm very worried. People are cruel and love to gossip." Her eyes widened. "I thought that you might have been cornered or bullied about it already, and I don't know how to help you."
Her face went blank. He recognized it. She looked like this as she decided what to feel. Then her eyes would widen slightly before changing.
She started crying.
"Mogami-san!"
She was trembling even more than earlier. She rarely cried. Not like this. Only once before had he seen her really cry. This wasn't the same as back then.
"...thought... I thought... hate me... I thought you too... would hate me."
So she hadn't gotten rid of that image of him? She still made him seem like some kind of demon. Really, was she respecting or fearing him?
Wait. Too? Had someone already said they hated her? Someone close enough to make her cry like this in front of him. Who could it be? That friend of hers? What was her name... Kotonami-san? That couldn't be.
Cautiously he put a hand on her head.
"Don't worry. I don't hate you."
"But... all those... rumours..."
"Are they true?"
"NO! Absolutely not! There is no way! I would never do something like that!"
"Then there is nothing to worry about, is there?"
He offered a tissue saved from the lunch Yashiro-san had forced him to eat. She would need a touch-up on the make-up later.
"You don't have to worry, Mogami-san. All the people that matter, your friends, knows you would never sell yourself or go after other girls."
"Huh? What do you mean; go after other girls?"
He mirrored her surprised face. She wasn't aware of that one yet?
"Um... the newest gossip says... you were seen kissing another Love-Me girl."
"Oh! But that was only an accident. Moko-san and I slipped and to save each other from harm we protected the other's head causing our faces to... I mean... It was just an unfortunate accident..."
So she had been kissing another girl? In his whole life he had never once looked down on women. To him there was little difference between them and men, except for the great differences in opinion. Never once had he envied a woman. Much less felt jealous of one.
Until now. It was just a prick in his heart. A prick the size of a fist, caused by Mogami-san's red cheeks.
He quickly shook his head. It was just an embarrassing memory. That was all there was to it. Those red cheeks didn't mean anything.
The door opened again.
"Tsuruga-san, Kyouko-san. Stage three is ready for you."
"We'll be right there," he answered the assistant. "Come on, Mogami-san. Let's work well today too."
She smiled at him. "Okay, Tsuruga-san."
"Alright. That's good," Ogata called after the rehearsal and people started moving.
The make-up artists checked the make-up, Tsuruga Ren straightened his cloths, Ogata scribbled down the changes made and Kyoko shook her head to get rid of a sudden dizziness. She realized she hadn't eaten properly for the last two days and hoped it wasn't obvious. This was her last scene, for the day and for Dark Moon. After this Mio was finished. She couldn't screw up now.
"We're done here," one of the stage designers called to the director.
"Good. Tsuruga-san, Kyoko-san. Take your positions."
A short glance and smile was shared between the actors on stage before both their faces fell into shadow. Under a weak lamp Katsuki sat on the sofa staring emptily in front of him with his folded hands resting against his mouth.
Mio stood stiff beside the sofa, gaze locked on the man in it.
"Scene sixty eight take one. Action!"
I have nothing to say. If he expects me to comfort him he is gravely mistaken. He made his choice, and this is where it has left him. He deserves neither pity nor accusation.
"I guess this is it."
His voice is soft, small and on the verge of breaking. What did he expect?
"Yes."
His eyes are dry. Good. Now we are two who without a way to redemption. This may be the reason he told me. Mitsuki-san will not hear it from his mouth.
"Are you mad at me?"
My eyebrows knit together before I relax my face again. He killed my parents and Misao-onee-san. I always hated them. I always hated him.
"I was." He doesn't move. "Why does it matter?"
I see how his eyes move, looking for words I suppose.
"I don't know," he says. I'm not surprised.
"What had you expected?" I ask of him. "What are you expecting?"
He sighs and lowers his head. You can't hide, Katsuki-sensei. This is the curse. You realize that much, don't you?
"I don't know anymore. I wasn't thinking about anything else but my family when I did it"
Is he laughing? Or crying? You don't have the right to cry.
"Welcome to my world," I say. "This is no great place and you can't get out. But you already knew that, didn't you, Katsuki-sensei. Or should I say Katsuki-san?"
When he looks up again his eyes are dry, but still as empty. Then he nods.
"Yes. I suppose I did know."
He looks up at me and there is a smile on his lips as empty as his eyes. He is looking for something. I know what. I won't give it.
"What is worse; the guilt or the shame?"
I glare at him. He should already know that.
The telephone gives a shrill signal in this silence. None of us moves.
The tone calls out again.
"I guess I should go. It's probably the police." He stands up and moves towards the door.
Another call for attention.
From the corner of my eye I see him turn in the door.
"I will see you later, Hongo-san."
Then I'm alone again. Mitsuki-san will probably be back soon with the face of a broken heart. At least Katsuki-san saved her the pain of knowing of his plans. Maybe I should have tried to stop him.
A fourth shrill sound from the phone and I walk up to it. I feel it vibrate as it calls again.
So he will see me later, huh?
The last signal is cut off in the middle. I can't help but smirk.
"I will see you in hell, Katsuki-san."
"Cut. Ok."
It was rare for Ogata to accept the first take. Kyoko's heart jumped with sudden happiness, then it fell like a stone. This was it. Now Mio wasn't needed anymore. The rest of the filming would go on without her.
For her inner eye she saw Mio. She wasn't smiling. Until the very end she had never been able to smile. She simply nodded her head and was gone.
It was strange. From the beginning she hadn't liked Mio at all, because of the evil curse that had been put on her and couldn't get away from. Mio had never been able to fly freely in the sky or live in the world of the sun. If just a little more. If she could have been with Mio a little more there may have been a way to redeem from the curse. Maybe, just maybe, she could have made Mio smile from her heart just once.
She sighed. Mio was gone now, even though she was still dressed in her cloths and had her face.
"Mogami-san?"
She blinked. A hand was waving in front of her.
"Eh? Tsuruga-san?"
Her senior smiled gently. "You were spacing out."
Spacing out? Again? She quickly looked around and saw people staring at her. Crap. She had done it again.
"S-sorry. I will go change now."
"Okay. This was my last scene for today too. Do you have any work after this?"
"Yes... or, I think so. I don't know if... I mean... I have to check. I need to go to the office first though, so..." She looked up at him shyly, wondering if she really should dare to ask, considering the rumours.
"If you're in a hurry I can give you a ride," he offered.
"Ah, thank you but... aren't you afraid... well. People are talking you know."
Her heart was beating so fast. She was afraid of both answers. Being with her might involve Tsuruga-san in the rumours. What would she do if it really happened? Tsuruga-san's reputation would be eternally damaged! But what if he said no? Maybe she shouldn't have said anything and just accepted. Now she had reminded him and he might never want to get close to her again!
"It's no problem," she heard him say and quickly looked up. He smiled calmingly. "There really is no problem."
Half of her face smiled. The other half paled.
Mogami Saena, at the peak of her career as cloth designer and the hottest name within the same section, was nervous. The president of L.M.E had managed to contact Queen and the model was willing to come and hear their apology. There hadn't been any nervousness earlier. But that was only because she would have to do with a model that would either be unsure or very familiar an in control of the situation. Now that model was probably very much not easy to deal with. Queen had so much fame and had so much influence in this showbiz section. One wrong word from any of them and all of Japan would suffer.
She was early, but couldn't go to the meeting place just yet. First she needed a coffee. Coffee with milk and sugar.
"God bless these coffee machines," she sighed as she spotted one. Those were really one of the best of mankind's creations.
After the paper mug was filled she sat down with it, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees in a very unladylike way. Immediately when she felt the mocha on her tongue she felt how her tensions eased and that everything that was wrong in this world would turn out just fine.
"You make the best coffee, Sana."
She smiled at the memory. Whenever she was able to sit down with a cup of hot coffee with milk and sugar all the good memories from that time returned to her. They had met at a coffee bar and he had had troubles with the Japanese language back then. She giggled remembering the first impression he had made. She had been on her way to an employment interview and been so nervous she hadn't been able to stand it, so she had stopped at the coffee bar for a relaxing cup of coffee, and then he had just been there.
"I hope not sturb you drink coffee."
Back then she had laughed out loud, right in his face.
Sighing she emptied the cup and returned to reality. It had started with a much needed laugh. It had ended in an evil circle where she couldn't escape. To this day she felt the pain of losing him like that. That their daughter had his eyes added even more oil to the fire.
Straightening her sap green suit she walked towards one of the many corridors, before a sudden commotion called upon her attention. It sounded like screaming women, a lot of them.
Another memory came to her consciousness. She turned her course towards the noise. There was probably not anything that she would be able to do, but she couldn't ignore it.
The scene in the entrance hall was as bad as the one in her memories. The place had turned into a war zone with Tsuruga Ren and several girls on one side and her daughter on the other. The women were pushing her. Hitting her. One grabbed her hair and threw her some distance. Words were uttered. Raw, ugly and terribly untrue words.
The man on the other side of the barrier of women tried to get through. His face was pained.
"Stop..."
Reality, the past and present overlapped. Once again she just stood there. For the second time she was watching it happen.
"Stop."
They were going to hurt her. If this continued that girl would be killed. Her daughter would be killed!
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
It was a miracle. At the sound of her voice everything stilled and turned towards her. Saena was so angry she trembled. So happy the scene had stilled. Terrified she suddenly was the object of so much attention.
Her gaze locked at the girl with eyes the colour of a sunset. A late sunset.
"Kioko! You get out of here. Now!"
The girl's eyes widened and there were tears in the corners of them.
"But... I have... office..."
"Then go there! Just get out of my sight!"
The girl got up, staggered, and fled. Good. Now she would hopefully get her ass away from this cursed business.
She turned to the one guilty of all this.
"Tsuruga-san. A moment of your time please."
The barrier of female bodies immediately tightened.
"What? Are you going to try..."
She felt how her anger made her bigger. The women between her and Tsuruga Ren recoiled as she glared at them.
"I was not talking to any of you." She looked back to the star. "Just. One. Moment. Please."
